COVID-19 hospitalizations growing most in Fraser Health, B.C. data shows
The number of COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals Thursday was the highest it's been in more than two months, but not every region of the province has seen its hospital census growing in recent weeks.
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, there were 596 test-positive coronavirus patients in the province's hospitals on Thursday, an increase of 46 from the previous week.
That total includes both those hospitalized because of significant illness caused by COVID-19 and those hospitalized for other reasons who tested positive during routine screening.
The lion's share of the increase this week came in the Fraser Health region, where there were 268 coronavirus patients in hospitals, up 39 from the week before.
Two other regional health authorities saw small increases: Vancouver Coastal Health's total increased by seven to 135, while Island Health's increased by six to 73.
The remaining health authorities - Interior Health and Northern Health - saw modest decreases in the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital. Interior Health's census dropped by seven to 96 and Northern Health's dropped by two to 16.
Over the last four weeks, most regions have seen their hospitalization totals fluctuate within a consistent range. Fraser Health is the only region that has seen consistent growth each week, rising from 196 people in hospital on April 22 to 268 this week.
Vancouver Coastal Health surged from 95 people in hospital on April 22 to 155 the following week, but has since declined, and the other three health authorities – which have smaller overall populations – have seen more modest fluctuations, as shown in the graph.
This graph shows the number of patients in hospital in each health authority on Thursdays, beginning April 22, 2022. Data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
In addition to the number of patients currently in hospital, the BCCDC also releases weekly figures on the number of newly admitted patients in each health authority.
Those numbers are preliminary and are expected to grow "as data become more complete," but comparing them to last week's preliminary numbers shows an encouraging trend.
Every health authority saw at least slightly fewer new hospitalizations during the week of May 1 to 7 – for which data was released Thursday – than it did during the preceding week.
New lab-confirmed cases were also down at least slightly from the previous week across all health authorities.
It should be noted that data on new cases reflects only lab-confirmed, lab-probable and epi-linked cases. Under the province's current testing strategy, most people with COVID-19 symptoms do not qualify for a lab-based PCR test, and the results of rapid antigen tests are neither collected nor reported.
Still, declining lab-confirmed case numbers are better than the alternative, and the trend matches that seen in wastewater surveillance in the Lower Mainland over the last two weeks.
As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the largest numbers of new cases were found in larger population centres, with the local health area that includes most of the city of Surrey recording the highest total during the week of May 1 to 7.
That region saw 212 new lab-confirmed infections during the period. The next highest totals were recorded in Greater Victoria (118 new cases), the Tri-Cities (104) and the Central Okanagan (102).
The city of Vancouver also saw a significant number of new cases during the week in question, but it's divided into six separate local health areas. Adding those regions' totals together yields a total of 217 new lab-confirmed cases in the city between May 1 and 7.
While these regions had the largest raw numbers of new cases confirmed during the time period, per-capita rates of new cases were higher elsewhere.
The Lillooet local health area had the highest daily new case rate during the week, with 17 new lab-confirmed infections per 100,000 residents per day. Creston and the Bella Coola Valley had the next highest rates, at 15 per 100,000, according to the BCCDC.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Montreal man facing charges following contraband drone drop at Millhaven: OPP
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says a 40-year-old man from Montreal is facing charges following a suspected drone drop of unauthorized items at the Millhaven Institution.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Potentially toxic chemicals hide in our drinking water and countless household objects, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Nigeria's fashion and dancing styles in the spotlight as Harry, Meghan visit its largest city
Nigeria's fashion and traditional dances were at full display on Sunday as Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in its largest city, Lagos, as part of their three-day visit to the country to promote mental health for soldiers and empower young people.
BREAKING Suspect sought after man found injured in downtown Toronto dies in hospital
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man who was found with life-threatening injuries in downtown Toronto on Sunday morning succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
Police investigating after tow trucks shot at in Scarborough two hours apart
Toronto police are investigating after tow trucks were shot at in Scarborough about two hours apart Saturday night.