273 in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. for 2nd week in a row
The number of people with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals remained at 273 on Thursday, still slightly above the lowest total seen in 2022 so far.
The number of coronavirus-positive patients requiring critical care ticked up slightly, from 28 last week to 32 this week.
This graph shows the number of COVID-19-positive patients in B.C. hospitals on Thursdays since the province switched to a "hospital census" model in January. (CTV)
The number of patients in hospital each week is reported using a "hospital census" model, which includes anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether the disease is the reason for their hospitalization.
Since the province switched to this method of counting hospitalizations in January, the total reported on Thursdays has been as low as 255 and as high as 985.
NEW CASES AND WASTEWATER
In addition to the data on people currently in hospital, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control also released its weekly figures on new cases, new hospitalizations and new deaths Thursday.
The data shows 620 new cases confirmed during the week of June 19 to 25, a slight decrease from the 642 recorded during the previous epidemiological week.
It should be noted that these numbers do not reflect all transmission of COVID-19 in B.C. Rather, the BCCDC releases only results confirmed through lab-based testing, which is available to only a small subset of B.C. residents with symptoms of the disease.
Results from at-home rapid antigen tests are neither collected nor reported, meaning the true scope of coronavirus spread in B.C. at any given time cannot be known.
Still, 620 new lab-confirmed cases is the lowest total the province has reported since it switched to weekly updates in early April, and other indicators – such as wastewater surveillance – also trended downward throughout May and June.
The BCCDC's latest situation report indicates some wastewater treatment plants in the Lower Mainland have been seeing an increase in viral loads in recent weeks, though concentrations of the coronavirus remain on the lower end relative to where they were earlier in the year.
NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS
During the week of June 19 to 25, there were 169 new hospital admissions and 17 deaths of COVID-positive people.
Both of those totals are expected to increase "as data become more complete," according to the BCCDC.
Last week – for the period of June 12 to 18 – the BCCDC reported 156 new hospitalizations and 26 new deaths. Those figures have been revised upwards this week to 194 and 32, respectively.
Not all of the deaths reported in a given week are actually caused by COVID-19. Since April 2, the province has reported "30-day, all-cause mortality," meaning anyone who dies within 30 days of a positive COVID-19 test is included in the total.
The province's Vital Statistics agency then works to determine the underlying cause of death, a process that can take eight weeks.
As of June 18, the most recent date for which data is available, 726 deaths had been reported under the new system. Of those, the underlying cause was still pending for 172.
Most of the rest were not caused by COVID-19, according to Vital Statistics. A total of 310 of the remaining 554 deaths (about 56 per cent) had some other underlying cause, while 244 (44 per cent) were caused by COVID.
If the same ratio holds for the deaths reported for June 19 to 25 so far, then seven of the reported 17 will be found to have COVID-19 as their underlying cause.
VACCINATION DATA
Earlier this week, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization announced its recommendation that all Canadians be offered a seasonal COVID-19 booster shot this fall, ahead of a possible surge in transmission.
NACI's recommendation places particular emphasis on boosters for those at greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19, specifically those ages 65 and older, those with underlying medical conditions, and those in congregate living situations.
Though they're most important for these groups, booster doses should be offered to all Canadians ages 12 and older, regardless of how many doses they've already had or how many times they've had COVID, according to NACI.
In B.C., a total of 48,778 doses of vaccine were administered during the week of June 19 to 25. The vast majority of those – 39,831, or about 82 per cent – were fourth doses for people in the aforementioned vulnerable groups.
As of June 26, 43 per cent of those ages 70 and older had received four doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the BCCDC's COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.