Number hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. hits highest level since March
The exterior of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control office in Vancouver is seen in this photo from the centre's website. (bccdc.ca)
The number of COVID-19-positive patients in B.C. hospitals surged by 67 per cent during the month of May, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control on Thursday.
The centre's first update since May 2 shows 162 test-positive patients in B.C. hospitals, up from just 97 in the previous release.
The latest hospitalization total is the highest the BCCDC has reported since March 14, when there were 163 people hospitalized with the disease.
The number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. Centre for Disease Control updates in 2024 is shown. (CTV News)
The data is also a notable shift from last June, when the number of COVID-positive patients in B.C. hospitals was plummeting.
The BCCDC reported 268 people in hospital with COVID at the start of May 2023, and 146 at the start of June 2023, a drop of roughly 46 per cent, compared to this year's increase.
Of course, COVID hospitalization totals were generally higher throughout the year last year than they have been so far in 2024.
The number of patients reported in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. Centre for Disease Control updates during 2023 is shown. (CTV News)
While the BCCDC has switched to monthly reporting of COVID-19 hospitalization and testing numbers over the summer, it continues to publish wastewater surveillance data on a weekly basis.
Wastewater data has shown increasing concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in recent weeks, but the BCCDC says in Thursday's update that "severity indicators have stabilized, following an increase in early May."
Similarly, the data released Thursday shows the number of new infections confirmed through lab-based testing during the first full week of May was 390, but it dropped to 310 in the most recent week, which ended June 1.
The percentage of tests coming back positive rose to 13.2 per cent at the start of the month, but had dropped to 11.1 per cent as of last week.
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