Number hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. hits new low for 2024 in latest update
The number of patients with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals declined to its lowest level of 2024 in the latest data update from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
There were 133 test-positive patients in provincial hospitals as of Thursday, according to the BCCDC. The last published update to show a total lower than that was in August of last year, when the BCCDC reported just 76 patients hospitalized.
The number of patients reported in B.C. hospitals in public updates from the BCCDC in 2024 is shown. (CTV News)
This week's hospitalized population is less than half of what it was around this time last year. The final published update of March 2023 showed 294 patients in B.C. hospitals.
Not everyone who is hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. is there because of the disease. The totals the BCCDC reports include both those who have serious cases of COVID requiring hospitalization and those who are hospitalized for other reasons and test positive after admission.
Other data released Thursday by the BCCDC also showed a declining trend. There were 320 new lab-confirmed infections during the most recent "epidemiological week," which spanned March 17 to 23. That's down from 394 during the preceding week.
The percentage of tests coming back positive also declined during the week that ended March 23. Test positivity was 9.7 per cent, down from 10.9 per cent the week before, according to BCCDC data.
These declines in testing-related data are matched by recent declines in concentrations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at wastewater facilities around the province. Wastewater data can be found on the BCCDC website.
Data on other respiratory viruses released Thursday was incomplete. The BCCDC said testing data from both the Fraser and Northern health authorities was "unavailable" for the week of March 17 to 23, but did not explain why.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.