Number in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. hits another new low in latest update
The number of patients with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals declined again this week, once again reaching a low not seen since before the province began including incidental hospitalizations in its count.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 204 test-positive patients in hospitals across the province Thursday, down from 228 last week, which was itself the lowest level seen in more than a year.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 in B.C. on Thursdays since the province switched to a "hospital census" model is shown. (CTV)
The BCCDC began including incidental cases – meaning those in which a person was admitted to hospital for something other than COVID-19 and tested positive once they got there – in its total in January 2022, near the peak of the first wave of Omicron-variant infections.
The count of hospitalized people on Thursdays peaked at 985 shortly after the switch in reporting methods, but had never fallen below 255 in a weekly update until last week.
Health officials estimate that between 40 and 50 per cent of hospitalizations reported each week are caused by severe cases of COVID-19, while the rest are incidental.
Applying the estimated proportion of non-incidental cases provided by public health officials to the current count suggests roughly 82 to 102 people are currently hospitalized because of the disease.
Tracking the data back to before the switch, the last time the BCCDC reported fewer than 204 people in hospital with the coronavirus was Dec. 28, 2021, when the total was 193.
That total, however, was intended to reflect all patients with severe enough cases of COVID-19 to require hospitalization.
The last time the BCCDC reported a hospitalized population below 100 was in August 2021, before the Omicron variant had been named.
OTHER NEW DATA
Thursday's update from the BCCDC also came with continued declines in new hospital admissions (which are different from the currently hospitalized population) and newly confirmed infections.
There were 293 new, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the week of Jan. 22 to 28, the most recent "epidemiological week" for which data is available.
That's a substantial decrease – roughly 28 per cent – from the 408 new cases the BCCDC reported last week for the period of Jan. 15 to 21.
Weekly caseloads are not considered representative of the total transmission of COVID-19 in B.C., because they only include the results of lab-based PCR tests, which are available for people with coronavirus symptoms in only a limited number of situations.
Still, though experts estimate that the official case count is off by roughly 100-fold, it has generally moved in the same direction as other indicators like hospitalizations and wastewater surveillance since the province adopted its current, limited testing strategy.
New hospital admissions tell a similar story this week. The BCCDC reported just 73 of them for the week ending Jan. 28, down from 104 initially reported last week for the period ending Jan. 21.
Last week's total has since been revised upwards to 123, and this week's total will be revised upwards in next week's update.
This week's total is beginning at a lower point than last week's did, however, and the revised total for last week is the second-lowest the BCCDC has reported since it switched to weekly data updates in April 2022.
Wastewater surveillance data, which captures a much broader sample of the population than the official case count, had not been updated at the time of writing Thursday.
The most recent wastewater data available on the BCCDC website showed a declining trend in coronavirus concentrations across all treatment plants, though the rate of decline was slowing in some regions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.