Number with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals rises as other illnesses draw focus
The number of test-positive COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals rose back over 300 this week for the first time in about a month.
There were 328 people in hospital with the disease as of Thursday, up from 290 at this time last week.
The number of people in hospital on Thursdays since B.C. switched to a "hospital census" model that includes incidental cases is shown. (CTV)
The current hospital population includes both those with serious cases of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and those who are hospitalized for other reasons and test positive incidentally.
Health officials estimate that between 50 and 60 per cent of the total in any given week is incidental hospitalizations.
Since the province switched to this "hospital census" method of counting in January, there have been as many as 985 and as few as 255 patients in hospital with COVID-19 on a Thursday.
OTHER ILLNESSES RISING
The latest numbers come as officials blame other respiratory illnesses for a surge in doctor visits and hospitalizations – particularly among children.
On Wednesday, in their first joint news conference since September, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix provided an update on influenza, COVID-19 and other illnesses in the province.
"For the last couple of months, one of the main causes of respiratory illness across the province has been enteroviruses and rhinoviruses," Henry said. "Those are ones that we call 'the common cold.'"
While those viruses, influenza and RSV have all been on the rise in recent weeks, Henry said the province has seen "a levelling off" of COVID-19 infections.
"That's not what's causing most of the respiratory illness that we're seeing right now," she added.
In the COVID-19 data released Thursday, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 487 new, lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus during the week of Nov. 6 to 12.
That's an increase from the total reported during the previous week, but still among the lowest weekly totals the BCCDC has reported since it switched to weekly updates in April.
Notably, however, the official data on COVID-19 transmission only includes results from lab-based PCR tests, and does not count reinfections.
The independent BC COVID-19 Modelling Group has estimated that official case counts are off by roughly 100-fold because they don't include cases confirmed through at-home rapid antigen tests – the only type of testing available to most British Columbians.
Still, wastewater surveillance data from the Lower Mainland continues to show relatively low and stable concentrations of the coronavirus. Henry said Wednesday that early indications from treatment plants in the Interior and on Vancouver Island show similar trends, though not enough data has been collected for publication yet.
VACCINATION DATA
On Wednesday, Henry attributed B.C.'s current levels of COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization to the high level of immunity from vaccination and previous infection in the province.
She and Dix rejected calls for a return of mandatory masking in the face of increased respiratory illness, and encouraged people to get fall booster shots against COVID-19 and influenza.
The BCCDC provides weekly updates on the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered through its online dashboard.
During the week that ended Nov. 12, the province administered 132,062 new doses of vaccine, about 28,000 fewer than the previous week.
In all, more than 4.5 million people have received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 4.4 million have had at least two shots.
Uptake of booster shots drops off significantly, however, with a little more than 2.9 million third doses administered.
B.C.'s total population as of 2022 is estimated to be roughly 5.3 million.
Data on flu vaccine uptake in B.C. is not published regularly, but Henry's Wednesday presentation indicated that as of Nov. 13, roughly 50 per cent of those ages 65 and older had received a flu shot this year, with considerably smaller proportions of other age groups having had one.
Overall, about 20 per cent of B.C. residents have received a flu shot in 2022 through the province's Get Vaccinated system. The data does not include physician-administered doses, according to Henry's presentation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.