On the first day of fall, B.C. sees fewest people in hospital with COVID-19 in months
The number of people with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals is the lowest it's been since early July, according to the latest update from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
There were 305 people in hospital with the disease as of Thursday – which is the autumnal equinox and the first official day of fall. Officials have been warning for months that the coronavirus is likely to spread more widely in the fall and winter.
The number of COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals on Thursdays since the province switched to a "hospital census" model for counting them in January is shown. (CTV)
The number of patients in hospital reported by the BCCDC each week includes both those with serious cases of COVID-19 requiring medical attention and those who are hospitalized for other reasons and test positive for COVID incidentally.
Since the province began counting hospitalizations using this "hospital census" model, there have been as many as 985 people in hospital with the coronavirus and as few as 255.
For the last several weeks, however, the total has remained between 300 and 400. The last time there were more than 400 COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals was Aug. 4, and the last time there were fewer than 300 was June 30.
Though Thursday's total is the lowest in months, it's not a significant departure from the levels of hospitalization that have been seen in the province since the most recent wave of infections subsided.
The coronavirus continues to circulate fairly widely in B.C., with the BCCDC reporting 637 new, lab-confirmed cases in the most recent epidemiological week. That's a slight increase from the previous week, when 574 new cases were reported.
Because the province only counts cases that are confirmed through lab testing – which is unavailable to British Columbians in most circumstances – the official totals are a dramatic undercount of COVID-19 cases province-wide.
Last month, the independent B.C. COVID-19 Modelling Group estimated that there were approximately 100 times as many new infections each week as the BCCDC reported.
If that estimate is correct, there were roughly 63,700 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. from Sept. 11 to 17, or about 9,100 per day.
'FALL BOOSTER' CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY
Whether the slight increase in the official case count – which is mirrored in wastewater surveillance at two of five treatment plants in Metro Vancouver – is the start of an expected fall surge remains to be seen.
Provincial health officials have been planning for such a surge for months, and bivalent vaccines that target the Omicron family of SARS-CoV-2 variants are now being distributed across B.C.
As of Sept. 18, according to the Ministry of Health, B.C. had received 415,000 doses of Moderna's bivalent vaccine, and administered 44,000.
That means the bivalent vaccine likely made up the majority of the 51,885 doses administered in the province during the week of Sept. 11 to 17. Bivalent doses began being administered in pharmacies in the Lower Mainland on Sept. 9, according to the ministry.
The ministry said more than 75,000 fall booster appointments had been booked for this week in its statement to CTV News on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.