VANCOUVER -- With concern increasing that B.C.'s younger population might be facing more severe COVID-19 cases, the province's top doctor says it's the spread of variants that could be leading to the change.

That alarm was raised after the weekend, when of 16 COVID-related deaths, only two were residents of long-term care. 

During a news conference Thursday, Dr. Bonnie Henry took some time to explain local health officials' age-based findings, sharing they've noticed an increase in cases among those aged 19 to 39 in the past six weeks.

"That is concerning," Henry said.

"That does reflect the good news that we're seeing decreases in older ages groups, particularly the over 80 age group as we've protected more and more of our seniors and elders in long-term care."

The concern, she said, is that the spread of COVID-19 variants – particularly the B.1.1.7 variant, often associated with the U.K. – could be bringing more severe illness to all ages.

"As we've seen over the past couple of months in particular, we have seen increased in COVID cases that are variants of concern," Henry said, adding B.C. has mostly seen cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which has higher transmissibility.

"We've now seen data particularly from the U.K. but some other countries as well that shows that it can have increased severity of illness in younger people and across the age spectrum, but in younger people as well. So we are concerned about that."

The top doctor has previously explained the B.1.1.7 variant is replacing some of the cases spreading in B.C.

Henry also presented a graph that showed the province is still seeing "very low and stable rates of hospitalization for the younger age groups."

Henry added B.C. has had just under 1,600 hospitalizations among people who are under age 60. Of those, 19 per cent were people who required admission to critical care. Also, of those hospitalized, 53 people were known to have variants of concern, she said.

"We have seen a slightly higher risk if you are hospitalized with a variant of concern that about 30 per cent required admission to ICU," she said.

"So that's something that's a signal that we're watching. So far the numbers are very small so it's not something that necessarily is a worry."