Single region behind B.C.'s surge in COVID-19 patients in hospital
The total number of patients with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals surged to 324 on Thursday – an increase that can be traced entirely to one region of the province.
The latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows the number of coronavirus-positive patients has decreased in most health authority regions since last week, and remained the same in Vancouver Coastal Health.
In Fraser Health, that number jumped from 122 to 151 – an increase of about 24 per cent.
Fraser Health is the most populous health authority region in the province, and has seen wilder swings in hospitalization numbers than others since the government began releasing data on a weekly basis back in April.
Hospitalization totals now include both patients who are admitted because of a serious COVID-19 infection and those who are admitted for other reasons and test positive incidentally.
The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units decreased to 22 Thursday.
Tracking coronavirus deaths has been more complicated since B.C. moved to a "30-day, all-cause mortality" reporting system, which includes every person who died within 30 days of testing positive for COVID-19 into the weekly total. Vital Statistics then works to determine whether the coronavirus was their underlying cause of death, a process that can take eight weeks.
The BCCDC preliminarily reported 22 deaths for the week ending on Sept. 3.
There were 617 lab-confirmed cases of the coronavirus reported that week, a total that only reflects people who were tested using a PCR test, and cases epidemiologically linked to them.
Since the vast majority of B.C. residents with COVID-19 symptoms don't qualify for a PCR test under the current guidelines, the weekly total is a fraction of actual transmission in the province – and independent modellers recently estimated the case counts are likely off by 100-fold.
Still, the number of reported cases has been declining for weeks. Hospitalizations have also seen an overall decline of about 24 per cent since mid-July.
But levels of COVID-19 in Metro Vancouver wastewater – another method used to get a rough sense of transmission – have been less promising in recent reports.
The latest COVID-19 Situation Report from the BCCDC notes that viral loads have "stabilized or begun to increase at some plants after falling from their most recent peak in late-June or early-July." That includes the plants in Vancouver and northwest Langley, which saw increases of 82 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively. The report does not include the Lions Gate plant, citing new concerns about unexpected variability in the readings.
"This may be due to unique features of the plant's operation, though the exact cause is under review. While under review, we have not included trends of these data," it reads.
The province administered another 20,464 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, or about 2,923 per day. The biggest increase – 8,301 – was in second boosters.
Now that Health Canada has authorized Moderna's Omicron-targeting bivalent vaccine, the B.C. government expects to administer around 280,000 new doses per week by the end of September.
Officials unveiled their fall booster plans earlier this week, confirming the earliest appointments will be given to residents who are at higher risk of severe infection, such as the immunocompromised, and to those who have waited the longest since their last dose.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.