COVID-19 hospitalizations up slightly in B.C., according to latest weekly numbers
Province reports 328 people in hospital Thursday, up from 290 a week earlier
COVID-19 hospitalizations are up a little, but the number of people in critical care has stayed the same, according to the latest weekly report from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The BCCDC reported 328 people hospitalized with the disease on Thursday, an increase of 13 per cent from the week before. The province's dashboard shows 26 people in the ICU, the same number reported last week.
In the week leading up to Nov. 12, 30 new deaths were reported among people who tested positive for the coronavirus within the previous 30 days. The province initially reported 20 deaths in the week ending Nov. 5. That total has been revised upwards to 40.
To date, 4,607 people in B.C. are believed to have died due to causes linked to COVID-19.
A total of 487 new cases of COVID-19 were reported by B.C. labs that same week, up almost 20 per cent from the week before.
Reported cases are believed to significantly underestimate the actual spread of the disease in the province, as the centre only counts PCR tests in its totals, which the majority of British Columbians currently don't have access to.
The BCCDC says wastewater testing at five treatment plants in Metro Vancouver, which account for half of B.C.'s population, shows that virus levels are "stable or declining across all sites."
No need for mask mandate, Henry says
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says even with rising rates of respiratory illness, especially among children, she doesn't feel the need to bring the "heavy hand" of a mask mandate back to B.C.
Henry said previous mask mandates were imposed with COVID-19 when vaccines weren't available for children, and there was a high rate of sickness and absenteeism among adults and restrictions on gathering.
"We have a very high level of immunity. We have vaccines. We have treatments for influenza, for COVID-19, for RSV," she said.
Henry said the latest data shows that the illness being seen most commonly among children in B.C. right now is influenza A and, to a lesser degree, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.
Both Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix encouraged people to use common sense and wear masks in certain situations, for example, on transit, in crowds and when sick.
Dix says 1.2 million B.C. residents have already received a flu shot this year, twice as many as last year.
Provincial health officials are encouraging everyone who gets a flu shot to sign up for a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time.