B.C. has yet to see post-holidays spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations, health minister says

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 across B.C. increased slightly over the holidays, while the number of people requiring critical care declined.

B.C.'s Centre for Disease Control reported 356 hospitalizations for the virus on Thursday, an increase of two per cent from the province's last weekly update on Dec. 23.

The BCCDC says there are 25 people in critical care — down from the 35 patients reported at the end of last month.

In its latest report, the centre said hospital admissions were "slowly decreasing'' over the month of December, while new admissions to critical care remained stable.

In the week leading up to Dec. 31, the province reported 13 new deaths among those who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 30 days. Fifty deaths were reported for the week of Dec. 18 to 24.  

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4,896 people in B.C. are believed to have died of causes linked to the coronavirus.

As of Dec. 31, the province reported 693 new cases of COVID-19 — up 13.7 per cent from the 609 reported on Dec. 23.

The number of deaths, hospitalizations and reported cases can be revised retroactively, as the BCCDC and the provincial Health Ministry receive updated data from regional health authorities.

Hospitalizations and wastewater testing are a better metric for monitoring the extent of the disease's impact, as actual case numbers are likely higher than what the BCCDC is reporting because they are based primarily on lab-confirmed PCR tests, which are currently inaccessible to the majority of British Columbians.

New Omicron subvariant could add to strain on health care

Health officials in B.C. are keeping a close eye on a new Omicron subvariant spreading quickly in the U.S. and is reportedly more transmissible than other variants.

Speaking to reporters in Vancouver Thursday, Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province had confirmed 12 cases of the XBB 1.5 subvariant.

"I don't think we're seeing an impact on COVID hospitalizations yet," Dix said. "But we do know that this subvariant has the capacity to spread more quickly." 

Dix encouraged people to continue to get vaccinated and get their COVID-19 booster shots, adding that the health-care system is feeling the strain of both COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses this time of year.

"This is an effective public health response, equally with respect to influenza," he said.

"We encourage people to get vaccinated against influenza as well, particularly children and older people in our province."

The health minister said 223 people were in hospital with influenza or respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, as of Wednesday.

He says the combination of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses at the height of winter will make for some "very challenging weeks for our health-care system.''

According to Dix, more people got together in person this holiday season compared with the last two years, when public health restrictions were in place, but far more people now have initial and booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dix says he still wears a mask when he's out shopping at his local supermarket.

He recommended that British Columbians mask up in indoor public spaces and stay home from school and work whenever they're feeling sick.