B.C. reports 41 more people in hospital with COVID-19, 3 more in the ICU and 13 more deaths

B.C. health officials reported 895 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Wednesday, including 115 in intensive care, as the province recorded 13 more deaths from the disease and 2,387 new cases.

The new numbers represent an increase of 45 COVID-19 patients hospitalized within the last 24 hours, including three more patients in the ICU.

Due to a data reporting change introduced Friday, Jan. 14, week-to-week hospitalization comparisons won't be available again until Friday, Jan. 21.

The number of patients in intensive care is up by about 12.7 per cent from 102 a week ago and up by 49.4 per cent from a month ago when 77 people were in the ICU.

Experts say hospitalizations are a more accurate barometer of the disease's impact, as new case numbers in B.C. are likely much higher than reported, now that the province has hit its testing limit because of the Omicron surge.

On Tuesday during a live news conference, Health Minister Adrian Dix said more than 95 per cent of B.C.'s hospital bed capacity is currently occupied with regular as well as COVID-19 patients.

Dix said that 8,778 base beds were in use out of a total capacity of 9,229 beds. He said there were an additional 2,353 surge beds, 570 of which were occupied.

As of Wednesday, 22.1 per cent of COVID-19 tests in B.C. are coming back positive, according to the province's COVID-19 dashboard. 

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said that anything above a five per cent test-positivity rate indicates a concerning level of community transmission.

There are currently 35,770 recorded active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

The provincial death toll from COVID-19 is now 2,505 lives lost out of 303,565 confirmed cases to date.

There are a total of 52 active outbreaks in assisted living, long-term, and acute care facilities.

Fraser Health later confirmed that two further outbreaks were reported at long-term care facilities in the region, and six were declared over.

Acute care outbreaks include: 

• Surrey Memorial Hospital.
• Abbotsford Regional Hospital.
• Langley Memorial Hospital.
• Burnaby Hospital.
• Peace Arch Hospital.
• Kelowna General Hospital.
• Royal Jubilee Hospital.

As of Wednesday, 89.3 per cent of those five and older in B.C. had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 83.4 per cent a second dose.

From Jan. 11 to 17, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 25.9 per cent of cases and from Jan. 4 to 17, they accounted for 31.8 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province.

A total of 1.6 million people have received a booster shot to date.

Functional school closures

Two schools in Abbotsford, B.C., shut their doors Wednesday as the result of a functional closure caused by a lack of staff to support ongoing operations.

The Abbotsford School District announced that due to operational limitations, both W.J. Mouat Secondary and Yale Secondary School are temporarily closed to in-person instruction.

Both schools are scheduled to reopen on Monday, Jan. 24.