Hospitalizations rising as B.C. records 525 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 more death

B.C. health officials announced 525 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death on Tuesday.

In a written statement, the province said there are currently 5,282 active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

A total of 332 people are in hospital, with 155 in intensive care.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are up by 15 per cent from last Tuesday, when 288 people were in hospital with the disease and about 157 per cent from a month ago when 129 people were in hospital.

The number of patients in intensive care is up by about 11 per cent from 140 a week ago and by 163 per cent from a month ago when 59 people were in the ICU.

The provincial death toll from the disease is now 1,900 lives lost out of 180,178 confirmed cases to date.

The regional breakdown of new cases is as follows:

• 187 new cases in Fraser Health, which has 1,711 total active cases.
• 147 new cases in Interior Health, which has 1,167 total active cases.
• 79 new cases in Northern Health, which has 921 total active cases.
• 61 new cases in Island Health, which has 619 total active cases.
• 51 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, which has 822 total active cases. 

There  are a total of 22 active outbreaks in assisted living and long-term care, including one new outbreak at Victoria Chinatown Care Centre.

As of Tuesday, 87 per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 79.5 per cent a second dose.

From Sept. 13 to19, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 76.1 per cent of cases and from Sept. 6-19, they accounted for 84.7 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province. After factoring for age, people not vaccinated are 33.1 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are fully vaccinated, it said.

So far, 7.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Vaccinations and vaccine cards

Some severely immunocompromised people in B.C. have also already received a third dose of the vaccine after the province announced earlier this month that 15,000 clinically extremely vulnerable people would be invited for a third jab.

Anyone who is eligible for immunization and has not yet received a shot is encouraged by health officials to do so immediately. This can be done by booking an appointment online, calling 1-833-838-2323, or registering in person at a Service B.C. location.

British Columbians are now required to show a vaccine card proving they have been immunized to access many activities and services. Adults aged 19 and over will also need to show a government-issued piece of photo ID.

The vaccine card is a one-page file with your name, confirmed vaccination status and a QR code. You can download it as an image file to your device, take a screenshot of the card on your phone or print a paper copy.

Cards are available through the provincial Health Gateway website.