COVID-19: BC reports 3,795 new cases, hospitalizations increase for the third consecutive day | The Canadian News

British Columbia confirmed another 3,795 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, along with three additional deaths.

The numbers of confirmed cases may not represent the full number, as two major testing centers in Vancouver Coastal Health are still closed due to the cold and a third only deliver rapid antigen tests; that number is not included in the daily totals.

Friday’s numbers represent a drop from Thursday’s record high of 4,383 new cases.

However, the number of active cases continued to rise, reaching a record 20,811.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the hospital increased for the third day in a row, reaching 220, the highest since December 9. COVID patients in the ICU rose to 73, seven overnight.

Hospitalizations still remained well below their peaks of 445 in the fourth wave and 515 in the third wave.

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Earlier this week, Provincial Health Official Dr. Bonnie Henry said that evidence from around the world appears to show a lower risk of serious outcomes, including hospitalizations, from the Omicron variant, particularly among those who are completely vaccinated. However, Henry said it was too early to say for sure.

Officials have been keeping a close eye on Quebec, where hospitalizations have risen rapidly. The province reported 124 new hospitalizations on Friday alone, for a total of more than 1,063 across the province.

British Columbia canceled thousands of scheduled surgeries beginning January 4, to free up space in the hospital as a precautionary measure.

Fraser Health also declared a new outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital involving five patients, along with the Czorny Alzheimer Center and the Hawthorne Lodge long-term care home.

More than 4.39 million British Columbia residents, 88.1% of those eligible, and 85.3% of the British Columbia population have received a dose of the vaccine.

Of these, more than 4.13 million people, 82.9% of those eligible and 80.2% of the population of British Columbia have received two doses.

Just over 909,000 people, 19.6 percent of those eligible and 17.6 percent of the British Columbia population have received a third dose.

Fully vaccinated people accounted for 84 percent of new cases in the past week and 45 percent of hospitalizations in the past two weeks.

Early Thursday, British Columbia followed the lead of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several provinces, reducing the isolation time for fully vaccinated COVID-positive people to five days, if their symptoms have passed. or are being resolved.

It suspended non-essential visits to long-term care facilities, amid a series of new outbreaks in nursing homes.

Since the start of the pandemic, BC has reported a total of 254,849 cases, while 2,420 people have died.

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