B.C. reports 5 fewer people in hospital with COVID-19, 2 more in the ICU

B.C. health officials reported329 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Wednesday, including 37in intensive care,as the province recorded 216 new cases.

The new numbers represent a decreaseof five COVID-19 patients hospitalized within the last 24 hours and two morepatients in the ICU.

Information about recent deaths from COVID-19 will be released on Thursday. The province said ata news conference Tuesday it was expanding the method of counting COVID-related deaths to include mortality from all causes in anyone who hashad a positive COVID-19 test within 30 days of death inorderto provide a more accurate count.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are upby 19 per cent from last Wednesday, when 276 people were in hospital with the disease and down about 27per cent from a month ago when 449 people were in hospital.

The number of patients in intensive care is down by about 14 per cent from 43 a week ago and down by 41 per cent from a month ago when 63people were in the ICU.

As ofWednesday,7.3per cent of COVID-19 tests in B.C. are coming back positive, according to the province's COVID-19 dashboard.The number had been above 20 per cent though most of January but began to fall in February and through the first half of March, along with hospitalizations.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has saidanything above a five per cent test-positivity rateis an indicator ofa more worrying level oftransmission.

There have been357,974 confirmed cases to date.

There area total of 11active outbreaks in assisted living, long-term, and acute care facilities.

Acute care outbreaksinclude:

• Burnaby Hospital.
• Cowichan District Hospital.

As of Wednesday,90.9per cent of those five and older in B.C. hadreceived their first dose of aCOVID-19 vaccineand 87.5 per cent asecond dose.

A total of 2.7 million people have received a booster shot to date.