B.C. reports 33 more people in hospital with COVID-19, 11 more in ICU

B.C. health officials reported 924people in hospital with COVID-19 on Friday, including 130in intensive care,as the province recorded ninemore deaths from the disease and 2,364new cases.

The new numbers represent an increaseof 33COVID-19 patients hospitalized within the last 24 hours, including 11morepatients in the ICU.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are upby 43 per cent from last Friday, when 646people were in hospital with the disease

Due to a data reporting change introduced Jan. 14, month-to-monthhospitalization comparisons won't be available again until Feb. 14.

The number of patients in intensive care is upfrom 95 a week ago and upby 71per cent from a month ago when 76people were in the ICU.

Experts say hospitalizations area more accurate barometer of the disease's impact,as new case numbersin B.C. arelikely much higherthan reported, now that the province has hitits testing limit because of the Omicron surge.

There are currently 33,997recorded active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

The provincialdeath toll from COVID-19is now 2,529lives lost out of 308,079confirmed cases to date.

There area total of 62 active outbreaks in assisted living, long-term, and acute care facilities.

Acute care outbreaksinclude:

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

As of Friday, 89.4per cent of those five and older in B.C. hadreceived their first dose of aCOVID-19 vaccineand 83.5per cent asecond dose.

From Jan. 13 to 19, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 27.6 per cent of cases. From Jan. 6 to 19, they accounted for 30.9 per centof hospitalizations.

A total of 1,752,704 people have received a booster shot to date.

5-day isolation for vaccinated, 10 for unvaccinated

Health officials in B.C. are asking residents to self monitor for symptoms and follow health orders to help reduce the spread of the Omicron variant,as contact tracing is no longer an effective way of controlling the spread of the coronavirus.

Henry said there is no longer capacity to test everyone who thinks they may have contracted the illness, and that given that most people suffer mild symptoms when infected with Omicron, theshift will be toward preventing transmission.

"We have to change our way of thinking," said Henry.

People who have been vaccinated, as well as children, are to isolate for five days the reason being, according to Henry, the vaccine helps people clear the virus from their system faster and children are at lower risk of severe illness.

Non-vaccinated people who test positive must self-isolate for 10 days.