COVID-19: B.C. sees upward trend in hospitalizations

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — B.C.’s Health Minster is once again warning British Columbians the unvaccinated are making up the majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province. Tuesday’s COVID-19 data revealed another rise in the number of people infected with the virus in hospital.

Over the weekend, B.C. saw over 300 people in hospital — numbers not seen since last March. On Monday, 307 people were in hospitals around the province, but 24 hours later, an additional 25 people were admitted, for a total of 332.

Of those hospitalized, 155 are in intensive care.

“The reality of vaccination and the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to face us,” Adrian Dix said earlier in the day Tuesday.

“The consequences of these vaccination rates are clear. We see them in our hospital. They put our health-care workers and our health-care system to the test. And they of course lead to people getting sick who do not need to be sick.

“I want to be clear, we treat everybody with the best health care in the world … This is not a question of blaming people for being sick, but we need people to understand the critical importance of vaccination.”

Between Sept. 13 and 19, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 76.1 per cent of new cases and from Sept. 6 to 19 they accounted for 84.7 percent of hospitalizations.

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Meanwhile, Dix is stressing the strain the pandemic has placed on the entire health system by reporting hundreds more operations were postponed between Sept.12 and 18.

“During which time the health authorities have postponed 511 non-urgent scheduled surgeries. Every one of those surgeries is medically necessary. Every one of those surgeries will be done, but they have to be delayed because of COVID-19 pressures.”

Most of those cancelled procedures are in the Interior and Northern Health regions.

“Forty-seven in Fraser Health, 176 in Interior Health, 167 in Northern Health, 87 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 34 in Vancouver Island Health — those surgeries were postponed,” Dix says.

He adds, since Sept. 5, nearly 800 surgeries have been delayed.

“This is obviously not where we want to be during our BC pandemic. These pressures experienced by our hospitals right now were preventable and can still be reduced. It is essential those who have not been vaccinated make the decisions we are all counting on them to make.”

COVID-19 cases, vaccinations, death

As of Tuesday, there were an additional 525 infections, for a total of 5,282 active cases in B.C.

In a statement, the province notes, the total of new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.

Once again Fraser Health recorded the most new infections, with 187. There were 147 cases confirmed in Interior Health, 51 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, 79 in Northern Health, and 61 in Island Health.

One person in Vancouver Coastal Health has died.

Since the start of the pandemic, 180,178 people have been infected and 1,900 have died.

There has been one new health-care facility outbreak in the Island Health region at Victoria Chinatown Care Centre, for a total of 22 active outbreaks.

Long-term care: Northcrest Care Centre, Westminster House, Menno Terrace East (Fraser Health), Arbutus Care Centre, Louis Brier Home and Hospital (Vancouver Coastal Health), Village at Mill Creek – second floor, Cottonwoods Care Centre, Brookhaven Care Centre, Spring Valley Care Centre, Kamloops Seniors Village, Hillside Village, The Hamlets at Westsyde, Joseph Creek Care Village, Overlander (Interior Health), and Jubilee Lodge (Northern Health).

Acute care: Chilliwack General Hospital (Fraser Health), Fort St. John Hospital (Northern Health), and Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (Interior Health).

Assisted or independent living: David Lloyd Jones, Sun Pointe Village, and Hardy View Lodge (Interior Health).

Among British Columbians who are eligible, 87.5 per cent have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 80.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Since December 2020, 7,725,586 vaccine doses have been administered.

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