B.C. hits 500 COVID-19 patients in hospital in latest update
CTV
B.C.'s surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations continued Wednesday, with 500 infectious patients now in hospital with the disease for the first time since April 2021.
B.C.'s surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations continued Wednesday, with 500 infectious patients now in hospital with the disease for the first time since April 2021.
Of those hospitalized, 102 are in intensive care units.
Wednesday's numbers came in a written statement from the Ministry of Health, which also announced 2,859 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six new deaths.
Because B.C.'s testing system has been overwhelmed by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the new infections announced Wednesday are almost certainly a fraction of the total number of people who have contracted the disease in the last 24 hours.
There are currently 36,641 active, lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C., which is a record. The actual number of active cases in B.C. may be five times as high, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
The surge in COVID-19-related hospitalizations has been rapid in recent weeks. One week ago, on Jan. 5, there were 317 people in hospital with the disease. Two weeks ago, on Dec. 29, the number was 206.
Henry has said that B.C. health officials are in the process of conducting a "deep dive" into hospitalization numbers.
