B.C. reports 82 more people in hospital with COVID-19, 2 more in the ICU and 7 additional deaths over 3 days
CBC
B.C. health officials say 431 people are now in hospital with COVID-19, including 95 in intensive care, as the province reported Monday seven more deaths from the disease and 6,966 new cases.
The new numbers represent an increase of 82 COVID-19 patients hospitalized over the last three days, including two more patients in the ICU.
Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are up by 44.6 per cent from last Tuesday, when 298 people were in hospital with the disease. Hospitalizations have more than doubled compared to a month ago when 211 people were in hospital.
Experts say hospitalizations are a more accurate barometer of the disease's impact, as new case numbers in B.C. are likely much higher than reported, now that the province has hit its testing limit because of the Omicron surge.
The number of patients in intensive care is up by about 10.4 per cent from 86 a week ago and up by 31.9 per cent from a month ago when 72 people were in the ICU.
As of Monday, 23.8 per cent of COVID-19 tests in B.C. are coming back positive, according to the province's COVID-19 dashboard.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said that anything above a five per cent test- positivity rate indicates a concerning level of community transmission.
There are currently 34,551 recorded active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.
The provincial death toll from COVID-19 is now 2,446 lives lost out of 283,841 confirmed cases to date.
There are a total of 43 active outbreaks in assisted living, long-term, and acute care facilities. The province has declared seven new outbreaks at health-care facilities. Outbreaks at Guildford Seniors Village in Surrey and Victoria General Hospital have been declared over.
Outbreaks in acute care facilities are all currently in Fraser Health. They include:
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.