1 new COVID-19 death reported in Island Health as hospitalizations decline

B.C. health officials say six more COVID-19-related deaths have been confirmed in the province Friday.

One was located in Island Health, three occurred in Fraser Health and two were reported in Interior Health.

Friday's update brings B.C.'s pandemic death toll to 2,468, including 152 in the island region.

The latest data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows a major decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations on Vancouver Island Friday.

Thirty-seven people are in hospital with COVID-19 on the island, down from 65 reported Thursday, and 59 recorded a week ago on Jan. 7.

However, the province notes that it changed how hospitalizations are tallied moving forward on Friday. Hospital counts are now based on patients per hospital in each health authority, rather than where the patient's residence is.

The number of patients in intensive care remains unchanged Friday compared to the day before, with nine people receiving critical care, according to the BCCDC.

Around this time last month, on Dec. 14, 37 people were in hospital for COVID-19 in Island Health, including 13 patients in intensive care.

Hospitalizations:

• Jan. 14 (37)
• Jan. 13 (65)
• Jan. 7 (59)
• Dec. 14 (37)

ICU patients:

• Jan. 14 (9)
• Jan. 13 (9)
• Jan. 7 (13)
• Dec. 14 (13)

NEW CASES

Another 297 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Vancouver Island region Friday.

The new cases were among 2,275 cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.

Heath officials note that confirmed case counts are only a fraction of B.C.'s total number of cases, since testing capacity is at its limits.

However, the province adds that confirmed cases are still an indicator of transmission rates in B.C., since they are still measuring test positivity levels in B.C.

As of Friday, there are 35,943 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 3,016 active cases in the island region.

Approximately 89 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged five and older have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.3 per cent have received two doses Friday.

Meanwhile, 30.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received three doses of vaccine.

MODELLING UPDATE

Earlier Friday, health officials outlined the province's latest COVID-19 modelling data.

The modelling indicates that B.C.'s surge of COVID-19 cases, brought on by the Omicron variant, may have reached its peak and is heading towards a decline.

During the briefing, health officials also encouraged British Columbians to get vaccinated against the illness, noting that unvaccinated people are 12 times more likely to require hospitalization from COVID-19, and are at an even greater risk of severe illness that requires critical care.