COVID-19 hospitalizations still rising on Vancouver Island, no new deaths added
The number of people requiring hospital care for COVID-19 on Vancouver Island rose over the past 24 hours, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
There are currently 112 people in hospital for treatment of the illness in Island Health, up from 101 reported Thursday and 65 confirmed last week on Jan. 21.
The number of patients receiving intensive care remains unchanged, however, with 11 reported on Friday, the same total confirmed on Thursday and Jan. 21.
Around this time last month, on Dec. 29, 38 people were in hospital for treatment of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island, including 12 patients who required critical care.
Nine deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in B.C. Friday, none of which occurred in the island region.
Since the pandemic began, 2,597 people have died of COVID-19 in the province including 168 in Island Health.
NEW CASES
According to the BCCDC, 332 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Island Health Friday.
The new cases were among 1,634 new cases confirmed across the province over the past 24 hours.
Those totals differ from a statement released by the B.C. Ministry of Health, which reported 2,137 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 264 in the island region.
The Ministry of Health says its totals are provisional "due to a delayed data refresh" and may change once verified.
Health officials say that while confirmed tests are only a fraction of B.C's total number of COVID-19 cases, the totals are an indicator of transmission rates in the province.
As of Friday, there are 30,012 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., including 1,722 active cases in the island region, according to the BCCDC.
VACCINATIONS
Approximately 89.8 per cent of eligible British Columbians aged five and older have now received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 83.8 per cent have received two doses.
Meanwhile, 43.9 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged 12 and older have received three doses.
2 YEARS WITH COVID
Earlier Friday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix held a live briefing marking the two-year anniversary of B.C.'s first pandemic news conference.
At the briefing, Henry noted that the province had been doing relatively well keeping COVID-19-related hospitalizations and fatalities low, even as case counts rise in B.C.
British Columbia has a lower daily hospitalization census rate per 100,000 people compared to Manitoba, Quebec, Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, according to health officials.
Jan. 28, 2022 (Province of B.C.)
"No, I did not think we would be in this phase of the (pandemic) journey for this long," said Henry on Friday. "But it is something we need to accept."
However, Henry suggested that some pandemic restrictions may be lifted around Family Day, Feb. 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.