COVID’s grip on B.C. hospitals remains tight as case counts rise in Interior Health

COVID hospitalizations and intensive care numbers fell only slightly today, according to a Ministry of Health news release.

The number of people in hospital with a COVID positive test is down to 867 today, Feb. 10, from 893 yesterday, while the 138 people in intensive care is five fewer than yesterday.

About half the of people in hospital with a COVID diagnosis were not in there because of COVID but were tested after going to hospital for things like surgery, delivering a baby or being admitted to a mental health unit.

The number of new COVID cases in B.C. over the last 24 hours rose to 1,381 from 1,187.

There were 444 of new cases in the Interior Health region. That’s an increase of 74 from yesterday and accounts for 37% of all the cases in B.C. even though only 14% of B.C. residents live in the Interior Health region.

The real number of cases is estimated to be three to four times higher because many people infected with COVID are not getting tested or take rapid tests that are not recorded in these figures.

There were 275 new cases in Fraser Health, 168 in Vancouver Coastal, 199 on Vancouver Island and 232 in the Northern Health region.

There were five new deaths, including two in Interior Health, bringing the pandemic total to 2,730.

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The province is no longer publishing the number of active cases because that number is no longer meaningful.

The vaccination rate for people over the age of 12 went up slightly to 93.1% with at least one dose but stayed the same at 90.4% with at least two doses while 51.1% have three doses.

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