B.C. COVID-19 hospitalizations up 58% in two weeks, as infections, deaths also spike

VANCOUVER — COVID-19 cases are on the rise in British Columbia, with the BC Centre for Disease Control reporting hospitalizations have increased 58 per cent in the past two weeks.

The centre says in its latest update that deaths due to COVID-19 are also trending upwards, with 24 fatalities in the last week of September, compared to nine in the second week of August.

It says new infections rose from 133 cases to 877 cases in the same period, having “increased notably” among people 60 and older.

There were 422 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday, compared to 267 on Sept. 21.

The centre says COVID-19 levels detected in wastewater are up at every monitored treatment plant in the province, coinciding with the spike in new cases.

The latest numbers also show more people aged 80 and older have been getting tested for COVID-19 over the last few weeks, with nearly 35 per cent of those coming out positive in the last week of September.

The Fraser Health Authority says there are currently COVID-19 outbreaks at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, Surrey Memorial Hospital, and Chilliwack General Hospital.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced last week that mask mandates were returning to health-care settings across B.C. during the respiratory illness season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press