The trend of fewer COVID-19 outbreaks at B.C. health-care facilities and seniors' homes reversed today, with health officials announcing three new outbreaks.
None of the four existing outbreaks were declared over, leaving B.C. with seven active COVID-19 outbreaks in those facilities.
The new outbreaks are at:
• Amica Douglas House in Victoria;
• Acacia Ty Mawr in Shawnigan Lake; and
• Sunridge Place Seniors in Duncan.
This is on top of existing outbreaks at:
• Hillside Village in Salmon Arm;
• The Heights at Mt. View in Victoria;
• Selkirk Seniors' Village in Victoria; and
• Surrey Memorial Hospital.
B.C. had 27 such outbreaks one month ago, and that number had declined to four yesterday, which was the lowest number in months.
Outbreaks at seniors' living facilities are of particular concern because Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said that the demographic with the highest risk of serious bouts of COVID-19 is those who are elderly, particularly those older than 80 years. Vaccines help prevent infection and serious illness but Henry said even seniors who are vaccinated are at heightened risk of developing serious illnesses and of dying from COVID-19.
Two more people died from COVID-19 in the past day, raising the province's pandemic death toll to 2,983. The government did not give demographic information about those who died, out of a concern for privacy. It also did not say if those who died were in seniors' homes or in hospitals.
The number of those infected with the disease while in B.C. hospitals has stabilized after going 30 consecutive government data updates with declines. There are now 260 people in B.C. hospitals with COVID-19, which is five more than yesterday. Of those 50 are in intensive care units (ICUs).
One month ago, B.C. had 599 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, with 96 of those in ICUs.
Officials detected 218 new infections in the past 24 hours.
Henry, however, has told vaccinated people with mild symptoms to not get tested so as to free up tests for those who are more vulnerable. As a result she has called the daily case counts "not accurate."
The B.C. government on Feb. 10 stopped providing data for active infections, and the number of those considered to have recovered from COVID-19, for that reason.
Victoria does, however, still provide data for new known infections, and its cumulative total for infections is now 355,092.
The vast majority of British Columbians are vaccinated.
In total, 4,526,941 eligible B.C. residents have had at least one dose of vaccine, while 4,344,849 are considered fully vaccinated with two doses, and 2,654,589 have had three doses.
Recent Statistics Canada 2021 census data counted 5,000,879 residents in B.C.
Glacier Media's calculation therefore is that more than 90.5 per cent of B.C.'s total population has had at least one dose of vaccine, and nearly 86.9 per cent of the province's total population has had two doses. More than 53 per cent have had their third, or booster doses. •
