B.C.'s large third wave of COVID-19 cases contains a serious undertow, which is a surge in hospitalizations.
The province revealed a record 397 people are fighting for their lives in hospitals across the province, while 120 of those are in intensive care units. The record for the most people with COVID-19 in B.C. hospital ICUs is 121, set April 12.
The number of those actively battling infections rose by 65 overnight, to 9,821 people. The vast majority of those infected have been told to self-isolate.
Newly detected infections continue at a high rate, with 1,168 cases identified in the past 24 hours. That is the fourth highest daily total B.C. has seen.
The new cases raise the total number of COVID-19 infections in B.C. to 114,870, since researchers discovered the first infection in the province in January, 2020. Almost 90%, or 103,360 people, are deemed by the province to have recovered.
Glacier Media crunched B.C. data for the 2,041 infections in the past two days, to show the following age breakdown for those cases. The first percentage in brackets is for the last two days. The second percentage is for all cases identified before April 13:
• 146 were aged under 10 (7.2% | 4.9%);
• 255 were aged between 10 and 19 (12.5% | 10.1%);
• 461 were aged between 20 and 29 (22.6% | 22.8%);
• 346 were aged between 30 and 39 (17% | 18.3%);
• 322 were aged between 40 and 49 (15.8% | 14.8%);
• 253 were aged between 50 and 59 (12.4% | 12.7%);
• 151 were aged between 60 and 69 (7.4% | 8.2%);
• 81 were aged between 70 and 79 (4% | 4.4%);
• 23 were aged between 80 and 89 (1.1% | 2.6%); and
• 3 were older than 90 years (less than 0.1% | 1.2%).
There were 24 COVID-19 cases before April 13 in which the patients' ages were not known.
Health officials are monitoring a record 16,304 people for symptoms because they have had known exposure to individuals identified as having been infected.
Another six people have died while fighting COVID-19 infections in the past day, raising B.C.'s death toll from the disease to 1,521.
Here is the breakdown of where the 1,168 people with infections detected in the past day reside, by health region:
• 341 in Vancouver Coastal Health (29.2%);
• 632 in Fraser Health (54.1%);
• 64 in Island Health (5.5%);
• 105 in Interior Health (9%); and
• 26 in Northern Health (2.2%).
The province's vaccination campaign has ramped up in recent weeks and officials provided a daily record of 41,839 doses to a record 41,804 new people, with 35 individuals getting needed second doses.
In total, B.C. has provided 1,190,832 doses of vaccine to 1,103,012 people, with 87,820 getting needed second doses, since the first vaccination was provided on December 16.
"Everyone 55 and older is eligible for a vaccine today," Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said in a joint statement.
"The AstraZeneca vaccine is available for anyone 55 and over through your local pharmacy. People 64 and older and Indigenous peoples 18 and over, as well as individuals who have received a 'clinically extremely vulnerable' letter, are being invited to book through the 'Get Vaccinated' program."
There are seven active outbreaks listed as being at long-term living or B.C. seniors' homes. They are:
• Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert;
• Chartwell Langley Gardens in Langley;
• Cottonwoods Care Centre in Kelowna.
• Dufferin Care Centre in Coquitlam;
• Joseph & Rosalie Segal & Family Health Centre;
• Longlake Chateau in Nanaimo; and
• Sunset Manor in Chilliwack.
Five hospitals in B.C. also have active COVID-19 outbreaks. They are:
• Abbotsford Regional Hospital in Abbotsford;
• Prince Rupert Regional Hospital in Prince Rupert;
• UBC Hospital in Vancouver;
• Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver; and
• Vernon Jubilee Hospital in Vernon.
