The number of those hospitalized in B.C. with COVID-19 was less than 300 for the second day in a row, on January 29, after nine weeks of being above that level.
The 292 people in hospital with the virus is one more than yesterday, with 74 of those in intensive care units. The comparatively low level represents progress, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix told a press conference.
Dix said that the lower level of hospitalizations has freed up hospital beds. Including beds that the province has added during the pandemic, or what he called "surge beds," the province's hospitals are at 70.2% capacity, with 3,553 available beds. In intensive care units, surge-bed occupancy is at 51.9%, with 372 empty beds, Dix said.
Another trend that is going in the right direction relates to deaths. There were five people who died from COVID-19-related causes overnight, for a total of 1,189 since the province's first death from the virus was recorded on March 9. Aside from January 27, when there were four deaths recorded, the daily death toll from the virus has not been this low since November 21.
New cases, however, continue to rack up.
Health officials newly detected 514 people with the virus overnight, for a total of 66,779 since January 28, 2020, when the first case was confirmed in B.C. This number outpaces the 410 people who are newly considered as having recovered.
The breakdown of where the 514 new cases are located is as follows:
• 134 people in Vancouver Coastal Health (26%);
• 223 people in Fraser Health (43.4%);
• 29 in Island Health (5.6%);
• 71 in Interior Health (13.8%); and
• 57 in Northern Health (11%).
More than 89.1% of those who have been infected, or 59,551 people, are considered to have recovered.
The number of people actively fighting infections rose by 102 to 4,557, with the vast majority told to self-isolate at home. Health officials are monitoring more than 7,000 people for symptoms because they have had known contact with individuals identified as having the virus.
Henry said that 124,979 people have been vaccinated, with 4,262 having received a second dose. Henry said vaccinations have been given in virtually all, if not all of the approximately 500 seniors' homes in the province.
One new outbreak at a seniors' home is at Holy Family long-term care facility in Vancouver.
Seniors' home outbreaks have been declared over at:
• Mayfair Seniors Living Care in Abbotsford;
• Morgan Place Care Facility in Surrey; and
• Little Mountain Place in Vancouver.
There remain nine B.C. hospitals identified as having active COVID-19 outbreaks. They are:
• Burnaby Hospital in Burnaby;
• Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake;
• Mount St. Joseph's Hospital in Vancouver;
• Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in Nanaimo;
• Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster;
• Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops;
• St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver;
• Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey; and
• University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George.
The three active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Vancouver Coastal Health are at:
• Hilltop House in Squamish,
• Minoru Residence in Richmond; and
• Holy Family long-term care centre in Vancouver.
There are 13 active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Fraser Health. They are at:
• Brookside Lodge in Surrey;
• Bradley Centre in Chilliwack;
• Concord By the Sea in White Rock;
• Eagle Ridge Manor in Port Moody;
• Evergreen Baptist Care Society in White Rock;
• George Derby Centre in Burnaby;
• Glenwood Seniors Community in Agassiz;
• Hilton Villa Seniors Community in Surrey;
• Madison Care Centre in Coquitlam;
• Nicola Lodge in Port Coquitlam;
• Royal City Manor in New Westminster;
• St. Michael's Centre Extended Care in Burnaby; and
• Suncreek Village in Surrey.
The two active outbreaks at a seniors' living facilities in Northern Health are at Jubilee Lodge in Prince George, and Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert.
The six active outbreaks at seniors' living facilities in Interior Health are at:
• Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre in Kamloops;
• Creekside Landing in Vernon;
• Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna;
• Heritage Square in Vernon;
• Noric House in Vernon; and
• Sunnybank Retirement Home in Oliver.
The only outbreak at a seniors' facility in Island Health is at Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo.
