Slight rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in B.C.

COVID-19 related hospitalizations were up for a second straight day in B.C.

The province reported 334 people in hospital with the virus, an increase of 13 from Monday, with 35 of those patients in intensive care, a decrease of one.

An update on the number of COVID-related deaths will be provided on Thursday, April 7, the day the province moves to weekly updates.

B.C. recorded 258 new cases on Tuesday with 85 of those in Interior Health, the highest total for the five health regions.

The new cases include:

* Interior Health: 85

* Fraser Health: 76

* Island Health: 49

* Vancouver Coastal Health: 37

* Northern Health: 11

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during her update today, 70 to 75 per cent of B.C.’s current new cases are the BA.2 variant.

“That’s important because that does help us understand why we’re seeing a slight uptick in cases, and it’s partly because, we see from global data, that the BA.2 is more infectious and can spread more easily. It does not seem, however, to cause more severe illness, particularly in people who have been vaccinated,” Henry explained.

There have been two new health-care facility outbreaks at Overlander residential care in Kamloops (Interior Health) and Cowichan District Hospital (Island Health), for a total of 12 facilities with ongoing outbreaks.

There are two other ongoing outbreaks in the Interior at Monashee Mews assisted living facility in Lumby and the Parkview Place assisted living facility in Enderby.

As of today, 90.9 per cent of eligible people five and older in B.C. have received their first vaccine dose, 87.4 per cent have had two doses and 57.8 per cent of residents 12 and older have had a booster shot.

People not vaccinated account for 12 percent of the B.C. population, while they comprise 17 per cent of COVID-19 critical care patients in hospital.