COVID-19 cases decline but hospitalizations rising in the interior

The Interior saw COVID-19 deaths and decline on a weekly basis, but hospitalizations rose.

The weekly report from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) stated there were 130 cases of COVID-19, 40 hospitalizations including five to critical care, and six deaths linked to the virus between December 11 and 17.

The week before saw 162 cases and 11 deaths, but there were 32 hospital admissions including three to intensive care units.

Comparatively, British Columbia as a whole saw declines across the board.

The BCCDC reported 609 cases, 167 hospital admissions including 28 to ICUs, and 22 deaths linked to COVID-19 in the latest reporting week.

The previous week saw 659 cases, 214 hospitalizations, 31 ICU admissions and 45 deaths across the province.

As of Dec. 17, a total of 391,897 COVID-19 cases have been reported in B.C., including 70,100 in the Interior.

A total of 4,806 British Columbians have died due to the virus, with 771 of those deaths coming from the Interior.

The BCCDC did not provide COVID-19 data for specific health areas.