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January 28, 2022 - 5:02 PM
Case counts for COVID have come down in B.C. over the past couple of weeks but hospitalizations are at a record high and more people continue to die.
Nine people died with COVID in the last 24 hours, none of them in the Interior Health region, according to a Ministry of Health news release issued today, Jan. 28. That brings the pandemic total to 2,597 deaths with 43 of those being in the last three days.
There are a record 990 people in hospital with COVID with 141 of them in intensive care, which is lower than the record of 178 set last April.
Those numbers include everyone with a positive COVID test. It’s estimated that 45% of them have mild or no symptoms.
There were 2,137 B.C. residents who tested positive to COVID tests in the last 24 hours, down from the record 4,383 posted on Dec. 30. That includes 569 new cases in the Interior Health region, up from 539 yesterday but down from the record 655 recorded on Jan. 21.
There were 740 cases reported in the Fraser Health region in the last 24 hours, 394 in Vancouver Coastal, 264 on Vancouver Island and 170 in the Northern Health region.
Since most B.C. residents with COVID are told they don’t need to get tested or have rapid tests, the actual number of cases is likely three to four times higher, health officials have said.
READ MORE: COVID-19: A timeline of the pandemic and how it changed our lives over the past two years
There are 30,515 active cases in B.C.
The vaccination rate for people over the age of 12 is up slightly to 92.7% with at least one dose but stayed the same at 90% for those with at least two doses. Those with three doses has climbed to 43.9%.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has modified a public health order that said 12-year-olds had to show proof of full vaccination where proof of vaccination is needed.
“It has been reported to public health that 11-year-olds who have had one dose of pediatric vaccine and are able to enter these settings are then blocked from entry when they turn 12 because they only have one dose of vaccine and have not had time to get a second dose,” a separate news release states. “This change is aimed at fairness for this age group, while they are waiting for the recommended time to receive their second dose.”
There have been seven new care home outbreaks, including one in the Interior Health region at Cottonwoods Care Centre.
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