Number of people hospitalized in B.C. with COVID continues slow decline

There are now 517 people in B.C. hospitals with a COVID-19 diagnosis, 73 of whom are in intensive care units, according to a Ministry of Health news release issued today, March 2, down from 523 hospitalizations and 83 intensive care patients listed yesterday.

About half the of people in hospital with a COVID diagnosis were not in there because of COVID but were tested after going to hospital for things like surgery, delivering a baby or being admitted to a mental health unit.

There were 10 more deaths in the last 24 hours in B.C., including two in the Interior Health region, bringing the pandemic death toll to 2,883.

In the last 24 hours, there were 442 new COVID cases recorded in B.C. with 105 in Interior Health, 111 in Fraser Health, 69 in Vancouver Coastal, 69 on Vancouver Island and 59 in the Northern Health region.

The real number of cases is estimated to be three to four times higher because many people infected with COVID are not getting tested or take rapid tests that are not recorded in these figures.

The vaccination rate for people over the age of 12 with at least one dose is 93.3%, while 90.7% have at least two doses and 55.8% have three doses.

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