COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall while ICU numbers remain relatively stable

COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to fall in B.C., as the province reported 20 more deaths linked to the virus in aweek.

According to the latest weekly report from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), as of Thursday, 188 people are in hospital with the virus, with 25in critical care, two more than the week before.

That's a 7.8 per cent drop in the number of hospitalizationscompared to the 204 people in hospital a week ago.

As of Feb. 4, the province says there have been 20 new deaths among people who tested positive for COVID-19 within the last month, bringing the total number of deaths in B.C. linked to the virussince the start of the pandemic to 5,139.

B.C. labs reported 278 cases of the virus for a total of 395,367 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

Unlike hospitalizations, case totals significantly underestimatethe true spread of the disease as the BCCDC only counts PCR tests in its report, which are currently inaccessible to the majority of British Columbians.

Weekly numbers shared by the province are alsopreliminary and are often changed retroactively.

No flu numbers released

Data from wastewater samples including Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton, Victoria, Comox and Nanaimo, in addition to Metro Vancouver shows viral loads declining in every region, according to the BCCDC.

The BCCDCsays that, after an early peak of influenza infections in November, the rate of flu activity has continued to decline across the province.

It also says that rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have remained stable. The test positivity rate for RSV currently sits at around 11 per cent, according to the centre, with the historical average for this period being 9.4 per cent.

The province continues to recommend vaccination, masking in indoor spaces and staying home while sick to slow the spread of all respiratory diseases.