B.C. COVID-19 numbers spike but BCCDC says ‘there isn’t cause for concern’
Posted September 8, 2023 3:35 pm.
Last Updated September 8, 2023 8:27 pm.
B.C. is seeing an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, with infections, test positivity, and hospitalizations all up in recent weeks.
The latest data from the BC Centre for Disease Control shows 447 people tested positive in tests funded by the province’s medical services plan in the week ending Sept. 2. That’s more than triple the 133 cases in the week ending Aug. 12.
In the same period, positivity doubled to about 18 per cent, the agency says.
The official case statistics only reflect lab-confirmed PCR tests.
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As of Sept. 7, there were 241 people with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals, compared to 76 people at the beginning of August.
Despite all this, Jason Wong, chief medical officer with the BCCDC, says the various increases are relatively small, adding “there isn’t cause for concern at this time.”
“The risk is low so we’re not seeing significant increases but we are seeing some increases in COVID-19 and respiratory infection activity,” he said.
“We ought to continue to pay attention to it. I don’t think it is cause for alarm at this time but we do want to make sure people are taking steps and precautions to protect themselves and to protect the people around them.”
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Wong says he expects cases to continue rising in the fall. However, he notes British Columbians should be well protected by vaccines and previous infections.
He also points out many of the cases reported now aren’t as severe as they once were.
Meanwhile, the BCCDC says the number of deaths rose from eight in the first week of the reporting period to 15, then dipped to 12.
The increase in COVID-19 numbers comes after the detection of Canada’s first known case of the BA. 2.86 variant last month in B.C., but the centre says that remains the province’s only known case of the new strain.
