B.C. records 21 COVID deaths, one of deadliest days in pandemic
Posted January 26, 2022 4:33 pm.
Last Updated January 26, 2022 4:51 pm.
Wednesday marked one of the deadliest days in B.C. since the COVID-19 pandemic began nearly two years ago.
The province is reporting 21 deaths, including 10 in the Fraser Health region. Six British Columbians died in Vancouver Coastal Health and five deaths were recorded in Island Health.
On Christmas Day, 2020, the province recorded 25 deaths, which is the highest figure reported for a single day. However, it may not be the daily record, as the province reports weekend deaths together, without specifying how many of those were recorded on individual days.
The new deaths recorded on Wednesday bring January’s total to 152.
As of Wednesday, 949 British Columbians were listed as hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 985 the day before. There are 136 patients in the ICU, down from 144.
The province recorded 2,086 new COVID-19 cases, though the actual number of new cases is much higher, as the province is reserving testing for unvaccinated adults and those who are or work with people who are at greater risk of severe illness due to the virus.
Of the cases reported by the province Wednesday, Fraser Health recorded the most with 780.
There are 61 outbreaks at health-care facilities:
Long-term care:
- Fraser Health: George Derby Centre, Hilton Villa Seniors Community, Mayfair Senior Living + Care, Menno Hospital, Buchanan Lodge, St. Michael’s Centre, Eden Care Centre, Lakeshore Care Centre, Baillie House, Bevan Lodge, Cascade Lodge, Mountain View Manor, Queen’s Park Care Centre, Royal City Manor
- Vancouver Coastal Health: Evergreen House, Louis Brier Home and Hospital
- Interior Health: Sun Pointe Village, Lakeview Lodge, Hamlets in Vernon, Heritage Square, Village at Smith Creek, Westview Place, Pinegrove Care Centre, Mariposa Gardens, Joseph Creek Care Village, Hamlets at Penticton, Mount Ida Mews
- Island Health: Amica Douglas House, Eden Gardens, Glenwarren Lodge, Kiwanis Village Lodge, Saanich Peninsula Hospital – Long Term Care, Oyster Harbour, Dufferin Place, Beacon Hill Villa, Salvation Army Sunset Lodge, James Bay Care Centre, Veterans Memorial Lodge, Sunset Lodge, Eagle Ridge Manor, Sunrise of Victoria, Comox Valley Seniors Village, Fir Park Village, The Summit, Parkwood Court, Echo Village, Mount St. Mary Hospital, Arrowsmith Lodge and Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence
Acute care:
- Fraser Health: Surrey Memorial Hospital, Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Langley Memorial Hospital, Laurel Place, Burnaby Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital, CareLife Fleetwood, Queen’s Park Care Centre
- Interior Health: Kelowna General Hospital
- Island Health: Royal Jubilee Hospital and Victoria General Hospital
Assisted or Independent Living:
- Interior Health: Crestview Village
Among British Columbians aged five and up, 89.7 per cent have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 83.6 per cent have received a second. Among those aged 12 and up 42.2 per cent have received a third dose.
Omicron subvariant BA.2 seen in B.C.
This week, B.C.’s provincial health officer said the province has already seen cases of a new Omicron sub-variant but it’s too soon to know what impact — if any — it will have here.
“We’re not seeing it taking over from Omicron, as we saw Omicron take over from Delta for example. So it is, I think, very similar to what we saw here where you get regional differences in variants,” she said.
B.C. first detected this subvariant about two weeks ago in very small number of cases Henry said.
“We have seen in the UK, particularly where they’ve seen it in pockets, that there is probably increased transmissibility. But whether that translates into any other parameters that are different, there hasn’t been enough of it, certainly not here and not in Canada, to really see any impact.
The sub-variant, which is harder to detect, has been seen in more than three dozen countries since mid-November.
With files from Monika Gul
