There are now 570 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the province, an increase of 132 over last week, and 42 people have died in connection with the virus.
According to the province, 355 people were admitted to hospital between April 17-23, up from 300 admissions the previous week.
This is now the third week in a row that COVID hospitalizations have increased in the province.
A total of 2,276 people tested positive between Apr. 17-23, which is a higher weekly total than the previous week, when 2,036 people tested positive.
In Island Health 372 people tested positive, Fraser Health had 831 positive tests, Interior Health had 582, Vancouver Coastal had 373, and Northern Health had 118.
Twelve of the deaths occurred in Island Health, Interior Health also had 12 deaths, Fraser Health had 1o deaths, seven in Vancouver Coastal Health, and one in Northern Health.
In the same week, Island Health conducted 2,050 PCR tests, bringing the positivity rate to 19.3. The province’s positivity rate is at 11.0.
B.C. does not have a way for people to report rapid test results and does not include rapid test results in COVID updates.
Currently only immunocompromised people, people with high-risk conditions, people 70 or older, people who aren’t fully vaccinated, or people whose medical care may be affected by a positive result are eligible for PCR tests.
The hospitalizations and number of deaths are conditional and subject to change.
In the April 21 COVID update, the province reported there were 238 people admitted to hospital in the week of Apr. 10 – Apr. 16, and updated that number in this week’s report to 300 in that week.
Additionally, last week in the same period the province reported 27 COVID deaths and updated that number to 52 deaths in this week’s report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story reported that 355 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. In fact, 570 people are hospitalized, while 355 were admitted to hospital for COVID-19 between April 17-23, according to provincial data.
Laura Brougham
