VICTORIA — The latest COVID-19 numbers from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control show the number of people admitted to hospital with the illness is declining.
The weekly report says 142 people were hospitalized during the week of Sept. 4 to 10, down from 180 admissions during the previous week.
The centre's COVID-19 dashboard shows a total of 314 patients hospitalized with the illness on Thursday, with 23 in critical care.
The latest numbers came Thursday as the B.C. government issued a bulletin saying COVID-19 vaccination requirements remain in place for all workers in the health-care system, including hospital, community and residential care workers.
The requirement does not apply to regulated professionals who do not work in those settings, such as dentists, naturopathic doctors and opticians.
The statement from the Ministry of Health adds that the spread of illnesses is expected to increase again this fall and winter and the potential for another COVID-19 variant of concern to emerge "remains a real concern."
The weekly report from the centre for disease control also shows decreasing deaths, with 16 last week, 36 the week before and 44 during the week of Aug. 21.
In April, provincial authorities began reporting COVID-19 deaths by including anyone who died from any cause within 30 days of a positive test result for the disease.
The centre says it will evaluate the cause of each person's death retroactively to better understand "true COVID-19 mortality."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2022.
The Canadian Press
