Image Credit: BC Govt. / Flickr

By Chad Klassen

COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS

Hospitalizations due to Omicron won’t slow down for another two weeks: Dr. Henry

Jan 14, 2022 | 11:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — Hospitalization rates in B.C. continue to rise due to the Omicron variant.

During a news briefing Friday (Jan. 14), B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the number of people who have entered hospital over the last week is 580. There were 534 hospitalizations on Thursday.

Data provided by the province from Dec. 14 to Jan. 10, reveals unvaccinated people make up 47 per cent of all hospitalizations during the time period (889 people), while 37 per cent of vaccinated people with two doses required hospital stays. Sixty-nine per cent of unvaccinated people required critical care (212 people). Among the 57 deaths over the last month, 63 per cent of people were unvaccinated.

Dr. Henry says it’s going to take two weeks to start to see a decline in hospitalizations.

In a graph, outlining hospitalizations from Nov. 28 to Jan. 7, Dr. Henry notes that hospital stays for people affected by the Omicron variant are half of what they are for people impacted by the Delta variant — with the average stay being three days with Omicron as opposed to six with Delta.

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There has been less need for critical care for people who have the Omicron variant (22) compared to Delta (164). There were 28 deaths related to Delta and three from Omicron.

In addition, the graph shows a fewer number of unvaccinated people impacted by Omicron (35 people, 20 per cent of all hospitalizations) versus Delta (284 people, 68 per cent of all hospitalizations).

Dr. Henry also outlined an uptick in pediatric cases. In the last week, there have been 1,026 new cases among children under the age of five with nine new hospitalizations this week.

There have been 1,033 new cases for kids five to 11 years old.

Dr. Henry says Omicron is triggering upper airway illnesses among kids. Most cases are mild, she notes, but it’s hard to say when a child needs more critical care.