COVID-19: Hospitalization drops by eight Friday; six more deaths recorded in B.C.

VICTORIA — B.C.’s Ministry of Health says COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped to 290 Friday (Mar. 18). That’s a decrease of eight from Thursday.

In its regular surveillance report, the ministry says 46 people remain in intensive care, a decrease of three.

Six more people have died of the virus, lifting the B.C. death toll from COVID-19 to 2,966. Five of the deaths were in the Island Health region, with the sixth in Fraser Health.

There were 199 new cases of the virus reported Friday, including 72 in Interior Health.