The number of people in B.C. hospitals with COVID-19 has declined slightly, continuing a downward trend from last week.
As of July 28, there are 401 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 406 last week. However, the number of people in critical care has jumped to 35 up from 30 last week.
B.C. records COVID hospitalizations through census counts. That means not everyone in hospital who tests positive for COVID is there because of the virus.
Reported cases are also on the decline. From July 17 to 23, there were 921 PCR confirmed cases, down from 1,043 the week before.
These numbers only reflect PCR-confirmed tests and are an undercount of the true number as most British Columbians rely on rapid antigen tests to determine whether they have COVID.
Hospital admissions are also down, with the BC CDC initially reporting 222 people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 for the week of July 17 - 23. That’s down from the 246 reported for the week prior. However, the number has been retroactively increased to 293 people.
There are 29 new deaths reported between July 17 – 23. The BC CDC records COVID-19 deaths on the basis of 30-day all-cause mortality, meaning anyone who dies within 30 days of a PCR-confirmed COVID-19 case is considered to have died from the virus. The underlying cause of death takes approximately eight weeks to be recorded.
READ MORE: B.C. COVID hospitalizations down for the first time in weeks, new cases continue to rise
@SchislerCole
cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
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