B.C. hitting ‘peak’ of COVID-19 hospitalizations, officials say – CBC

Latest numbers show Omicron variant carries 50% reduced risk of ending up in hospital compared to Delta

Feb 01, 2022

British Columbia health officials say the province appears to have reached peak numbers of patients in hospital with COVID-19, as a review of recent cases shows the risk of hospitalization has been cut in half during the Omicron wave.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry presented new numbers at a news conference on Tuesday, saying that while the highly transmissible Omicron variant has caused hospitalizations to soar above record levels, the data confirms it’s causing less serious illness than the previously dominant Delta variant.

“It does look like we are at our peak of hospitalizations,” Henry said.

In the last week, 706 people have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19. The vast majority of those patients — more than 90 per cent — have been infected with the Omicron variant.

“Our hospitals are coping even though we’re stretched,” Henry said.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/covid-update-feb-1-1.6334989