B.C. sees 624 new COVID-19 cases, spike in hospitalizations Thursday

VICTORIA — B.C. is reporting another 624 cases of COVID-19 Thursday (Oct. 7) — and a concerning spike in hospitalized patients.

According to the province’s health ministry, 118 of the new cases found Thursday are in Interior Health.

There are 373 people in hospital with COVID-19, a jump of 23 from Wednesday. The province reports 132 people in intensive care units.

The active caseload in B.C. is 5,929, including 1,142 in Interior Health.

Four more people have died of COVID-19 in B.C., pushing the province’s death toll to 1,996.

The vaccination rate for eligible British Columbians aged 12 and over has reached 88.5 per cent for first doses and 82.1 per cent for second doses.

COVID-19 outbreaks remain ongoing at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops (two patient cases) and Overlander Longterm Care in Brocklehurst.

The province says people who are not fully vaccinated accounted for 70.8 per cent of new cases in the past week and 78.3 per cent of hospitalizations in the past two weeks.