More ICU patients transferred out of northern B.C. to make room for COVID-19 patients

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Northern Health region of B.C. continues to be a concern for health officials.

As of Monday, 32 intensive care patients have been transferred from the Northern Health region to hospitals in other parts of the province due to the strain on the health-care system in that area, health officials said.

Of those, the province said 26 people are not fully vaccinated.

An additional 33 people were admitted to hospitals in the area over the weekend. Two people died from complications with the virus.

There were 340 cases of COVID-19 reported over the weekend alone.

3:29 B.C. reports 1,986 new COVID-19 cases over three days, along with 10 deaths

About 300,000 people live in the Northern Health region of B.C. but it currently has the highest number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to climb, the province said.

On Sept. 2, B.C. health officials extended some public health restrictions to the region:

• Indoor personal gatherings will be limited to one other family or five people.
• Organized outdoor events over 200 people will need a COVID-19 safety plan in place.
• Personal outdoor gatherings, such as birthday parties and barbecues, will be limited to 50 people.

—with files from Keith Baldrey