British Columbia confirmed another 3,795 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, along with three additional deaths.
The confirmed case numbers may not represent the entire number with two major testing centres in Vancouver Coastal Health still closed due to the cold, and a third only handing out rapid antigen tests — that number is not included in daily totals.
Friday’s numbers represent a dip from the all-time high reported Thursday of 4,383 new cases.
However active case numbers continued to mount, reaching a record 20,811.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in hospital climbed for a third consecutive day, reaching 220, the highest they have been since Dec. 9. COVID patients in the ICU climbed to 73, up seven overnight.
Hospitalizations still remained well below their peaks of 445 in the fourth wave and 515 in the third wave.
Earlier this week, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said evidence from around the world appears to show a lower risk of severe outcomes, including hospitalizations, from the Omicron variant particularly among the fully vaccinated. However, Henry said it was too soon to say for sure.
Officials have been closely watching Quebec, where hospitalizations have mounted quickly. The province reported 124 new hospitalizations on Friday alone, for a total of more than 1,063 province-wide.
British Columbia cancelled thousands of scheduled surgeries beginning on Jan. 4, to free up hospital space as a precautionary measure.
Fraser Health also declared a new outbreak at Surrey Memorial Hospital involving five patients, along with the Czorny Alzheimer Centre and Hawthorne Lodge long-term care home.
More than 4.39 million British Columbians, 88.1 per cent of those eligible and 85.3 per cent of B.C.’s population have had one dose of vaccine.
Of them, more than 4.13 million people, 82.9 per cent of those eligible and 80.2 per cent of B.C.’s population have had two doses.
Just over 909,000 people, 19.6 per cent of those eligible and 17.6 per cent of B.C.’s population have had a third dose.
Fully vaccinated people accounted for 84 per cent of new cases over the past week, and 45 per cent of hospitalizations over the past two weeks.
Earlier Thursday, B.C. followed the lead of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and several provinces, cutting the isolation time for fully-vaccinated COVID-positive people to five days, if their symptoms have passed or are resolving.
It suspended non-essential visits to long-term care facilities, amid a number of new outbreaks in care homes.
Since the start of the pandemic, B.C. has reported 254,849 total cases, while 2,420 people have died.