B.C. adds 11 COVID-19 deaths over 72 hours as hospitalizations drop again

There were 11 deaths attributed to COVID-19 over the weekend across British Columbia, as the number of test-positive patients in hospital continued to decline.

There were 11 deaths attributed to COVID-19 over the weekend across British Columbia, as the number of test-positive patients in hospital continued to decline.

The weekend update provided Monday by the Ministry of Health put the province's COVID-19 death toll at 2,914.

Fraser Health reported six of the latest deaths and Interior Health reported three, while Northern Health and Island Health reported one each.

Meanwhile, the tally of patients with COVID-19 declined to 449, the lowest its been since Jan. 10. That includes incidental patients who were admitted to hospital for reasons unrelated to the disease, but tested positive through routine screening.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care also decreased to 63, down from 69 on Friday.

The unvaccinated remain much more likely to end up in hospital because of COVID-19 than the vaccinated. According to the ministry's update, the unvaccinated were hospitalized at a rate of 111 per 100,000 population from Feb. 25 to March 3, after adjusting for age, compared to 47 per 100,000 among the partially vaccinated and 46 per 100,000 among the fully vaccinated.

The government does not disclose the vaccination status of the deceased in daily COVID-19 updates, but data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows the unvaccinated are also dying at a higher rate than those with vaccine protection.