B.C. public health teams recorded another 18 deaths from COVID-19 Wednesday, while the number of people in hospital with active infections continued to decline.

There were 988 people in hospital with COVID-19 as of Feb. 2, with half of those admitted for other conditions and then testing positive for the now-dominant Omicron variant. That is down from 1,035 in the past 24 hours. There are 136 people in critical care with active infections, down from 139 on Tuesday.

The latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control show 44 per cent of B.C. patients testing positive for COVID-19 after admission to hospital since Dec. 1 were admitted for other conditions and had either mild or no respiratory symptoms. For cases where Omicron is identified as the infection variant, the tests show 60 per cent of hospital admissions are for reasons other than COVID-19 during December and January.

B.C. health authorities continue to operate scheduled appointment COVID-19 vaccination clinics around the province for residents age five and older. Registration and booking appointments in B.C. , or by calling 1-833-838-2323 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week.

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