540 people in B.C. hospitalized with COVID-19, milder cases among vaccinated

The latest figures on COVID-19 show 540 people in British Columbia are currently hospitalized with the virus, 49 of them in critical care.

The BC Centre for Disease Control says 59 people have died in the last week, for a total of 3,398 fatalities as of May 14.

The centre says 1,645 new cases were reported as of that date and some of its numbers may change as data is updated.

It says the Omicron variant is still the most prominent and that people can spread the virus to others even if they have been vaccinated and don't have symptoms.

Breakthrough infections from new variants can occur in people who are fully vaccinated.

However, they tend to have milder illness and are less likely to end up in hospital compared with those that are unvaccinated.