Interior Health is trying to keep the occupancy rate low in its critical care beds, according to its CEO.

Susan Brown was asked if there’s concern about a potential bed shortage, as Interior Health has an older demographic and only 30 critical care beds available.

“We will need to reserve resources, because there will be ongoing requirements throughout the summer to monitor this virus until it completely eliminates, if it does that. And then of course we’ve got caution around what might happen in the fall,” Brown says.

“We do have an older population. So typically when you’re in areas like that, they do use the health system a little bit more. Monitoring our emergency departments, critical care will be an ongoing situation for us to make sure that we are in a position where we can respond if we have to.”

Brown also points that having elective surgeries resume starting next week will mean more beds will be in use, in the Interior and across B.C.

As of April 30, Interior Health had 54 of its 84 critical care beds occupied, which, at 64.3 per cent is more than any other Health Authority in the province. Of those 54 beds in use, only one was occupied by a patient with COVID-19, and further specifics on occupancy are unclear.

Vancouver Coastal Health had the next highest occupancy rate, at 47.3 per cent, while the lowest was Northern Health with just 20.3 per cent of critical care beds in use. The average critical care bed occupancy rate in B.C. on April 30 was 44.6 per cent.

Health officials in B.C. have stated earlier this spring that it would transport patients to critical care beds in other locations if needed for overflow caused by COVID-19.