Once again, Interior Health had the most new cases and the most active cases remain in Vancouver Coastal Health.
In B.C.’s vaccination program, 50 percent of all eligible adults have now received their second dose, with just under 50 percent for those 12 years and above.
In other news, a makeshift healthcare site created for the pandemic is being closed in Vancouver and B.C. researchers are studying the relationship between vaccines and drug users.
With hospitalized cases decreasing, the B.C. Health Ministry has approved Vancouver Coastal Health to proceed with dismantling the alternate care site established at the Vancouver Convention Centre in April 2020.
The site was one of several healthcare locations created to ensure that the province has enough healthcare capacity in the event of huge surges in patients during the pandemic, as had been previously observed in various regions around the world, such as Northern Italy.
Although the site was never used, the site had 271 beds and remained ready to be used up until July 2 of this year. The site is expected to be demobilized by Friday (July 16).
A plan, however, remains in place for remobilization of the site if required.
The Vancouver Sunreported in May that VCH was paying $88,000 per month to lease the convention centre, which is owned by the B.C. government. In addition, it cost $1.5 million to outfit and stock the centre with beds and supplies.
B.C.’s peak level of hospitalization occurred at the end of April with over 500 people in acute care units.
UBC researchers Brittany Barker and Hudson ReddonUBC
As B.C. continues to experience two public health emergencies—the COVID-19 pandemic and the overdose crisis—UBC and the B.C. Centre on Substance Use researchers, partnering with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and Vancouver Coastal Health, have launched a study that will examine the intersection of these two health crises.
The study will examine the uptake, effectiveness, and safety of COVID-19 vaccines among vulnerable urban populations, including drug users.
“Since the pandemic was declared last March, we’ve seen an increase—both in B.C. and across the country—in the number of fatal drug poisonings,” UBC medicine postdoctoral research fellow Hudson Reddon stated. “In 2020 alone there were more than 6,200 toxic drug deaths in Canada, meaning nearly 17 Canadians are dying every day as a result of the toxic unregulated drug supply.
UBC medicine postdoctoral fellow and BCCSU research scientist Brittany Barker explained what B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said at previous news conferences—that “an increasingly toxic and dangerous drug supply” has been circulating in B.C., that is “likely due to disrupted supply chains [caused by border closures] feeding the unregulated market”.
In addition, pandemic health restrictions have added to complications among people who are already facing multiple risks for acquiring COVID-19, including poverty, homelessness, group living situations, stigma, discrimination, other diseases like HIV, and more.
“People are also experiencing isolation, stress and grief, all of which can lead to increased substance use, using alone, and barriers to accessing care,” Barker stated. “Combined with the limited availability or accessibility of services during COVID-19 lockdowns, it’s easy to see how people who use drugs are more impacted by COVID-19 than other groups.”
The B.C. Health Ministry is reporting 41 new COVID-19 cases (including four epi-linked cases) in the province today.
Currently, there 639 active cases, which is the same number as yesterday.
The new and active cases include:
16 new cases in Interior Health, with 157 total active cases (two more cases than yesterday);
11 new cases in Fraser Health, with 165 total active cases (seven fewer cases than yesterday);
10 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, with 258 total active cases (an increase of four more cases since yesterday);
two new cases in Northern Health, with 28 total active cases (one more case since yesterday);
one new case in Island Health, with 24 total active cases (a decrease of three cases since yesterday);
one new person from outside of Canada, with seven total active cases (one fewer case since yesterday).
Today, there are 65 individuals in hospital (one fewer case than yesterday), and 11 of those patients are in intensive care units (three fewer than yesterday).
For a sixth consecutive day, no new deaths have been reported. That leaves the total COVID-19-related fatalities during the pandemic at 1,760 people who have died during the pandemic.
A cumulative total of 145,817 people have now recovered, which includes 42 recoveries since yesterday.
During the pandemic, B.C. has recorded a cumulative total of 148,228 COVID-19 cases.
In the provincial immunization program, B.C. has now administered 5,872,611 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines.
As of today, 79.3 percent (3,674,169) of eligible people 12 and older have received their first dose and 47.3 percent (2,191,315) of them have received their second dose.
In addition, 80.3 percent (3,475,111) of all eligible adults have received their first dose and 50.5 percent (2,185,443) have now received their second dose.
Again, Fraser Health is offering new ways to obtain vaccinations.
Temporary immunization clinics will be held at Rocky Point Park (2800 Murray Street) in Port Moody from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday (July 17) and at the Downtown Chilliwack Community Market (9360 Mill Street) in Chilliwack from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday (July 18).
Interior Health announced today that the COVID-19 immunization clinic in 100 Mile House has been cancelled due to the evacuation order issued today in response to the B.C. wildfires.
Although some patients have been evacuated to ensure continuity of care, the 100 Mile District General Hospital is not part of the evacuation orders and remains open for anyone who needs emergency care.
Today, Fraser Health declared the outbreak over at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, but did not state how many cases were involved or if there were any deaths.
For the first time in months, there is only one active healthcare outbreak:
acute care: Laurel Place at Surrey Memorial Hospital (Fraser Health);
longterm care: none;
assisted or independent living: none.
The outbreak at Royal Inland Hospital is Kamloops is no longer listed as active on the B.C. Health Ministry list but Interior Health has not yet issued a news release about it.
The BCCDC added the following four flights to its lists of public exposures (affected row information is listed at the BCCDC website):
July 7: Aeromexico 696, Mexico City to Vancouver;
July 10: Air Canada 861, London to Vancouver;
July 11: Turkish Airlines 75, Istanbul to Vancouver;
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
