B.C. recorded 1,158 new COVID-19 infections during the past three days, including 18 cases that were of the more easily transmitted variants.
The variant officially known as B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the U.K. is the more prevalent variant in B.C., with 12 new cases detected during the weekend. Four new cases of the B.1.351 variant, which was first discovered in South Africa, were discovered in B.C. in the past three days.
Almost 90%, or 61,117 people, are considered recovered out of the 67,937 people who have been infected with the virus since it first appeared in B.C. on January 28, 2020.
Some good news is that the number of people actively battling viral infections has dropped by 423 during the past three days, to 4,134 individuals. That is the lowest number of people actively fighting these infections since November 6, when 3,741 people had active infections.
The number of serious infections is also dropping, with three fewer people fighting COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals today than on January 29, when numbers were last released. There are now 289 people in B.C. hospitals, including 79 who are in intensive care units.
Unfortunately, 21 additional British Columbians have died from complications of the virus in the past three days. That brings the province’s death toll from COVID-19 to 1,210.
Health officials are closely monitoring 7,234 people for symptoms because those individuals have had known exposure to identified cases.
Vaccinations are continuing with 9,651 completed in the past three days. That brings the total number of doses administered to 138,892, including first doses to 134,401 people and two doses to 4,491 people.
The breakdown of where the 1,158 new cases are located is as follows: • 295 people in Vancouver Coastal Health (25.5%); • 493 people in Fraser Health (42.6%); • 78 in Island Health (6.7%); • 194 in Interior Health (16.7%); and • 98 in Northern Health (8.4%).
Outbreaks of the virus at Burnaby Hospital, and at Brookside Lodge seniors’ home in Surrey are newly declared over.
There remain eight B.C. hospitals identified as having active COVID-19 outbreaks. They are: • Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake; • Mount St. Joseph’s Hospital in Vancouver; • Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in Nanaimo; • Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster; • Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops; • St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver; • Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey; and • University Hospital of Northern B.C. in Prince George.
COVID-19 outbreaks remain at 24 seniors’ care homes, assisted-living facilities and retirement residences across the province.
The three active outbreaks at seniors’ living facilities in Vancouver Coastal Health are at: • Hilltop House in Squamish, • Minoru Residence in Richmond; and • Holy Family long-term care centre in Vancouver.
There are 12 active outbreaks at seniors’ living facilities in Fraser Health. They are at: • Bradley Centre in Chilliwack; • Concord By the Sea in White Rock; • Eagle Ridge Manor in Port Moody; • Evergreen Baptist Care Society in White Rock; • George Derby Centre in Burnaby; • Glenwood Seniors Community in Agassiz; • Hilton Villa Seniors Community in Surrey; • Madison Care Centre in Coquitlam; • Nicola Lodge in Port Coquitlam; • Royal City Manor in New Westminster; • St. Michael’s Centre Extended Care in Burnaby; and • Suncreek Village in Surrey.
The two active outbreaks at a seniors’ living facilities in Northern Health are at Jubilee Lodge in Prince George, and Acropolis Manor in Prince Rupert.
The six active outbreaks at seniors’ living facilities in Interior Health are at: • Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre in Kamloops; • Creekside Landing in Vernon; • Heritage Retirement Residence in West Kelowna; • Heritage Square in Vernon; • Noric House in Vernon; and • Sunnybank Retirement Home in Oliver.
The only outbreak at a seniors’ facility in Island Health is at Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo.
Henry provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said that small gatherings are partly to blame for the continued prevalence of new infections, particularly among young people.
“Where we’re seeing transmission, in many of the communities is within young people,” she said. “We know that that is linked to small social events that people are having. So it’s not okay to have my one or two friends that I have dinner with tonight, or my one or two friends that I go with today, and then a different group tomorrow.”
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.
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