COVID-19 in B.C.: Over 500 new cases; update on Okanagan outbreak, with over 2000 active cases in Interior; and more - The Georgia Straight | Canada News Media
Case numbers have been steadily climbing over the past few weeks, but we may also be starting to see some of the impact of the B.C. Day long weekend.
B.C.’s new case count has hit yet another new high for recent weeks, with over 500 new COVID-19 cases today.
In addition, active and hospitalized cases continued to increase and case numbers increased in all five health regions.
There’s also one new healthcare outbreak.
At a news conference about B.C. wildfires and high temperatures, B.C. provincial health officer was asked a few questions about COVID-19.
One of the questions was about whether or not there will be a mandatory mask mandate for post-secondary schools when the new school year begins in September.
Henry said that there is a provincial stakeholder committee that is addressing and reviewing these issues, with more information to come in the coming week.
She said they are currently working with post-secondary institutions for providing vaccinations for international students entering the country, “depending on what vaccines they may or may not have received in their country of origin”.
Interior Health provided an update today on the outbreak in the Central Okanagan that was declared on July 28.
Since July 1, a total of 1,690 people have tested positive in the region, and case numbers continue to rise.
Interior Health stated that most of the cases are among individuals under 40 years old, but COVId-19 exposures are also now occurring in healthcare facilities, businesses, restaurants, and social settings.
“Over 95 percent of COVID-19 cases related to this outbreak are among people not fully immunized and the majority are 40 years or younger,” Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown stated in a news release.
Restrictions will remain in place for the region until further notice. Non-essential travel to the Central Okanagan region is discouraged.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie HenryProvince of British Columbia
Today, B.C. is reporting 536 new COVID-19 cases (including four epi-linked cases).
Currently, there are 3,585 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., which is an increase of 301 cases since yesterday.
As of today, 72 individuals are in hospital (one more than yesterday), and 29 of those patients are in intensive care units (six more than yesterday).
The new and active cases include:
258 new cases in Interior Health, with 2,045 total active cases (152 more cases than yesterday);
135 new cases in Fraser Health, with 699 total active cases (80 more cases);
105 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, with 493 total active cases (63 more cases);
26 new cases in Island Health, with 222 total active cases (four more cases);
12 new cases in Northern Health, with 116 total active cases (five more cases);
no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada, with 10 total active cases (three fewer cases than yesterday);
Unfortunately, there has been one new death reported (in Interior Health). The overall total number of fatalities is now at 1,778 people who have died of COVID-19-related deaths.
With 231 recoveries since yesterday, an overall total of 148,446 people who tested positive have now recovered.
During the pandemic, B.C. has reported a cumulative total of 153,849 COVID-19 cases.
Due to the heat wave forecast for this week, Island Health is once again relocating all immunization appointments scheduled from August 12 to 14 at the Eagle Ridge Arena clinic to the Victoria Conference Centre.
Since immunizations began in the province in December, B.C. has administered 7,114,250 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
As of today, 82.2 percent (3,809,806) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 71.1 percent (3,296,603) have received their second dose.
In addition, 83 percent (3,592,053) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 72.9 percent (3,151,609) have received their second dose.
Fraser Health has declared a healthcare outbreak at the Evergreen Baptist Care Society in White Rock, where one resident has tested positive.
Accordingly, there are now eight active outbreaks in longterm care facilities:
Fraser Health: Holyrood Manor, Kin Village West Court, and Evergreen Baptist Care Society;
Interior Health: Nelson Jubilee Manor, Kootenay Street Village, Cottonwoods Care Centre, and Brookhaven Care Centre;
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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