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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for July 8, 2021.
Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.
Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for July 8, 2021.
We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.
Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.
• New cases since July 5: 59
• Total deaths: 1,759 (no new deaths)
• Hospitalized cases: 86
• Intensive care: 20
• Total vaccinations: 5,404,047 doses administered; 1,772,595 second doses
• Recovered from acute infection: 145,455
• Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 4
IN-DEPTH:COVID-19: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus
• COVID-19: Here’s everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus
• COVID-19: Here’s how to get your vaccination shot in B.C.
• COVID-19: Look up your neighbourhood in our interactive map of case and vaccination rates in B.C.
• COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated
• COVID-19: Five things to know about the P1 variant spreading in B.C.
• COVID-19: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021
• COVID-19: Have you been exposed? Here are all B.C. public health alerts
• COVID-19 at B.C. schools: Here are the school district exposure alerts
• COVID-19: Avoid these hand sanitizers that are recalled in Canada
• COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver
• B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool
Foreign tourists who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter Canada for quite some time, with the government unwilling to jeopardize progress made on containing the virus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
“I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen for quite a while,” said Trudeau, when asked by reporters when Canada would allow unvaccinated tourists to enter the country.
Trudeau added there would be more to say in the “coming weeks” on when Canada’s borders might reopen to fully vaccinated tourists.
— Reuters
Science World says capacity at the dome will increase and group bookings of up to 10 people will be allowed as part of its restart plan in line with health orders.
Weddings of up to 50 people can now be booked at the Green Roof Terrace which overlooks the False Creek skyline.
Masks continue to be mandatory for staff and visitors ages six and over to ensure the safety of those who have not been vaccinated, including children under 12 and visitors are asked to maintain physical distancing with other visitors and staff.
President of Science World Tracy Redies said they are proceeding with caution to ensuring that they protect staff and vulnerable populations as they adapt their plan for phase 3 of B.C.’s Restart Plan.
“Our focus will remain on expanding STEAM learning across the province, both at the dome and virtually to those in communities that are typically underserved or more difficult to reach,” she said, in a statement.
Science World will remain open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Timed entry is still recommended, and walk-ins are subject to availability.
B.C. is doing well when it comes to declining COVID-19 numbers, but a reluctance to share data is hurting world-wide efforts to beat the pandemic, a member of an independent COVID-19 modelling group said Wednesday.
Sarah Otto, a professor at the University of B.C. who specializes in mathematical modelling, said as the province reopens, the spread of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has to be watched closely.
“We’re in a great place in B.C., and you can see that with the declining case numbers,” she said. “The issue going forward with the Phase 3 reopening is to stay in such a great place.”
She compared the Delta variant to a racehorse.
“You have this one that’s really speedy and chomping at the bit and we’ve just opened the gates,” she said. “That’s what worried us: What’s going to happen with Delta in the future?”
Since being identified in late 2020, the Delta variant has spread to more than 80 countries. It is a mutation in the spike protein the virus uses to enter cells in a body.
The World Health Organization considers it 55 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which was 50 per cent more transmissible than the original coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the B.C. COVID-19 Modelling Group, an interdisciplinary group of academics, researchers and experts, released its sixth report on the status of COVID-19 in B.C.
-Kevin Griffin
B.C. reported 59 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total of active cases in the province to 624. Of these, 86 are people who are in hospital, including 20 in intensive care.
The new cases are located in Fraser Health (20), Vancouver Coastal Health (13), Interior Health (17), Northern Health (2) and Island Health (3). There were four new cases of COVID-19 in people who reside outside Canada.
More than 3.6 million people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C., making up 78.2 per cent of the eligible population age 12 and older.
B.C. MAP OF WEEKLY COVID CASE COUNTS, VACCINATION RATES
Find out how your neighbourhood is doing in the battle against COVID-19 with the latest number of new cases, positivity rates, and vaccination rates:
Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.
• B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool
• Vancouver Coastal Health – Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
• HealthLink B.C. – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page
• B.C. Centre for Disease Control – Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Government of Canada – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update
• World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak
–with files from The Canadian Press
Peel Region has its first confirmed case of monkeypox.
According to Peel Public Health, the person infected is an adult male in his 30s who lives in Mississauga.
The heath unit said the risk to the public remains low.
Monkeypox, which comes from the same virus family as smallpox, spreads though close contact with an infected individual. Most transmission happens through close contact with the skin lesions of monkeypox, but the virus can also be spread by large droplets or by sharing contaminated items.
To reduce risk of infection, people are advised to be cautious when engaging in intimate activities with others. Vaccination is available for high-risk contacts of cases and for those deemed at high risk of exposure to monkeypox.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash/lesions, which could appear on the face or genitals and then spread to other areas.
Anyone who develops these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider and avoid close contact with others until they have improved and rash/lesions have healed.
While most people recover on their own without treatment, those who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for monkeypox should self-monitor for symptoms, and contact PPH to see if they are eligible for vaccination.
The Mississauga case is at least the 34th confirmed case of the disease in Ontario, with dozens more under investigation.
More than 3,400 confirmed monkeypox cases and one death were reported to the World Health Organization as of last Wednesday, with a majority of them from Europe, the agency said in an update on Monday.
WHO said that since June 17, 1,310 new cases were reported to the agency, with eight new countries reporting monkeypox cases.
Monkeypox is not yet a global health emergency, WHO ruled last week, although WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was deeply concerned about the outbreak.
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Monday was national HIV testing day. Officials say this year’s theme surrounds how getting tested is an act of self-care.
From clinics to self-testing kits, groups in the north say there are many options to get tested and everyone should use whichever way works best for them.
Just more than a year ago, Reseau Access Network in Sudbury teamed with Ready to Know and Get a Kit, groups that provide HIV self-testing kits at a pickup location.
Officials said it has been a huge success.
“We get a consistent number throughout each month and I can’t really divulge those figures, unfortunately, but as part of the overall study I can tell you the pickup of self-tests is a fraction of the amount of tests being ordered,” said Angel Riess, of Reseau Access Network.
“There’s actually a lot of tests being shipped to homes directly but I can confirm that they have been active and there’s a significant number of people who have chosen to engage in both programs.”
Elsewhere, the Aids Committee of North Bay and Area held a point-of-care testing clinic to mark the day.
“It’s an opportunity for us to remind everyone that getting tested is essential. If you don’t know you have HIV, you can’t take the steps to try to mitigate the possibility of spread,” said executive director Stacey Mayhall.
In addition to stopping the spread, knowing whether you are positive sooner rather than later can allow for a better quality of life.
“HIV is not a death sentence that it used to be,” said Riess.
“There have been advances in testing and medication and people can live long, healthy lives living with HIV.”
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