This chart shows B.C.'s cumulative diagnosed covid-19 cases compared to other countries and the rest of Canada. (Source: B.C.'s Restart Plan.)
This is the week we began to settle into our covidian lives, not entirely hunkered down at home, but not quite back to our old ways either. Everywhere we go, every interaction we have, requires planning and forethought.
But B.C. appears to be coming out of this first pandemic wave quite well. The province now has just 241 active covid-19 cases, down from 307 last week. We’ve now had 164 deaths. Canada now has 88,501 cases and 6,877 people have died. Quebec and Ontario continue to be particularly hard hit. Around the world, there have been nearly 6 million cases, a number that grows by more than 100,000 every day.
The number of people with covid-19 who ended up in intensive care units faired better in B.C. than in other parts of the world, an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows. Between Feb. 14 and April 14, 119 patients were admitted to ICU with covid-19 in Metro Vancouver. Of those, 18 (15.4 per cent) died, 12 were still in ICU, 16 were still in hospital and 71 (60.7 per cent) were discharged.
“These data suggest that the prognosis associated with critical illness due to COVID-19 may not be as poor as previously reported,” the report says.
In Seattle and Wuhan half or more of patients in ICU died, while about one-quarter of those in ICU in California, New York and Lombardi, Italy died, the study found. The authors hypothesize that the reason for the lower mortality rate may be because the ICUs in Metro Vancouver never became overwhelmed with a surge of patients.
So there is good news.
But still the changes continue. Here’s my list for this week:
-The Vancouver Police Department has investigated 29 incidents of anti-Asian hate crimes so far this year, the department said in a news release. During the same period last year, they investigated just four such attacks. So far this year, police have identified 77 hate-associated files, up from 51 last year.
“Hate is insidious. Right now it’s anti-Asian, but it spreads like a virus and impacts us all,” said Howard Chow, deputy chief constable, operations, VPD. He urged witnesses to report hate crimes.
- While the United States is grappling with its own pandemic – more than 100,000 people have died there – racism is also apparent. George Floyd, a black man, was arrested and killed in Minneapolis when the arresting officer kneeled on his neck. His death triggered protests in Minneapolis and other cities across the United States. In the U.S., a disproportionate number of black people are dying from covid-19.
-Across B.C. an average of 3.2 people died every day from drug overdoses in the first four months of 2020, the BC Coroner’s Service reported. There were 117 deaths in April, while by my calculations, 88 people died from covid-19 that same month. Like covid-19, the majority of deaths are men. Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria are the places with the highest number of drug overdoses. Readers may wonder how this is related to covid-19, but Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the self-isolation related to the pandemic means more people are doing drugs alone, which is riskier. She also noted that the drug supply across North America is more toxic.
-The federal government has paid out more than $40 billion in the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to more than eight million people.
-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for paid sick leave of up to 10 days per year for all employees.
-A Canadian coronavirus vaccine has shown promise when tested in ferrets.
-B.C. opened up its campsite reservation website, but it was overloaded by thousands of people trying to book sites.
-Libraries have started to reopen. I had a call from the Richmond Public Library offering a pickup time for a book I placed on hold before the pandemic. Bonus, they offered me a bag of five random adult fiction books as well, that would be checked out under my name. They asked if I have any symptoms of a cold or covid and they required me to pick it up by appointment.
-The National Hockey League officially ended its season, but it says it may resume for playoffs.
-The Ontario government released a Canadian Armed Forces report on long-term care in that province. The report listed horrifying details about the care of seniors in long-term homes including safety, infection prevention, staffing and level of care. A similar report was released about care homes in Quebec.
-More than 100,000 Americans have died from covid-19.
-About half of Canada’s national parks plan to reopen for day use on June 1.
-B.C. Premier John Horgan extended the state of emergency in B.C. another two weeks. This is now the longest period of emergency in B.C.'s history, "with no likely end in sight," Horgan says.
-Layoffs were announced at Postmedia and the Toronto Star was sold to NordStar Capital for $52 million.
-Parks and playgrounds will be reopening soon in British Columbia, with physical distancing in place, whatever that means on a playground!
Soon it may be time to reopen even further in B.C. Schools are resuming more in-class sessions on Monday. For further reopenings, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says we have to wait until two incubation periods have passed and see if the number of cases is still low. That will happen in mid-June, at which point hotels and resorts, overnight camping, the film industry, movies and the symphony may restart.
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