This chart shows where most of the covid-19 cases in B.C. have happened. On the left, is information from January to now and on the right is information about the past two weeks.
B.C.'s covid-19 numbers are leaping up each week and the number of young people testing positive is growing.
We're now averaging about 41 new cases a day, but a month ago, that same average was 11 and two months ago it was nine.
The average age of a person testing positive with covid-19 in B.C. is also falling. It’s now 46, while in mid-May it was 52. The average age of a person hospitalized for covid-19 is 68 and the average age of a person who has died from covid-19 is 85. Neither of those ages have changed much. Another key statistic that has changed is the per cent of people who test positive who end up in hospital. In May, the percentage was 20, now it’s 15.
Those statistics are borne out in an analysis of this week’s numbers from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. Fully one-third of the new cases were in people aged 20 to 29, by far the largest jump in cases. One-quarter were in people aged 30 to 39, showing that young people really are driving this phase of the pandemic. Another 15 per cent of cases were in people aged 40 to 49. People under 20 accounted for 12 per cent of cases and people over 50 accounted for 14 per cent.
The numbers paint a picture that’s being reinforced by both Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix, who have said large private parties are mostly to blame for B.C.’s recent surge in cases. More than 1,500 people who are close contacts of people who have tested positive are now self-isolating in B.C.
The good news is that the number of hospitalizations and deaths remain low, largely because covid-19 is not as deadly among younger people and the virus is not as prevalent in long-term care homes at this time.
Meanwhile, changes keep happening. Here’s a look at what went on this week:
- Canada has made a deal to buy millions of doses of potential covid-19 vaccines from to companies, for delivery in 2021, the Globe and Mail reported.
- Debates are raging across the world about sending children back to school. Here in B.C., more than 20,000 parents have signed a petition asking for the option of online learning, after the province announced that all students would return full-time, in person. In Kenya, they took a different approach, cancelling an entire year and telling all students they would have to repeat the year later, the New York Times reported.
- More than 14,000 B.C. businesses closed during the first two months of the pandemic, the Vancouver Sun reported. The Statistics Canada report showed how many businesses closed and opened between January and April of this year.
- There were 33 domestic and international flights that went gone through Vancouver International Airport in the month of July with at least one case of covid-19 on board, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reports. Dr. Henry has said that the airlines do not always have all of the necessary information to do contact tracing.
- Dr. Henry has also said it’s smart to wear a mask on public transit. Translink announced masks will be mandatory as of August 24.
- The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit will end later this summer, but a new Employment Insurance-type of benefit for people who are not normally eligible for EI will be created, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced. Details are not yet available.
- There’s a new app – Covid Alert – that will let Canadians know if they’ve been within two meters of someone diagnosed with covid-19 for more than a few minutes. It’s voluntary and it apparently works by exchanging anonymous codes between cellphones that are close together. Of course, it only works if people who are diagnosed with covid-19 are already using the app, which is free in the App Store.
- B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry released a “Good times guide,” just in time for the August B.C. Day long weekend. Among its gems: “Don’t pass around drinks, smokes, tokes, and vapes. Now is not the time for sharing anything that’s been in your mouth.” And: “Hooking up? Do it safely. Take a pass if your partner has any COVID-19 symptoms. Use protection like condoms or dental dams to reduce transmission risks for COVID-19 and STIs.”
- More than half of Canadians are afraid to return to the workplace given just how contagious the COVID-19 virus is, and six in 10 will refuse to go back if they feel it's not safe enough, a new poll by KPMG finds. Eighty-two per cent trust their employer to take appropriate precautions, but three-quarters of those surveyed are worried their co-workers might come to work sick or be asymptomatic. They also fear working in crowded spaces and a lack of air ventilation. Three-quarters of those surveyed are satisfied with working from home and 59 per cent say they’re more productive, but the same number said their relationship with their co-workers is weaker when working from home.
Next week will be one week closer to the fall and back to school in B.C. Let’s hope we don’t see a surge in cases from the B.C. Day long weekend.
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