These may be the darkest days of the covid-19 pandemic. (Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.)
The New Year has not started on the most auspicious note. These are dark days, indeed. Britain brought in a harsh lockdown with the spread of a new, more contagious strain of covid-19. Millions of people, including several Canadian politicians, travelled during the holidays, despite public health recommendations to stay home. And overshadowing everything, angry Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. disrupting the proceedings to formalize president-elect Joe Biden's win. Four people died.
In B.C., the virus continues to spread. New cases were down a bit over the holidays, but public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that may have been due to fewer people getting tested. The province reached a new peak in numbers of people in hospital, despite a flatter curve. The B.C. government started reporting on covid-19 numbers in care homes, showing that at the hardest-hit home, Little Mountain Place in Vancouver, 41 residents have died and 169 residents and staff have been sick.
So far, 2021 hasn't got a lot going for it.
Here are other changes that took place this week:
-Several politicians in Alberta and Ontario have resigned after being caught out for taking tropical vacations over the winter break, while ordinary Canadians have been told to avoid all travel. This column by Robyn Urback explains it well.
- Testing rates are down sharply in some provinces, the Globe and Mail reported. Dr. Bonnie Henry also mentioned this in her briefings as one reason for a drop in case numbers over the holidays. It could mean some people have gone undiagnosed through the holiday season.
-British scientists are concerned that existing vaccines may not work on a mutated strain of the covid-19 virus first identified in South Africa, Reuters reports. This mutation is different from the British mutation, but has some elements in common.
- A Leger poll found that 48 per cent of Canadians visited someone outside of their household over the holidays. The same poll found that 71 per cent of Canadians intend to get a covid-19 vaccine when it’s their turn. The online survey was conducted Dec. 30 to Jan. 3 and included 1,506 people.
- Around the world, people and doctors are concerned that the vaccine roll-out is slower than it should be.
- There is a surge in cases with community transmission in Revelstoke, causing public health officials to issue a public alert to follow all restrictions in the area.
- An interdisciplinary task force called the COVID Strategic Choices Group, which includes people in business, epidemiology, public health, public policy and economics, is calling for a prolonged lockdown across the country, something they say would save 5,000 lives, create 320,000 jobs and generate economic growth. Their plan calls for a lockdown that would last until cases are low enough that testing, tracing and isolation can work. Restrictions would only be reduced if there is a decline in cases of 17 to 25 per cent each week. They also call for the government to assist the people, businesses and communities who are most affected by the lockdown.
- Ninety per cent of B.C. patients who had their surgery postponed during the pandemic have now had their surgery completed, the B.C. government reported. Non-urgent surgeries were postponed from March 16 to May 7, but since then B.C. has hired surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses to catch up.
- Quebec announced an 8 p.m. curfew for the next month.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a full lock-down in England, including a closure of schools until at least mid-February, due the new covid-19 variant, which he said is 50-70% more transmissible than regular covid. Children do not appear to be more affected by the new variant, but "schools may act as vectors for transmission," Johnson said. He said British hospitals were on the brink of being overwhelmed. Until the lockdown is lifted, perhaps mid-February, people in England may only leave their homes to shop for essentials, to work if they can't work from home, to exercise, to seek medical assistance or to escape domestic abuse.
- Flights from Britain are allowed once again in Canada, however anyone travelling to Canada must now have a negative covid test 72 hours before their trip, as reported here last week.
Across the country, the virus is raging. Let’s hope this is the pandemic’s darkest day.
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