Will the vaccine or the variant win? A health care worker in Victoria is immunized against covid-19. (Photo: B.C. government)
It feels like we’re in a race between getting people vaccinated and the more contagious covid-19 variants being discovered around the world. That’s how B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry put it and I have to agree.
B.C. has now found both the U.K. and South African variants in positive test samples and there’s word of a third similar, but unrelated, variant that’s been found in the United States. Three of four people with the U.K. variant are all household contacts, but the fourth is unrelated. The case of the South African variant is “concerning,” Dr. Henry said, because the person did not travel or have contact with anyone who had travelled.
About five per cent of test samples are tested further with genome sequencing, so Dr. Henry is confident if there were many more cases caused by the variant, we would know about them.
So for now, B.C. doesn’t appear to be having a lot of spread caused by the new variants, “but it's just a matter of time,” Dr. Henry said, adding that in some ways, B.C.’s situation today is similar to how it was last February, just before local transmission of covid-19 started in B.C. and before the world changed dramatically.
There are lots of questions about why inter-provincial travel isn’t limited, but that’s tough to implement because there are so many crossings and many people travel across provincial borders every day for work and school. But it wouldn’t be too hard to ask people who are not travelling for work or school on a daily basis to quarantine for two weeks when they come into B.C. from other provinces. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control guidelines only mention quarantine for international travellers. B.C. might not be able to enforce an inter-provincial quarantine, but we could at least suggest it. Premier John Horgan said B.C. is seeking legal advice on inter-provincial travel.
Meanwhile, nearly 70,000 people in B.C. have been given their first dose of the covid-19 vaccines. Dr. Penny Ballem, former city manager at the City of Vancouver and former deputy health minister for B.C., will lead the provincial vaccine effort, which is scheduled to ramp up beyond people in long-term care and healthcare workers in April. Details of that are promised by next week.
When asked if people who have been vaccinated, but then get exposed to the virus, could spread covid-19, Dr. Henry said it’s unknown if the vaccine prevents a person from becoming infected with the virus, or whether it just stops most symptoms and severe cases. If a person can still become infected with an asymptomatic case, they might be able to spread it. It’s also unknown how long immunity from infection or from a vaccine lasts against covid-19, so this vaccination effort may become a permanent fixture.
Meanwhile, there are disturbing reports about racism against people from the Cowichan Tribes on Vancouver Island after new broke about positive covid-19 cases.
“This type of racism cannot be tolerated,” Dr. Henry says. “We must all take the time to speak up and speak out. The health challenges that come from this virus are difficult enough without having to face stigma.”
On that note, here are the other changes this week:
- Restrictions on gatherings, events and other activities in B.C. are extended until at least February 5. This is two additional incubation periods for the virus. The following fines can be given: $2,300 to party hosts or $230 to attendees, or people who do not comply with face covering orders or for refusing to obey enforcement officers. In addition, courts can impose penalties of up to $10,000 or up to one-year imprisonment for egregious offences.
- There are new guidelines and definitions in B.C. clarifying “essential” visits and “social visits” to long term care.
- In the first two weeks since winter break, 118 schools have had covid-19 exposures. That includes 69 in Fraser Health, 21 in Interior Health, 14 in Vancouver Coastal Health, and seven each in Northern and Island Health.
- B.C.’s employment is back to 98.7 per cent of what it was before the pandemic, when it was very healthy, but the tourism and hospitality sectors are still struggling, B.C.’s Minister of Jobs Ravi Kahlon said in a statement.
- The province of Quebec implemented a curfew, where no one is allowed outside of their home between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. unless they have a valid reason, the CBC reported.
- The province of Ontario introduced a new stay-at-home order as cases surge and a projection shows new COVID-19 cases rise to 40,000 a day in February and paralyze hospitals if nothing is done, the Globe and Mail reported. People can only leave their homes for essential purposes, like going to work, buying food or seeing a doctor.
- Little Mountain Place, a Vancouver long-term care home, saw 41 of its 112 of its residents die from covid-19. B.C.’s seniors advocate will investigate, the Globe and Mail reported.
- Air Canada laid off 1,700 staff members and cut capacity by one-quarter, the Globe and Mail reported.
- China has authorized a team of World Health Organization representatives to come to that country to investigate the origins of the pandemic, the Guardian reported.
- Many long-term care workers in Canada are hesitant to take the covid-19 vaccine, the Globe and Mail reported.
- A mobile morgue has been deployed in Fraser Health, CTV News reported.
- Cases of influenza are basically non-existent in B.C. and across Canada this year.
- Both London Drugs and Shoppers Drug mart want to be part of the vaccination effort in B.C., News 1130 reported.
Let’s hope we win the race between the vaccine and the new variants. In the meantime, stay home and keep washing your hands.
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