B.C.'s immunization plan may be awry as delays have hit supply. (Photo: BC government.)
Dr. Bonnie Henry said this week that she would love to say we could take off our masks and gather again by July 1, but she’s not sure of that yet.
“The one wrench – spanner in the works – is that we are now seeing transmission of variants across the world. Some of these make the virus more transmissable,” said Dr. Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer. “Those are concerning. This is a way of saying we all have to be really careful right now to reduce the chains of transmission.”
During the same news conference, Dr. Henry said the province’s supply of covid-19 vaccine has dried up. The vaccination plan, released last Friday, was for everyone in the province who wanted a vaccine to be given a vaccine by the end of September, with some second doses being given in October. So far, 127,255 vaccines have been given, including 4,185 second doses.
First, Pfizer slowed distribution due to maintenance in its factory. Now, the European Union is threatening to control vaccine exports.
So just as we saw hope of a more social summer, the spectre of more contagious, and possibly more deadly, variants arises.
Henry said more restrictions could be needed if the number of cases rises sharply.
"My ask of you is to take a step back," she says. "I'm asking you now, as much as possible, to stay home, to stop the social interactions."
Meanwhile, It’s been one year since B.C. had its first case of covid-19 on Jan. 25, 2020. Within six weeks, a global pandemic was declared and by March 13, British Columbia had closed schools, asked people not to travel and shut down all non-essential businesses.
“Over the past year, British Columbians — like people around the world — have faced challenges, hardships and loss. COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down,” B.C. Premier John Horgan said in a news release. “While the end of the pandemic is in sight, thanks to the availability of vaccines, the threat is not over. We must remain vigilant.”
More details and other news from this week is below.
- B.C.’s vaccination plan begins with residents and staff in long-term care, who should all be vaccinated in the very near future. Age takes precedence over underlying health conditions, because the risk from covid-19 is greater, the older a person is, Dr. Henry said.
- It’s estimated that people between 75-79 will be vaccinated in April, while people aged between 55-59 will be vaccinated in July. Some extremely vulnerable people – such as those with organ transplants or cancer – will be prioritized in April and May. There will be digital and paper records to prove vaccination. So far, none of the vaccines are approved for use in children.
- There have been 56 reports of adverse effects after #covid19 immunization, Dr. Henry says. That includes ten reports of anaphylactic reaction and one hospitalization, but everyone has recovered, Dr. Henry said. There have been 16 other allergic reactions and one case of Bell's Palsy. No one has died as a result of being vaccinated, Dr. Henry said.
- Some front line workers, such as teachers, were disappointed that they were not prioritized for vaccination. B.C. Teachers’ Association President Teri Mooring said in a statement that she understood that the most vulnerable must be vaccinated first, but hoped teachers might be prioritized if more vaccine is received. “There is no denying that teachers are stressed, anxious, and even afraid,” Mooring said. “We do not have the layers of protection in our schools that exist in other environments. If teachers are not prioritized for a vaccine, this government must take immediate action to improve safety measures in our schools.” Teachers are asking for mandatory masks, better physical distancing and ventilation upgrades.
- Digging into the weekly data reports put out by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows that people over age 80 had the lowest rate of positive tests at just 4.5 per cent of tests, while children between 15 and 19 had the highest rate at 9.7 per cent. Children aged 10 to 14 had a positivity rate of 8.9 per cent. The positivity rate is the percentage of positive tests.
- There have been six children with MISC - multi-system inflammatory syndrome - with exposure to covid-19 in B.C., Dr. Henry said. They are between the ages of 1 and 15, three boys, three girls. All are recovering, Dr. Henry says. There are 19 additional children in B.C. between ages of 0-17 who have had an investigation for MISC, but none turned out to be associated with covid-19, Dr. Henry says.
- The variant first found in South Africa may be able to evade immunity, the Globe and Mail reported. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the variant first found in Britain may be deadlier, Reuters reported. Both of these variants and another one first found in Brazil are all believed to be more transmissible than the earlier forms of covid-19.
- B117 is the variant first identified in Britain and B.C. has had five cases, all related to travel or close contact with a traveller, Dr. Henry said.
- B3151 is the variant first identified in South Africa, and B.C. has also had three of these cases, all of which were community acquired, not linked to travel or to each other, Dr. Henry says. Backward contact tracing is underway to determine the source. "We could be in a position where we are having way more transmission in our communities than we are having now," Dr. Henry says.
- Dr. Henry says the province is "stepping up" the genome sequencing of covid-19 tests in light of the new variants.
- B.C.’s minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation Rachna Singh and the BC Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau released a message of support to Indigenous people in the province experiencing racism and discrimination during the pandemic. The Chief of the Cowichan Tribes, on Vancouver Island, said his members were being refused service after a covid-19 outbreak. "We are deeply concerned about the recent reports coming from members of Cowichan Tribes and the mounting reports regarding anti-Indigenous racism from many other Indigenous communities throughout the province,” the statement said. “Racism toward Indigenous peoples has no place in our society and it must stop. We need to stand up to this kind of reprehensible behaviour.”
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Canadians not to make any travel plans in the coming weeks because more restrictions may be on the way, the Globe and Mail reported.
- Manitoba will require all Canadian travellers into the province to self-isolate for 14 days, the Globe and Mail reported. I’ve been wondering for a long time why B.C. doesn’t have this requirement as well, at least as a suggestion or a recommendation. I understand it wouldn’t be enforceable, but if it’s suggested many people would be deterred from travelling here. Premier Horgan said this week that B.C. has too many highways coming into the province to realistically limit inter-provincial travel in to the province. However, he also said he’s not ruling anything out and wants to focus on preventing the spread of covid-19.
- Political unrest is growing in Europe. There were two nights of protests and looting in the Netherlands against a strict lockdown, and the Italian prime minister is resigning. Both stories reported by the Globe and Mail.
- A Vancouver executive and his wife have been fined after they flew to the Yukon to jump the queue to get covid-19 vaccines, the Vancouver Sun reported.
It has been a year of covid-19, with no end in sight. There is the positive – vaccines – and the negative – variants. Let’s hope the positive wins out over time.
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