This chart shows that even though most serious COVID-19 is experienced by older people, people younger than 50 have also been hospitalized and died from the disease. (Chart from BC Centre for Disease Control.)
B.C. hit 800 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a marker that has only been reached a handful of times in the pandemic, and that is the highest one-day total since Dec. 2. The highest daily total yet was 911 new cases on Nov. 27. Transmission, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says, is happening in indoor gatherings and at workplaces.
Our hospitalizations are also rising, with 306 people in hospital and 79 people in intensive care. Although Dr. Henry has said the variants are simply replacing other cases in B.C., they’re now making up approximately 20 per cent of all cases in the province. Thursday, 191 new variant cases were found, for a total of 1,772.
It’s not yet known whether the variants are causing more serious disease, however Dr. Henry said Thursday there have been 1,600 hospitalizations of people younger than age 60 with COVID-19 in B.C. Nineteen per cent of those were admitted to ICU. Of these, 53 had variants, and 30 per cent of those were admitted to ICU, Dr. Henry says. Those statistics imply that, at least among hospitalized younger people, the variants cause more to be admitted to ICU.
The most recent epidemiological data released in B.C. is for the week of March 7 to 13. It shows that incidence increased most prominently in 15 to 19 year olds, from 49.3 cases per 100,000 to 91 cases per 100,000. To date, there have been 11 deaths of people aged 30 to 39 in B.C. from COVID-19 and none in people younger than 30, the data shows.
The median age of death has also fallen to 70 from 87 earlier this year. This appears to be due to fewer people older than 80 getting COVID-19.
There are reasons for optimism as well. Our vaccination count is 610,671. Health Minister Adrian Dix said 12 per cent of eligible British Columbians have been vaccinated with at least one dose, a number that is growing, but that is nowhere near herd immunity.
News from Europe and India suggests supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine could be held up, if Europe and India decide to keep the vaccines they’ve manufactured to vaccinate their own citizens first, but B.C. Premier John Horgan says the federal government is confident that vaccine supply will continue.
“We are in the hands of international suppliers and we know it,” Horgan said. “We are dependent on people somewhere else.”
But now that the most vulnerable older people have for the most part been vaccinated, Dr. Henry has changed the visitation rules as of April 1 for long-term care, now allowing two adult visitors to visit in a patient’s room. Physical touch will be allowed, but people will still have to wear personal protective equipment.
“There has been no group more adversely affected in our province than our seniors and people who work in long-term care,” Dr. Henry said.
It's likely there will be more outbreaks once more visitors are allowed, but the benefits now outweigh the risks, because most residents and staff are now immunized, she said.
Dr. Henry also opened up a “variance” (not to be confused with variants) for religious gatherings indoors for up to 50 people or 10 per cent of the worship space capacity, whichever is less. Each faith can choose the days that are most appropriate for their faith and the variance goes until May 15, so will cover Easter, Passover, Ramadan and Vaisakhi.
Here’s what else happened this week:
- There is now an accelerated timeline for about 200,000 “extremely vulnerable” people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. People at higher risk will receive letters inviting them to register for the vaccine.
- More than 1,400 hospitality and tourism employees who had been laid off are now training to work in B.C.’s mass vaccination clinics, the province reported.
- This year’s Academy Awards will go ahead one month later than usual and the plan is to have an in-person event with COVID-19 protocols. Should be interesting to watch.
- A telephone operator who books people’s COVID-19 vaccines in B.C. said sometimes he waits a few extra seconds to hear the person cheering or telling their family they got their appointment, News 1130 reports. This is the kind of news story we like to hear!
- The number of air travellers in the United States travelling in a single day topped 1.5 million for the first time in more than a year, the Associated Press reports. It’s spring break and it seems many Americans are travelling, but it remains to be seen if COVID-19 cases will surge as a result.
- An American study showed the AstraZeneca vaccine to be nearly 100-per-cent effective against serious illness, Dr. Bonnie Henry said.
- Many states south of the border are now offering vaccines to all adults. They are significantly ahead of B.C. in their vaccine roll out.
- A new study has found that people have gained weight during lockdowns. Not a surprise.
- Nearly one-quarter of Americans have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and a very small number of those have later tested positive for the virus, the New York Times reports.
- A surge in COVID-19 cases has lead several European countries to lock down again and has put a damper on Easter celebrations there.
- A new variant of possible concern for being more infectious has been identified in India, the Associated Press reports.
Let’s all back the vaccine in the race against the variants. It’s our best hope for a post-pandemic world.
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