Wednesday July 22, 2020 ~ VICTORIA, BC
by Mary Brooke, editor ~ West Shore Voice News
As a result of socializing in ways that did not respect physical distancing, now about 1,000 people are self-isolating for 14 days. Incubation of the virus takes about five to seven days after exposure.
Those 1,000 people are contacts of people who were potentially exposed to COVID-19 in various party-style or group-visit events in the Kelowna and central Okanagan area in recent weeks, who are now spending the nicest part of summer self-isolating indoors.
Not only does it suck to be sick, but it’s the middle of lovely summer weather that is now being missed (including by people who didn’t even get to enjoy the activities, but are contacts of people who partied).
And today’s test-positive count is 34 more cases (three of those epi-linked), bringing the provincial total to 3,362. Almost one-third of those COVID-19 cases are in people age 20 to 39.
This news was delivered by Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry today in her joint media briefing with BC Health Minister Adrian Dix.
We’ve seen transmission and need to stop:
“We’ve seen transmission. We need to stop that at this point. Yes it’s okay to meet with your close group of friends of 8, 10 or 12 people,” said Dr Henry. “But stick with your own group and not mix – that’s where there is risk of transmission of this virus,” she said.
There were repeated reminders about adhering to physical distancing, socializing in small groups and with our own close bubbles of contacts, washing hands, and staying home if ill.
Adhering to the educational approach:
Dr Henry is adhering to her educational approach rather than strict enforcement: “Compliance and education is the approach to this. We will do that again – that is my approach and that is what we will continue to do,” said Dr Henry today.
Though she adds that local and provincial bylaw officers have the authority to do enforcement.
Some new regulations for restaurants and pubs:
“We’re not going back to things like earlier this year. But we need to go back to safe social interactions,” said Dr Henry today. “As we have done, to flatten our curve one again. We’ve made sacrifices, it’s time to benefit from that.”
The updates to the original order for Food Service Establishments and Liquor Services (as issued on March 17, 2020) will be posted online soon on the BC Ministry of Health’s Orders, Notices and Guidance page.
Minister Dix said today that he’s grateful there have been no deaths for six days. But added that changes in the public health order “will have the effect of controlling and stopping transmission”.
Airbnb, boats and rafts | changing attitudes:
Dr Henry said about Airbnb type rentals, and the rental of boats and houseboats “and people who put rafts together”: “We need to stop doing that” and instead “focus on our friends and our family”. She lightly referred to some responsibility by the rental agencies for these sorts of activities.
This call for attention to not doing these activities or socializing in this manner is more than a technical request from the Provincial Health Officer. It is an expectation that people will change their basic attitudes, behaviours and choices that are based on a self-indulging partying mindset. That’s evidently not so easy to mandate or to change, even during a pandemic.
Drum circle gathering sparks concern:
About a large gathering of people for a drum circle event in Stanley Park on Tuesday evening July 21, Dr Henry said it was an example of “one of those scenarios where we don’t want lots of people to crowd together of periods of time”. She reminds: “Outside is less risky but it’s not zero risk. Keep a safe distance from other small groups.” She said that bylaw enforcement officers could address that.
Apparently the Vancouver Park Board said it doesn’t have the ability enforce physical distancing recommendations (according to a CTV news report), and called the event unsanctioned. Vancouver police said they didn’t receive any complaints. A lot of bylaw enforcement in BC is complaint-driven.
Reportedly a similar event is scheduled to occur next week on the same beach. No word yet as to whether it will be cancelled.
COVID-19 is a serious illness, youth not immune:
Most of the people who have been infected in recent week have been young people. Dr Henry says in young people it can be a “milder illness” from which young people “recover more quickly”.
But she reminds there is “spillover”, where people go home and can transfer the virus to an older person.
“Some people have a prolonged recovery that may take weeks,” Dr Henry said. She said that can include profound fatigue and shortness of breath that “can knock you flat on your back for a long time”.
There are some people in 20s, 30s and 40 who have died, Dr Henry said today. “Some people get sick for a long period of time.” This sort of messaging seems to be coming late, after young adults somehow got the idea that they are immune to or not severely affected by the COVID-19 infection.
As of today July 22 at 4:30 pm, there are 488 people in the 20-29 year age group who have tested positive for COVID-19, and 577 people in the 30-39 year age group. Together that’s 31.6% of the total 3,362 cases in BC. [BC CDC]
Messaging for most of the pandemic period has been focussed on how COVID-19 impacts seniors, elders and people with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions. In a way, that ended up giving many youth and young adults the idea that COVID-19 does not apply to them or cannot affect them.
Vancouver Island profile:
As of July 22, there have been 141 test-positive cases for COVID-19 on Vancouver Island (i.e. Island Health authority). Today there was one new case in that total. There have been five COVID-related deaths on Vancouver Island.
Role of media:
Many questions from media today were about whether messaging and enforcement should be stronger. This is a case where professional media outlets are doing their work to pose the questions that will catch the attention of the public in a way that straight government messaging sometimes does not.
As well, the role of media is to present data and quotes by power in people within a context. That could be by timeline, of with relevant positions and quotes of other officials, public trends, and other measures of where the current story fits into the socioeconomic flow of things. In this way, people can find value in the quotes or news in a way that applies to their own lives.
===== About the writer:
West Shore Voice News editor Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. has been writing and editing news about the west shore and south Vancouver Island region since 2008. West Shore Voice News has been following and contributing to the COVID-19 news thread non-stop in 2020.