Wednesday December 2, 2020 | VICTORIA, BC [typing correction Dec 3, 2020]
by Mary Brooke, B.Sc., editor | Island Social Trends
The COVID-19 virus “continues to move quickly between us and takes lives,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry today when she addressed media at 3 pm.
The continued message from BC’s top doctor is to avoid public settings where you mix with others, to travel only for work or medical reasons, and stick to your household bubble for social activity during this second wave surge. The intensity of the second wave is worse than she thought it would be, she said on Monday.
“Making an exception (to these guidelines) puts a crack in our wall,” said Dr Henry today regarding maintaining protections against the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The virus “can spread very easily now”, including in places through to be safe just a few months ago (such as indoor fitness facilities).
She insists most people are doing the right thing, but we’re up against a relentless virus with only one goal, to reproduce itself through use of cells in human bodies and then by way of our breath transmit itself to the next person.
The numbers keep on coming:
Dr Henry reported the BC Centre for Disease Control statistics for December 2 revealing 834 new test-positive cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. That brings the provincial total to 34,728 during the pandemic so far, with 8,941 cases currently active. Now 10,201 people are under public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.
Officially the ‘recovered’ category tallies to 24,424 but there are ‘long haulers’ who continue to have health impacts as a result of having been infected with the COVID-19 virus.
“This is a serious illness at any age,” Dr Henry repeated again today; this differs from advice earlier in the pandemic where the emphasis was only on protecting seniors and elders.
Of the active cases, an increasing number of people are requiring hospitalization. Today there are 337 people in hospital, with the infection being serious enough for 79 people requiring intensive care. In many cases that means sedation (induced coma) so that breathing can be facilitated by a mechanical ventilator.
To date this year, 1,909 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. The death tally stands at 469 in BC (12 of those new today).
Working-age adults have seen the highest number of cases. Now 41.8% of the cases have been recorded in people in their 20s and 30s. People in their 40s have experienced 14.8% of the cases, and people age 50 to 59 have been 12.9% of cases.
There are currently 54 outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living, as well as seven in acute care. In the long-term care settings, 1,472 people have active infections (926 residents and 536 staff).
Vancouver Island focus:
The majority of cases are happening in the BC lower mainland area (Fraser Health and Vancouver Coast Health regions), but the virus is everywhere. Here on Vancouver Island we’ve seen 39 new cases just this week (Monday to Wednesday), bringing the total today to 629 in Island Health (209 south, 303 central, and 147 north).
Currently on Vancouver Island 237 cases are active, with now a higher number of people in hospital –14 (up from six on Monday) — of whom now five are in intensive care.
There have been no deaths in Island Health since September 28, with the tally remaining at six.
Orders continue to December 7 and perhaps beyond:
Due to the pandemic, people are not to attend things in outdoor spaces, in other words, no events. Except with your family bubble.
Public health orders that Dr Henry issued effective November 19 for the entire province are in place to Monday December 7 and could be extended. Today she said that she won’t make that decision until next week, after reviewing how much the degree of COVID infection is harnessed in, if at all.
The orders restrict travel to only that which is essential, and requires people to socialize only with their household bubble.
“A provincial health officer (PHO) order cannot stop you from getting into your car or onto a plane, but I am asking in the strongest of terms to not travel unless it is absolutely necessary,” said Dr Henry.
The orders will be issued in detail possibly by tomorrow.
A unique Christmas in 2020:
Any way you look at it, Christmas will be different and probably unique in 2020 compared to any other year where circumstances would not be impacted by physical distancing and wearing masks. People are asked to celebrate only with their household bubble.
Today Dr Henry noted how COVID-19 is “taking a toll on all of us”. For many months there have been restrictions on who we can see, where we can go and what we can do. “We are all feeling the fatigue,” she said.
But people are to keep their guard up. It would be quite unfortunate to find out after Christmas that socializing of a manner that allowed COVID spread would lead to infection, illness or even death. Impacts on persons and families would be significant, perhaps even lifelong, dealing with the emotional ramifications of that. Something to think about.
Contact tracers still on the case:
Unlike in some jurisdictions were contact tracers are not actively tracking cases because things are fully out of control, in BC there are now over 1,000 contract tracers hired since August (1,096 to be exact), as reported today by Health Minister Adrian Dix.
He says the goal is to fill 1,200 contact tracer positions, that’s up from the goal of 500 in August and 600 in September. Presently 382 people are at the interview stage and 113 are in the offer process. Additionally, 70 people are available from Statistics Canada, through the federal government, to do contact tracing in BC, Dix outlined today.
But there is dismay. “We are continuing to see unchecked transmission in many places, despite the efforts of our public health teams and contact tracers,” it was stated today about BC’s COVID-19 situation. If people don’t stick to their bubbles and stay close to home, it can become impossible to trace the trail of infection.
===== Related articles:
Premier Horgan: back to the business of economic management during COVID (December 2, 2020)
Editorial: Not a virus to take lightly, time for tougher COVID messaging (December 1, 2020)
===== Government Links:
School exposures on Vancouver Island (Island Health)
Weekly health service delivery area case rates, see page 3 of the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) situation report, updated each Friday:
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
PHO’s Nov. 19 orders, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/covid19
Map of COVID-19 cases by local health area, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data
