Thursday January 6, 2022 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. | Island Social Trends
As a third calendar year gets rolling within the COVID-19 pandemic, Island Health today saw a record number of new cases yesterday at 566, and 417 today.
The total active case count was 3,631 yesterday in Island Health, pushing up to 3,765 today. That’s all up from 2,336 at year-end 2021.
Total cases, pandemic-to-date, are 20,288. That’s up by 2,454 (12% of total cases pandemic-to-date) in just six days, from 17,834 at December 31, 2021.
Different type of illness:
Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry says the Omicron variant is producing less severe illness than the Delta variant, but that could in part be due to most people being immunized.
Even people who have received COVID-19 vaccination are acquiring the Omicron variant, says Dr Henry. In the last two weeks or so, she has said that everyone should expect to be exposed to Omicron at some point, and if experiencing COVID (respiratory or cold/flu-like symptoms) to assume it’s a COVID infection at this point.
‘Everyone will know someone who has COVID’, said Dr Henry this week. Island Social Trends is taking a simple Yes/No poll as to whether you know anyone directly (family, friend or co-worker) who has become infected with COVID. Anonymous poll open to 11 am on January 7, 2022.
Vaccinations:
In Island Health at January 6, 2022 there have been 1,615,568 COVID vaccine doses (all types) administered. pandemic-to-date. Of those, 681,369 have been second doses, and 209,147 third (booster) doses.
The pediatric Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years has been administered as 25,218 doses so far in Island Health (32 of those have been second doses).
Of all COVID vaccine doses administered in Island Health, 59.7% of them have been the adult-dose (30 mcg) Pfizer-BioNTech, 36.5% have been Moderna, 2.2% AstraZeneca, and 1.6% pediatric Pfizer (10 mcg).
Vaccination appointments:
Today Island Health Chief Medical Health Officer Dr Richard Stanwick said that vaccinations are available at 81 pharmacies on Vancouver Island, with more to come.
People who have appointments for boosters should ‘move them ahead’, said Dr Stanwick today, as part of his advice to people in managing their risk in the face of the Omicron variant. It could also be that immunization staff shortages could happen if Omicron spreads further among health-care workers.
Dr Stanwick has demonstrated over the years that he is a straight-shooter when it comes to medical advice.
Island Health’s top doctor was set to retire at 2021 year-end but Dr Stanwick has stayed on for a few more weeks due to the load that the COVID pandemic is causing for the health authority right now.
===== RELATED:
Vancouver Island COVID at Jan 6 in Year-3 (January 6, 2022)
Vancouver Island COVID at Jan 5 in Year-3 (January 5, 2022)
PHO, Dix, Farnworth: health-care workers deserve everyone’s support (January 5, 2022)
COVID outbreaks at 5 long-term care homes in Island Health (January 5, 2022)
COVID rolls into 2022: tough couple of weeks ahead (January 4, 2022)
Island Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Stanwick retiring at 2021 year-end (November 8, 2021)