Home Health COVID-19 Oct 22 & 23: consecutive record-breaking COVID case counts in BC

Oct 22 & 23: consecutive record-breaking COVID case counts in BC

Vancouver-based company gets $18.2 million vaccine development contract with federal government.

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COVID-19, cases, daily, graph, October 23 2020
Daily test-positive cases of COVID-19 reported to BC Centre of Disease Control up to October 23, 2020.
BC 2024 Provincial Election news analysis

Friday October 23, 2020 | VICTORIA, BC

by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., editor | Island Social Trends

Yesterday the big COVID-19 news in BC was the case count at 274 being the highest so far during this pandemic in 2020, and today it’s still at the second-highest count at 223 cases. That’s a total of 497 new cases in two days.

The higher counts are coming after the incubation period following Thanksgiving weekend (that was October 10 to 12), in which specifically there were events and gatherings that Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry says are the most culpable as super-spreaders: wedding and celebrations of life.

COVID-19 cases in BC during the pandemic to date, at October 23, 2020 [BC Centre for Disease Control]

There is in fact a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic upon us in BC, across Canada, in the USA and in many parts of Europe. As Dr Henry and political leaders have often said, we are in “our own pandemic” in BC, where overall case counts and deaths have been low compared to in other provinces across Canada and around the world.

Our total case count in BC at October 23 is 12,554. Cases have been increasing in BC and Alberta more so this week than in previous weeks.

For all of Canada the case count is 211,732 today (BC is 5.9% of that). There are 41,570,883 cases globally, and so Canada’s tally is 0.5% of the world’s cases.

Total cases of COVID-19 in Canada at October 23, 2020. [Public Health Agency of Canada]

Much of the credit for overall success of curtailing viral spread in BC is being given by Dr Henry and political leaders to British Columbians themselves for following the public health advice about physical distancing, frequent hand washing, keeping to small social bubbles, and staying home if sick.

Most of the COVID-19 case load in BC is in lower mainland areas (Fraser and Vancouver Coastal); tally at October 23 2020. [BC Centre for Disease Control]

The less dense the population area, the lower the viral spread; so BC is now focussing most of its containment efforts in the lower mainland area. This week Dr Henry said some health care personnel or contact tracers have been relocated from Island Health to the mainland, to help out.

COVID case trends this week:

In the last week or so the case counts have increased across all age groups. In the last two days, the number of kids under the age of 10 who’ve tested positive is 21. Youth ages 10 to 19 have seen 52 cases in the last two days.

There was an outbreak at a school in Kelowna this week (five cases — some students, some staff), and some workplace outbreaks (at a meat processing plant earlier this week, and today at two food processing businesses — Coast Spas Manufacturing in Langley and Pace Processing in Surrey). Most outbreaks in work facilities seem to happen in and around food processing (earlier this year there were outbreaks at meat and poultry processing plants, as well as a berry processing plant).

There were some new outbreaks in long-term care, said Dr Henry in a written statement today. In total, 16 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks; the issue factor in these outbreaks is the communal-living setup (close contact). In recent weeks the BC NDP announced that all long term care would eventually have private rooms, and that their re-elected government would move more long-term care facilities into the public sector (away from private sector).

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Recent spread at weddings and other personal gatherings:

Tightening of public health protocols for weddings are likely coming, said Dr Bonnie Henry this week.

Yesterday Dr Henry said she would be possibly strengthening her orders around physical distancing and gathering size, specifically related to weddings and other types of formalized family gatherings.

Dr Henry says this is where most of the COVID-19 transmission increases have been happening. In these types of gatherings there is close contact, and longer periods of time spent with people during which there is probably a lot of talking, being physically close, sharing food, and so on. These are the sorts of scenarios where the COVID-19 virus can easily take hold.

Case counts October 22 & 23:

COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island by region (October 23, 2020) | Island Health

Total news cases on October 22 and 23 were 274 and 223 respectively; those are the two highest daily counts so far in the COVID-19 pandemic. Total case count in BC at this end of this week is 12,554.

Most of the cases are still occuring in the lower mainland (Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health). In the past two days there were six test-positive cases within Island Health.

As shown in the October 23 Island Health COVID dashboard, on Vancouver Island, the 15 active cases on Vancouver Island re are currently with five in the south, seven in central, and three in the north.

Cases by age:

COVID-19 cases by age in BC to October 23, 2020

In the last two days, the 479 new cases were seen across all age groups in BC. On Vancouver Island the six new cases were one each in youth (age 10 to 19), 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s, and 80s.

Now in BC a total of 468 children age newborn to nine have tested positive for COVID-19 (21 more cases in two days); seven on Vancouver Island. Now 848 youth ages 10 to 19 have tested positive (52 more cases in two days); 13 on Vancouver Island.

Among young adults in their 20s, there were 68 new cases in each of yesterday and today, bringing the total count to 2,904 for that age group. Of those, 47 are on Vancouver Island.

For people in their 60s — which is on the cusp of having age being a risk factor for more severe COVID-19 infection — in the last two days there were 31 new cases, bringing the total to 1,008 in BC. Of those, 30 are on Vancouver Island.

No new COVID-19 cases in people age 90+ in the past two days, though three in total this week. Total stands at 207 in BC during the pandemic in their elderly age group (one on Vancouver Island).

Hospitalizations:

senior on ventilator
Older person receiving respiratory support with a mechanical ventilator. Use of a ventilator requires sedation so there is no rejection of the tubing inserted into the airways.

When COVID-19 sends someone to hospital, it’s serious. People with the most severe of those cases end up in the intensive care unit (ICU), oftentimes requiring the support of a mechanical ventilator.

So far in BC’s COVID-19 pandemic 923 people have been hospitalized (26 of those in Island Health).

Presently there are 75 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 24 of those in ICU.

Tests done:

Of 5,775 tests done in BC in the last 24 hours, those 223 new cases were found. That’s a high positivity rate of 3.8%. Dr Henry has explained that a positivity rate of 1% is best (indicating that the spread is only to one person, not more).

COVID-19 tests done in BC (at October 23, 2020)

On Vancouver Island the positivity rate (number of positive cases found in a day’s total test count) is very low, at 0.1%.

Total COVID-19 tests to date in BC during the pandemic: 12,554 (220 are epi-linked, i.e. presumed to be connected to a positive case, without actually doing the test). On Vancouver Island the total test count is 92,927 so far this year (five being epi-linked).

Vaccine news this week:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more vaccine procurement (October 23, 2020).

The federal government continues to work on contracting with Canadian companies for vaccine development as well as PPE production. Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that a Vancouver-based company called Precision Nanosystems was awarded a $18.2 million contract to through the federal government’s industrial research investment program, to produce vaccines and therapeutic drugs.

The federal government will purchase 76 million doses of Canadian-made vaccines, Trudeau announced today in Ottawa. The federal government is spending $173 million to help Medicago develop the vaccine and build a large plant in Quebec to produce it.

“Around the world, the best and the brightest are coming together to find solutions to this pandemic,” Trudeau said today. “Canada has a range of agreements with a range of vaccine developers for their most promising candidates,” he said. Canada also has access through the GAVI international program to more doses of future COVID-19 vaccines. “When a vaccine is ready, Canada will be too,” the prime minister said.

LINKS from BC Health and BC CDC:

trick or treater
BC CDC has issued safe Halloween protocols.