Friday March 27, 2020 ~ BC
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
BC Health and the Provincial Health Officer have prepared a few data models by which to guide their decisions and actions as the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its next phase of impact in British Columbia.
More cases are in fact expected in BC due to community spread, said Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry today in a media briefing today March 27.
The models are based on observing the trajectory of hospitalizations and number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Hubei Province, South Korea and Italy.
It’s still too early to know for sure, says Dr Henry, but it appears from the data modelling that BC is achieving some degree of ‘flattening the curve’ (i.e. slowing down the rate of spread so that the acute health care systems in hospitals and their supply chains can cope).
As of March 25, there were 130 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in BC per one million population. The data modelling (based on the outbreaks seen in other countries) shows that 215 cases per one million could have been expected. To Dr Henry this is evidence of British Columbians doing well so far at flattening the curve.
A more manageable expression of COVID-19 in BC will mean a better chance of protecting health care workers and providing the best possible acute care for patients requiring acute care hospitalization for COVID-19.
Health Minister Adrian Dix wants everyone in BC to continue practicing self-isolation (staying home except for essential things like going to the grocery store) and practicing social/physical distancing by staying one to two meters apart from other people.
“Keep doing it every day, 100 percent of the time. This is how we make our circumstances better,” said Dix.
So far, 3,903 hospital beds have been freed up in the province to be ready to accept an influx of patients requiring hospitalization for COVID-19, said Dix To achieve this, all elective surgeries were cancelled by BC Health and the Provincial Health Officer on March 16. That has allowed time for hospitals and health care workers as well as administration to reorient their attention to handling an influx of patients with COVID-19 coronavirus infection.
A full list of 17 primary care hospitals around the province will be made public next week. In Victoria, two main hospitals on that list will be Victoria General Hospital and Royal Jubilee Hospital, as mentioned by Dr Henry in her comments to media today.
Smaller hospitals and health facilities will be ready to accept patient overflow — those will not be COVID-19 patients (but regular surgical and other health care scenarios). COVID-19 patients will be cared for in separate wards with dedicated teams of health care workers, so as to prevent spread to other patients and to allow for use of personal protective equipment efficiently and effectively in ways that reduce the opportunity for spread of infection to health care workers.
Municipalities have been asked to compile a list of available spaces in their community that could be used for further patient overflow. In the west shore and Sooke:
- “A list of potential facilities in the City of Colwood will be forwarded to the Province today. How that information will be used and shared rests with the Province at this point,” says Sandra Russell, Communications Manager, City of Colwood.
- “We are working with the Province by providing this information to them. We are not currently sharing this information with the media,” says Donna Petrie, Manager of Business Development and Events, City of Langford.
- “The District of Sooke has not yet submitted the list of facilities and is working to compile this list. The Municipal Hall would not be used as this is the site of the Emergency Operations Centre,” said Carolyn Mushata, Corporate Officer, District of Sooke.
- Victoria General Hospital is within the Town of View Royal. Comments to come from View Royal regarding any possible overflow sites in their community.
“We don’t need many spaces, but for organizing spaces, location in key,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix today in a livestreamed media teleconference. Work is underway to sort out the transportation requirements for any patients that would need to be relocated from non-COVID-19 care to alternative facilities if the need arises.
The first announcement of identified sites will be in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and then in Fraser Health, explained Dix. “There will be some movement on this next week,” he said.
“In general to municipalities… they have been enormously supportive and cooperative and we express our appreciation to them as well,” said Dix, in the context of much thanks being communicated in the last few days of course in particular toward health care workers, frontline workers in grocery retail, transportation workers, child care providers and others.
“We are determined to prepare for the worst, and that everyone works their guts out for get results. We’re in an unprecedented health emergency. We need everyone all in now,” said Dix. He reminded everyone to “be true to our families” by remembering to follow all the health orders including continue to self-isolate, practice social/physical distancing, and not take any unnecessary trips out of the house.
As for the availability of ventilators which are needed for the most acute care phase of helping patients with COVID-19, there are 341 available around the province, with further ways to access ventilators up to a total fo 705 as needed [BC’s Critical Care Capacity – information slide by BC Health – March 27, 2020].
Some of the ventilator supply includes 57 that were refurbished and/or upgraded, explained Minister Dix. That combined with 15 new ones that just arrived in a recent purchase, presently sees 72 new ventilators added to the system in the past week.
Ventilators are required for patients who experience the most difficult symptoms of COVID-19 which includes the inability to get enough oxygen as the virus attacks cells in the lower lungs.
In addition to having a good supply of ventilators, there is also the need to have enough health care workers who are qualified to operate the equipment.
Supporting the critical care process is paramount right now. “I will be optimistic when we have a vaccine, when everybody’s protected,” said Dr Henry today. “Until then, we will focus all our attention on making sure to do everything we can to the minimize impact of COVID-19,” she said in today’s daily briefing.
So far the rate of infection among children is low. Dr Henry said that any pediatric cases would be handled at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Tallies of care beds and ventilators for children and that hospital are therefore intentionally not included in the pandemic modelling presented today.