Masks in British Columbia come off at midnight tonight; vaccine cards to remain in use until April. Doctor Henry and Minister Dix outline path ahead as COVID fortunes improve province wide

At the midnight hour tonight, British Columbians can put away their 
face coverings if they wish, as Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry  
removes the provincial Mask Wearing Order

With an enthusiastic declaration that things are going well in the province when it comes to the response to COVID, Doctor Bonnie Henry, British Columbia's Public Health Officer announced some relaxations of measures that will be most likely be well received by the public.

"We are progressing well, and we are going in the right direction. And it really is thanks to people in British Columbia stepping up and doing what needed to do. We now have over 55 percent of children five to eleven who have been vaccinated. 90 over 90 percent of British Columbians 12 and over have received two doses of vaccine and about 56 percent of people have received that important booster dose. Our hospitalizations continue to decrease which is really, really, good news" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

Doctor Henry also noted as to how a range of factors have decreased and with that the risks to the community are now reduced.

"As transmission goes down, so the risks to all of us go down in the community. 

Our approach has always been to only have the minimal necessary restrictions to keep people safe and to prevent the transmission, particularly to those who are more susceptible to more severe illness with COVID-19, it is finding that balance. 

I am extremely grateful to the millions of people through out our province for your willingness and support in adopting our COVID-19  safety measures. Your efforts, combined with with these high vaccination rates have saved countless lives"

The one move on the day that will generate the most discussion is the announcement that British Columbia's mandate for Mask wearing will come to an end at one minute after midnight (12:01 AM March 11). 

Along with the mask covering order, long term care visitation has been restored to those facilities, overnight child and youth camp orders have been lifted and the capacity limits for Faith Gathering have been lifted.

For services such as BC Transit, the option is available to continue on with a mask requirement, though Doctor Henry noted that those organizations would have to do their own due diligence on that possibility.

For those services regulated by the Federal Government, guidance from masking will have to come from Federal officials.

Doctor Henry offered a few observations on the mask free environment we are about to enter and how everyone will move at their own pace.

"We have learned and we know now a lot more about masks that we did a few years ago, they are both are a layer of protection for ourselves and importantly a layer of protection for those around us. 

So while masks are no longer required, or mandated under an order as of tomorrow, some people in some locations will and continue to use masks personally, or in their business and that's OK.   

We need to support that, we need to recognize that we all have our own risks and our own vulnerabilities" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

The Vaccine passport program will remain in place through this month, with it to no longer required as of April 8th.

Previous Safety plans will return towards specific situations for workplaces and post secondary education institutions.  

When it comes to Education in British Columbia, Primary and Secondary Schools will work out their own plans moving forward following Spring Break.

As to how the province reached a place where measures can begin to be removed, Doctor Henry observed that much of the success has come owing to the status of British Columbia as one of the most vaccinated jurisdictions in the world.

An achievement that has provided for the strong results being found province wide.

"We are one of the most vaccinated jurisdictions in the world, and that layer, that protection we get through vaccination and that immunity that we have across our communities has meant that we have been resilient in getting through the Omicron wave ... We have seen very strong protection against severe illness and we do know, that people with two doses of vaccine are less likely to get infected themselves and less likely to transmit to others.  And that increases the protection that we see with three doses with that booster dose boosts it up to over 60 percent against any infection and that again protects against transmission to others " -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

Towards the future, the approach the province is taking now is that COVID will remain with us, they will have to take on any challenges that may come up, with a focus looking ahead towards the Fall Respiratory Season.

The full information session can be reviewed from the video presentation below:

The Province has also provided further background on the changing narrative on COVID which you can review here, along with additional information featuring all the elements that made for today's evolution in the provincial response.

The announcement today, was one very much had the feeling or vibe of a closing of a chapter on the provincial efforts related to COVID, with just one more public information presentation to come in April as the Provincial authorities move their program of removal of measures forward. 

The scope of the information relay will also be adjusted at that point, with the shift away from daily updates to those of a weekly version.

A look at the path of COVID in the province over the last two years can he reviewed from our archive page here.

Death Threats for Dr. Henry, an unacceptable intrusion on civility!

Doctor Bonnie Henry speaking at UBCM on Tuesday

Some disturbing revelations for British Columbians came out of yesterday's opening session of the UBCM convention, a virtual event this year, which for Day one featured a speakers panel of three high profile women in the province.

Their topic one to address these challenging times and to share their reflections on leadership and the ability to work together towards solutions.

Dr. Bonnie Henry joined Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and Kim Baird the former Chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation, the trio speaking to the theme of reimagining leadership lessons from the Pandemic.

Their commentary moderated by UBCM President and Sooke Mayor Maja Tait provided some insight into how they viewed leadership during times such as ours, their themes of the need for collaboration finding a receptive audience.

Through their commentary, the panelists provided encouragement for local government and other community leaders to balance competency and evidence-based information with empathy and a genuine desire to listen.

However, when it comes to a show stopping moment, Dr. Henry had the full attention of those delegates viewing online with her comments on how the current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant threats towards her and her staff as they continue to address the pandemic.

“There are many people who don’t like what I do, don’t like the way I say it, don’t like my shoes, and feel quite able to send me nasty notes, to leave phone calls, to harass my office staff. I’ve had to have security in my house, I’ve had death threats – how do we deal with that? I sense people think it is ok to do that with a woman who is ‘up front’.”

The concept that anyone would direct death threats against the woman who has been the calming influence for us all during the pandemic is an outrageous revelation and one which demands extensive investigation and charges to follow.

Once word spread over the Doctor's observations, the province's media groups did a little digging and surprisingly discovered that despite having as prominent a position as one might get in the midst of a pandemic, Dr. Henry seemingly does not meet the threshold for the kind of protection level afforded to politicians or others deemed as having a high profile.

Something that clearly should be addressed  ... as they say yesterday ... 

Considering the value of her work and the concerning times we live in, the province should immediately step in to ensure that she and her staff can proceed on with their work without fear of danger, threat or harm.

The investigation into the threats is currently the domain of the Victoria City Police, British Columbians can only hope that they are thorough and quick with their work and that arrests are made towards those who clearly are not part of a civil society.

Whoever is behind the disgusting intrusion into the lives of Dr. Henry and her staff are clearly not understanding that the issues at stake for all of us are larger than their personal grievances or differences on how the province approaches its response to the virus.

The Doctor's partner at the podium until the call of the provincial election was Health Minister Adrian Dix and last night, through his twitter feed, Mr. Dix spoke for the vast majority of British Columbia residents.

These are indeed times not often seen that put us to the test, but clearly, in some instances, some of us are failing that test.

Dr. Henry and all others that work on our behalf in high profile and challenging situations need to be assured that British Columbians have their backs.

Some of the response to the revelations of the death threats can be found from the media review that has followed yesterday's UBCM session.

BC's chief health officer says she's received death threats, abuse
Threats against Bonnie Henry fuelled by gender and success, says expert
BC shows support for top doctor after revealing she received death threats, abuse 
'I've had death threats': disgusting downside to Henry's pandemic prominence
Dr. Bonnie Henry says she's received death threats during COVID-19 response
Dr. Bonnie Henry received death threats
Bonnie Henry says she's received abuse, death threats during COVID-19 response

More from the UBCM convention can be explored through our UBCM page here.

You can follow her daily announcements on COVID from our archive page here, a wider overview of the Victoria political scene is found from our political blog D'Arcy McGee.

Restrictions on Gatherings and Events to be lifted late Wednesday as Province announces latest COVID response

Doctor Bonnie Henry announced the first steps towards removing
some of the current Public Health Orders and Measures on Tuesday

Noting of the steps that British Columbians have taken to protect themselves from COVID-19, the Province of British Columbia relaxed a few of their Public Health Orders today, with Restrictions on Capacity limits for Social Gatherings and Events to be removed as of Wednesday, February 16 at 11:59 PM.

Calling it an exciting and positive milestone, Doctor Bonnie Henry outlined the progress to date and the path ahead as the Province sets a timeline through to April for review of many other elements of the Public Health orders and COVID Response.

The province will be shifting its response to a sustainable long term focus transitioning to recovery from the virus.

Doctor Henry made note of the strong vaccination program that the province has realized, something that will allow British Columbians to continue to navigate the virus in the weeks and months ahead.

Towards the path ahead the Doctor observed of the need for a balance and incremental easing of restrictions, while noting that some measures and orders will remain in place, with those measures to be reviewed prior to Spring Break and then prior to Easter.

Protective measures will remain in place for the short term, included on the list, the use of Masks in indoor, spaces, the use of the BC Vaccine card and COVID Safety plans, though the first of the measures to see restrictions remove were also part of the explanation from Doctor Henry.

Some protective measures remain in place and they will be reviewed as early as March 15th and then again prior to Easter. 

click on all above boxes to enlarge

The main themes of today's announcement on lifting of the Social Gathering and Events restrictions can be explored further here.

As for the information session, Health Minister Adrian Dix followed up with a review of the current status of Rapid Testing  and the testing program moving forward, along with a range of Health Care themes, including the volume of staff absences in health care.

He also outlined the current level of surgical postponement, with three procedures cancelled in the Northern Health Service Region.

The session wrapped up with Premier Horgan, Minister Dix and Doctor Henry taking questions from the media.

Among some of he questions why is British Columbia continuing to hold off on the elimination of the vaccine card program while other provinces appear ready to bring that program to an end.

The Premier noting that he believes British Columbians want the government to chart a BC course based on the success of the province's approach to COVID and the personal actions that British Columbians have taken.

Doctor Henry noted how British Columbians have become comfortable with mask wearing and how she doesn't anticipate any issues related towards mask enforcement in the province.

She also observed how she doesn't see a future with a return to  wide societal measures unless something unexpected from the virus comes along to change that perception, noting how risk awareness will be the focus for the path forward.

Doctor Henry also relayed a range of familiar measures as staying home when sick, hand washing, covering your mouth when coughing, mask wearing if required all as ways to reduce transmission and things to be reinforced during higher transmission periods.

Premier Horgan spoke to a question related to the current climate of protest in the province and nation and if the moves may not embolden those who remain against any ongoing measures.

He observed how the decisions of today was planned well previous to any protests or horn honking in the streets, calling them temporary measures that would be revised prior to the Family Day long weekend which is what the province has done, basing their decision on science.

He also expanded on recent events noting of the situation in Ottawa and the seizure of weapons in Alberta which he described as disturbing for all Canadians.

On the prospect of living with the virus over time, Doctor Henry observed of the down side of opening things up but added that a balance of societal impacts was required, something which has led to the process towards the relaxation of measures now underway in the province

As to why there is growing confidence for the future, the Doctor observed over growing levels of immunity, the vaccination program which has been important for longer term protection, as well as new solutions and approaches that are becoming better understood.

She also spoke of waves and troughs of COVID ahead, likely to have different impacts in different years depending on how much the virus changes over time.

As for any changes in the Education setting,  it was observed that the Minister of Education would be addressing those themes in the near future to address risk but return to a more normal experience. 

Doctor Henry, observed of the continued desire to see the vaccination rate increase for school age children to help return to the more normal activities and normalize their experiences.

You an review the full presentation below:

A look back at the past announcements and themes of the COVID response can be reviewed from our archive page here.

Travel audits, travel reservation refusals among elements of new COVID measure announced by BC government, that as COVID case counts remain stagnant at recent levels

From now through to the May Long weekend, travel within British Columbia is going to be on a stay in your zone kind of thing, with Premier John Horgan announcing travel restrictions as part of the BC Government's additional response to the ongoing level of high COVID case reports in the province.

The Premier was one of three participants at today's information session, with Health Minister Adrian Dix and Doctor Bonnie Henry charting the latest results of COVID in the province, as well as the impact that it is having on the provincial health care system.

The newest measures led off the afternoon's discussion, with Mr. Horgan outlining how the province will now be banning all non-essential travel between Health Authority's, enforcement to come by way of fines as Police conduct what the Premier called 'travel audits' rather than checkpoints.  

The latter a term that he didn't appear to want see become the narrative to the new temporary government policy.  The premier preferring to suggest that the traffic stops will be along the lines of the annual Christmas roadblock campaigns that have become familiar over the years.

The Premier also used his time on Monday to advise British Columbians that this is not the time to load up the Winnebago and visit other areas of the province, but to remain within your own community.

'When it comes to travel, Doctor Henry has been saying for months and months and months stay in your territory, stay in your community, this is not the time to load up the Winnebago and travel around British Columbia ... at this point non-essential travel should be confined  to local travel only, I'm confident that most British Columbians want to follow that order and will follow that order as we go forward"-- Premier John Horgan

As part of the program also noted that BC Ferries will no accept passage for anyone other than for essential travel, and Tourism providers hotels have been asked to cancel bookings and reservations and refund money to customers who may have booked a room through this period.

The full details on how the program of enforcement will work and what may be deemed essential travel is to come on Friday by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth.

The province has also extended the pandemic restrictions on indoor dining at restaurants, with those restrictions to remain in place until the end of the long weekend in May.

For his part of the briefing, Health Minister Adrian Dix focused on the rising levels of hospitalizations that are occurring, the stressed being found by Health Authorities The Minister delivering some sobering statistics on the increased occupancy rates being found across British Columbia.

He also noted that the province is moving into utilization of surge beds at this point, which requires varying levels of service deferrals to support staff redeployments.

Doctor Bonnie Henry outlined the weekend case reports, with the province counting 2,960 new cases of COVID reported over the weekend. 

Of the new cases  696 were in Vancouver Coastal Region, 1845 in the Fraser Health Region, 108 in the Vancouver Island Health Region, 211 in the Interior Region.

In the North Health Region there were 100 new cases reported over the weekend (43 today), that brings the Northern British Columbia total to 6,838 cases of COVID since January for 2020.

There were eight additional deaths in the province, bringing the total to date to 1,538 British Columbians who have died. 

Sadly among those who passed was a child under the age of two who has died of the virus, the Doctor noted that although there were pre existing health conditions related to the patient, it was COVID that claimed the child's life making for the youngest person to die in BC from the virus since it arrived in the province.

There are currently 5,872 cases of COVID-19 that are confirmed variants of concern in our province. Of the total cases, 191 are active and the remaining people have recovered. This includes 3,908 cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant, 71 cases of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant and 1,893 cases of the P.1 (Brazil) variant. 

1,380,160 of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 87,970 of which are second doses.

As part of the ongoing vaccination strategy, Doctor Henry noted that the province was now accelerating the AstraZeneca COVID shot options, making it available to those 40 an over, with the vaccine also to be directed to the high priority areas of the province that have been identified.

She did note of the challenges that are being put o the provincial program through the availability of vaccines, but offered hope that the Federal government will be able to deliver as planned.

The importance of the vaccination program towards bringing the hospitalization rate down was a significant theme to the briefing today, with little in the way improvement in the current case count situation to be found in the province until the the end of May.

Towards a hope for better results into the late spring and summer, the Doctor did note of the success found in Prince Rupert from the recent vaccination program and how it has delivered improving results in the weeks since it took place.

"Two to three weeks after we reach a level of  community immunization, we can expect an incremental impact not only on transmission in our communities but on and hospitalization. So what we expect to see, is that by the end of April we are going to start seeing more of a decrease in transmission and hospitalization for those most at risk those over 65 ... We've seen a dramatic drop off after about three weeks that remains sustained and low and we've also seen it in some of the communities where we've done community immunization. Particularly in Prince Rupert where we've seen cases drop off dramatically  in the two to three week range" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry 

Looking to the road ahead, Doctor Henry noted that the challenges remain for British Columbians but that the need to stay the course is key over the next five weeks.

"We all have this role in keeping ourselves, our loved ones, our communities safe. We now have extra tools to help us get along that journey, particularly we have immunization programs  that are ramping up across this province to support us in getting to our post pandemic world. We have will have to live with COVID for a bit longer, we need to all put our efforts into combatting this virus and supporting each other as we get through this next five weeks" -- Doctor Henry

The full COVID statement for Monday can be reviewed here.

BC CDC data for British Columbia for April 19, 2021

BC CDC data for Northern Health region for April 19, 2021

The BC Centre for Disease control has some valuable Coronavirus notes related to COVID-19 you can explore that information here.

You can learn more about the outbreak from both the Province and the Federal government from the links below:

Federal Government site

British Columbia Government site

The World Health Organization website also offers up the latest advisories on the global situation.

More from  Northern Health can be reviewed here 

You can review our archive of past statements and local information here.   

Local governments and organizations have also provided for increased awareness of COVID-19 issues, those past advisories  can be reviewed here.

For notes from across Canada and British Columbia we have been archiving the latest items through our political portal Darcy McGee

Ottawa Observations

Victoria Viewpoints

 

The Message is ... Get Vaccinated! Northern Health to host Virtual COVID Town Hall tonight at 6PM

Health Minister Adrian Dix and Public Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry hosted a wide ranging information session on Tuesday, providing for the latest data on COVID situations across the province and once again reinforcing the emphasis now on the urgency of the moment for British Columbians to get vaccinated for the coronavirus.

Doctor Henry introduced a number of new or updated COVID related Public heath measures mainly related to gatherings or work situations, many of which are specific to the Easter Fraser Health region which like areas of Northern British Columbia has a low vaccination rate.

Areas related to the presentations focused mostly towards vaccine effectiveness and an update on the pace of vaccination which has passed beyond 7 million doses of either first or second doses of COVID Vaccine in the province.

With the impact of COVID on children now of some significant focus, a good portion of the half hour presentation was related to that data overview. The findings something that Doctor Henry referred to as a growing concern

As of today Doctor Henry noted that information for Schools will now be relayed through the individual Health Authority websites, something that was done last year, which they will now be reviving.

That change to the previous policy of the back to school launch has come following concerns from parents and educators that the full story of the impact of COVID on education was not been properly delivered.

All of themes introduced in the information session today came back to the same point of note, that the frequently noted refrain that with vaccination comes a reduction in the risk of being affected by COVID.

As we have seen for many, many month now. This pandemic continues to evolve and so do we, we need to make changes to address the situation as it arising. What remains steadfast, is the need for all of us to do our part. To do our part, to protect ourselves, our families, but also our communities. And now we're seeing in some parts of the province, in the Interior, the North, in the Fraser East in particular our communities are being affected to. This means we all need to get vaccinated, to stay home, to stay away from others if we're not feeling well ourselves.  To continue to take those basic measures, wearing a mask when we're in indoor public settings, cleaning out hands regularly. These are things that will be important for all of us to get through this next respiratory season.-- Doctor Bonnie Henry

The ongoing challenges to Health services particularly in the Prince George and Northeastern communities also made for a key element of the narrative of the day, with both Doctor Henry and Minister Dix noting how the growing hospitalization comes mainly from those who have not as of yet been vaccinated.

And with their arrival in hospitals across the Health Authority, other patients are being relocated to other jurisdictions and regular surgeries are being impacted at hospitals around the Northern portion of the province.

As he paid tribute to the Health Care workers across the region, the Minister provided data on the situation that facilities are facing.

To date Mr. Dix noted that 25 patients have been transferred out of the Northern Region as part of the provincial response to the challenges of the last two weeks.

Such is the pace of the spread of COVID that Northern Health is now the area with the second largest volume of new cases, second only to Fraser Health which has a significantly higher population base.

Something which puts Northern Health in a challenging position on a per capita basis.

Towards the attention on the Northern Health Authority, Minister Dix, Doctor Henry, Interim- Opposition Leader Shirley Bond and Northern Health officials will be taking phone calls tonight as part of a special information Virtual Town Hall session for the North from 6 to 7:30PM, with the assembled panel to take questions and share notes on how the COVID response is taking place. 

The live audio link to the event which starts at 6PM can be accessed here.

More notes on the COVID response in British Columbia can be reviewed here.

Items of Interest from Northern Health are available here.

A call to keep our Holiday gatherings small ... Closures of bars, gyms among new measures as Omicron becomes dominant COVID virus in British Columbia

Two Ministers with the British Columbia government and Public Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry provided for the latest blue print on COVID heading into the holiday season, with Dr. Henry relaying a range of new measures mostly designed for larger gathering venue closures and a call to be cautious this holiday season.

The 1:30 PM information session was led off by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, who delivered a weather forecast, an advisory to stay off the roads and some highlights of the province's work on homeless shelters. 

All of it making for an interesting approach to a prologue for the main event, though one that perhaps could have been provided as part of a separate briefing on public safety themes, the Deputy Premier making more for a delay in the mind of many viewing at home this afternoon.

For the main event, Doctor Henry as part of her portion of the presentation outlined some thoughts that serve as the guiding thinking for this time of the pandemic.

"Our storm of COVID-19 is not yet over, we are in a different boat but the consequences of not preparing for what is happening now in our global community is just too great ... we are in a very uncertain time we will be learning more about what Omicron  ... there is much we will learn in the next few weeks" 

She then observed of the changing nature of the Omicron variant and its rapid spread around the world and concerning situation in the province.

After twenty minutes or so of data interpretation, case count updates and other themes on the COVID work to date, Doctor Henry then relayed the scope of the newest measures and guidance for British Columbians over the holiday season.

As for our Christmas gatherings, the advice is to keep those get togethers as small as possible and stick to one familiar collection of members, rather than to expand your social circle at this time.

Towards that guidance the personal gathering orders of Friday remain, with Doctor Henry observing  that they are the maximum amount for members at gatherings.

“I know everyone is looking forward to being around their family and friends this holiday season after two challenging years. These restrictions balance the need for people to come together with the people they love with the need to collectively act to slow the spread of COVID-19. We know how to get through this – by following the same measures we’ve followed in the past to protect each other.” -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

Of note in the volume of data interpretation was that the Northern Region is still showing low numbers for the moment in the amount of Omicron variant cases, though expressing the need for caution. 

The Lower Mainland region and Vancouver Island currently show the highest level of case positivity. 

Health Minister Adrian Dix outlined the plans towards delivering booster shots for the province, noting of an expansion towards pharmacies to help get more vaccines into arms in the weeks and months to come. 

The Minister highlighted that the province will be continuing on with an age and needs bases approach to the roll out of the Booster shot program, calling back to the success of the mass vaccination programs of the first two shots of earlier this year.

"Our immunization rollout continues to be based on risk. With priority given as I said,  to the clinically extremely vulnerable, to long term care and we've seen its positive impact there, to Seniors, to Indigenous adults and to health care workers and to those who have been given two doses of Astra-Zenca. And this age based roll out will be continue at an accelerated pace, with invites sent out and appointments guaranteed"

As for the testing program, Doctor Henry offered up some directions towards the end of the information session, noting that if you have mild symptoms, to self isolate rather than seek out testing,  

The government plans to introduce more guidance on self care and when to go for medical help over the next few days.

The full statement can be reviewed here.

The range of Public Health Orders in effect as of midnight tomorrow can be reviewed here.

The video of today's full information session is below:

The next update on the case count of COVID in the province comes later this afternoon, you can follow how the path has progressed through the year from our archive page here.

A wider overview of media notes on the provinces handling of COVID measures from our D'Arcy McGee blog.

Vaccine invite acceptance level leaves Health Officials puzzled: Province provides for final COVID update for 2021

Health Minister Adrian Dix, Public Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry and Dr. Penny Ballem, who has the lead on British Columbia's vaccine rollout program hosted their final information session of 2021 this morning. 

A 10 AM session that looked the challenges of 2021 and put much of the focus on the vaccination program moving forward in January.

"I know that many of us are fatigued it has been a long road for us and another year of challenge, and COVID-19 has proven to be a difficult burden and an ever-changing burden for us. 

We have lost parents, friends, grandparents. We've faced isolation and separation, but through all of that we have found ways to connect and support each other. Even though it had disruption of things we enjoy in life, from arts to sports to music. 

Despite these hardships through what are highly effective and safe vaccines combined with the efforts of everyone, we have, without exaggeration saved many, many lives" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry at today's information session

The success of the first and second dose program made for some of the data review from the session, as well as a look towards the vaccine program for children and for the third booster shots.

Towards the oncoming crush of Omicron Doctor Henry noted:

"But what we are seeing right now, is once again this virus has changed and as we've talked about in the last two weeks, it has changed to become more infectious it is spreading rapidly in our communities and we see that reflected just in the numbers of people who are tested and the numbers who are positive ... For those people who are vaccinated it is mostly causing mild illness and that is a good thing but with rapid increasing in numbers we are also facing challenges. 

We are facing challenges in people being off work because of illness and that is stretching some systems, it's stretching our health care systems and we know now that we can spread this rapidly even with very mild symptoms. "

In the health care sector, Doctor Henry observed of the impacts on the provincial health care system and that of Long Term Care, that making for the lead in to a new measure, that will restrict visitors to Long Term Care facilities to those who are only essential visitors only, that as a move to decrease the number of visitors to better protect the Seniors and Elders. 

That measure will be re-evaluated on January 18th.

The Booster Vaccination Program, which is being administered by Doctor Penny Ballem, took most of the  spotlight for the remainder of the presentation, with Doctor Ballem providing the snapshot of the approach ahead to roll it out over the next few weeks.

"You know I think it's a remarkable feat that we continue to increase the numbers of fully vaccinated British Columbians, we're up to 92% of our province has been vaccinated with dose one, of those who are eligible and 89% dose two, is a remarkable achievement and to Doctor Henry's points, is actually providing us very significant protection against this new phase of the pandemic. 

Since we started our booster program on October 27th, we sent out 1.146 million booster invitations, we've actually provided 905,784 boosters to date, that's up to the end of yesterday ... One of the things if you look at access to appointments for vaccines,  there are 720 locations as of today in British Columbia that are providing vaccinations and that will continue to increase in the coming weeks. 

And there are accessible appointments even this week,  as of yesterday we had another 8,400 slots available for you to get your vaccination before the New Year rings in on Saturday"

For the New Year, Doctor Ballem outlined the work to increase capacity through January and into February to bring it to a conclusion even sooner, noting that as of today there are 240,000 British Columbians with invitations to book an appointment today, who have yet to take the province up on the offer.

The coming weeks could see whole community clinics in plac and an increasing reliance on Pharmacy partners spread around the province, Dr. Ballem noting of the work of the pharmacies to join in on the BC Vaccination network information program, and makes for one point to book an appointment.

As for the booster vaccine rollout the priorities have followed the guidance of the previous dose one and two program,  of those as risk, who are vulnerable due to immuno suppression, because they are elderly or to protect the health care system. 

As well Indigenous communities and those who work in the Health Care system have been among those to gain an invitation as a priority group.

Health Minister Dix spoke the challenges facing the health care system, amid the rising cases of Omicron variant, observing of the steps British Columbians can take to reduce the burdens on the system.

"But our biggest test, this may be as big a test as we have faced though this pandemic. And so we are taking those steps and we need everyone to take those steps. 

To exercise the control we have and the cases numbers rising like this, is a sense of lack of control. But we have control. Control means, this evening limited gatherings, celebrate with the ones you love. 

Control means limited  the gatherings in general, control means staying home when you're sick, control means wearing your mask, control means washing your hands, control means when invited to be vaccinated to book an appointment and to get vaccinated"   

The gap between vaccination invites and acceptances so far, was also a focus for HealthMinister Asian Dix, who urge British Columbians to book their appointments as soon as invited.

"When you get your invitation, book your appointment and get your booster ... this would be a good day, this would be a good day. When you're one of those people in those vulnerable categories, and if you're one of those 240,000 people you're there, because you have vulnerability to COVID-19. 

This would be a good day, the final day of 2021, to book your booster dose and I encourage everyone to do so"

The province has also reduced the period of time for self-isolation  after testing positive to COVID-19 to five days down from ten for those who are vaccinated, people who are infected however, will still be require to wear a mask for an addition five days after leaving self isolation, that when they are around others.

If you're not vaccinated, the full ten day period of self-isolation remains. 

The Q & A session with media reporters covered much of the vaccine rollout program, as well as themes of testing and the current pressures on the health care system.,

You can review that session below:

Locally Northern Health has been providing guidance on the Vaccination program, though if the comments from the Prince Rupert specific Facebook page in recent days are an indication. There may be a need for a more comprehensive information campaign to be introduced in January to share the word on the program in the Northwest.

You can follow the daily updates on COVID from the Province through our archive page here.

Prince Rupert COVID outbreak on the radar for provincial Health Officials, including Doctor Bonnie Henry

The current surge of cases of COVID on the North Coast received a brief mention in today's provincial briefing on the latest case counts province wide, with Doctor Bonnie Henry observing that some form of measures may be on the way for the Prince Rupert area to help address the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.

As part of todays briefing the Provincial Health Officer relayed some details on the growing volume of vaccines being delivered to the province and seems to have telegraphed that those increased deliveries may have a role in addressing the current community outbreak found in this community.

While speaking to the arrival of more vaccines in the province, Doctor Henry also made note of the large number of cases in Prince Rupert in recent weeks and how the province is keeping watch on the ongoing situation on the North Coast. 

"In terms of vaccine as well , we know we have increased shipments of Pfizer that was announced on Friday, we will be receiving more of PfizerBioNTech in Canada and here in BC in this month of March, and that is very good news and we are expecting our shipment of the AstraZeneca Serum Institute of India Vaccine to arrive in BC in the next day or two.

 And As you know we've talked about the importance of using these increased volumes right now, to address where we are seeing significant outbreaks and community transmission. 

 And one of those areas in Northern Health that will be addressed in coming days is the ongoing transmission and increasing cases in Prince Rupert"

The Doctor did not expand further on the Prince Rupert reference during her presentation. 

As we outlined last week, Prince Rupert's reports of positive case counts have seen a dramatic rise in the last three weeks, with last Wednesday finding the city host to 73 cases of COVID-19, making it by far the largest number of cases of the communities of the Northwest.

On Friday, we noted how the lack of information from Northern Health regarding the steady rise in community spread of the virus had become somewhat of a talking point in the community.

If there is more to hear on Doctor Henry's comments from Monday, Northern Health will be the ones to follow up with further background on the plans moving forward.

Doctor Henry's brief mention of the Prince Rupert situation came at the 13 minute mark of the Provincial Briefing this afternoon.

For more notes on the ongoing provincial response to COVID see our archive page here.

Notes on health care across the Northern Health Authority can be found here.

Strong results again for BC in Friday COVID update and worthy recognition for Dr. Bonnie Henry in the New York Times

The Friday COVID update from Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix reprised the continued decline in new cases with but one new case of COVID-19 reported in the last 24 hours, making for a provincial total of 2,632 cases in British Columbian.

From today's review it was noted that:

“There are 193 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,272 people who tested positive have recovered. “Of the total COVID-19 cases, 21 individuals are hospitalized, five of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation." 

908 of the cases are within in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,335 in the Fraser Health region, 130 in the Island Health region, 195 in the Interior Health region and 64 in the Northern Health region, that number has held since the start of the week, with all of the Northern BC cases now considered recovered.

There was also one passing made note of on the day.

“There has been one new COVID-19 related death in the Fraser Health region, for a total of 167 deaths in British Columbia. We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Doctor Henry also provided a synopsis of some of the key elements from the Thursday modelling session which provided a comprehensive look at the path of the pandemic and the provincial response.

“As the recent B.C. COVID-19 modelling has shown us, we can safely reopen many businesses, return to in-class learning and gradually increase our social interactions, but we have to be cautious that we don’t go too far and risk a resurgence in cases. 

The key is to minimize, manage and modify: minimize the number of new cases and close contacts, manage clusters and outbreaks with rapid contact tracing by public health teams and modify the measures we are all following, as needed.

This means you should continue to assess your risks with every step and take precautions to protect yourself and those around you. Without exception, always stay home when ill and follow the rules for safe physical distancing. Remember that the provincial health officer’s order limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people remains in place.”

We provided an overview of some of the themes related to the Northwest from that modelling project earlier today which you can explore further here.


The full Friday COVID update can be reviewed here.

The Big news of Friday actually is a bit international fare, with a feature story in the New York Times that shares the work of Doctor Bonnie Henry with the global audience that the Times commands, you can review that story here.

“The philosophy is how to make this sustainable over next year to two years,” she said. “We know there were unintended negative consequences from the things that we did, like intimate partner violence, suicides, children who didn’t get the services they need. 

 The crucial thing now, she said, is to “find that balance so we minimize the impact of Covid, particularly on those people who are more likely to have severe illness or die from it, and minimize the unintended negative consequence of all the other things as well.” -- Dr. Henry from today's NY Times review of how she was the right person in the right place at a very perilous period

Also, and to the relief of many British Columbians,  after months of steady briefings and extremely long days of work, the Doctor will take Saturday off, making for an actual weekend to take a break from the steady stewardship of our COVID response.

British Columbians will no doubt wish her a chance to sleep in, an enjoyable and hearty brunch and much sunshine for her weekend break from the important work she has done for the province.

The BC Centre for Disease control has some valuable Coronavirus notes related to COVID-19 you can explore that information here.

You can learn more about the outbreak from both the Province and the Federal government from the links below:

Federal Government site

British Columbia Government site

The World Health Organization website also offers up the latest advisories on the global situation.

More from  Northern Health can be reviewed here 

You can review our archive of past statements and local information here.

Local governments and organizations have also provided for increased awareness of COVID-19 issues, the string of statements that came quickly at the end of the week can be reviewed here.

For notes from across Canada and British Columbia we have been archiving the latest items through our political portal Darcy McGee

Ottawa Observations

Victoria Viewpoints

Dramatically Different ... 'the virus has changed and is spreading rapidly" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

With the Omicron variant now accounting for over 80 percent of all COVID cases in British Columbia (slightly less in Northern Health for the moment) Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix hosted their first public briefing of 2022. 

The session a mix of how the province will evolve in its approach to the coronavirus, with a review of the state of health care at this point of the evolution of the virus itself.

Observing of the  start of the new year, Doctor Henry noted she hoped it would be the last time that there would be a need to open a new Year with COVID briefing.

"As you know, the virus has changed and is spreading rapidly, the Omicron strain that has now taken over here in British Columbia means that we are in a different race, in a different storm now. The Omicron variant of concern has taken over the Delta variant and is now the cause of 80 percent of the new cases that we have seen across British Columbia. It varies slightly in the North, where it's not quite that high yet, but the data that's posted on the BC CDC Website makes it clear that this has been a variant that has been dramatically different and is spreading in a different way" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

She noted of the slow creep of hospitalizations move upwards, observing of a rate of transmission that means that at this people most people in British Columbia likely have a friend, family member or colleague who has been infected with the COVID variant,  highlighting how at the moment Omicron has the advantage.

She recounted the previous work from vaccinations, booster shots and the many other measures of protection such as mask wearing, hand washing, staying home if sick as key to the ongoing efforts.

"This is the right thing to to do and this is what will get us through this phase as well. It means a lot of people will get sick and we are seeing that now. But your vaccine will protect most people from serious illnesses and hospitalizations and we need to make sure that we continue to do those other measures as well"

The new variant means new challenges, with some of the past measures use previous like case and contact tracing now no longer useful to the approach, mainly owing to the speed of the Omicron transmission, with the focus now on proactive measures to move through the next few weeks which will be of concern.

With the Doctor observing of high levels of British Columbians off work and creating new challenges for business owners and service providers in the province, with Dr Henry calling for the reactivation of the COVID 19 plans of the past to deal with worker shortages and offer ways to adapt.

Reducing contacts at the workplace, offering options to working at home, limiting customers at any one time an using a range of protection protocols were some of the key points of Dr. Henry's presentation, with a particular focus on the need for vaccine requirements among the items that were highlighted.

On themes of Education, Dr Henry observed how the Schools were the safest place for children and how schools could work to ensure that they work to keep the schools open, calling it the highest priority.

"We know that schools are safe, they're the best and safest place for our children, and they are essential. They are essential for their social and emotional development as well as their intellectual development. 

And it is not because we have any concerns about that, it's because as we have watched what is happening with Omicron and how it is affecting so many people.  I have tasked schools specifically to take stock and prepare plans to safely operate over the coming months with the potential for reduced staff and keep children safely in school and reducing the risk of functional closures because of staff illness. 

It's essential that we keep our schools open for children, just as we've kept grocery stores, and pharmacies and hospitals open. This is going to be and remains our highest priority.  

We need to do this and to do this we need flexibility from everyone. From administrators and staff, teachers and parents and of course kids too. If you're children are higher risk it may mean things like pausing extra-curricular activities to focus on school and the importance of school"

For the Health Minister one of the key points for Mr, Dix was to relay the data on Hospital bed availability in the province. with surge beds now added to the medical system, British Columbia has 11,582 hospital beds, 9,034 of which are currently occupied, an increase over the last number of days but still down from a month ago.

In Critical Care, 454 of the 728 Critical Care Beds are occupied, the Health Minister observed how they have added to space by suspending a number of other health procedures as of the start of the year.

Mr. Dix also reviewed the progress of the provincial vaccination campaign,  noting that more and more invitations have been issued for first dose, second dose and booster dose invitations.

"Since October 27th we have sent out one million, five hundred and forty two  thousand booster dose invitations which is 40 percent, with an anticipation of reaching 46 percent by the end of this week. The focus for those booster shots to date has been those most vulnerable to severe  outcomes."

Among those to get their boosters to date, a growing number of those 60 years of age and over, as well as health care workers and those who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

"Since New Year's Eve, December 31st, we have invited 378,634 people for boosters and more invites are going out as we speak And we will continue to invite those eligible over 18 over the rest of this week to clear all those by the end of this week, all those who passed six months since their second dose will have been invited to book by the end of this week"

Mr. Dix noted that as of today that some 710 locations are available to get a vaccination with more sites coming online daily including  pharmacies and health clinics.

When it comes to Public Health Orders, in reply to a question   the Minister reinforced that the public needs to continue to pay attention to the orders and follow them.

"All of us have to assess these new circumstances and recommit ourselves to following public health guidance and orders and when there are Public Health Orders. Because we've been, I think balanced in dealing with Public Health Orders, in the time those public health orders need to be adhered to. 

And the public health guidance, you need to adhere to that too, for your own health and those that you love. And if we continue to do that we're going to get through this period. 

But this is immensely challenging and different than the Delta series, the pervious waves we've seen or the challenges that we've seen from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic 

And we're going to keep adapting and learning every day and as are people in BC and I think together we can respond well to this situation as well."

The full presentation from this afternoon can be reviewed below:

The first full release of data for 2022 was also delivered today, the review noting for the Northern Health region of 125 new cases over the last 24 hours, with a total number of active cases listed at 737. 

When it comes to Hospitalizations in the Northern Health region, 18 patients are currently hospitalized related to COVID, with 5 patients currently in Critical Care.

The Northern Health data from the BC CDC for January 4

The full overview of the data can be explored here, with our archive of notes available  here.