B.C.'s fight against COVID-19 included some grim statistics, and some promising ones, on the weekend.
While another 25 people in the province died from their bouts with the disease that has spawned a global pandemic, B.C.'s number of new infections dropped for the fourth consecutive day, to 332 cases – less than half the 758 cases discovered four days ago, and the lowest number for a day since August 9.
The province's pandemic death toll therefore rises to 2,181.
The 25 new deaths included:
• eight in Fraser Health;
• seven in Interior Health;
• five in Island Health; and
• five in Northern Health.
The number of serious cases remains high, with 436 COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals, including 140 in intensive care units (ICUs).
The vast majority of the 4,668 people actively battling infections have been told to self-isolate at home.
Glacier Media broke down the 1,370 infections detected in the past three days by health region, for each 10,000 residents (with total new cases in brackets).
• 3.4 in Fraser Health (603);
• 1 in Vancouver Coastal Health (124);
• 3 in Interior Health (222);
• 6.8 in Northern Health (203); and
• 2.6 in Island Health (218).
There were no new infections among people who normally do not reside in Canada.
The result by health region, for the 4,668 people fighting active infections, for each 10,000 residents (with total new cases in brackets) is:
• 11.2 in Fraser Health (2,024);
• 4.6 in Vancouver Coastal Health (570);
• 7.9 in Interior Health (588);
• 25.5 in Northern Health (764); and
• 7.8 in Island Health (663).
There remain 59 active infections in the province in people who normally reside outside B.C.
Of the 206,284 people known to have been infected by COVID-19 in B.C., 199,107, or 96.5% are deemed by the province to have recovered. In most cases, that diagnosis is because the patients have gone more than 10 days after first feeling symptoms, and are therefore considered to be not infectious.
Across B.C., 90% of eligible people older than 12 have had at least one dose of vaccine, with 85.3% of eligible people having had two doses, according to the B.C. government.
Of the 4,169,986 B.C. residents who have received one dose of vaccine since mid-December, 2020, 94.8%, or 3,954,068, are considered fully vaccinated, with two doses. Last week, the government said 90,425 British Columbians had received third doses of vaccine. No update to that number was provided today.
Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said for the first time that those who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be prioritized when it comes to getting booster, or third vaccine doses. People who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be invited to get their third shot as soon as they have gone six months from their second dose.
Health Minister Adrian Dix tweeted that 124, or 89%, of the 140 people now in ICUs are not fully vaccinated.
Because statistics show that unvaccinated people are overwhelmingly the ones that are getting infected, are hospitalized and are dying, health officials have put in place vaccine mandates for government workers.
Dix said earlier today that government employees who do not provide proof of vaccination, or refuse to disclose their vaccination status, will as of November 22 be considered unvaccinated. Unless those workers have an approved reason for not being vaccinated, they will be put on unpaid leave for three months, he added.
"We know the vast majority of people are already vaccinated with at least one dose," he told media.
Dix said that excluding long-term care, and assisted-living facility workers, there are 127,448 health-care workers in B.C. who have worked at least one shift in the past three months. Of those, 122,059 are fully vaccinated, and 2,064 are partially vaccinated. That leaves 3,325 workers, or 2.6% of the workforce, unvaccinated, and now on unpaid leave, he said.
By health authority, Dix said unvaccinated staff account for:
• 587, or 2%, in Fraser Health;
• 320, or 4%, in Northern Health;
• 478, or 2%, in Vancouver Coastal Health:
• 1,018, or 5%, in Interior Health; and
• 104, or 1% in Providence Health;
• 480, or 2%, in Island Health.
That leaves 442 unvaccinated health-care workers who work in parts of the system that Dix did not identify.
The government's vaccine mandate for health-care staff has hit Interior Health the hardest, and that region has been forced so far to shut two operating rooms, Dix said.
"That will be reduced to one [operating room] next week, and we hope all will be restored in two weeks," he added.
Dix also provided an update to the province's hospital bed occupancy that corrected the province's number of surge beds.
B.C. has 9,229 base hospital beds and 2,353 surge beds, which are intended for emergency use. Last week Dix said that province had 2,553 surge beds.
Of the 11,582 total beds in B.C.'s hospital system, 9,318, or 80.4% are occupied, with that including 95.8% of base beds, and 20.3% of surge beds. This compares with an overall hospital-bed occupancy of 79.7% last week, given the corrected number of total beds.
Dix has said many times that pre-pandemic, B.C.'s hospital system was at about 103% capacity. Cancelled or postponed surgeries are accounting for the decreased occupancy, and Dix said he would provide an update on surgery postponements on Thursday.
Pockets of the province, such as in the Northern Health region, have been suffering much higher hospital occupancy levels, as that region also has higher numbers of people who have chosen not to be vaccinated. So far, there have been 92 ICU patient transfers from Northern Health to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, Dix said.
There are six new health-care facility outbreaks:
• Cascade Gardens in Burnaby;
• The Cedars in Mission;
• Hallmark on the Lake in Abbotsford;
• Brocklehurst Gemstone Care Centre in Kamloops;
• Sun Pointe Village in Kelowna; and
• Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo.
There are 39 active COVID-19 outbreaks at health-care facilities and seniors' homes across B.C. •
