COVID-19 in B.C.: LNG and Big White outbreaks, vaccines and immunocompromised people, and more

Nevertheless once more, the new circumstance depend and quantity of deaths stay at large concentrations, as has been observed for most of this 7 days. 

You can find information and updates on quite a few outbreaks, together with at a Trans Canada pipeline worksite, a ski vacation resort in Kelowna, and foods-processing vegetation in the Decreased Mainland. 

In addition, small-depth bodily activity in groups—such as classes for yoga, pilates, and tai chi—can start off once more indoors beneath revised community well being rules. 

Henry said she has received lots of issues about why people who have compromised immune methods ought to stay clear of getting the vaccine at this point.

She explained that those people who have an fundamental well being problems or are on medications have a decreased immune-technique reaction to viruses and they may possibly also not answer as perfectly to selected vaccines. 

“This would use to people who have had an organ transplant, for case in point,” she said, “have serious liver or kidney disease, a person receiving chemotherapy, or selected immuno-suppressive therapies.”

For those people who are unsure if this applies to them, Henry said the best detail to do is to check with your healthcare provider.

She explained that the clincial trials for the vaccine excluded people who were being immunocompromised and only integrated well being populations. Thus, there isn’t any information nevertheless about how these vaccines will have an effect on people with compromised immune methods.

In recent months, some church buildings in the Fraser Valley and Okanagan have defied community well being orders prohibiting gatherings and held spiritual products and services, which resulted in some receiving fines.  

In addition, some churchgoers are setting up to take authorized action against provincial well being orders, arguing that the orders violate their correct to flexibility of faith. 

When Henry was requested about why dining places are permitted to function but church buildings are not permitted to hold spiritual products and services with basic safety steps in put, she said that “church products and services are fundamentally unique than a retail transaction or a transaction with a family members or a little group in a cafe where by you’re walled-off from others”.

She said that they have observed that even when basic safety protocols have been in put, transmission was however taking place at spiritual products and services, which designed them large-chance situations.

“This has nothing at all to do with getting absent peoples’ rights to spiritual flexibility at all,” she said.

She added that spiritual and non secular leaders throughout B.C. have instructed them that they are however practising their religion even with remaining aside.

Henry introduced there are 673 new situations (together with 6 epi-joined situations) in B.C. nowadays, which consists of:

• 403 new situations in Fraser Well being
• one hundred forty five in Vancouver Coastal Well being
• 66 in Inside Well being
• forty seven in Northern Well being
• four in Island Well being
• eight people from outside Canada.

When Henry was requested about the eight situations from outside Canada, she said that these were being people right here for operate, these types of as short term farm workers or connected to the Major White outbreak (additional specifics down below).

Currently, there are 10,009 lively situations, which an raise of 59 people considering that yesterday.

With four significantly less people hospitalized considering that yesterday, there are now 358 situations in hospital, with ninety three of those people clients in intense care units (two additional considering that yesterday).

Community well being is checking 10,388 people, which is 150 additional people considering that yesterday.

A cumulative complete of 32,963 people have now recovered, which is 587 people considering that yesterday.

Tragically, the demise toll has remained large this 7 days. Currently, there have been 21 new deaths, which delivers the complete fatalities to 713 people who have died of COVID-19-connected good reasons in the course of the pandemic.

Henry said the vast majority of deaths concerned seniors in longterm care but did not offer unique numbers.

Dix said that 10 deaths were being in Vancouver Coastal Well being, 10 in Fraser Well being, and one in Island Well being.

B.C.’s cumulative complete is now at forty four,776 situations in the course of the pandemic, which consists of:

• 28,481 situations in Fraser Well being
• 10,863 in Vancouver Coastal Well being
• three,064 in Inside Well being
• 1,462 in Northern Well being
• 803 in Island Well being
• 103 people from outside Canada.

Over the previous working day, an additional 806 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were supplied to healthcare workers. Henry said that as of nowadays, a complete of 1,215 healthcare workers have now been vaccinated.

Major White Ski Vacation resort

Luckily, there aren’t any new healthcare outbreaks.

Having said that, there stay sixty one lively outbreaks, involving fifty five longterm care amenities and 6 acute care units, and two,109 situations (1,374 residents and 735 staff members).

Island Well being provided an update that one additional staff members member has examined good connected to the outbreak declared on December 1 at Saanich Peninsula Hospital in Saanichton on Vancouver Island. There are now 10 staff members members and 10 clients who have examined good in this outbreak.

Currently, Northern Well being declared a local community outbreak at the LNG Canada Undertaking web site in Kitimat. Northern Well being mentioned that as of nowadays, fif
teen out of forty Diversified Transportation personnel working at the web site have examined good.

Northern Well being mentioned that this outbreak is unrelated to the prior outbreak declared on November 19 and which has not had any connected situations considering that December two.

Soon after today’s in-human being briefing, Fraser Well being introduced that an outbreak has been declared at the Rossdown Natural Food items poultry-processing facility in Abbotsford. Yesterday, an outbreak was declared at the Wingtat Match Bird Packers poultry-processing plant in Surrey. For additional specifics on the two outbreaks, see this report.

Meanwhile, soon after Inside Well being introduced a local community cluster was determined at Major White Ski Vacation resort close to Kelowna, involving at the very least 60 situations as of December fifteen, Major White verified to CBC News on December 16 that it has fired an unspecified quantity of personnel for breaking a social deal to report any symptoms to supervisors and to signal a well being declaration at the starting of just about every shift.

The people today who examined good are reportedly generally in their 20s and 30s and Inside Well being had mentioned that lots of situations were being joined to shared lodging, homes with massive numbers of people, and social gatherings.

Major White Ski Vacation resort mentioned in a information launch on December 16 that it is in the course of action of finding safe housing for people today affected by the cluster. Major White Ski Vacation resort mentioned that it employs 636 personnel, or fifty five percent of the complete workforce on the mountain, and manages accommodation for 152 personnel, or 24 percent of that workforce.

In other information, Burnaby RCMP hearth investigators confirmed today that the hearth at Burnaby Hospital on November fifteen was an act of arson. As the hearth compounded an outbreak at the hospital, up to about 100 situations were being verified soon after the hearth, and 5 people died. Investigators are in search of witnesses. For additional specifics, see this report.

Currently, none of the 5 regional well being authorities added any new community publicity functions.

Sobeys had four stores with 5 staff members members who examined good.

Thrifty Food items at 50–2720 Mill Bay Highway in Mill Bay had two personnel, who very last labored on December four and 6, check good.

Another locale was a FreshCo shop, situated at 6140 Blundell Highway in Richmond, where by an staff who examined good very last labored on December 10.

The other two locations were being Safeway stores:

• an staff who very last labored on December 10 at the 3410 Kingsway Street locale in Vancouver
• one staff who very last labored on December eleven at the 697 Bernard Avenue locale in Kelowna.

Meanwhile, Loblaw mentioned that one staff who examined good very last labored on December twelve at the Real Canadian Superstore (19800 Lougheed Highway) in Pitt Meadows.

The B.C. Centre for Sickness Manage (BCCDC) added 5 flights verified with COVID-19 to its lists:

• December 6: Air Canada forty five, Delhi to Vancouver
• December 6: Air Canada 212, Vancouver to Calgary
• December 6: Pacific Coastal Airways 108, Vancouver to Victoria
• December 6: Pacific Coastal Airways 457, Vancouver to Trail
• December eleven: WestJet 3241, Calgary to Kamloops.

Influenced row information is out there at the BCCDC web page.

For the 1st time in quite a few times, the quantity of universities with new exposures was notably lower. 4 regional well being authorities had a complete of 23 universities with new exposures.

Island Well being the moment once more didn’t have any universities with new publicity dates.

Northern Well being had two universities In Prince George with new exposures:

• Shas Ti Kelly Highway Secondary (7405 Kelly Highway South) had an publicity event from December 7 to eleven
• St. Mary’s Catholic College (1088 Gillett Street)—which previously had exposures from December 1 to two and from December three to 4—added December 7 to 10.

Inside Well being had two universities in Kelowna with new publicity dates:

• Canyon Falls Middle College (1211 Frost Highway)—which had previous exposures from November 18 to 19 from November 26 to 27 and from December two to 4—added December 7 to eleven
• Bankhead Elementary College (1280 Wilson Avenue), which previously had an publicity on November 26, added November thirty.

Vancouver Coastal Well being had one university in Vancouver with a new publicity: Sir Sandford Fleming Elementary (6363 Lanark Street)—which had prior exposures from December 7 to 8 and December 9—added December eleven.

Fraser Well being had 18 universities with new publicity dates.

In Abbotsford, two universities had new dates:

• McMillan Elementary (34830 Oakhill Travel) had exposures from December 7 to 8
• Sandy Hill Elementary (3836 Outdated Clayburn Highway) had exposures from December nine to 10.

In Burnaby, Edmonds Community Elementary (7651 18th Avenue)—which previously had exposures on November 26, 27, and thirty and on December 7—added December 10 and eleven.

Two universities in Coquitlam had new dates:

• Harbour Look at Elementary (960 Lillian Street)—which previously had exposures on October 16 and 20 and from N
  ovember nine to 10—added December 7 to eleven
• Miller Park Elementary (800 Egmont Avenue)—which previously had an publicity event from September thirty to October two and on December 7—added December nine to eleven.

In Chilliwack, G.W. Graham Secondary (45955 Thomas Highway)—which previously had exposures on October 23 and from October 26 to 29 from November 16 to 18 on November thirteen and 23 and from November thirty to December two and from December three to 4—added December eleven.

In Delta, Annieville Elementary (9240 112nd Street)—which previously had exposures from November thirty to December 1 and on December 2—added December nine and 10.

4 universities in Langley had new dates:

• Betty Gilbert Middle College (26845 27 Avenue) in Aldergrove had exposures from December 7 to 8 and 10 to eleven
• Brookswood Secondary (20902 37a Avenue)—which previously had exposures on October five, thirteen, fifteen, and 16 and on November 10, twelve, and 13—added December eleven
• Langley Meadows Community College (2244 Willoughby Way) had an publicity on December eleven
• Richard Bulpitt Elementary (20965 77A Avenue), which previously had an publicity on November 16, had a new publicity event from December 7 to nine.

In Maple Ridge, Thomas Haney Secondary (23000 116 Avenue), which had previous exposure incidents on October 26 and on November 17, added December nine to eleven.

6 universities in Surrey (the smallest quantity in recent times) had new dates:

• Boundary Park Elementary (12332 Boundary Travel North)—which previously had publicity incidents from September fourteen to 15 from November 23 to 25—added December 7 to eleven
• Frank Harm Secondary (13940 77th Avenue) in Surrey—which previously had exposures from October 1 to two from October five to nine from October thirteen to 16 on October 19, 21, 22, and 30 from November two to three on November four, five, 10, and 12 from November 16 to 17 and on November 19 from November 23 to 24 and from November twenty five to 27—added December 7
• Lena Shaw Elementary School (14250 100a Avenue)—which previously had exposures from October five to 9 from October 28 to thirty and from November 17 to 19—added December 10 and eleven
• Queen Elizabeth Secondary School (9457 King George Boulevard)—which previously had exposures on September 14 from October fourteen to 16 from October 19, 21, and 22 from October 29 to thirty from November three to 5 on November 6, nine, 10 on November twelve, thirteen, and 16 from November 18 to 20 from November 23 to 27 on November thirty from December three to four and from December 7 to 10—added December eleven
• Khalsa College Newton (6933 124th Street)—which previously had exposure functions from September 22 to 25 from October 20 to 22 from October 28 to thirty from November 16 to 17 from November 18 to 20 from November 23 to 24 on November 26, 27, and 30 from December 1 to two and on December 4—added December eleven
• Southridge College (2656 a hundred and sixtieth Street)—which previously had exposure functions from September 28 to October 1 and on October 2 from November 16 to 17 and from December 7 and 8 to its publicity dates—added December fourteen.

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