Despite a record-breaking heat wave across most of the B.C. Interior, not all care homes in the region have air conditioning in their residents’ bedrooms.
While Interior Health (IH) confirmed all of its long-term care homes have AC in common areas, private rooms in some homes don’t have individual units.
And, IH said, the soaring temperatures this past week have created challenges for its older facilities in the region.
In order to keep residents safe and cool during the heat wave, IH has been using fans throughout the homes to circulate the cooler air from the air-conditioned common areas.
“We also shared information prior to the spike in temperatures with all care homes on the importance of keeping residents cool through appropriate clothing, closing blinds to keep temperatures down and opening windows during cooler parts of the day to increase airflow,” IH said in a statement to Black Press Media.
“We are also checking in with residents more frequently to make sure they are comfortable and safe.”
Throughout the City of Kelowna, there have fortunately been no heat-related deaths though the local police have responded to requests for wellness checks due to the high temperatures.
In Vancouver, 98 people have died suddenly during the heat wave, two-thirds of them being people 70 years or older. These deaths have not been confirmed as being heat-related yet, however.
The B.C. Coroners’ Service released a preliminary report showing that throughout the province, there have been 486 deaths during the heat wave.
WHITEHORSE -- Yukon's chief public health officer paused and fought back tears as he urged residents to follow COVID-19 public health orders to help fight widespread community transmission that has pushed hospitals to their limits.
Dr. Brendan Hanley said the territory has the highest active case rate in the country and has asked the federal government for help in controlling the outbreak.
On Wednesday, there were 10 new infections, for a total of 130 active cases, and one more death. Three people have died since the outbreak began. Two others died earlier in the pandemic.
"We have a whole team of heroes working in the trenches right now and I can tell you they are tired," Hanley said during a news conference.
Health Minister Tracy McPhee said seven nurses from Ontario were on the way to Yukon.
"The current wave is the biggest challenge that we have faced yet, and we need ... to come together to stop COVID-19 from spreading," McPhee said.
Just over three-quarters of adults and 62 per cent of youth in the territory have been fully vaccinated.
Some 82 per cent of those currently infected are unvaccinated and are between one and 90 years old.
"This outbreak is spreading rapidly among unvaccinated Yukoners. Unvaccinated individuals need to be extremely careful," McPhee said.
"Many people are getting infected and our capacity to handle this number of cases and this much illness is sorely stretching our ability to cope. Some people are getting very sick."
Hanley said the outbreak is being driven by the Gamma variant first identified in Brazil and is mostly affecting people between 10 and 29 years old. He has said previously that it is strongly linked to recent graduation events, parties and young adults frequenting bars and restaurants around Whitehorse.
Transmission should drop in the next couple of weeks if people stop socializing and limit gatherings to six, he added. He also said parents who are not essential workers should keep their kids home from daycare for the next two weeks. Eighteen cases have been reported at a Whitehorse daycare.
"If we pull in the reins, buckle down, we can make a huge difference in this outbreak."
Hanley said this is Yukon's first true wave of COVID-19. The territory had zero to low case counts for most of the pandemic.
Dr. Brian Conway, director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, said outbreaks like the one in Yukon will continue to happen across Canada among unvaccinated people.
"We should assume COVID will be around for years and years until it's proven otherwise," Conway said.
He also said making sure every eligible person has both doses of vaccine as quickly as possible is key to stopping the spread of variants.
"We must remind ourselves that this is not the end. There are places around the world that don't have the vaccination rates that we have and there's the risk of variants coming in through travel."
At the same time, public health measures, if followed, will likely be able to control Yukon's outbreak, Conway said.
"I wouldn't be discouraged by this outbreak. It's not something you want to see, but it's something that's going to happen."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2021.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship
As B.C. prepares to embark upon its third stage of reopening tomorrow (July 1), case counts continue to either remain level or decrease.
Meanwhile, the immunization program passed a major milestone, with over five million doses administered.
After regional health authorities had to take temporary measures for immunization and testing clinics due to the B.C. heat wave, there have been a few more announcements.
Island Health, which reported seeing patient volumes increase during the heat wave, is temporarily relocating the Comox immunization clinic at Glacier Gardens to the air-conditioned Florence Filberg Centre (411 Anderton Avenue) in Courtenay from July 1 to 5.
Fraser Health announced today that all immunization and testing clinics in its region have resumed regular operations, after a number of clinics temporarily relocated due to high temperatures during the heat wave.
Meanwhile, Vancouver Coastal Health announced that effective today, all of its clinics will accept drop-ins for first dose vaccinations.
B.C. is reporting 44 new COVID-19 cases today, which includes:
17 in Fraser Health;
14 in Interior Health;
12 in Vancouver Coastal Health;
one in Island Health
no new cases in the Northern Health region;
no one from outside of Canada.
This is the third consecutive day (and fifth day within the past two weeks) that Northern Health has reported zero new cases.
Currently, there are 816 active cases—a drop of 60 cases since yesterday.
Hospitalized cases decreased by two people to 108 individuals in hospitals, with 34 of those patients in intensive care (same number as yesterday).
For a second consecutive day, there have been no new COVID-19-related deaths, leaving the total fatalities at 1,754 people who have died during the pandemic.
With 110 recoveries since yesterday, a cumulative total of 145,032 people have now recovered.
B.C. has recorded a cumulative total of 147,621 cases during the pandemic.
In the provincial immunization program, almost 80 percent of British Columbian adults have received their first vaccine dose—78.4 percent of all adults and 77.1 percent of those 12 and above have received their first doses.
In addition, 32.8 percent of all adults in B.C. and 30.6 percent of those 12 and older have received their second dose.
A total of 5,002,916 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered in B.C., and that includes 1,421,506 second doses.
Today, Interior Health declared a healthcare outbreak in a surgical unit (Unit 6 South) at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, in which seven patients tested positive.
Meanwhile, there are seven other active healthcare outbreaks in the province—five in longterm care facilities and two in acute care facilities.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control listed one new flight on its public exposures list:
June 21: Air Canada Flight 103, Toronto to Vancouver.
Britain is starting to plan for a COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign starting later this year after top vaccine advisers said it might be necessary to give third shots to the elderly and most vulnerable from September.
The government said that a final decision on whether a vaccine booster campaign was needed had not been made, but officials had advised that preparations should begin on a precautionary basis.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that there should be a plan to offer COVID-19 booster vaccines from September, starting with people 70 years old, care home residents and those who are immunosuppressed or vulnerable.
Britain has given 85 per cent of adults a first COVID-19 shot, with more than 60 per cent receiving two doses.
The success of the vaccine rollout has seen Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledge to lift lockdown restrictions on July 19, even as cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant rise.
"We need to learn to live with this virus. Our first COVID-19 vaccination program is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster program will protect this freedom," health minister Sajid Javid said.
Data suggests that the current vaccines provide protection for at least six months, with more studies about the length of immunity and the effectiveness of booster shots expected in the coming months.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the CBC's Tom Parry about the contract on Friday in Ottawa. 2:07
"We will continue to review emerging scientific data over the next few months, including data relating to the duration of immunity from the current vaccines," said Wei Shen Lim, COVID-19 Chair for JCVI.
"Our final advice on booster vaccination may change substantially."
The JCVI also said those offered boosters should also be given flu shots, adding that over 50s and people at risk from flu would be next in line after the highest priority groups.
The benefits of booster shots for younger people, many of whom are still getting their first and second shots, would be considered at a later date, the JCVI said.
Public Health Ontario has reported 184 new COVID-19 cases in its latest report (June 30).
Today's update also includes 322 recoveries and 14 deaths.
The June 30 update provided by the province's public health agency also reported the following data:
251 COVID-positive people are currently hospitalized in Ontario, down from 257 yesterday.
There are 271 patients in intensive care units with COVID-related illness
181 people are on ventilators due to COVID-related illness
The province reported 27,258 tests were processed yesterday, resulting in a 1 per cent positivity rate.
Today's cases include 49 individuals aged 19 and under, 55 people between 20 and 39 years old, 50 people between 40 and 59 years old, 23 people between 60 and 79 years old, and 8 people aged 80 and over.
Vaccines
There were 265,231 doses of vaccines against COVID-19 administered yesterday.
14,472,741 doses of vaccine have been administered.
In total, 4,563,469 people have been fully vaccinated.
Public Health Ontario has confirmed 544,897 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and reported 533,472 recoveries and 9,168 deaths.
The cumulative average incidence rate in the province is 3,665.8 cases per 100,000 people in Ontario.
Ontario's average weekly incidence rate is 12.8 cases per 100,000 people, which is down by 18.5 per cent from the prior seven-day period.
Simcoe-Muskoka
Yesterday, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reported three new cases confirmed in the region since Friday.
There are 79 active cases in the region.
One person from Muskoka and 12 people from Simcoe County are hospitalized with COVID-related illness.
Since the start of the pandemic, the local health unit has confirmed 12,267 cases of COVID-19 with 11,517 of those cases recovered and 249 cases ending in death.
The weekly incidence rate in Simcoe-Muskoka is approximately six cases per 100,000, which is down by 29.5 per cent over last week.
Health officials and unions representing health-care workers say they will be closely watching hospital outbreaks involving the more infectious delta variant as Alberta readies to lift virtually all of its COVID-19 public health restrictions on July 1.
According to the province's most recent data, there are over 600 reported cases of the variant in the province.
The vast majority are in Calgary, where an outbreak linked to three deaths at the Foothills Hospital continues.
Four people have now also tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak at the Peter Lougheed Centre (PLC), and Alberta Health Services told CBC News on Monday that the delta variant was confirmed in one fully immunized patient.
Variant of concern test results were also pending for a second un-immunized patient.
By Tuesday, a third patient and a health-care worker — both fully vaccinated — had also tested positive for COVID-19 and were awaiting the same test results.
WATCH | How does the delta variant impact vaccine rollouts and reopening?
Two infectious diseases specialists answer questions about the delta coronavirus variant — first identified in India and also known as B.1.617 — including how it could impact vaccine rollouts and reopening plans in Canada. 5:12
Bonnie Gostola, a vice president with the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which represents about 1,600 licensed practical nurses and other staff at the PLC, said that as the provincial government prepares to open for summer, its members are exhausted and concerned.
"We have members that are starting to quit, take retirement, and get out because they're so tired," Gostola said.
"I think the hospitals are doing everything in their power to keep COVID at bay, but it is worrisome that you've seen the outbreak at foothills and now it's moved over to PLC. Where does it end?"
Small number of cases among double-dosed: Hinshaw
As new cases trend downward and vaccination numbers rise, the Alberta government plans to allow indoor and outdoor gatherings, end capacity limits and lift much of its mask mandate on Thursday.
However, the delta variant is transmissible enough to worry health-care workers in Alberta, Gostola said. The variant has triggered a caseload resurgence in other countries such as the U.K., where reopening plans were recently delayed.
"We need to shut this province down, and keep it shut down, until COVID just doesn't have anywhere else to go," Gostola said.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said during her last regular provincial update on Tuesday that variant outbreaks in hospitals are being watched closely, and it's important to put these cases into context.
Only a very small percentage of cases abroad are occurring in people who have had two doses of vaccine, and even a single dose provides high levels of protection against hospitalization, she said.
She said getting Albertans fully vaccinated as soon as possible is key.
"In our own data, although we have many fewer delta cases, we are seeing the majority of cases occurring in those who have no vaccine — and in a smaller number, those who have had a single dose," Hinshaw said.
Hinshaw said while most public health measures will be lifted by July 1, hospitals will maintain protocols such as continuous masking and enhanced infection prevention to limit transmission.
"It's some of those protective measures that we need to keep in place … while we learn what happens as we move into Stage 3."
Ontario is reporting 184 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths on Wednesday.
It is the smallest daily increase of new infections since Sept. 10.
The province is reporting a test positivity rate of 1.0 per cent, down from 1.2 per cent one week ago. It is the lowest positivity rate since Sept. 25.
There were 27,258 tests completed in the last 24-hour period.
Locally, there are 46 new cases in the Region of Waterloo, 19 in Grey Bruce, 17 in Toronto, 17 in Hamilton and 16 in Peel Region.
A surge in Delta variant cases has delayed the Region of Waterloo from moving into Step 2 of economic reopening with the rest of the province.
There were another 322 resolved cases, dropping the active case count once again. Resolved cases have outnumbered new infections each day since mid-April.
The rolling seven-day average of new cases is down to 268, the lowest it has been since Sept. 17.
The province reported 299 cases and 25 deaths on Tuesday. The province said due to a data catch-up, 90 cases and 19 deaths were from previous months.
There are now 271 people in the ICU with COVID-19 complications and 181 ICU patients on a ventilator. The number of ICU patients has dropped to the lowest point since December.
There were 268,397 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the last 24-hour period, eclipsing the record of more than 265,000 set one day ago.
As of 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, 14,741,138 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, 76.8 per cent of Ontario residents 12 and older have received at least one dose while 37.2 per cent are now fully vaccinated.
Most of the province entered Step 2 of the three-step economic reopening plan – two days earlier than originally scheduled.
The move to Step 2 means barbers, salons and personal care services will be allowed to resume – capacity limits for retail stores and patios will also expand.
Outdoor gathering capacity will increase to 25 people, while indoor gatherings of up to five people are now allowed.
Dr. Kieran Moore held his first official news conference as the province’s top doctor on Tuesday afternoon and said he thinks a 21 day interval between Step 2 and 3 is prudent.
“We need that 21 days to understand the impact of opening on our communities,” said Moore.
Provincial vaccination rates now exceed the rates outlined by the Ford government in the ‘Roadmap to Reopening’ where 70 to 80 per cent of Ontario adults need a first dose and 25 per cent need to be fully vaccinated.
Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care announced that restrictions at long-term care homes in the province will be eased next week.
As of July 7, long-term care residents will be allowed to have 10 visitors outdoors and will also be allowed to have up to two caregivers and two general visitors indoors at the same time.
The limit on the number of people designated as caregivers has been removed.
Fully immunized visitors will be able to have close physical contact while those who are not must social distance, apart from a brief contact. All visitors will still be required to wear masks.
More than 500 people have died in Ontario hospital COVID-19 outbreaks. For some families, a lack of information adds to the grief - The New Hamburg Independent Read More
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, urged Albertans to continue getting vaccinated, practice basic hygiene, be mindful of their symptoms and make “safe choices” while speaking at her final regularly scheduled COVID-19 update.
But while COVID-19 is still a health crisis, Hinshaw said there is plenty cause for optimism. As of Tuesday, hospitalizations and the positivity rate are the lowest they’ve been since last summer and early fall. There are five active cases in all of Alberta’s continuing care facilities. Alberta’s active cases are poised to fall below 500 “in a few short weeks.”
For the first time since November, there are no outbreaks or alerts at any schools in Fort McMurray. The schools in the rural communities have never had an outbreak or alert reported. Every public and Catholic school in Fort McMurray has had a COVID-19 outbreak declared at least once since the pandemic began in March 2020.
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“COVID-19 is not going away completely. It remains a potentially serious illness that we must keep respecting. As we move into Stage 3, we will continue to offer testing to everyone with symptoms as we monitor the impact of changes,” said Hinshaw, noting this was her 245th press conference on COVID-19.
“The worst (of the pandemic) has ended. We’re still in a transition period and so I think the best thing we can do… is to support each other as we move through that space at our own pace.”
After July 1, life will return to normal for most people as the province-wide mask order and restrictions on gatherings end.
Masks will still be required at continuing care centres, hospitals, on public transit, in taxis and ride shares. People with COVID-19 must still quarantine. Alberta Health Services will continue investigating and contact tracing new COVID-19 cases and screening for variants.
“This pandemic has tested us and at times it has polarized us. It has challenged all of us in ways that we never could have expected,” said Hinshaw.
“It has also made clear one indisputable fact: we are stronger and safer together. We are a province of people who protect each other, who support each other and who rely on each other in a million different ways, big and small,” she said.
“Please keep supporting each other in the days ahead. That means getting vaccinated as soon as you can, helping to combat vaccine misinformation whenever you see it. It also means making safe choices as we enter Stage 3, not because there is an order directing it, but because it is the right thing to do.”
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An update on Fort McMurray Today’s COVID-19 coverage
Moving forward, Fort McMurray Today is no longer posting daily COVID-19 updates.
Instead, we will report significant benchmarks in the fight against COVID-19, such as vaccination milestones. We will also report any surges in new cases and updates on outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths.
We will also continue covering the economic, labour, political, emotional and mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
231,911 people have had COVID-19: 1,132 active cases, 2,299 deaths, 228,480 recoveries.
61 new cases in past 24 hours.
Four new deaths.
170 people in hospital, including 36 people in ICUs.
3,453 people tested in past 24 hours.
4,266,408 vaccine doses administered: 72.7 per cent of eligible Albertans have at least one dose, 40.7 per cent of eligible Albertans fully immunized.
Alberta’s earliest known COVID-19 case was detected in a blood sample collected on Feb. 24. The first case was announced on March 5.
COVID-19 in Fort McMurray:
36 active cases (five new cases). First case was reported in the city on March 19. Cases are based on residency and do not include the commuter workforce.
6,633 recoveries (one new recovery).
16 residents have died from COVID-19 in Fort McMurray. The most recent death was reported June 18. The region’s first death was reported Sept. 8, 2020.
No active cases. Cases are based on residency and do not include the commuter workforce.
325 recoveries.
One resident has died from COVID-19 in the region’s rural areas. The most recent death was reported on June 20. Indigenous communities in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo area have reported some elders have died while living in other communities.
In what is perhaps the greatest sign that the pandemic is nearly behind B.C., it was announced Tuesday that regular COVID-19 briefings are being discontinued.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said starting next week, the provincial government will “have new ways to distribute, in a timely way to media, appropriate information about COVID-19.”
The briefings, delivered multiple times a week for the past 18 months, have turned provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry into a household name.
“We’ve been briefing here mostly in Victoria and around B.C. since January 2020 on the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dix said, noting that he and Henry will still be "around" to answer questions.
“The person people have listened to, in what have been really difficult times, has been Dr. Henry, who works every day, and who has I’ve said before expresses compassion at this podium and in everything she does.”
Dix went on to heap praise upon Henry and the entire public health team for their handling of the pandemic.
The province announced Tuesday that it would be lifting many COVID-19 restrictions as it moves to Stage 3 on July 1.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit has issued a one-day heat alert as the region continues to grapple with significant heat and humidity that’s expected to continue into the evening hours.
In a statement, the health unit said Environment Canada’s forecast for the London-Middlesex area met its threshold for issuing a heat alert, which will remain in effect until Wednesday. Heat warnings from Environment Canada also remain in effect for the region.
The national weather agency’s late-morning forecast called for an afternoon high Tuesday of 30 C, feeling more like 40 with the humidity — a high that was surpassed around 1 p.m. when the mercury reached 31 C at the airport, feeling like 43.
The overnight hours won’t bring much relief from the heat, with the low dipping down only to 21 C, the forecast says.
“The high heat and humidity expected throughout the day is a good reminder to dress in light clothing, take breaks from working outside and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated,” the health unit said in a statement.
Health officials also advise wearing sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats outdoors, avoiding intense or moderately intense physical activity, and keeping shades drawn.
More information about how to beat the heat and avoid heat-related illness can be found on the health unit’s website. Information on city cooling centres can be found here.
Things will cool off slightly on Wednesday, according to Environment Canada, which forecasts cloudy skies, a 40 per cent chance of showers, a risk of thunderstorm and a high of 27 C, feeling like 34.
Thursday is expected to be cooler still, with showers and a high of 24 C, the forecast says.
Meanwhile, as southern Ontario swelters, residents in Western Canada are hoping for an end to a record-breaking heat wave that shattered 103 heat records across B.C., Alberta, Yukon and N.W.T. on Monday.
Those records include a new Canadian all-time high temperature of 47.9 C set in Lytton, B.C., smashing the previous record of 46.6 set in the village a day earlier.
It was 38.1 C in the Nahanni Bute region of N.W.T., the highest temperature ever recorded in the territory.
Forecasters warn the extreme conditions will persist across the Prairies at least through this week and possibly into next.
Canada’s chief public health officer says without vaccines the third wave of COVID-19 in Canada would have been much deadlier.
Dr. Theresa Tam said Tuesday as vaccines began to roll out she was in awe of how well they began to ease the impact the pandemic was having on Canada’s elderly.
“We saw the numbers of cases, but also the serious outcomes declined very quickly in those populations,” said Tam.
A Canadian Press analysis of epidemiology data posted online by Health Canada shows in January, when the second wave of COVID-19 peaked, more than 4,000 Canadians over the age of 80 died from it.
In April, when the third wave peaked and most Canadians over 80 had at least one dose of vaccine, the number of deaths in that age group fell below 500.
The number of cases confirmed in people over 80 averaged more than 470 a day in January, and 122 in April.
While Canada’s slower than hoped vaccine rollout rankled throughout the winter, the emphasis was on getting vaccinations first to the people most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Less than one-tenth of Canadians over 80 had their first dose of vaccine by the end of January, but by the end of April almost 90 per cent had at least one dose and more than 15 per cent were fully vaccinated. In long-term care homes, where many of the worst outbreaks occurred, full vaccinations were largely completed by April.
That helped limit the outbreaks of COVID-19 in long-term care this spring.
As of June 19, only six per cent of people over 80 were not even partially vaccinated, and two-thirds are fully vaccinated.
“If you imagine this third wave without the vaccine, the mortality impact would have been much higher,” said Tam.
The death toll in the second wave averaged more than 150 deaths a day for part of January. In the third wave, the highest average death count was about one-third of that.
The lack of vaccinations among kids may also now be playing out in the spread of COVID-19.
Children and teenagers now account for the largest share of Canada’s total COVID-19 cases for the first time. Canadians in their 20s have accounted for the largest share of cases since last summer, but as of June 25, people under 19 now account for 19.3 per cent of the 1.4 million cases confirmed in Canada, slightly ahead of the 19.16 per cent for 20 to 29 year olds.
More than 60 per cent of teenagers now have at least one dose of vaccine, but children under 12 aren’t eligible for vaccinations yet. That fact, combined with the more transmissible Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, is a conundrum for health policy-makers and politicians deciding what advice to give fully vaccinated adults.
New federal guidance issued by Tam’s office Friday suggests fully vaccinated people can take off their masks and socialize in close quarters with other people who are fully vaccinated. But families whose kids can’t be vaccinated were left wondering what that meant for them.
“More and more of us are asking when can we hug our loved ones, in particular grandparents, aunts and uncles are looking for advice for when they can share hugs with the kids in their lives,” Tam said.
“The answer is because children under 12 are not eligible for vaccinations yet, there is still a risk they can get infected with COVID-19 and pass the virus on to others. However, if you and everyone else around them are fully vaccinated, the risk is lower.”
Tam was less clear about what the new variants mean for lifting public masking requirements. Alberta intends to cancel its provincewide mask mandate on Canada Day. Saskatchewan will follow on July 11.
The World Health Organization said Friday fully vaccinated people should continue to wear masks in public because the vaccines aren’t preventing infections entirely.
Tam said the Delta variant will mean more people need to get fully vaccinated to prevent a punishing fourth wave this fall. Federal modelling released Friday incorporate the data on Delta for the first time, including that it is 1.5 times as infectious as the Alpha variant now dominant in Canada, and twice as virulent.
But Tam said if 80 per cent of Canadians between 12 and 54 are fully vaccinated by the fall, it should prevent another surge in hospitalizations.
Nationally, COVID-19 hospitalizations are at an eight-month low, with about 900 people currently in hospital. The number of people in intensive care is below 500 for the first time since November.
As the B.C. government prepares to move to step three of its COVID-19 public health rules this week, vaccinated people will have more options for going without face masks this summer.
Barriers and infection procedures for retail stores and other workplaces will stay in place as businesses make a transition from pandemic rules to a more general cleaning and employee health plan for communicable diseases, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says.
“We are at the point where I believe it is important that we take away orders as soon as we can and that we take what we call the least restrictive means,” Henry said June 28, as the province prepares to move to step three of its reopening plan starting July 1. “So we will be moving to guidance again around where it is important, where are the conditions that it is important for people to continue to wear a mask, to have all of those layers of protection, and where, if you are immunized, you may not need to rely on that last layer of protection any more.”
Pandemic protection measures all but eliminated the 2020-21 seasonal influenza that typically circulates in the fall and winter, and WorkSafeBC has a new mandate to adapt its cleaning, hand-washing and other infection control measures to consider all communicable diseases by the fall.
“We’re not expecting employers to immediately, on the 1st of July, take away all the precautions and safeguards that they were employing for the last 15 months, but to work with their workers to transition away from those,” WorkSafeBC head of prevention services Al Johnson told The Canadian Press June 28.
Henry said easing mask rules is an incentive for people to carry on and get two doses of vaccine, as businesses prepare for a transition with employees who have a right to refuse unsafe work.
“There are some workplaces we’ve identified that are higher risk for transmission of infections, and that was really exposed during this pandemic where it is important that people have the agency to stay home if they’re sick,” Henry said. “Part of that is having paid sick leave.
“We also know that barriers can be very helpful in some situations, and some of them will remain. Certainly in some workplaces, barriers will be in place for the next few weeks because we aren’t at the place where transmission is low enough and second doses are high enough.”
BC health officials announced on Tuesday that the province is officially entering Step 3 of its COVID-19 restart plan beginning Thursday, July 1.
The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon at a joint press conference with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.
See also:
Premier John Horgan and Minister of Jobs Ravi Kahlon also attended the conference and spoke to various elements of the restart plan.
The four steps in BC’s restart plan. (BC Gov)
As part of Step 3, one of the biggest changes includes updated mask guidance. The Face Coverings Order under BC’s Emergency Program Act will be lifted, meaning that mask usage will no longer be mandatory while indoors.
Mask wearing, however, will be recommended in all indoor public spaces for those above the age of 12 who are not yet fully vaccinated.
Additionally, personal gatherings will be expanding in capacity, in an effort to “return to normal.”
Indoor organized gatherings will be permitted for up to 50 people or up to 50% capacity of the venue, whichever is larger. The maximum capacity for outdoor gatherings will be increased to 5,000 or up to 50% of capacity, again, whichever is greater.
This means that events such as indoor weddings, ceremonies, and events may resume, as well as fairs, festivals, and trade shoes — although they will need a Communicable Disease Plan.
Another major change includes the reopening of nightclubs and casinos. Nightclubs will have some restrictions in place, such as a maximum of 10 people seated at tables, as well as no socializing between tables and no dancing.
Casinos may also reopen with reduced capacity and only 50% of gaming stations open and in operation.
Restrictions on dining and liquor service in restaurants, bars, and pubs are also being eased. Liquor service will return to normal hours and group limits can be removed for both indoor and outdoor dining, although no socializing will be permitted between tables.
British Columbia says that it will also return to allowing recreational travel from across the country, provided that they have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As the B.C. government prepares to move to step three of its COVID-19 public health rules this week, vaccinated people will have more options for going without face masks this summer.
Barriers and infection procedures for retail stores and other workplaces will stay in place as businesses make a transition from pandemic rules to a more general cleaning and employee health plan for communicable diseases, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says.
“We are at the point where I believe it is important that we take away orders as soon as we can and that we take what we call the least restrictive means,” Henry said June 28, as the province prepares to move to step three of its reopening plan starting July 1. “So we will be moving to guidance again around where it is important, where are the conditions that it is important for people to continue to wear a mask, to have all of those layers of protection, and where, if you are immunized, you may not need to rely on that last layer of protection any more.”
Pandemic protection measures all but eliminated the 2020-21 seasonal influenza that typically circulates in the fall and winter, and WorkSafeBC has a new mandate to adapt its cleaning, hand-washing and other infection control measures to consider all communicable diseases by the fall.
“We’re not expecting employers to immediately, on the 1st of July, take away all the precautions and safeguards that they were employing for the last 15 months, but to work with their workers to transition away from those,” WorkSafeBC head of prevention services Al Johnson told The Canadian Press June 28.
Henry said easing mask rules is an incentive for people to carry on and get two doses of vaccine, as businesses prepare for a transition with employees who have a right to refuse unsafe work.
“There are some workplaces we’ve identified that are higher risk for transmission of infections, and that was really exposed during this pandemic where it is important that people have the agency to stay home if they’re sick,” Henry said. “Part of that is having paid sick leave.
We also know that barriers can be very helpful in some situations, and some of them will remain. Certainly in some workplaces, barriers will be in place for the next few weeks because we aren’t at the place where transmission is low enough and second doses are high enough.”
The health unit says the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), which was first identified in the U.K., has accounted for nearly all of them — 3,353 cases.
The Gamma variant (P.1), which was first identified in Brazil, accounts for 95 cases. One case has also been confirmed to involve the Zeta, or P.2, variant — another lineage first identified in Brazil in October 2020.
Twenty cases have been confirmed to involve the B.1.617 variant, first identified in India. Nineteen are listed as being the Delta sub-lineage (B.1.617.2) and one the Kappa sub-lineage (B.1.617.1).
COVID-19: Push to increase vaccinations in Greater Toronto Area
COVID-19: Push to increase vaccinations in Greater Toronto Area
Hospitalizations
At least nine COVID-19 patients are in the care of London Health Sciences Centre as of Tuesday, a decrease of one from Monday, with fewer than five people in the intensive care unit.
No patients in acute care and fewer than five in the ICU are from outside of the region, the organization says. LHSC only provides specific numbers when there are more than five to protect the privacy of patients.
Fewer than five staff members at LHSC were positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.
Institutional outbreaks
LHSC is reporting that an outbreak at University Hospital, declared June 13, in 8TU Transplant Unit has resolved, though health unit data has yet to reflect that.
The outbreak was believed to be linked to the Gamma variant, though full sequencing is still in process, LHSC says.
The outbreak was linked to fewer than five patients and fewer than five staff cases.
COVID-19: Ontario businesses prepare for reopening, but need funding
COVID-19: Ontario businesses prepare for reopening, but need funding
Vaccinations and testing
As of Monday, eligibility for shortened second-dose intervals is now available to everyone 12 and older, provided that appointments are booked at least 28 days after the first dose was administered.
One-day pop-up community clinics continue this week at select schools in the city and county. Locations, dates and times can be found on the Global News website.
As of June 26, the most recent data available, the MLHU reports 75.3 per cent of residents age 12 and older have received one dose, while 23.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Ontario is reporting 299 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, however, officials said that due to a data review and cleanup, the numbers include 90 cases from 2020 that have been included in Toronto’s case count. The provincial case total now stands at 544,713.
According to Tuesday’s report, 130 cases were recorded in Toronto, 69 in Waterloo Region and 20 in Peel Region.
All other local public health units reported fewer than 15 new cases in the provincial report.
The death toll in the province has risen to 9,154 as 25 more deaths were recorded, 19 of which were from previous months and included as a result of the data cleanup.
Southwestern Public Health’s case tally actually decreased by four on Tuesday, as five previous cases were reassigned to other jurisdictions and one new case was added.
The total case count for the region now stands at 3,878, down from 3,882 as of Monday.
Of those, 3,780 have resolved, an increase of five from Monday.
The total number of deaths remains unchanged at 83.
At least 15 cases are active, with five each in St. Thomas and Woodstock. Per-municipality case counts can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.
Three people are currently hospitalized, an increase of one from Monday. One person remains in the ICU, unchanged from the day before.
The number of variant cases in the region increased by three to 810. The vast majority, at least 748, involve the Alpha variant.
There are no active outbreaks reported in the region.
All individuals age 12 and older are eligible to re-book their second appointment through the online booking portal or by phone at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9, provided that second-dose appointments are booked at least 28 days after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine was administered.
One person was in hospital with COVID-19 as of Monday, according to HPPH.
The total number of variant cases and cases that have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant is now 311, an increase of five from Friday.
Health unit data shows more than 92,906 Huron-Perth residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or 72.7 per cent. HPPH says 34,199 residents are fully vaccinated, or 26.8 per cent.
Will you have to disclose your COVID-19 vaccine status?
Will you have to disclose your COVID-19 vaccine status?
As of noon on Monday, June 28, anyone age 18 or older is now eligible to re-book their second appointment, provided that second-dose appointments are booked at least 28 days after the first dose of Moderna or Pfizer or eight weeks after a first dose of AstraZeneca.
There are no active outbreaks reported in the region.
The region’s test positivity rate fell to 1.0 per cent for the week of June 13, down from 1.2 per cent the week of June 6.
Calls for more Alberta youth-focused COVID immunization clinics as rates plateau
Calls for more Alberta youth-focused COVID immunization clinics as rates plateau
Sarnia and Lambton
On Tuesday, Lambton Public Health reported one new COVID-19 case and three recoveries.
The region’s total case count stands at 3,600 with 38 active cases, 3,500 recoveries and 62 deaths.
According to Bluewater Health, two patients in their care are confirmed to have COVID-19 as of Tuesday, a decrease of one.
The region’s variant case tally climbed one from Monday to 642 on Tuesday.
An outbreak declared June 25 at Afton Park Place, a long-term care home, continues. It involves fewer than five cases among residents and fewer than five cases among staff or caregivers.
Second-dose re-bookings are available in the region for any adults 18 or older who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days ago.
Residents can re-book using the health unit’s registration page. People can also call the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222, however, call volume is expected to be very high.
Some pharmacies are also continuing to offer Pfizer or Moderna shots.
Lambton Public Health says 72.5 per cent of adults have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 36.1 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.
The region’s test positivity rate is 1.8 per cent for the week of June 13, the latest available data.
—With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues, Kelly Wang and Matthew Trevithick.
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