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COVID-19 update for Dec. 14: 519 new cases, no deaths | Why B.C. won't roll out at-home rapid tests before January | 44 cases of Omicron confirmed in B.C.

Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.

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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for Dec. 14, 2021.

We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.

Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

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B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

As of the latest figures given on Dec. 14:

• Total number of confirmed cases: 223,661 (3,171 active)
• New cases since Dec. 13: 519
• Total deaths: 2,386 (no additional deaths)
• Hospitalized cases: 191
• Intensive care: 81
• Total vaccinations: 4,316,478 received first dose; 4,105,425 second doses; 609,466 third doses
• Recovered from acute infection: 218,001
• Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 3

IN-DEPTH: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020


B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

COVID-19: Here’s everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus

COVID-19: B.C.’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works

COVID-19: Here’s how to get your vaccination shot in B.C.

COVID-19: Look up your neighbourhood in our interactive map of case and vaccination rates in B.C.

COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated

COVID-19: Five things to know about the P1 variant spreading in B.C.

COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

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B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool


LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in B.C.

B.C. records 519 new cases in past 24 hours, administers 9 millionth vaccine dose

The number of active COVID-19 cases is back above 3,000 in B.C. after the province recorded another 519 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to the BC CDC’s COVID-19 dashboard.

There are now 3,171 active cases in B.C. That includes 191 in hospital, 81 of whom in the ICU.

Interior Health had the most new cases with 145, followed by Island Health with 123, Fraser Health with 110, Vancouver Coastal Health with 106 and Northern Health with 34.

No new deaths were recorded, however, leaving the death toll since the start of the pandemic at 2,386.

On the vaccine front, B.C. has now administered more than nine million doses, including 4,316,478 first doses, 4,105,425 second doses and 610,196 third doses.

Health officials confirm 44 cases of Omicron in B.C.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry shared the latest epidemiological modelling on Tuesday and an update on B.C. cases related to the Omicron variant.

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Officials said the Omicron variant had been detected in 44 cases across B.C. as of Dec. 12.

Of those, 24 are in the Fraser Health region, 11 are in Vancouver Coastal, five are on Vancouver Island, three in the Interior, and one in the Northern Health region.

Omicron was detected in a child as young as 5, and the oldest Omicron patient was 72, though the median age of Omicron cases is 33 years old. None are currently hospitalized.

Seven of the cases are non-vaccinated, of which two are kids under the age of 11. Twenty of the cases have recent travel histories, including trips to Nigeria, South Africa/Zimbabwe, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Germany, Portugal, and the U.S.

–Stephanie Ip

No at-home rapid tests in B.C. before January

The threat of the Omicron variant still won’t prompt B.C. to roll out free at-home rapid tests before January.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C. ordered a different type of rapid test than provinces that are distributing tests in time for the holidays.

B.C.’s at-home test delivery has been delayed, she said.

The bulk of rapid tests that B.C. already has on hand — about 1.3 million — must be administered by a medical professional using a special machine. The remainder is being distributed strategically due to limited supply.

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“Our testing strategy has been different from those used in other provinces all along,” Henry said, adding B.C. has been focused on “making sure we get the right person the right test at the right time.”

Henry made the comment as several provinces announced new restrictions to slow Omicron’s spread. Ontario is limiting visits to long-term care homes, and Quebec ordered many civil servants home, recommending employers prioritize remote work, effective immediately. Prince Edward Island, meanwhile, imposed limits on private indoor gatherings.

New modelling shows B.C. is in a more stable COVID-19 situation than provinces like Ontario and Quebec, where new daily cases are above 1,000.

The models show a steady decrease in case counts in B.C. over the last several months, decreasing hospitalizations and low death rates thanks to high vaccination rates, Henry said.

However, overall case counts have begun to level off and Henry urged vigilance, given many unknowns about the Omicron variant.

“We are on a path that has been slowly going down but now is levelling off and can become worrisome,” Henry said.

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Under worst-case scenario modelled by the government, B.C. could see more than 2,000 daily cases by the end of the month. That figure would see hospitalizations rise to the previous daily maximum last spring, threatening to overwhelm health facilities.

— The Canadian Press 

‘Be prudent’ when it comes to holiday gatherings: Dr. Henry

B.C. health officials are recommending against large holiday parties with COVID-19 cases poised to rise because of the quick-moving Omicron variant.

Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province is in different place than it was last Christmas, because of high vaccination rates, rolling booster shots and a vaccine card program.

Instead of announcing new public health orders, she encouraged people to keep holiday gatherings to close friends and family, rather than parties with strangers of unknown vaccination status.

Other measures like mask mandates, ventilation and physical distancing remain important, she added.

“We need to be thoughtful about how we approach these holidays and more than ever need to be prudent,” she said.

— The Canadian Press 

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227 B.C. chiropractors threaten to sue regulatory college if vaccines ordered

A letter from 227 B.C. chiropractors threatens to sue the 17 board members of the College of Chiropractors of B.C. if they back a provincial order for chiropractors to get COVID-19 jabs.

Chiropractors are not among the health-care workers in B.C. who fall under a vaccination order, but it is expected they will be in the future.

The 33-page “notice of liability” questions the safety and efficacy of vaccinations and warns board members face “exposure to personal legal liability” if they try to enforce a vaccine order.

“Such persons will not be able to avoid personal liability by saying they were simply following the mandates under a provincial health order,” the letter warns. “We strongly urge you to oppose such a mandate.”

The letter is from about 15 per cent of the province’s 1,389 chiropractors.

The letter alleges health orders “based upon the premise that ‘unvaccinated’ are a health hazard are without merit” and says there is no scientific data showing injections are safe or effective.

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— Susan Lazaruk

UVic men’s rugby team’s Omicron outbreak linked to national tournament

A post-tournament party at the men’s rugby university national championships last month in Ontario is being linked to a countrywide outbreak of the Omicron variant.

According to Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, several members of the University of Victoria men’s varsity rugby team are among an outbreak of COVID-19 at the university.

The rugby players were infected at the national championship at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., which ran Nov. 26-28, Henry said.

A number of cases across the country have been linked to the tournament, she said.

A spokesperson for the University of B.C. said no cases had been linked to the UBC team. The team travelled to a hotel near the Ottawa airport immediately after the game and did not stay to socialize.

— Patrick Johnston

New COVID cases increasing on Vancouver Island

New COVID-19 modelling in B.C. presented on Tuesday shows case increases on Vancouver Island, which has managed a relatively low case count for much of the pandemic.

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The new cases are driven by outbreaks at the University of Victoria and a religious gathering in the northern part of the island.

There have been 124 cases reported at the university. Most transmission occurred at off-campus parties and four Omicron cases were confirmed on the rugby team after a game at Queen’s University, Dr. Bonnie Henry said.

Island Health recorded the second-most new cases of any health region in B.C. over the past 24 hours with 123.

— The Canadian Press 

U.S. study suggests COVID-19 vaccines may be ineffective against Omicron without booster

All three U.S.-authorized COVID-19 vaccines appear to be significantly less protective against the newly-detected Omicron variant of the coronavirus in laboratory testing, but a booster dose likely restores most of the protection, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard and MIT that has not yet been peer reviewed tested blood from people who received the Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines against a pseudovirus engineered to resemble the Omicron variant.

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The researchers found “low to absent” antibody neutralization of the variant from the regular regimens of all three vaccines — two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines or one of J&J’s single-dose vaccine.

But the blood from recent recipients of an additional booster dose exhibited potent neutralization of the variant, the study found.

The scientists also suggested that Omicron is more infectious than previous variants of concern, including about twice as transmissible as the currently dominant Delta variant, which may soon be overtaken by Omicron.

The results are in line with other studies recently published. Researchers at the University of Oxford said on Monday that they found the two-dose Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine regimens do not induce enough neutralizing antibodies against the new variant.

BioNTech and Pfizer said last week that a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralize the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test, but two doses resulted in significantly lower neutralizing antibodies.

Moderna and J&J have yet to release any of their own data about how the vaccines perform against the new variant. J&J declined to comment on the new study and Moderna did not respond to request for comment.

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— Reuters

Trudeau to speak to Canada’s premiers about Omicron variant

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will speak by phone to the premiers of the country’s 10 provinces on Tuesday to discuss the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, his office said.

The call was set to take place at 3 p.m. PT, said a provincial source, who requested anonymity.

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters that Ottawa would act quickly and do what was necessary but gave no details.

Canada has already announced a ban on people who recently traveled to 10 countries in Africa.

Omicron, which health officials say is more contagious than the currently dominant Delta variant, has started spreading locally within communities in Canada since being first detected in November.

— Reuters

Canucks’ Luke Schenn, Juho Lammikko have tested positive for COVID-19

Two Vancouver Canucks players, Luke Schenn and Juho Lammikko, have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

It reduced the game-day skate Tuesday at Rogers Arena to Vasily Podkolzin taking a few twirls and defenceman Kyle Burroughs taking shots on back-up goalie Jaroslav Halak. As a precaution, the skate was quickly cancelled.

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The status of tonight’s game with the Columbus Blue Jackets was dependent on results after testing players Tuesday morning to ensure there weren’t more cases. The Blue Jackets did hold a morning skate and an abundance of caution was being displayed throughout the arena.

Canuck players were tested on Sunday in accordance with the league’s COVID-19 protocol, and the club was informed of Schenn’s positive result on Monday.

All players, coaches and training staff conducted additional COVID-19 testing on Monday and the team was informed of Lammikko’s positive result this morning.

The team’s travelling party all tested again this morning and results from today’s tests are expected to be received prior to tonight’s game.
— Ben Kuzma

B.C. marks one year of COVID-19 vaccines

B.C. is marking one year since the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in B.C.

After much anticipation, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Vancouver on Dec. 14, 2020. On Dec. 15, long-term care aide Nisha Yunus became the first person in the province to get a COVID-19 shot.

Nisha Yunus, a residential care aide at Providence Health Care, was the first person in B.C. to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2021. She shared an elbow bump with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry after the shot.
Nisha Yunus, a residential care aide at Providence Health Care, was the first person in B.C. to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2021. She shared an elbow bump with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry after the shot. Photo by JENNIFER GAUTHIER /REUTERS

Since then, more than 4.2 million British Columbians have joined Yunus in getting at least one shot of the vaccine, contributing to one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

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As of Tuesday, 88.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians 12 and older are fully vaccinated, while 91.5 per cent have at least one shot.

More than 589,000 people have received a third or a booster shot, which are being rolled out for more vulnerable people, including seniors, people with compromised immune systems, and people who live and work at long-term care facilities.

Starting January, booster shots will be available to the general population. B.C. plans to give out booster doses within six to eight months after a person’s second dose.

In a statement, Premier John Horgan thanked the health care workers who have helped people get vaccinated in one of the largest mass immunization programs in B.C. history.

“We all want to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families,” he said. “The COVID-19 vaccine is proven to be safe and effective, and is bringing us one step further in putting the pandemic behind us.”

Global hotel cancellations rise ahead of holidays due to Omicron: Trivago

Concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant and fresh travel restrictions have led to a spike in hotel booking cancellations globally, online hotel search firm Trivago said on Tuesday, threatening to upend a fragile recovery in tourism.

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Cancellation rates increased to 35% since November and holiday travel planning was down 10%, the company said, adding that most travelers were choosing domestic destinations.

The company did not say what the cancellation rates were prior to November.

The Omicron outbreak, first reported in southern Africa, has led to a flurry of new testing rules and border closings, raising concerns ahead of the important Christmas travel season.

Multiple events ranging from sports and trade shows to corporate parties have been canceled, also leading to a slowdown in hotel bookings.

— Reuters

New York feels COVID’s grip tighten anew as hospital cases surge 70%

New York’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have jumped by 70% since the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, prompting officials and businesses alike to reassess their policies in an attempt to blunt a winter virus surge and the onset of the new omicron variant.

Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said that rise in hospitalizations across the state — along with a 58% jump in cases per 100,000 people during the same period — was the impetus for a new statewide indoor mask mandate for businesses without a vaccine requirement. While cases and hospitalizations had been going up mostly in upstate New York earlier in the month, the increasing trend levels are now present across the state.

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Hochul said the omicron variant didn’t factor directly into her mask mandate decision but that it’s an area of concern. The state has identified 38 omicron cases, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the variant now makes up 3% of all sequenced cases in the U.S., up from 0.1% in early December.

“If I sound a little frustrated, perhaps I am,” Hochul said at a virus briefing on Tuesday in New York City. “Despite our desires to have this behind us, we aren’t quite there yet.”

A vaccine requirement for all private-sector employers in New York City also goes into effect on Dec. 27.

— Bloomberg

Omicron could spike infections to highest numbers B.C. has seen

COVID-19’s Omicron variant is so transmissible, by early January, it could replicate to the highest infection rates British Columbia has seen during the pandemic, according to modelling experts.

B.C. had only identified 10 Omicron cases as of Friday, but a “skyrocketing rate of increase” in Ontario, the United Kingdom, Denmark and other European countries “does not portend well,” said UBC modelling expert Sarah Otto, just as socialization-starved British Columbians contemplate holiday gatherings.

In the U.K., the country recorded its first death from the variant Monday and Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised booster vaccines to everyone over 18 by the end of December in the face of a “tidal wave of Omicron coming.”

“If I plug those numbers in for B.C., it predicts more cases than we’ve ever seen by early January and hospitalization rates a couple of weeks thereafter hitting their peak,” said Otto, a professor in zoology and member of the independent COVID modelling group.

“Everybody should be racing out to get a vaccine (and) booster dose,” Otto said. “For the province, I hope that they ramp up availability of the boosters because that’s the one thing we can do now to prevent a January surge.”

In B.C., the plan to administer booster doses started in November with more vulnerable populations, seniors in care, Indigenous people over age 18 and those who received the AstraZeneca viral-vector vaccine.

Others over age 18 aren’t due to begin receiving invitations to book booster shots until January at dates between six and eight months following their last vaccination.

Health Minister Adrian Dix didn’t answer questions about speeding up the plan Monday, but an unattributed backgrounder from his staff said public health officials are monitoring Omicron’s influence on cases and are prepared to adjust programs as needed.

Read more HERE.

— Derrick Penner

B.C. woman who says she nearly died from vaccine fights for exemption

A B.C. woman who nearly died in the hospital due to a severe reaction to her first COVID-19 vaccine shot says she has been fighting health officials for months to get an exemption from having to get further vaccinations.

Melanie Bitner, 47, who insists she is not anti-vaccine, got her first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine on April 23 and soon became extremely ill.

The Squamish marketing and communications professional says that 12 days later she was admitted to the Vancouver General Hospital intensive care unit with multiple blood clots and was “pretty much at death’s door.”

She was released from the hospital after a week but had to be readmitted when her rare condition, known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, worsened.

Bitner says she has since lost her business, six months of income, her health and is now fearful of getting a second vaccine shot.

She has been unable to get an exemption against having to be fully vaccinated, which has had a major impact on her life.

“I have fought for my physical life because of your vaccine policy and now I am fighting to have a life because of the extremely limiting vaccine passport policy,” Bitner said in a message to health authorities Thursday.

Read more HERE.

— Keith Fraser

40 per cent of Canadians know unvaccinated people, don’t discuss issue: Poll

About 40 per cent of Canadians know a family member or friend who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, and most don’t raise the issue with them, a poll carried out this month suggests.

The survey conducted by Leger and commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies suggests four in ten Canadians have a friend or family member who is not vaccinated. Seventy per cent of these don’t discuss the matter with them, with half of those saying they have given up trying to persuade them to get protective shots.

The Leger-ACS survey shows that for 35 per cent of those polled, “it is not an issue” and they don’t talk about it, adding they get along well with unvaccinated family and friends. A similar percentage have given up trying to convince people they know to get immunized.

About one in eight of of those surveyed said they argue with the unvaccinated about getting COVID-19 inoculations. Around one in ten no longer speak with unvaccinated people or avoid them, while another six per cent said they respect and support the personal choice of those who are unvaccinated.

The findings follow a poll conducted by Leger last month that suggested roughly 57 per cent of the vaccinated population would not invite an unvaccinated person into their homes.

— The Canadian Press

Tam admits Canada wasn’t ready for COVID, needs an overhaul for next pandemic

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam is admitting the public health system wasn’t prepared for COVID and is proposing a new course to ensure Canada will be ready for the next pandemic.

In a lengthy report, Tam says many of the issues are long-standing and in need of serious overhaul. She said the pandemic should serve as an alarm for what needs to be done.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has served as an important wake up call. Simply put, we were not prepared to face a public health emergency of the magnitude of COVID-19,” she said.

Tam’s report, entitled “A Vision to Transform Canada’s Public Health System,” highlights four key areas to improve, starting with the need to expand and develop a stronger workforce.

“Our public health system has been stretched dangerously thin and this is in need of critical reinforcements,” she said.

Tam calls for more recruitment of public health workers and said the workforce also needs to be more diverse so it better mirrors the communities it serves. She argues public health has to be seen as an investment in health care that can ultimately keep people out of hospitals.

Tam is also calling for a significant improvement to the way data is collected and shared across the country. She said while it has improved over the course of the pandemic, Canada’s disjointed system of data collection has made it harder for experts to determine what was really happening during COVID-19 waves.

— National Post


B.C. MAP OF WEEKLY COVID CASE COUNTS, VACCINATION RATES

Find out how your neighbourhood is doing in the battle against COVID-19 with the latest number of new cases, positivity rates, and vaccination rates:

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B.C. VACCINE TRACKER



LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

Vancouver Coastal Health – Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

HealthLink B.C. – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

B.C. Centre for Disease Control – Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

Government of Canada – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update

World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

–with files from The Canadian Press

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