Here's your weekly update with everything you need to know on the COVID situation in B.C. and around the world.
Here’s your update with everything you need to know about the COVID situation in B.C. and around the world for the week of Dec. 8-14. This page will be updated with the latest COVID news and related research developments daily throughout the week, so be sure to check back often.
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Here are the latest weekly B.C. figures given on Dec. 8:
• Hospitalized cases: 359 (down 10)
• Intensive care: 34 (down four)
• New cases: 539 over seven days ending Dec. 3 (down 65)
• Total number of confirmed cases: 390,626
• Total deaths over seven days ending Dec. 3: 17 (total 4,715)
Read the full report here | Next update: Dec. 15
LATEST NEWS
B.C. to release latest COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths today
The BC CDC will release its weekly look at the COVID-19 situation in B.C., with the latest hospitalization count, ICU numbers, deaths and new cases. The report is released around 1 p.m. every Thursday. Watch this space for updates.
China on Wednesday announced the most sweeping changes to its resolute anti-COVID regime since the pandemic began three years ago, loosening rules that curbed the spread of the virus but sparked protests and hobbled the world’s second-largest economy.
The relaxation of rules, which includes allowing infected people with mild symptoms to quarantine at home and dropping testing for people traveling domestically, is the clearest sign yet Beijing is pivoting away from its zero-COVID policy to let people live with the disease.
But health officials are still warning that they will closely watch trends in deaths and adequacy of medical resources in case a return to tougher measures is needed.
Many of the changes announced by the National Health Commission reflected steps already taken in various cities and regions in recent days, following protests against COVID controls that were the biggest demonstration of public discontent since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.
Read the full story here.
— Reuters
For much of the world, 2022 marked the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The shift was palpable after several failed reopening attempts in many countries. The arrival of the Omicron variant in late 2021, with its ability to re-infect people and the record spike in COVID cases that followed, initially stoked scientists’ worst fears and confounded predictions for a return to normalcy.
Yet in the ensuing months, a more stable scenario played out. Emerging variations of the coronavirus so far remain closely related to Omicron, without radically altering its impact. Vaccination is largely protective against severe disease and death for many people, and a new generation of booster shots targeting Omicron variants was introduced. The medical community also has an improved arsenal of treatments for those who fall ill.
“It’s almost as though the virus has somehow gotten stuck in this evolutionary valley,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Fortunately, no dramatically different variant has emerged.”
Read the full story here.
— Reuters
Canada is set to dispose of $1 billion worth of COVID vaccines before the end of the year, on top of tens of millions of other doses that have already expired, according to the auditor general.
Auditor General Karen Hogan released a report on the government’s vaccine program on Tuesday, and found generally the government did a good job procuring and distributing vaccines to provinces and Canadians in a timely way, but it failed to avoid wastage.
In her report Hogan found that there are tens of millions of doses in provincial and federal warehouses.
Read the full story here.
— Ryan Tumilty, National Post
More than 200,000 Britons who left the U.K. labour market in the year to July reported suffering from long COVID, official statistics show.
Analysis by the Office for National Statistics found a link between the virus and the soaring levels of workforce inactivity since the pandemic struck, which is posing severe economic problems for the U.K.
A link between COVID and inactivity, which measures people who neither have a job nor are looking for one, has long been suspected, but there has been little conclusive evidence so far. The figures shed light on why so many people have dropped out of the workforce since the pandemic, one of the things that’s pushing up wages and inflation.
Read the full story here.
— Reuters
Canada’s auditor general says a “minimum” of $27.4 billion in suspicious COVID-19 benefit payments need to be investigated because the government did not manage the aid programs efficiently, and it will likely fail to recover “significant” amounts in overpayments.
That’s in addition to $4.6 billion in confirmed government overpayments solely in double-dipping applications for the various COVID-19 aid programs launched within the first months of the pandemic, according to a new report by auditor general Karen Hogan published Tuesday.
“The Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada did not manage the selected COVID‑19 programs efficiently given the significant amount paid to ineligible recipients, the limited adjustments as programs were extended, and the slow progress on post‑payment verifications,” the report concludes.
Read the full story here.
— Christopher Nardi, National Post
What are B.C.’s current public health measures?
MASKS: Masks are not required in public indoor settings though individual businesses and event organizers can choose to require them.
Masks are also encouraged but not required on board public transit and B.C. Ferries, though they are still required in federally regulated travel spaces such as trains, airports and airplanes, and in health care settings.
GATHERINGS AND EVENTS: There are currently no restrictions on gatherings and events such as personal gatherings, weddings, funerals, worship services, exercise and fitness activities, and swimming pools.
There are also no restrictions or capacity limits on restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs; and no restrictions on sport activities.
CARE HOMES: There are no capacity restrictions on visitors to long-term care and seniors’ assisted living facilities, however, visitors must show proof of vaccination before visiting. Exemptions are available for children under the age of 12, those with a medical exemption, and visitors attending for compassionate visits related to end-of-life.
Visitors to seniors’ homes are also required to take a rapid antigen test before visiting the facility or be tested on arrival. Exemptions to testing are available for those attending for compassionate visits or end-of-life care.
How do I get vaccinated in B.C.?
Everyone who is living in B.C. and eligible for a vaccine can receive one by following these steps:
• Get registered online at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated to book an appointment in your community.
• Or, if you prefer, you can get registered and then visit a drop-in clinic in your health authority.
• The system will alert you when it is time to go for your second dose.
• The same system will also alert you when it is time for your booster dose.
Where can I get a COVID-19 test?
TESTING CENTRES: B.C.’s COVID-19 test collection centres are currently only testing those with symptoms who are hospitalized, pregnant, considered high risk or live/work with those who are high risk. You can find a testing centre using the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s testing centre map.
If you have mild symptoms, you do not need a test and should stay home until your fever is gone. Those without symptoms do not need a test.
TAKE-HOME RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS: Eligible British Columbians over the age of 18 with a personal health number can visit a pharmacy to receive a free take-home test kit containing five COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.
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