Delta variant's spread through the unvaccinated remains B.C.'s focus: health minister
British Columbia's health minister says there's been a lot of attention paid to the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, but the focus should remain on the Delta variant because it continues to have a “profound impact” on people who are not vaccinated in the province.
Adrian Dix said the Delta variant is disproportionately affecting those who haven't been vaccinated, including most of the more than 150 people who have been moved from the Northern Health authority to southern hospitals.
The transfers are weighing down the health-care system because many of those people are in critical condition and require teams of health-care workers at every stage of their transport, Dix said during a separate news conference announcing the opening of a new urgent primary care centre in Cranbrook.
“We don't need Omicron to tell us to be cautious over Christmas. We just need to look at the Delta variant, which is here now and has a profound effect on all of us,” he said Monday. “This is a time when you should be concerned with the vaccination status of those around you and ensure that you stay safe right now.”
More than 50 per cent of people over 70 have received their booster shots, which equates to about 500,000 doses, the minister said.
Nearly 40 per cent of children aged five to 11 have been registered for their first vaccine and about 84 per cent of those who have registered have received an invitation to book a shot.
“We're pleased with how it's going. We're immunizing a lot of children and there's going to be a lot more as we go forward,” Dix said. “I want to encourage all parents to register their children because that's important.”
He said about 216 pharmacies across B.C. are currently administering COVID-19 immunizations, and that number will increase to about 1,000 by January.
“That's going to obviously increase our capacity and the number of immunizations we're going to have to give based on our strategy,” he said. “When you add 1,000 locations, that presents supply chain challenges and we're dealing with those, but it does allow our also our public clinics to focus on children and meet the challenge of immunizing the 349,000 children from five to 11 who are eligible.”
The B.C. Health Ministry reported 946 new cases over a three-day period on Monday. There were also 11 more deaths, for a total of 2,362 people who have died in the province since the pandemic started.
More than 85 per cent of those aged five and older in the province have had their first shot of vaccine, while 82 per cent have received their second dose.
Dix also said the announcement that pharmaceutical giant Merck is making an oral COVID-19 antiviral pill in Canada is good news because it will help those with moderate to severe symptoms, but it still shouldn't replace a vaccination.
“It'll be another tool in our arsenal once it's made generally available to us and we're very hopeful. That said, what we have to continue to do is to increase our vaccination program.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.