Province being hit by start of bad respiratory season, but no mask mandate coming

Lyndsey Watson says her Qualicum family – which includes four young children – has been hit harder by cold and flu season this year than ever before.

“It seems like it’s getting worse and worse every year,” she said Wednesday. “We thought COVID was really bad, and then this new flu seemed to pop and it's just been awful.”

Two of her kids have been sick for weeks with bad coughs, and her 10-month-old was at the emergency room in Nanaimo Tuesday getting treated for a bad cold.

“It was a lengthy wait, because we were there at 2:30 in the morning and we didn't see a doctor until 8 in the morning,” she said.

The Watsons aren't alone. B.C.’s top doctor says we are indeed heading into the respiratory season, with COVID, flus, RSV and colds hitting people of all ages – but especially kids – hard.

“We're now starting to see a gradual and a steeper increase within the last two weeks of respiratory illness within B.C.,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry at a news conference on Wednesday.

Despite that, Henry says a return of a mask mandate isn’t needed, although she recommends them for crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation and for those who may be sick.

She says B.C. is in better shape this year than last because of vaccines, higher immunity from COVID infections, and flu shots.

“I don’t see the need for a mask mandate by itself, because we have many other tools and we have a high level of protection from these respiratory illnesses that are circulating,” Henry said.

A grassroots group called Protect our Province BC that includes doctors says it's disappointed and thinks B.C. should act before its too late.

“Let’s not kid ourselves. We're at the beginning. We're not where Ontario is. But we can’t cope now,” said Lyne Filiatrault, a spokesperson for the group.

“What’s it going to be in a month?”

In a month, it will be holiday season, when folks will be gathering indoors for parties, and respiratory season will be even more revved up.

Still, Henry says restrictions aren't likely then, either.

“I don’t foresee we'll have to do broad community-based measures in the way that we needed to last year, given the impact we saw last year,” said Henry.

It's a prediction she qualified by saying it will depend how the health-care system – already under strain – is faring in a month's time.