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B.C.’s provincial health officer recommended people avoid travel to the Central Okanagan region right now, as that area is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak.

Travel to Okanagan discouraged

By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Published 4:18 PDT, Fri August 6, 2021

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Any Richmondites planning to visit the Central Okanagan this weekend should consider changing their plans.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced new restrictions in the outbreak-stricken region today on personal gatherings, organized gatherings, businesses and exercise classes. Henry said the “rapidly moving” Delta variant—which accounts for 80 per cent of cases in the Interior Health region—is driving the current outbreak, mostly in people aged 20 to 40.

“These are the measures that we need to follow in the Central Okanagan, but it means that we need to have the same thinking across the province,” said Henry. “We have very high rates in many different age groups in different parts of the province, but there are pockets where there are people who are non-immunized or still only have a single dose, and that’s where the virus can take off.”

Health Minister Adrian Dix said as of today, 56.24 per cent of active cases are in the Interior Health region, with the vast majority in the Central Okanagan. Disproportionately high numbers of hospitalizations and intensive care admissions are in the Interior Health region as well.

Implementing new restrictions, Henry said, is “not where we wanted to be.” But she believes the increased restrictions can contain transmission as vaccination rates increase.

Health authorities reported 464 new cases of COVID-19 today, one of which is epidemiologically linked. Since the pandemic began, B.C. has recorded 151,839 cases.

Of the new cases, 60 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region (including Richmond), 72 in the Fraser Health region, 27 in the Island Health region, 275 in the Interior Health region, 29 in the Northern Health region and one new case of a person who resides outside of Canada.

There are 2,411 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 52 of those people are hospitalized, 24 of whom are in intensive care.

Henry said only about four per cent of hospitalizations, and a similar percentage of deaths, are in fully immunized people. She added that those who are hospitalized and fully immunized are over the age of 70, and that “as we’re older we may not amount as strong an immune response.”

To date, 6,993,104 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C.; 3,195,128 of those are second doses.

This means that 82.7 per cent of adults and 81.8 per cent of people aged 12 and older have received their first dose of a vaccine. In addition, 71 per cent of adults and 68.9 per cent of those aged 12 and older have received two doses.

There were no new virus-related deaths reported today.

Health authorities reported one new healthcare facility outbreak. Six long-term care facilities now have active outbreaks.

Henry said once the Delta variant gets into a long-term care home, it can spread even in a vaccinated population.

“It doesn’t cause as severe illness, which is the good news, in people who are immunized—but it is so transmissible that we are still seeing illness, at least positive tests, in healthcare workers and residents with the Delta variant.”

For the latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and to find a testing centre near you: http://www.bccdc.ca/ or follow @CDCofBC on Twitter.