28 more deaths from COVID-19 in B.C. as 2,090 new cases confirmed over Thanksgiving weekend

British Columbia has announced 2,090 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 more deaths over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The breakdown of new cases of the past four days are as follows:

• Friday to Saturday: 603 new cases.
• Saturday to Sunday: 634 new cases.
• Sunday to Monday: 468 new cases.
• Monday to Tuesday: 385 new cases.

In a written statement, the provincial government said there are currently 5,183 active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C.

A total of 357 people are in hospital, with 153 in intensive care.

Overall hospitalizations, which typically lag behind spikes and dips in new cases, are up by 3.5 per cent from last Tuesday, when 345 people were in hospital with the disease and about 27 per cent from a month ago when 281 people were in hospital.

The number of patients in intensive care is up by about 6.3 per cent from 144 a week ago and by 13.3 per cent from a month ago when 135 people were in the ICU.

The provincial death toll from COVID-19 is now 2,029 lives lost out of 194,581 confirmed cases to date.

The regional breakdown of new cases is as follows:

• 814 new cases in Fraser Health, which has 2,182 total active cases.
• 404 new cases in Interior Health, which has 841 total active cases.
• 351 new cases in Northern Health, which has 833 total active cases.
• 292 new cases in Island Health, which has 622 total active cases. 
• 229 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health, which has 647 total active cases.
• No new cases have been reported among people who reside outside of Canada, a group which has 58 total active cases.

There are a total of 19 active outbreaks in assisted living and long-term care, including outbreaks at the Mission Memorial Hospital and the University Hospital of Northern B.C.

An outbreak at a Site C work camp in Fort St. John has been declared over.

As of Tuesday, 88.8 per cent of those 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 82.6 per cent a second dose.

From Oct. 4 to 10, people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 68.1 per cent of cases and from Sept. 27 to Oct. 10, they accounted for 73.7 per cent of hospitalizations, according to the province. After factoring for age, people not vaccinated are 17.5 times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are fully vaccinated, it said.

So far, 7.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including 3.8 million second doses.

Mandatory LTC vaccines

As of Tuesday, all long-term care and assisted living workers must have a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and a second dose within 35 days if they want to continue working there.

Workers who are unvaccinated by end of day on Oct. 12 will have to take a mandatory leave of absence without pay, according to Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry.

Starting today, visitors to long-term care homes will also have to show their vaccine card.

COVID-19 vaccination will soon be mandatory for anyone who works in a health-care facility across the province.

Henry said the requirement will come into effect on Oct. 26 and will apply to everyone who works in these settings, including students, physicians, residents, contractors, volunteers and all other health-care professionals. It also applies to people who work in home and community care locations, including client homes.

Child vaccinations

As B.C. health officials await a federal review of COVID-19 vaccines for five- to 11-year-olds, they are encouraging families to register their children for the shot through the provincial Get Vaccinated portal.

The province says the portal has allowed children in this age group, for whom there is currently no approved COVID-19 vaccine in Canada, to be registered for some time. 

But as Canada moves closer to approving a vaccine for the age group, it's important for families to be prepared for the jab, the ministry said.

The advice to register comes after the province said Friday that the rules on wearing masks in indoor public places would be revised to include children aged five and older, in order to better align with new school masking rules now in place for kids in kindergarten to Grade 3. Henry announced a public heath order to that effect and made it official on Tuesday.

To register online, you must provide a first and last name, date of birth, postal code, personal health number and an email address or a phone number that can receive text messages.

Registration can also be done over the phone at 1-833-838-2323 (toll free).