What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. for Jan. 15

THE LATEST:

• B.C. health officials confirmed 509 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C. on Friday. Another nine people have died.
• A total of 1,047 people in B.C. have lost their lives due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
• There are 349 people in hospital, including 68 in intensive care. 
• Active cases continue to fall in the province, with the tally at 4,604 active cases.
• To date, 75,914 people have received a COVID-19 vaccine in B.C.
• Thirteen more cases have been linked to the Big White community cluster.
• B.C. has identified its first case of the infectious coronavirus variant first seen in South Africa.
• B.C. is seeking legal advice on whether an inter-provincial travel ban is doable.
• The director of UBC's school of public health has resigned after travelling during the holidays.

B.C.'s curve has started to bend down again following a bump after the holidays, but health officials are warning British Columbians to keep following public health measures as they watch for two confirmed coronavirus variants in the province. 

Health officials announced 509 new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Friday. Active cases continued to fall, with the tally now at 4,604.

Another nine people have died from the virus, bringing the provincial death toll to 1,047.

B.C. recorded one new health-care outbreak at the Hilltop House care home in Squamish, B.C.

Interior Health has identified 13 additional cases of COVID-19 linked to the Big White Mountain community cluster. The total number of cases identified to date is 175.

Of those, 110 reside on Big White Mountain. There are 32 active cases at the resort and 143 people who have recovered.

Vaccine delay

A total of 75,914 people have been vaccinated in B.C. so far.

On Friday, the federal government announced that global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will temporarily reduce shipments of its vaccine in order to expand manufacturing capacity at a facility in Belgium.

That means fewer shipments of the Pfizer vaccine to Canada at least until March.

Henry and Dix said they were were disappointed to hear about the delay. The province is working with the federal government to determine how the delay may impact the rollout in B.C.

Officials said they would provide more information in the coming days.

New variant

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on Thursday the first confirmed case in B.C. of a more infectious coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa.

Henry said health officials are investigating how the person in B.C. contracted the variant, as they have not travelled or been linked to any travellers.

She also confirmed four total cases in the province of the variant linked to the U.K. All four cases have been traced and officials don't believe they have led to spread, Henry said. 

Both variants spread more easily and rapidly, and have led to surging cases in a number of countries.

On Friday, during an interview on CBC's The Early Edition, Health Minister Adrian Dix said officials are concerned about another variant linked to Columbus, Ohio.

Dix did not say there were any cases of the variant detected in B.C. at this time.

Seeking legal advice on travel ban

The B.C. government is getting legal advice to determine whether an inter-provincial travel ban would be doable — or constitutional — as a way to protect the province, as COVID-19 case numbers soar in other parts of Canada.

Premier John Horgan on Thursday said he and other leaders would be speaking about the issue later in the day and on Friday during a virtual, two-day cabinet retreat, with the goal to nail down which options the government can take — if any — by the end of the summit.

He said he hopes to announce an update on the issue early next week.

Henry said she would not issue a public health order against inter-provincial travel.

"It's hard to see how that is feasible in British Columbia, for many reasons," she said. "Our borders are very different. We have many ways that people can cross, particularly from Alberta."

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief medical health officer, says stopping non-essential travel would be a difficult decision for B.C., but it could reduce COVID-19 transmission by cutting the number of contacts.

Tam said B.C.'s decision to seek legal advice reinforces the message that it isn't time to go on a cross-country vacation.

UBC director resigns after holiday travel

Peter Berman has resigned as director of the University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health just over a week after admitting to holiday travel during the school's winter break.

Berman announced his resignation in a Friday statement posted online. He said it would take effect at the end of the day.

Berman said in a letter posted last week that he travelled to Hawaii.

Businesses deny Indigenous people entry

CBC has learned that Save-On-Foods in Powell River, the Glen Lyon Restaurant in Port Hardy, and a dentist's office in Duncan, B.C., all refused service to Indigenous people, citing cases of COVID-19 in their communities as a reason. 

The businesses claimed they were trying to stop COVID-19 from spreading from nearby Indigenous communities.

In a statement, Henry said the incidents were an issue of racism.

"COVID-19 has illuminated longstanding inequities and in particular those faced by First Nations in B.C.," she said.

"I want to add my voice to the chorus who have condemned such behaviour." 

What else you need to know

Meanwhile, B.C.'s seniors advocate Isobel Mackenzie is investigating what went wrong at Little Mountain Place in Vancouver — the location of B.C.'s deadliest care home outbreak. Forty-one residents infected with the virus have died, while 71 staff and 99 of 114 residents have tested positive. 

While a million British Columbians have already received their B.C. Recovery Benefit, more than 400,000 others are still waiting for their applications to be approved. The tax-free cash payout can mean up to $1,000 dollars for eligible families and $500 dollars for individuals.

B.C.'s Finance Minister Selina Robinson said Wednesday that staff are working through a high volume of applications, and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. 

Dix says it's "very disappointing'' that some doctors in Vancouver jumped the queue to get a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Dix says there will be an investigation into these incidents. The province's vaccination strategy has been to maximize the number of people getting vaccinated by extending the interval between doses as far as possible.  

Some doctors and nurses have expressed concern over the dose interval, though Henry herself has said it falls within national and World Health Organization recommendations. 

B.C.'s health restrictions are in effect until at least Feb. 5 at midnight. The current orders include a ban on gatherings with people outside of one's immediate household. The province's non-essential travel advisory remains in place, including travel into and out of B.C., and between regions.

READ MORE:

• An emergency room doctor in Whistler is calling for restrictions on inter-provincial travel after seeing a concerning number of patients from Ontario and Quebec over the holidays.
• B.C.'s vaccination program has begun in earnest. Questions remain about how it will roll out.
• This online calculator estimates when you'll receive your COVID-19 vaccine.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 4 p.m. PT on Thursday, Canada had reported 688,891 cases of COVID-19, with 77,956 cases considered active.

A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 17,383.

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• Help CBC British Columbia tell your COVID-19 stories