Increased connections, variants of concern continue to drive third wave of COVID-19

Province-wide, 328 people are in hospital for COVID-19 symptoms including 96 in ICU.

A further three people passed away due to COVID-19 on Tuesday including one from Island Health. So far, 30 people have lost their lives in the health authority due to the virus.

Of the new cases, 207 involved a variant of concern which was first identified in the U.K., South Africa or Brazil.

As of Tuesday, 3,766 total cases involving variants were detected with 266 currently active province-wide.

“In the last two months it’s the B-117 (U.K. variant) that’s taken over about a third of our cases,” Dr. Henry said. “We expect it will continue to increase and we know that when it gets that competitive advantage, it can spread more easily and it’s the one that tends to increase more rapidly.”

A spike was also recorded in the P-1 variant associated with Brazil, including 20 active cases in the Island Health region. Around half of all active variant cases in B.C. involve the P-1 mutation.

“Viruses by their very nature mutate and change,” Dr. Henry said. “As more transmission happens…it means it’s changing and replicating more often, the opportunity for these mutations to occur goes up.”

To date, public health has not confirmed any noticable change in vaccine effectiveness among cases involving variants of concern.

The increased prevalence of variants is partly due to an increase of social interactions, which has spurred a third wave of infections.

Dr. Henry added after a relatively stable February and early portion of March with active cases and number of contacts per person remaining steady, things changed as we headed into April.

“Cases have surged and people are having a much higher number of contacts and that has meant increased numbers of people in hospital and we know much of this transmission is happening in younger people.”

She said more younger people are winding up in hospital, including some needing intensive care.

A new online booking system launched province-wide on Tuesday, allowing those interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine to register and book an appointment 24 hours a day.

Health minister Adrian Dix said as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, 160,464 people had registered with 23,827 eligible to book an appointment.

Previously, vaccine appointments were only available on the phone or in person.

Non-Indigenous people born in or before 1950 or Indigenous people aged 18 and over are currently eligible. Information on who is eligible and how to register online is available on the government’s website.

Dix added 203,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine were due in B.C. by the end of the week and earmarked for selected pharmacies, including in Nanaimo and Parksville, by Thursday, April 8 and Friday, April 9.

Also Tuesday, SD69 confirmed more exposure events at Kwalikum secondary school through the first week of classes resuming since spring break.

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by NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Increased connections, variants of concern continue to drive third wave of COVID-19

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