New COVID restrictions in B.C. to close bars, gyms, & 50 per cent capacity limits on all venues

The latest restrictions are layered on top of other measures which took effect Monday morning and last through the end of January, featuring limited indoor private gatherings and cancelled sports tournaments.

The recently applied order of 50 per cent capacity limits for events of one thousand or more people now applies to events of all size.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said while they were hoping the measures they put in place on Dec.17 would be sufficient, her team realized more had to be done after further analysis was completed over the weekend.

“B.C. has shown that we are strong, resilient, and supportive of each other. But our storm of COVID-19 is not yet over. We are in a different boat, but the consequences of not preparing for what is happening now all around us in our global community is just too great.”

She went on to say that even after two years they are still learning about the virus, and it’s inevitable that most people in this province will contract COVID-19 at some point.

“The way this virus is being transmitted, the strains of the virus being transmitted in communities across the province, it is, over time, very likely that all of us will have exposure to it. How it affects us, depends on our own actions and what we are doing.”

Rapid Antigen Testing

Up until Dec 15, 2021, B.C. has received 3,197,306 tests and distributed 1,266,513 across the province in five key areas:

Long-term care- testing staff who work in facilities.
Provincial corrections- testing incoming residents.
Rural, remote, and Indigenous community- ensuring people who live in communities with less access to traditional laboratory testing are reached.
Case/contact/cluster management- testing multiple people who may have been in contact with someone with COVID-19.
Businesses/organizations- staff screening programs administered by both the Provincial Health Services Authority and through the Government of Canada.
Other areas with elevated risk.

B.C is expecting 200,000 rapid POC tests (nasal swab kits) by Dec. 21, 2021 from the federal government.

B.C has purchased 500,000 BTNX tests with nasal swabs, with an expected delivery date of late December.

The Government of Canada has indicated that 84 million tests will be delivered in mid/late January to all provinces and territories. Of these, 10 million are expected for “at home” use (Roche SD Biosensor).

BC has requested 13.5 per cent or at least 11 million of the 84 million expected tests.

Test Distribution: Mid Dec. to Mid Jan.

Around 35,000 tests per week are currently being done. With expected access to 2,600,000 additional tests, the province will expand testing to:

700,000 tests for people at sample collection sites for people with symptoms.
100,000 tests distributed at long-term care facilities for staff and all visitors.
100,000 tests available at acute care sites for staff and/or close contacts.
1,200,000 tests for rural, remote, Indigenous, and vulnerable communities.
250,000 tests for businesses and organizations to expand Rapid COVID-19 Point of Care Screen Program.
250,000 tests will be managed by regional Medical health Officers and health authorities.

Test Distribution: Mid-January

With an expected availability of up to 11 million tests, testing will be expanded to:

Provide publicly funded tests at additional locations in the community
Education (K-12 students and staff). 500,000 tests for students and staff to be deployed as needed to support the return to school and continuity of in-person learning.
Post-secondary education (students, faculty, and staff)
Expansion and/or Replenishment of supply in previously mentioned areas.

The province will assess the effectiveness and utility of the expanded rapid tests by monitoring the results to determine if further restrictions or testing expansion is needed by mid/late January and into February.

Enhanced Capacity for Boosters

The B.C Government also plans to increase capacity for those seeking their third booster shot between January and March of 2022.

Currently, boosters for B.C. residents 18+ were announced on Oct 26, and the rollout continues to be on a risk-based basis, given priority to the vulnerable, long-term care, seniors (65+), Indigenous adults, healthcare workers, and those who have had two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines.

Steps taken to increase booster capacity include:

Vancouver Coaster Health has secured the Vancouver Convention Centre which represents a capacity potential of 130,000 shots in January with a start-up date of January 5. This will serve the whole lower mainland.
Fraser Health has secured Guildford site in Surrey with more to come.
Vancouver Island Health is securing mass vaccination clinic cites in Victoria and regional centres.
Island Health is in the process of securing larger space in a number of centres.
Northern Health is securing partners to deliver mobile clinics throughout the north.
Community partner- call out is in progress to previous community partners.

Scheduled Surgeries Update

Scheduled surgeries will be postponed starting January 4, 2022, to manage pressures on hospital capacity through the redeployment of key staff.

Urgent and emergency schedules will continue while rescheduling will be determined through continuous monitoring of capacity and COVID-19 impacts through January and on a regional basis.

Government officials were already concerned about the potential impacts of the Omicron variant last week, saying we are still not sure how the Omicron variant will impact us.

More information can be found at gov.bc.ca/covid-19.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow

by Jordan Davidson

New COVID restrictions in B.C. to close bars, gyms, & 50 per cent capacity limits on all venues

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