By Canadian Press

B.C.’s top doctor emphasizes COVID-19 precautions heading into holiday season

Nov 16, 2021 | 4:03 PM

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s provincial health officer says officials are considering the “harmonization” of COVID-19 restrictions across the province heading into winter.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says the basics will be the same for everyone heading into a challenging period when “we don’t want this virus to take off again.”

Henry told a news conference Tuesday she expects there will be some additional restrictions in areas where transmission remains high and immunization rates are low, such as the Northern Health region, parts of the Interior and the eastern Fraser Valley.

She says colder weather is pushing people indoors for gatherings and it’s important that people take extra precautions, including wearing face coverings.

Henry says she anticipates that Health Canada will be issuing recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccine for children five to 11 years old soon, and that there will be enough doses for more than 300,000 kids in that age range.

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B.C. reported one more death and 338 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday for a total of 3,568 active infections across the province, including 376 people in hospital.

Nearly 87 per cent of eligible B.C. residents aged 12 and up have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, while 90.7 per cent have received their first dose.

Henry says B.C. has begun receiving shipments of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is being prioritized for health-care workers who are on leave because they haven’t yet been immunized.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says 2,885 health-care workers remain unvaccinated, excluding those in long-term care facilities, while 97 per cent of B.C. health-care workers have received two doses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2021. 

The Canadian Press