Provincial health officials says uncertainty about new variants BA.2
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2022 11:05 AM
British Columbia's provincial health officer says there are still some uncertainties about new variants, including B-A-point-2, with some cases present in B-C.
Doctor Bonnie Henry says the province is prepared for a potential uptick in COVID-19 cases during the next respiratory season.
She says the province will integrate wastewater surveillance testing into its regular surveillance of respiratory illness including influenza, and also include other pathogens to get a periodic snapshot of what else may be circulating in communities.
Henry says a decline in hospitalizations, immunity from vaccination and the availability of at-home rapid tests point the way forward to normal activities like high school graduations, which young people need to feel connected to others.
There are 2,889 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 213,053 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 300 individuals are in hospital and 104 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Dr. Henry announced new restrictions for faith services heading into the Christmas holiday season with people attending and participating in those services, such as choir members, required to wear masks unless physical distancing is in place, while capacity will also be limited to 50 per cent unless every attendee is vaccinated.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says all air travellers entering Canada, except for those coming from the United States, will now need to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival at the airport regardless of their vaccination status. The new measures come as public health officials around the world warn of the potentially dangerous new Omicron variant of COVID-19.
David Cohen has been sworn in as the new United States ambassador to Canada — the first full-time American envoy since 2019. Vice-president Kamala Harris presided over the process in her ceremonial offices earlier today.
Alberta is reporting its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. The province's chief medical health officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, says the case was confirmed in a traveller returning from Nigeria and the Netherlands.
The Public Service Agency says in a statement 432 employees either are unvaccinated or declined to disclose their status before the Nov. 22 deadline for them to be either partially or fully vaccinated.
