Dr. Henry says "we don't need additional measures" across BC right now

Groups of people gathering outdoors at English Bay (Shutterstock)

British Columbia’s top doctor says that there’s no need for additional provincial or regional safety measures against COVID-19, despite the aggressive rise in cases.

That was the message from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry during Thursday’s COVID-19 update. The province announced that full vaccination is now mandatory for all healthcare staff working at long-term care homes and assisted living facilities in BC.

See also:

Henry’s message also comes as BC reports 513 new test-positive cases of the virus, marking the second day in a row that the province’s case count has surpassed 500. She explains, however, that with over 70% of British Columbians fully vaccinated against the virus, “we’re in a different place.”

“We’re decoupling the hospitalizations and deaths, particularly, from the cases themselves,” Henry says.

“We are looking at a more regional or local approach. My colleagues across the province in public health have been doing this. We’ve been monitoring, and it depends on a whole bunch of things.”

Henry explains that in the case of the Central Okanagan, which is currently under a regional COVID-19 outbreak, some of the factors included the impact of rising cases affecting businesses and healthcare workers in long-term care homes and hospitals. She also argued that, in many cases, COVID-19 transmission is related to a single event that can be identified and isolated before further transmission occurs.

“We’re also seeing very different types of patterns in different parts of the province,” she stated. “So right now, and we talk every day with our public health colleagues, we feel we don’t need to take additional measures across the board or in specific areas.”

Henry pointed out a small number of COVID-19 outbreaks in Fraser Health when saying that additional measures would be used if needed.