B-C has extended the state of emergency until December 14th to ensure emergency services have all the resources they need after flooding devastated the province earlier this month. It has also extended its order limiting purchases of fuel to 30 litres until the same date, when the Trans Mountain pipeline is back online. Energy Minister Bruce Ralston says the pipeline provides most of the fuel for B-C’s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island and supplies are now being shipped in by rail from Alberta and on barges from the United States. He says Trans Mountain is making sure the pipeline is safe to operate before it starts again.
Environment Canada says up to 200 millimetres of rain may fall on the central coast and parts of Vancouver Island during the province’s third atmospheric river, which is forecasted to continue into tomorrow. A meteorologist for the agency says the consecutive storms and potential of melting snow from higher elevations could result in more flooding. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth is urging people to be prepared to leave their properties if evacuation orders are issued. Flood warnings have been issued for the Coldwater, Coquihalla, Nicola and Tulameen rivers, which all caused serious flood damage earlier this month to cities and towns along their banks.
Surrey R-C-M-P are seeking the public’s help after three separate shootings were reported over the weekend. They say one of the victims is in critical condition and two others were injured. Police say it’s too early to determine a motive but they believe all three shootings were targeted. They say investigators are exploring links to criminal activity and the drug trade, and are asking anyone who may have information or dash camera footage of the incidents to come forward.
B-C reported another 970 cases of COVID-19 and 11 more deaths over a three-day period. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province won’t be making specific changes in response to the latest variant of concern, but is urging people to remain vigilant and get their vaccinations. He says nearly a third of the 350-thousand children aged five to 11 in the province have been registered to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Dix says parents who registered their children for the pediatric vaccine should have started receiving invitations to book an appointment, but is asking people to be patient throughout the process.
It is now not clear where or when the new COVID-19 Omicron variant first emerged. New findings show the emerging threat slipped into countries before their defences were up, as the Netherlands is reporting its presence even before South African officials sounded the alarm. That news is making it increasingly clear that travel bans will struggle to stop the spread of the variant. Five cases are confirmed in Canada so far. But Ontario public health units are reaching out to 375 recent travellers to offer them testing while Quebec is asking 115 recent travellers to take a P-C-R test and isolate.
BC health officials announced 358 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 218,426. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 2,889 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 300 individuals are currently in hospital, 100 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
Broken down by health region, the new cases and total active cases are as follows:
- Fraser Health: 107 new cases, 1,018 total active cases
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 53 new cases, 443 total active cases
- Interior Health: 85 new cases, 552 total active cases
- Northern Health: 56 new cases, 337 total active cases
- Island Health: 57 new cases, 539 total active cases
- Outside of Canada: No new cases, zero total active cases
There have been no COVID-19-related deaths over the past 24 hours, for a total of 2,333 deaths in BC. To date, 84.8% (4,225,218) of eligible people five and older in BC have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 81.7% (4,069,988) have received their second dose. From November 22 to 28, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 58.2% of cases, and from November 15 to 28, they accounted for 65.9% of hospitalizations.
Past week cases (November 22 to 28) – Total 2,342
- Not vaccinated: 1,269 (54.2%)
- Partially vaccinated: 93 (4%)
- Fully vaccinated: 980 (41.8%)
Past two weeks cases hospitalized (November 15 to 28) – Total 223
- Not vaccinated: 135 (60.5%)
- Partially vaccinated: 12 (5.4%)
- Fully vaccinated: 76 (34.1%)
Past week, cases per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (November 22 to 28)
- Not vaccinated: 173.2
- Partially vaccinated: 41.8
- Fully vaccinated: 21.9
Past two weeks, cases hospitalized per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (November 15 to 28)
- Not vaccinated: 28.6
- Partially vaccinated: 8.3
- Fully vaccinated: 1.7
British Columbia’s first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant has been confirmed. The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon during a press conference with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix. Henry says that the person is a resident of the Fraser Health Authority who recently returned from travel in Nigeria. They are isolating, and public health is following up with them and their contacts. Additionally, 204 people in British Columbia have been identified as having recently been in “affected areas.” They have been sent for PCR testing and are in isolation. “We can be confident that we are not seeing widespread transmission of this variant in BC yet,” Henry says. “We know that these concerning mutations can arise and where vaccination is low in parts of the world, they can spread rapidly. She added that at this point in time, there’s still a lot that health officials don’t know about the Omicron variant, and that it will take time before they can learn more about it. It’s unclear whether COVID-19 vaccines are less effective, whether it causes more severe illness, and whether Omicron is more transmissible than other variants.
Vancouver police say a 14-year-old could face criminal charges after allegedly stabbing a woman and her dog Friday night. Sergeant Steve Addison says police arrived on scene to find the victim and her dog bleeding heavily. He says the victims received immediate medical attention and are expected to make a full recovery. Police say the suspect was arrested and taken to jail, but has been released from custody pending a future court date.
B-C’s top doctor says the province’s first case of the new COVID-19 variant is a good reminder to get vaccinated. Dr. Bonnie Henry says the new variant is also a reminder that equal access to vaccine around the world is important. B-C is waiting on the test results of 204 other people who travelled to areas affected by the Omicron.
B-C officials are warning against non-essential travel as the forecast calls for heavy rainfall across swaths of southern and coastal areas of the province — including areas devastated by flooding and mudslides just a few weeks ago. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the storm, which was expected to hit today and last into tomorrow, could be the most intense yet for the central coast. Environment Canada says the central coast and the west coast of Vancouver Island could see up to 150 millimetres of rain, with up to 120 millimetres in Bella Coola, while the flood-soaked Fraser Valley east of Abbotsford could get up to 80 millimetres.