Northern Health has been issued a number of new gathering restrictions due to rising COVID-19 cases in many parts of the region.
Beginning on September 7th, indoor personal gatherings will be limited to an additional five people or one other household, and sporting events and outdoor gatherings of over 200 people will require a COVID-19 safety plan.
Yesterday (Thursday), Dr.Bonnie Henry said transmission is particularly high with the Prince George Local Health area, as well as communities in the Nechako Local Health area such as Fort St.James and Vanderhoof.
Henry says these cases in the North are mainly arising from instances of social interaction as well as community transmission from industrial work sites.
According to Henry, pockets of unvaccinated people are spreading the virus rapidly in Northern communities because it is much more transmissible among the unvaccinated, as 90% of Northern ICU patients are unvaccinated.
Research from June 2021 shows a single dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine reduced risk by two-thirds in adults 70+ during the peak of the spring 2021 wave in BC when Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Gamma (P.1) variants made up 70% of circulating strains.
Meanwhile, the risk of contracting the virus was reduced by 80% in long-term care residents and health care workers, the first people to be vaccinated in BC, there was also a reduction in hospitalizations and deaths among vaccinated long-term care residents.
In terms of vaccine safety, the BCCDC’s last “Adverse Events Following Immunization with COVID-19 Vaccines” report shows there have been four reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (AKA: Vaccine-induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia or VITT) to date, with over 350,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine administered.
VITT was identified in March in Europe in association with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the rate of occurrence is being estimated at about 1 in 67,000 recipients following the first dose and 1 in 500,000 following the second dose.
The Prince George Local Health area, which encompasses a large area including McBride, Mackenzie, and Valemount is doing relatively well in terms of vaccine uptake compared to other LHA’s in the North.
According to the BCCDC, as of August 30th, 77% of eligible residents 12 and up have received one jab in the PG Local Health area, a mark that falls to 66% in the Nechako LHA.
The Peace River South and Fort Nelson Local Health areas have the lowest vaccine uptake of residents 12+ in the entire province, recording 56% and 58% respectively.
Meanwhile, Kitimat has some of the highest rates of partially vaccinated residents 12+ in all of the province, with 93%, falling behind only the Central Coast LHA (96%) located in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
When it comes to fully vaccinated residents 12+, Prince George is at 68%, a rate that jumped by 2% since last week, while Nechako is at 56%.
Fort Nelson and the Peace River North and South areas have some of the lowest rates of fully vaccinated individuals 12+ in the entire province by a long shot, recording 49%, 48%, and 47% respectively.
The rate of fully vaccinated residents in Prince George varies pretty drastically between age groups, as 60% of residents between the ages of 18-49 are fully vaccinated, a mark that skyrockets to 80% for the 50+ population.
73% of eligible PG LHA residents between the ages of 18-49 are partially immunized, a number that jumps to 86% for the 50+ population.
INFORMATION ON THE HEALTH CANADA APPROVED VACCINES CAN BE FOUND HERE:
- Information on vaccine safety can be found on the Health Canada website, and the BC Centre for Disease Control website and the latest BC Centre for Disease Control Adverse Event Report can be found here.
- Information on the COVID-19 vaccine approval process can be found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website and the Canadian Institutes of Health research websites.
- A full list of Health Canada approved COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, Janssen) ingredients can be found on the Health Canada website.
- Information on COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and its benefits can be found on the Health Canada website.
- Tips on identifying misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the World Health Organization website and on the BC Centre for Disease Control website.
- A list of shareable COVID-19 vaccine resources can be found on the Health Canada website.
- Information on where and how to get vaccinated in BC can be found on the BC Centre for Disease Control website, but for local information visit the Northern Health website.