Pursuing is a summary of present health news briefs.

U.S. Fda, CDC see early signal of probable Pfizer bivalent COVID shot connection to stroke

A safety checking procedure flagged that U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and German lover BioNTech’s up-to-date COVID-19 shot could be joined to a type of mind stroke in more mature grown ups, according to preliminary knowledge analyzed by U.S. wellness authorities. The U.S. Facilities for Condition Handle and Avoidance (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (Food and drug administration) said on Friday that a CDC vaccine databases had uncovered a attainable protection concern in which persons 65 and older have been extra probably to have an ischemic stroke 21 times after acquiring the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent shot, in contrast with times 22-44.

China stories 59,938 COVID-connected hospital deaths because Dec. 8

China explained approximately 60,000 men and women with COVID-19 experienced died in clinic because it abruptly dismantled its zero-COVID policy in early December, a huge boost from previously described figures that follows global criticism of the country’s coronavirus data. Involving Dec. 8 and Jan. 12, the variety of COVID-similar deaths in Chinese hospitals totalled 59,938, with an ordinary age of 80.3 amid the deceased, Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Clinical Administration below the Nationwide Overall health Commission (NHC), told a media briefing on Saturday.

China, Hong Kong resume superior-velocity rail url right after 3 many years of COVID curbs

China resumed on Sunday superior-pace rail expert services among Hong Kong and the mainland for the very first time because the commencing of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it dismantles journey curbs after Beijing scrapped quarantine for arrivals a week earlier. The re-opening arrives amidst a significant wave of infections nationwide and a working day following authorities stated virtually 60,000 persons with COVID had died in healthcare facility, subsequent last month’s abrupt U-transform on “zero-COVID” policy in the wake of historic protests.

WHO says its chief spoke with Chinese officers, welcomes COVID-19 information

The Globe Overall health Organization’s head has spoken with Chinese authorities and the company welcomed new info about the problem in the state, WHO mentioned on Saturday following Beijing introduced new info displaying a large jump in COVID-19-relevant deaths. Director Typical Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke with Ma Xiaowei, director of China’s Countrywide Health and fitness Commission, about the wave of bacterial infections which erupted right after the state abruptly dismantled its anti-virus routine last month.

China’s COVID fever and crisis hospitalisations have peaked -health official

COVID fever and crisis hospitalisations have peaked in China and the quantity of hospitalised COVID sufferers is continuing to decrease, a Chinese well being formal explained on Saturday. Nationwide, “the range of fever clinic guests is usually in a declining trend immediately after peaking, equally in towns and rural areas,” Jiao Yahui, an formal from the Countrywide Wellness Commission, instructed a information convention.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:
Her Apartment Might Have Put Her Son’s Health At Risk. But ‘I Have Nowhere Else To Go.’
When Louana Joseph’s son had a seizure because of an upper respiratory infection in July, she abandoned the apartment her family had called home for nearly three years. She suspected the gray and brown splotches spreading through the apartment were mold and had caused her son’s illness. Mold can trigger and exacerbate lung diseases such as asthma and has been linked to upper respiratory tract conditions. But leaving the two-bedroom Atlanta apartment meant giving up a home that rented for less than $1,000 a month, a price that is increasingly hard to find even in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods. (Rayasam and Clasen-Kelly, 12/1)
KHN:
Addiction Treatment Proponents Urge Rural Clinicians To Pitch In By Prescribing Medication
Andrea Storjohann is glad to see that she’s becoming less of a rarity in rural America. The nurse practitioner prescribes medication to dozens of patients trying to recover from addiction to heroin or opioid painkillers. The general-practice clinic where she works, housed in a repurposed supermarket building, has no signs designating it as a place for people to seek treatment for drug addiction, which is how Storjohann wants it. (Leys, 12/1)
KHN:
Montana’s New Sex Ed Law Ensnares English And History Lessons, Too
A Montana law requiring public schools to notify parents of lessons that mention human sexuality — and allowing parents to pull their children from those lessons — has reached further and been more cumbersome than anticipated, according to two school district leaders. School districts across the state have spent months consulting with attorneys and retooling their policies to ensure they are in compliance with the law passed in 2021. Senate Bill 99 requires parents to be notified at least 48 hours in advance about lessons related to sexual education, as well as other topics, including anatomy, intimate relationships, sexual orientation, gender identity, contraception, and reproductive rights. (Graf, 12/1)
The U.S. health regulator on Wednesday approved Switzerland-based Ferring Pharmaceuticals’ fecal transplant-based therapy to reduce the recurrence of a bacterial infection, making it the first therapy of its kind to be cleared in the United States. The therapy, Rebyota, targets Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile – a superbug responsible for infections that can cause serious and life-threatening diarrhea. In the United States, the infection is associated with 15,000-30,000 deaths annually. (11/30)
Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships would be allowed to donate blood without abstaining from sex under guidelines being drafted by the Food and Drug Administration, people familiar with the plans said. The change would be a departure from U.S. policy that for many years barred men who have sex with men from donating blood. (Whyte and Marcus, 11/30)
The Biden administration is eyeing an end to its public health emergency declaration for mpox, a sign that officials believe they’ve brought the monthslong outbreak under control. Health officials are likely to issue a 60-day notice later this week for winding down the declaration, two people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO. Such a move would put it on track to officially expire by Jan. 31. (Cancryn, 11/30)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Wednesday that the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment bebtelovimab from Eli Lilly is no longer authorized for emergency use in the U.S. as it is not expected to be effective at neutralizing the two most dominant omicron subvariants in the country right now. (Choi, 11/30)
Infants younger than 6 months had the same rate of hospitalization as seniors age 65 to 74 during this summer’s Omicron wave, according to a new report. The findings, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that COVID-19 can still cause severe and fatal outcomes in children too young to be vaccinated. (Lin II and Money, 11/30)
Pregnant women can safely take the antiviral drug Paxlovid to reduce the risk of serious COVID-19 pregnancy or fetal complications, according to a small study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (11/30)
Former President Bill Clinton announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. “I’m grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, which has kept my case mild, and I urge everyone to do the same, especially as we move into the winter months,” Clinton said in a tweet. The former president, 76, added that he is “doing fine overall and keeping myself busy at home.” (LeBlanc, 11/30)
“I think it’s become much more of an individual judgment call,” said Dr. Bob Wachter, chief of medicine at UCSF. “So I rarely tell people what they should do, other than things that make no sense to me not to do, like for example getting a booster if you haven’t gotten one in over six months.” (Kawahara, 11/30)
Nearly all Republican governors and 13 GOP Senate lawmakers are taking aim at the Biden administration’s military COVID-19 vaccine mandate, with the two groups on Wednesday urging congressional leadership to try to alter or altogether dismantle the ruling. The 21 GOP governors, led by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, issued a joint letter to top lawmakers asking them to “take immediate action to remove and prohibit” the mandate. (Mitchell, 11/30)
Republican Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday that West Virginia’s state of emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic will end at the start of the new year. The state of emergency has been in effect since March 16, 2020. It allows the governor to suspend certain rules on personnel and purchasing. (Willingham, 11/30)
Indiana’s attorney general, Todd Rokita, asked a state medical board on Wednesday to discipline the doctor who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim this summer. Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist, treated the girl, who had traveled from Ohio when the state enacted a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. (Sasani and Stolberg, 11/30)
Roger Coody has no legal training and his political experience until recently had been limited to registering people to vote. Now, the Oklahoma hairstylist is pushing a ballot proposal he wrote that would make abortion access a constitutional right in his deeply red state, where Republican lawmakers have banned the procedure in nearly all circumstances. It’s part of a growing trend across the nation to put reproductive freedom to a popular vote after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed the right to abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years. (Coronado and Murphy, 11/30)
Kansas providers might not be ready for months to do telemedicine abortions even though a state-court judge has blocked the state from enforcing its ban on teleconferencing with patients seeking pregnancy-ending medications. (Hanna, 11/30)
William J. Bratton, the former New York City police commissioner, said that Mr. Adams was trying to do the right thing, but that his plan would be very difficult to carry out. “There’s no place to put a lot of these poor souls,” he said. “It’s a well-intended measure and long overdue to try to deal in a more humane way with this seemingly intractable problem.” Mr. Adams has acknowledged that New York did not have enough psychiatric beds to accommodate everyone. (Fitzsimmons and Newman, 11/30)
“Mayor Adams continues to get it wrong when it comes to his reliance on ineffective surveillance, policing, and involuntary transport and treatment of people with mental illness,” Jacquelyn Simone, policy director for the Coalition for the Homeless, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Homeless people are more likely to be the victims of crimes than the perpetrators, but Mayor Adams has continually scapegoated homeless people and others with mental illness as violent. (Heyward, 11/30)
Higher expenses due to staff shortages and fewer patients are straining finances in the hospital sector, which is on track to end the year with negative margins, according to data Kaufman Hall published Wednesday. (Devereaux, 11/30)
Cleveland Clinic’s net losses for the year so far have exceeded $1.5 billion as labor costs remain elevated. The Ohio-based nonprofit reported $316.3 million in operating losses in the first three quarters of 2022, compared with a $549.44 million gain in the year-ago period, according to financial statements released this week. Investment losses totaled $1.26 billion. (Hudson, 11/30)
Cleveland Clinic, a growing player in international healthcare, is expanding its global network of in-country representatives to five new locations: Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. (11/29)
General Electric Co. set the terms for the spinoff of its healthcare division, putting an initial value of roughly $31 billion on the soon-to-be-public company. GE said current shareholders would get one share in the new GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. for every three shares they hold in GE. The separation is set for Jan. 3 after the markets close, and the new shares will trade on Nasdaq under the symbol GEHC. (Gryta, 11/30)
At a time when many Americans are clamoring for more transparency into prescription drug pricing, one key provider of that data is making it harder to access the information. A new venture called Merative — which was formed recently from the ashes of IBM’s Watson Health division — has decided it will no longer provide the media with pricing changes for specific medicines. (Silverman and Ross, 12/1)
In a study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open, University of Minnesota researchers found that the language doctors often use tends not to translate easily into everyday English. A positive test result, for example, generally suggests something negative: A disease like Covid, for example, has been detected. (Edwards, 11/30)
Black and Hispanic residents were far more likely than white residents to visit hospital emergency departments for care, even before the pandemic, according to a new state analysis released Wednesday. (Bartlett, 11/30)
“A few minutes after 1 p.m. we’re going to start marching,” a faculty member announced to a crowd of about 50 on the Johns Hopkins University campus Wednesday afternoon. The group had gathered to protest the proposed creation of a private armed university police force. (LeBoeuf, 11/30)
Philadelphia and Oakland County, Michigan, are joining the small list of U.S. localities that are looking for signs of polio infections in sewage, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the communities will test for polio in sewage for at least four months. Communities in New York state began testing earlier this year after a man was diagnosed with paralytic polio outside New York City. CDC officials say they have been talking with other communities about also starting polio wastewater testing. (Stobbe, 11/30)
Fentanyl testing strips would be decriminalized under a bill the Ohio House passed Wednesday with overwhelming bipartisan support, advancing a proposal that proponents say would help prevent fatal overdoses and save lives. The strips, which are used to detect the powerful synthetic opioid often found laced in other drugs, would no longer be classified as illegal drug paraphernalia under the measure. (Hendrickson, 11/30)
For the staff at the Senior Recovery Center in Maplewood, Minn., helping older adults overcome substance use disorders is a calling, said Christine Martinek, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor there. But it’s a more challenging calling when the adults who need treatment are on Medicare. (Hellmann, 11/30)
When his father opened the door to Zach Didier’s bedroom, the boy seemed asleep at his desk, still wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a yellow T-shirt. His head rested in the crook of his left arm, near his soccer trophies and the computer where he played Minecraft with friends. But Chris Didier sensed something was terribly wrong. “As I got within two feet of him, I didn’t feel what I would normally feel,” he said. “When you approach a dead body, there is a void there, and I’d never sensed that before, and that’s when my world was destroyed.” (Barrett, 11/30)
A 10-month-old baby suffered an accidental fentanyl overdose Tuesday at a Marina district playground, the boy’s father told The Chronicle in an interview, a medical emergency that required paramedics to administer overdose-reversing medication Narcan. (Moench, 11/30)
About 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of cannabis products purchased from 20 illicit stores in New York City were found to contain harmful contaminants such as E. coli, lead and salmonella, according to a report commissioned by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association. One of the products purchased also included double the amount of advertised THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. (Pollard, 11/30)
A suicide prevention net on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge that is already years behind schedule will cost about $400 million, more than double its original price, because of problems sparked by the government agency that manages the span, the lead contractors allege. (Rodriguez, 11/30)
For decades, Yale has “treated unequally and failed to accommodate students with mental health disabilities, including by modifying policies, in violation of federal law,” according to the suit filed Wednesday by two students and a mental-health advocacy group, Elis for Rachel Inc. They seek class-action status for complaint filed in New Haven, Connecticut, where Yale is located. (Maglione, 11/30)
North Carolina’s government is appealing a trial judge’s order that demands many more community services by certain dates for people with intellectual and development disabilities who otherwise live at institutions, the top state health official said Wednesday. (Robertson, 11/30)
One company on the cutting edge of psychedelic-assisted therapy is hoping to minimize the negative mental health impact of a layoff with a free month of ketamine therapy. You heard that right—Field Trip Health, a company that provides psychedelic-enhanced therapy virtually, in person, and hybrid, announced today in an exclusive with Fortune that it will offer services free of charge to people who got laid off from a host of companies—including Twitter, Meta, Stripe, and others. (Mikhail, 11/30)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
As we reflect on the finish of 2021 and seem ahead to 2022, we preferred to take a instant to reiterate our winter quarter ideas and deliver you with a number of updates.
We know there is problem in our neighborhood about the modern surge of COVID-19 instances, mostly because of to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Below on our campus and by means of Balanced Davis Together, we also are observing an increase in the number of good situations because of to the Omicron variant, but fortunately our overall amount of positive COVID-19 conditions is however really small as opposed to most of the relaxation of California.
Moreover, rising info advise that men and women who are totally vaccinated and boosted are very unlikely to develop into critically sick if they deal COVID-19 prompted by any of the presently identified variants. Though the Omicron variant is extra quickly transmitted, it appears that it is likely to be fewer virulent than earlier variants, that is, drastically fewer possible to cause significant health issues, hospitalization or demise. Provided that the Omicron variant is remarkably transmissible and appears to lead to milder illness in vaccinated and boosted men and women, we are getting into a new period of adapting our campus approach and activities to residing with COVID-19 at an endemic amount. This shift in tactic means that we will continue on to observe the two an infection fees and severity of disease outcomes, just as we do with influenza, although we keep on to do our critical work at UCD of education, analysis, and company.
Please take time to browse this letter as we’ve attempted to deal with popular concerns and concerns that you have shared with us with regards to COVID-19 and wintertime quarter.
Tests
We announced on December 21 that we will commence wintertime quarter with a 7 days of remote instruction and working from household (apart from for staff members with necessary responsibilities) from January 3-7. We are carrying out this for two good reasons. To start with, we are environment aside a week for a essential round of COVID-19 screening — important simply because we will need a detrimental final result ahead of making it possible for men and women back in the classroom or workplace on January 10. Second, by figuring out conditions early in the quarter, we can sluggish the spread of the coronavirus and hold campus operations jogging as efficiently as possible.
To execute these aims, we are necessitating that all learners, faculty, and personnel at the Davis campus get examined concerning now and January 7. If you are presently in the Davis space, we strongly counsel that you get analyzed NOW to keep away from the hurry subsequent 7 days. If you are outside the house of the Davis region, make sure you return in advance of January 3 and make an appointment to get examined as quickly as attainable on your return. Make sure you do not wait around to return to Davis immediately after January 3 because it will minimize our possibilities of getting all people examined and minimizing the amount of an infection.
Remember to see screening spots and hrs on the Campus Ready web page. Take note that all UC Davis and Healthy Davis With each other web sites will be closed Friday and Saturday for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, but you will have two possibilities for screening on Sunday:
Even more, we will carry more than from fall quarter our needs for common tests: every 14 days if you are thoroughly vaccinated (even now, we really encourage you to get analyzed a lot more often) and each and every 4 times if you are unvaccinated with an authorised exception.
Healthy behaviors
Be reassured that we are monitoring our campus tests effects, together with our genotyping final results, together with individuals from Davis and the rest of Yolo County. We are in standard make contact with with the county’s general public health officer to make certain compliance with shifting guidelines and to maintain our local community as nutritious as probable.
At this time, we are confident that our higher vaccination costs, our testing plan and the other methods we have in area will allow us to maintain the campus open although slowing the unfold of COVID-19 bacterial infections. We also know that our neighborhood will continue on to do its component to maintain anyone nutritious. Even though it is unlikely that we will require to modify these plans owing to the Omicron variant, we will make improvements to our winter season quarter options if we believe that it is needed.
We urge every person to proceed practicing nutritious behaviors that can help reduce the distribute of COVID-19. Carry on to follow our tests protocols, get the essential booster vaccination as soon as you are suitable, and have on face masks whenever you are indoors. Offered how transmissible the Omicron variant is, we be aware that N95 and KN95 masks with appropriate fit are much more powerful in guarding versus COVID-19 and specifically the Omicron variant.
Booster shots
As we mentioned in our December 21 letter, all learners, faculty and employees ought to get their COVID-19 booster — third dose if you formerly been given the Pfizer-BioNTech series or the Moderna sequence, second dose if you formerly gained the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — and add their up to date vaccination info into the Wellness-e-Messaging portal no afterwards than January 31. You are qualified for your booster 6 months after finishing your principal vaccination sequence. Please do not delay. If you are not suitable for a booster by January 31, you will have 14 days from your day of eligibility to get your booster and add your vaccination facts we realize this applies to a lot of of you who gained your vaccinations in September.
Have to have a booster? Go to the state’s My Transform web page to make an appointment at any selection of clinics in the region.
Get in touch with tracing and test results
Steady with this earlier calendar year, if an unvaccinated man or woman checks constructive, they will be contacted by the speak to tracing staff to assistance detect near contacts and give isolation recommendations.
Important: Be sure to overview your test final results in Health and fitness-e-Messaging as before long as you acquire notification by e mail that your benefits are in. New for wintertime quarter: If a completely vaccinated individual exams positive, they will only obtain isolation guidelines via e-mail, with details on how to determine and advise their shut contacts.
Far more updates about our get in touch with tracing, isolation and quarantine techniques are offered on the Campus Completely ready website. In addition, we have delivered solutions to a prosperity of questions on our FAQ webpage.
Trying to keep you knowledgeable
We will continue to be vigilant as the new calendar year unfolds. We will continue on to comply with county and condition general public overall health tips. The upcoming “Checking In With Chancellor May” e-mail will involve the most current COVID-19 updates — look for it on Friday, January 14.
In the meantime, let us keep compassionate, patient and knowledge as the new year begins. We will get via this, alongside one another.
We desire you all a Pleased New 12 months. Go Ags!
Very best regards,
Gary S. Might Chancellor
Mary Croughan Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.
Author of the article:
David Carrigg, Cayley Dobie
Publishing date:
Dec 25, 2021 • 13 hours ago • 7 minute read • 69 Comments
Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.Photo by Gilnature /iStock/Getty Images
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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for Dec. 24-26, 2021.
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We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.
Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.
B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS
As of the latest figures given on Dec. 24:
• Total number of confirmed cases: 235,658 (10,415 active) • New cases since Dec. 24: 2,441 • Total deaths: 2,414 (four deaths) • Hospitalized cases: 192 • Intensive care: 71 • Total vaccinations: 4,377,551 received first dose; 4,126,279 second doses; 807,057 third doses • Recovered from acute infection: 222,604 • Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: Two
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IN-DEPTH: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020
B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS
• COVID-19: Here’s everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus
• COVID-19: B.C.’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works
• COVID-19: Here’s how to get your vaccination shot in B.C.
• COVID-19: Look up your neighbourhood in our interactive map of case and vaccination rates in B.C.
• COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated
• COVID-19: Five things to know about the P1 variant spreading in B.C.
• COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver
Vancouver Coastal Health closes St. Vincent testing site temporarily
St. Vincent’s COVID-19 testing site is temporarily closed due to winter weather conditions and people seeking tests are asked to visit the new site at UBC’s Life Sciences Centre.
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Starting today, Vancouver Coastal Health will be diverting anyone needing a test to the UBC location. The health authority will also be redeploying staff and resources from the St. Vincent’s site to UBC to help with testing.
“This is a precautionary measure to ensure the safe operations of testing services for both staff and people accessing care during the inclement weather,” according to a notice from Vancouver Coastal Health .
The UBC testing site, located at 2350 Health Sciences Mall in Vancouver, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will also remain open when the St. Vincent’s site reopens.
For more information about COVID-19 testing, click here .
Because of a recent surge in testing, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is asking people with symptoms and who are not at risk of serious illness are asked to assume they have COVID-19 and stay and isolate.
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— Cayley Dobie
Friday, Dec. 24
B.C. sets another COVID-19 record with 2,441 new cases
Health officials reported 2,441 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, setting another pandemic record for highest number of new cases in one day.
Fraser Health led today’s case count with 1,001 new cases while Vancouver Coastal Health was a close second with 967 new cases. Island Health reported 219 new cases, Interior Health had 188 and there were 66 new cases in Northern Health, according to today’s COVID-19 update.
There are currently 10,415 active cases of the virus in the province — another pandemic record.
The majority of active cases are in Vancouver Coastal Health (4,517) followed by Fraser Health (3,554), Island Health (1,274), Interior Health (778) and Northern Health (236).
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Officials also updated the number of cases where the Omicron variant of concern has been detected. So far that number is 1,613.
There are now two health-care facility outbreaks with a new outbreak being reported at Ridgeview Lodge in Interior Health. The outbreak at Lions Gate Hospital is ongoing.
— Cayley Dobie
New testing site opens at UBC
Vancouver Coastal Health announced Friday that it opened a new COVID-19 testing site at the UBC Life Sciences Centre “in response to increasing demand for COVID-19 testing across the region.”
The site, located at 2350 Health Sciences Mall in Vancouver, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
The location will also be providing rapid antigen tests to those with symptoms.
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In a press conference Friday morning, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province hit its testing capacity Thursday when it administered 20,000 COVID-19 PCR tests.
Henry is asking that only people with symptoms go get tested and encouraging those who are not at high risk of severe illness to assume they have COVID-19 and stay home and isolate.
— Cayley Dobie
B.C. health officer asks residents to change holiday plans if feeling unwell
British Columbia has hit its COVID-19 testing capacity as the provincial health officer asked residents to not get tested unless they have symptoms.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says the province administered 20,000 COVID-19 PCR tests on Thursday.
She says if someone develops symptoms then they need to adjust holiday plans and self-isolate.
As a result of hitting the testing capacity, Henry says health staff are prioritizing those most at risk and giving take-home antigen tests to younger people at less risk.
She says B.C. is in a “different pandemic” as a result of the Omicron variant.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province expects to give out 147,371 vaccinations from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2.
Watch the press conference below:
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— Canadian Press
Simon Fraser, UVic, UNBC plan virtual start to university term as pandemic surges
Simon Fraser University and the universities of Victoria and Northern B.C. have followed the University of British Columbia and announced plans to start the upcoming term with online instruction for most courses.
SFU and UVic says classes will begin Jan. 10 with two weeks of online classes, although labs, clinical and performance courses will continue in-person with safety protocols.
UNBC says the semester will begin as scheduled on Jan. 5, and all first classes of any course between Jan. 5 and Jan. 11 will be delivered online.
All three universities say campus resources, including libraries, student housing and dining services will remain open with current safety plans in place.
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The University of B.C. said earlier this week that most of its classes will be offered online between Jan. 10 and 24.
Numerous other post-secondary institutions across the country have either delayed the start of their terms or announced virtual classes to launch the new year.
— Canadian Press
B.C. reports more than 2,000 new cases in 24 hours
B.C. health officials reported 2,046 new cases of COVID-19 today, the highest one-day increase since the beginning of the pandemic.
The majority of new cases were reported in Vancouver Coastal Health, with 880 new cases, and Fraser Health, with 741 new cases. Island Health reported 248 new cases, Interior Health had 123 new cases and Northern Health had 53, according to a statement from health officials. There was one new case in someone who normally resides outside Canada.
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The number of active cases also jumped to 8,739, with Vancouver Coastal Health leading the way with 3,729 active cases followed by Fraser Health with 2,825, Island Health with 1,267, Interior Health with 699 and Northern Health with 217. There are two active cases in people who normally reside outside Canada.
One more COVID-related death was also reported today in Island Health for a total of 2,410 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
There have been 975 cases of the Omicron variant reported in B.C. so far.
— Cayley Dobie
B.C. businesses get a max $10,000 boost from province to battle Omicron restrictions
The B.C. government has announced a onetime support program offering up to $10,000 to businesses ordered closed as a result of the Omicron shutdown.
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Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said Thursday the supports are aimed at complementing what was announced by the federal government yesterday, while acknowledging the closure orders come “at a very challenging time of year” for many businesses.
“It’s fair to say that we’re all exhausted by COVID-19, but COVID-19 is not done with us,” he said.
B.C.’s top doctor Bonnie Henry announced earlier in the week that gyms, fitness studios, dance studios, yoga centres, bars and nightclubs will be ordered closed until at least Jan. 18 because of the swift rise of cases sparked by the infectious Omicron variant.
The federal government followed up with a support program as B.C., Ontario and several other provinces announced lockdown orders or capacity limits at certain types of businesses.
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— Joe Ruttle
B.C. MAP OF WEEKLY COVID CASE COUNTS, VACCINATION RATES
Find out how your neighbourhood is doing in the battle against COVID-19 with the latest number of new cases, positivity rates, and vaccination rates:
B.C. VACCINE TRACKER
LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information
Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.
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The message was dire from Gov. Roy Cooper and Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services.
“Get boosted,” they repeatedly told North Carolinians on Monday during a briefing with reporters broadcast on PBS North Carolina.
In anticipation of a tremendous surge in COVID-19 cases in early January as the Omicron variant looms large on the horizon, Cohen returned to the Emergency Operations Center podium with a sense of urgency in her last days on the job.
Just a week earlier, Cohen told North Carolinians that she thought her update on the state’s COVID trends, metrics and data would be her final press conference. At the end of the month, she plans to resign from her job and turn over leadership of the state’s pandemic response to Kody Kinsley, the chief deputy secretary at DHHS tapped by Cooper to lead the department as the next secretary of health.
“We thought last week might be your last time at the podium, but this pandemic continues to throw us curveballs,” Cooper told Cohen on Monday after she laid out what she wants North Carolinians to do immediately before Omicron becomes as prevalent here as it is in New York and other parts of the world.
Cohen issued a secretarial advisory on Monday urging all this winter and holiday season to get vaccinated, boosted and tested, and mask up in public places.
COVID cases are on the rise, and North Carolina health care systems are starting to show strain as influenza circulates and the Delta and Omicron variants pose threats.
Cohen and Kinsley said they expected to see record numbers of cases in the peak of the expected Omicron surge. Though Cohen was reluctant to put a specific number on what that record might be, she estimated that it could be as high as 10,000 cases a day. She also declined to speculate what peak hospitalization might look like as a result of the Omicron wave.
North Carolina reported 10,541 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID since Friday, Cooper said. There were 1,630 people hospitalized with severe illness related to COVID, 437 of whom were in intensive care unit beds.
Three days ago, New York reported its highest number of daily COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. North Carolina public health officials are preparing for a similar trend to take hold here in the weeks ahead.
“I have two messages for North Carolinians today,” Cohen said with a more urgent tone in her voice than typical at press briefings. “First, the newest variant of COVID-19, Omicron, is the most contagious we’ve seen yet and will likely set record-high, daily case numbers in the coming weeks. Second, and most importantly. You can act now to best protect yourself and family and friends.”
People who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago are eligible for a booster and should get one as soon as possible. Those who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster two months after receiving their shot. They can also get a Pfizer or Moderna shot to boost their immunity.
‘Do not wait’
The Omicron variant, which has been detected in “most” hospital labs across the state, according to Cohen, is two to three times as contagious as the Delta variant, currently the dominant variant in North Carolina.
“Fortunately, early evidence suggests that illness from the Omicron variant may be less severe,” Cohen said. “However, it still can pose a danger for people who are not vaccinated, and particularly those who are at higher risk of severe disease.”
During the week ending Dec. 11, Omicron accounted for 12.9 percent of all cases in the U.S. and 37 percent of cases in the Southeast. By the conclusion of the week ending Dec. 18, updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Omicron was accounting for 73.2 percent of all cases in the U.S. and 95.2 percent of all cases in the Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee).
Instead of throwing hands up in the air, frustrated that the Omicron variant has shown the strength and adaptability of the coronavirus that has disrupted life for 22 months during the pandemic, Cohen urged North Carolinians to take action.
Public health officials in this country, though, say Omicron is too new to the states to predict whether that will remain the case in the weeks ahead.
As health care systems prepare to treat anyone sickened by the Omicron variant, drugs they’ve used in recent months to help stave off severe illness from the previous variants are not likely to offer much help.
New drugs are being developed, but they might not be readily available if an Omicron surge comes as expected in the weeks ahead.
Cohen was asked whether the record number of cases that she expected in North Carolina starting in early January would also mean a record number of hospitalizations.
“I do not yet know what that will translate into in terms of hospitalizations,” Cohen responded. “What we are seeing with Omicron is, it does seem to be less severe. What we don’t know yet is how it’s going to behave here in the United States. With the level of vaccinations that we’ve had, with the kinds of vaccination that we’ve seen before, I don’t know what that will mean. We are certainly planning to see additional strain on our hospitals. That’s why we are working with our hospitals to be ready, and the more we can act right now, that’s what will protect folks.”
“Right now,” though, is four days before Christmas Eve, when many families plan to gather to celebrate the holiday together after being forced to spend it apart in 2020 because of COVID. Some families are reconsidering how they might celebrate the holidays ahead, while others have opted to gather despite the variant.
“I know people are frustrated and dismayed by this wave of infection right here at Christmas, but it’s important to remember how far we have come in our fight against this disease,” Cooper said. “We know what works. Vaccines, boosters, testing and masks when needed. With every dose, we’re getting closer to turning the tide on this sickness and death brought on by the pandemic.”
Cooper said his family is vaccinated and boosted. They plan to get tested, “then gather for food, prayer, presents and hugs and time with each other.”
Testing in the spotlight again
Kinsley outlined what the state has done in anticipation of Omicron. They have gotten boosters to state-run nursing homes and worked with hospitals to build systems to support them as weary workers and understaffed nursing teams add an even thornier layer for health care systems.
At-home COVID-19 tests. Photo credit: Rose Hoban
Kinsley also said the state is looking ahead to make sure that enough testing supplies are available during the expected surge. Testing for COVID will be a crucial element in schools, businesses and other places.
During the high-water mark of the Delta surge, which occurred in the late summer, North Carolina saw as many as 86,000 tests administered some days.
With public health leaders advising people who plan to gather for the holidays to get tested in advance, a spotlight has been cast again on whether tests are as easy to find as they should be.
Many pharmacies have empty shelves where rapid at-home antigen tests once were stocked. Even if the shelves were stocked, at nearly $25 a box for some brands with only two tests included, the cost of home testing can add up quickly.
“Over the last several weeks we’ve pushed out several hundreds of thousands of tests, rapid tests, to our local health departments to make them available in local communities,” Kinsley said. “Of course we have statewide testing vendors that are providing testing in schools.”
19,167 people total in North Carolina have died of coronavirus.
1,599,595 have been diagnosed with the disease. Of those, 1,630 are in the hospital. The hospitalization figure is a snapshot of people hospitalized with COVID-19 infections on a given day and does not represent all of the North Carolinians who may have been in the hospital throughout the course of the epidemic.
As of Tuesday, 437 COVID-19 patients were in intensive care units across the state.
North Carolina tracked COVID-19 re-infections in the case counts from March 1, 2021 through Sept. 20, 2021. All told, North Carolina tracked 10,812 reinfections, 200 of those were in people who were previously vaccinated. Ninety-four people who were reinfected with COVID-19 have died.
1,538,231 people who had COVID-19 are presumed to have recovered. This weekly estimate does not denote how many of the diagnosed cases in the state are still infectious. Nor does it reflect the number of so-called “long-COVID” survivors who continue to feel the effects of the disease beyond the defined “recovery” period.
To date, 21,190,766 tests have been completed in North Carolina. As of July 2020, all labs in the state are required to report both their positive and negative test results to the lab, so that figure includes all of the COVID-19 tests performed in the state. Most recently, 9.3 percent of those testing were testing positive.
People ages 25-49 make up the largest group of cases (39 percent). While 12 percent of the positive diagnoses were in people ages 65 and older, seniors make up 74 percent of coronavirus deaths in the state.
263 outbreaks are ongoing in group facilities across the state, including nursing homes and correctional and residential care facilities.
As of Dec. 20, 6,539,752 North Carolinians have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Ninety-one percent of people over the age of 65 have been completely vaccinated, while 58 percent of the total population is fully vaccinated. 2,184,783 boosters have been administered.
Children between the ages of 5 and 11 became eligible for vaccination during November. A total of 161,410 first doses have been given to those children, a total of 18 percent of that population.
This story has been updated with new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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by Anne Blythe, North Carolina Health News December 20, 2021
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