Kamloops residents gathering on the beach at Riverside Park (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

COVID-19

‘We’re on track for next week’: Dr. Henry confident about Phase 3 of B.C. reopening

Jun 25, 2021 | 2:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — At the peak of COVID-19 this spring, Interior Health reported 125 cases. That happened on Apr. 10 — 12 per cent of the daily case count.

Two and a half months later, while cases have dropped significantly, the Interior has carried more of the case load recently. In the last week, Interior Health has averaged a quarter of the daily cases — with 40 per cent of the cases on Monday.

“We’re still seeing some transmission, as we would expect because we still have COVID, and those transmissions are happening in places where we do expect. Those are mostly at the household level,” said IH medical health officer Dr. Carol Fenton.

Dr. Fenton expects more household transmissions with small indoor gatherings allowed under the loosened restrictions. On the other hand, she also expects cases to drop as vaccination rates in the Interior rise.

“For IH overall, we have now achieved 70 per cent vaccination first doses over the age of 12, which is amazing,” she said. “And 28 per cent of people in IH, in the Interior, have received their second dose.”

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In a one-on-one with CFJC Today, Dr. Bonnie Henry says the positive news is hospitalizations are low in the Interior with nine people in hospital and six in critical care, while there are 47 hospitalizations in Fraser Health and 46 in Vancouver Coastal.

“That really does reflect where we’re seeing transmission now, which tends to be younger people, unvaccinated younger people,” said Dr. Henry. “So that’s where it’s important for people to know we may not get as sick, so that means hospitalizations are going down, and thankfully people who need ICU, and deaths are also down.”

Dr. Henry is focused on next Thursday when, on Canada Day, B.C. moves into Phase 3 of the reopening plan. It will mean no limits on dining out at restaurants, the first time casinos and nightclubs can open since last March, and no mask requirement, unless individual businesses keep their mask policies in place.

“We’re on track for next week,” said Dr. Henry. “But we’ve also learned that things can change quickly with this virus. So far, the data’s looking good, the immunization rates are looking good, and these are things we’ll be continuing to watch for in the next few weeks.”