Vancouver Coastal Health Community Partner Update – Apr. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaQVZjum2Mk

LATEST UPDATE – April 2, 2021

In an effort to keep our community partners connected, we are providing you with regular COVID-19 updates. 

Ministry of Health update

In yesterday’s joint statement on B.C.’s COVID-19 response, Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, reported 832 new cases.

The total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in B.C. now stands at 100,880 since the start of the pandemic. Of the new cases, 310 people were in the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) region.

Across the province, there were five new COVID-19 related deaths, while 296 people are currently hospitalized, with 79 of these cases receiving treatment in ICU/critical care. The total number of individuals who have passed away due to COVID-19 is 1,463. There are 7,571 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C. currently.

There have been 90 new confirmed COVID-19 cases that are variants of concern in our province, for a total of 2,643 cases. Of the total cases, 192 are active and the remaining people have recovered. This includes 2,214 cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant, 50 cases of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant and 379 cases of the P.1 (Brazil) variant.

Dr. Henry says there is additional testing for variants at exposure events. There was an increase in P.1 variant within Vancouver Coastal Health and Whistler, but that is now contained. Some of that has spread in small numbers across the province.  During the long weekend, Dr. Henry says we all need to ensure we are socializing safely. If we choose to spend time with anyone other than our immediate household, it must be outside. We also need to ensure we are giving enough space to others, staying away if we are feeling at all unwell, and staying with the same group of people.

Vaccination update

Since the start of immunizations, 787,649 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 87,394 of which are second doses. Health Minister Adrian Dix says 16.3% of B.C.’s population have received a first dose of the vaccine.

There are four now vaccines approved for use in Canada. The latest is the Janssen vaccine, which is the pharmaceutical arm of the Johnson & Johnson company. Unlike the other three vaccines, the Janssen is a single dose vaccine. The Novavax vaccine may get approval in the next few weeks. Dr. Henry notes in clinical trials and in the real world, the vaccines available are very effective at preventing people from having serious illness, from hospitalization, from death, and they do prevent even milder symptoms in people as well.

Minister Dix says the province-wide online platform for booking immunizations will go live on April 6. Details of the platform will be presented publicly on April 5. There will continue to be a call centre for people who aren’t able, or don’t like to use online platforms.

Updated information on who should get a COVID-19 vaccine can be found here and there is more information about vaccine after care here. More information and immunization data is available through this page: BCCDC.

The COVID-19 AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine is available to people aged 55 – 65. People can book their appointment directly through the pharmacies listed on the BC Pharmacy Association website. Appointments for AstraZeneca cannot be booked through the VCH COVID-19 vaccination appointment booking line.

Updates to VCH’s implementation of Phase 2 of B.C.’s immunization plan

To support the next phase of B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has opened two new COVID-19 vaccination clinics. The new VCH vaccination clinics are located at the UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences Building and the Vancouver Convention Centre (East). For a full listing of VCH vaccination clinics, please visit: vch.ca.

The following ages are invited to call 1.877.587.5767 to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment beginning at noon on their respective dates:

Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis, Inuit)

• If you’re born in 2003 or earlier (age 18 and older) – call now

People in Richmond, Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Lions Bay

• If you’re born in 1949 or earlier (age 72 and older) – call now

People in Sunshine Coast, Powell River, Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton and Bowen Island

• If you’re born in 1951 or earlier (age 70 and older) – call now

People deemed clinically extremely vulnerable 

• If you are clinically extremely vulnerable and have received a patient invitation letter – call now (patient invitation letters will arrive by Apr. 15).

The appointment booking toll-free phone line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Please note the following holiday hours:

VCH is appealing to family members, friends, neighbours and social services agencies to help reach eligible seniors in the community. Please share this COVID-19 vaccination update with eligible seniors and Indigenous peoples along with Elders, to help them plan and book their appointment.

COVID-19 vaccination survey

As more British Columbians become eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, VCH has launched a brief survey asking people in our communities about the COVID-19 vaccine information they need most as they book a vaccine appointment and receive their vaccine at a clinic, as well as whether they plan to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The learnings will help ensure VCH is providing the most relevant materials about the COVID-19 vaccination program to our communities. The survey consists of only five questions and takes up to five minutes to complete. It is currently available in English, traditional and simplified Chinese: https://engage.vch.ca/covid-19-vaccination-survey. We encourage you to complete the survey and share it widely.

Resource toolkit includes:

• Vaccine appointments for seniors:

[English] | [Arabic] | [Chinese – Simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [Farsi] | [French] | [Hindi] |  [Japanese] | [Korean] | [Punjabi] | [Spanish] | [Tagalog] | [Vietnamese]

• After-care information:

[English] | [Arabic] | [ASL] | [Chinese – Simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [Farsi] | [French] | [Korean] | [Punjabi] | [Spanish] | [Tigrinya] | [Vietnamese]

• COVID-19 vaccine information poster:

[English] | [Arabic] | [Chinese – Simplified] | [Chinese – Traditional]| [Farsi] | [French] | [Korean] | [Punjabi] | [Spanish] | [Tagalog] | [Vietnamese]

COVID-19 in Whistler update

In the last two weeks, VCH has recorded an increase in individuals testing positive for COVID-19 in this community.

• From Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, VCH identified 218 new cases of COVID-19 in Whistler.
• From Jan. 1 to Mar. 28, there have been 1,120 cases recorded in the Whistler community.
• Of these, 900 individuals have recovered from COVID-19.
• The majority of cases continue to be identified in young adults aged 20 – 39 years of age (83.2 per cent).

The reported cases continue to be among young adults who live and work in the Whistler community. The most common location for transmission also continues to be in household settings and social gatherings.

VCH strongly advises all Whistler residents to avoid social gatherings with those outside of their households, to stay home while sick, to wash their hands regularly, and to maintain physical distance when in public.

Urgent and primary care centre in Richmond now open

A new urgent and primary care centre (or UPCC) is now open in the Community Health Access Centre at 7671 Alderbridge Way in the evenings and on weekends.  Richmond residents requiring urgent care in the evenings and on the weekends are encouraged to visit the Richmond Urgent and Primary Care Centre. Care is provided on a drop-in basis – no appointment is required.

As the Richmond Urgent and Primary Care Centre opens on Easter weekend, the centre will observe the following hours:

• Thursday, April 1 – 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday, April 2 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, April 3 – 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday, April 4 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, April 5 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Richmond Urgent and Primary Care Centre is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Richmond Division of Family Practice. It is part of the Richmond Primary Care Network.

Testing

Anyone in the VCH region with cold, influenza or COVID-19-like symptoms, however mild, can now be assessed for and get a COVID-19 test. Contact your physician or nurse practitioner’s office, or a local community collection centre to arrange for a test. Phone numbers and locations of collection centres can be found by visiting: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing or by calling 8-1-1. For more information and latest updates on COVID-19, follow the BC Centre for Disease Control on Twitter @CDCofBC or visit the website: http://www.bccdc.ca/.

Other resources

To find the Provincial Health Officer’s orders, visit:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

To see a map of COVID-19 cases by local health area, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/data

For a listing of the community exposure events, go to: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/public-exposures

For the latest medical updates, including case counts, prevention, risks and testing, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/

For community engagement opportunities at VCH, see: https://engage.vch.ca/

Emina Dervisevic (she, her)

Leader, Community Engagement

Vancouver Coastal Health

mobile    236 833 1364

e-mail     Emina.Dervisevic@vch.ca

I humbly acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional unceded homelands of the x?m??kw?y??m (Musqueam), Skwxwu?7mesh (Squamish), and S?l?i?lw?ta?/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video COVID-19 vaccination aftercare

COVID-19 vaccination aftercare