Vancouver Coastal Health Community Partner Update – Apr. 7

LATEST UPDATE – April 7, 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 1,068 new cases.

The total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in B.C. now stands at 105,988 since the start of the pandemic. Of the new cases, 352 people were in the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) region.

Across the province, there were three new COVID-19 related deaths, while 328 people are currently hospitalized, with 96 of these cases receiving treatment in ICU/critical care. The total number of individuals who have passed away due to COVID-19 is 1,489. There are 8,671 active cases of COVID-19 across B.C. currently.

There have been 207 new confirmed COVID-19 cases that are variants of concern in our province, for a total of 3,766 cases. Of those cases, only 266 are active, or three per cent of the total active cases.

Dr. Henry notes the B117, or U.K. variant, is dominating the variants of concern cases in B.C. with 2,838 people identified carrying the strain.

A high percentage of the P1, or Brazil strain, identified in the province, is associated with Whistler or travel to Whistler, but is still a small percentage of all of the cases in the resort community, and a small percentage of the cases in Canada. Dr. Henry explains there was one contained cluster in February in Vancouver, with several different introductions in Vancouver and in Whistler, probably by mid to late February. It is likely, through contact tracing, that visitors from other parts of Canada initially introduced that strain before it started to circulate in Whistler between workers, visitors and to other parts of the province.

Currently, the occupied bed rate in B.C. is 89.5 per cent. Minister Dix says the number is significantly below what it would have been pre-pandemic at this time of year. That means that there are 985 vacant base beds in hospitals across B.C. There are a total of 3,416 vacant beds when factoring the number of surge beds that were added to prepare for COVID-19.

Vaccination update

Since the start of immunizations, 912,056 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 87,474 of which are second doses.

The ‘Get Vaccinated’ online vaccine registration and booking system for B.C.’s age-based immunization program has launched, allowing everyone to register and then later book their vaccine appointment online, when eligible. By 2 p.m., 160,464 people registered for their vaccine, with 23,827 appointments booked.

On April 1, 188,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in B.C. while another 15,000 doses are on their way and expected to arrive this week. From the 203,000 doses, a significant portion is being moved to an expanded list of participating pharmacies in Metro Vancouver, including Sea to Sky and Sunshine Coast and other key communities across B.C. Minister Dix says the province expects by Thursday or Friday of this week, the AstraZeneca vaccine will be in those communities at participating pharmacies and ready for administration to those aged 55 to 65.

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

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

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

Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis, Inuit)

• If you’re the age 18 and older

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

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

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

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

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)

You can book your COVID-19 vaccination appointment in several ways:

• You can register online with a Personal Health Number at https://www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca/s/
• If you don’t have a personal health number or if you are unable to book online, you can register by phone by calling 1-833-838-2323. The call centre is open seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• You can register in-person at all Service BC offices. Office hours vary by location. Find a nearby Service BC office.

For more information about booking an appointment visit, gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.

You can also call 1-877-587-5767 to book your vaccination appointment. At that time, you will be automatically redirected to the provincial call centre to complete your booking.

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]

• Aftercare 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]

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/