1,750 non-urgent surgeries postponed in B.C. as COVID hospitalizations continue to set records

B.C. health officials said Thursday the province's health-care system is under "immense" pressure due to COVID-19, with hospitalizations reaching new highs, necessitating the postponement of some non-urgent surgeries.

There are currently a record502people in hospital, 161 of whom are in intensive care.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also announced 1,006new cases of COVID-19 Thursday and fourmore deaths due to the disease.

"The pressure on our health-care system is immense right now," Henry said. She urged people to follow public health guidelines and orders to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and reduce that pressure.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said rising cases in the Lower Mainland, especially, have increased the strain on hospitals to the point where non-urgent surgeries are being rescheduled.

In Fraser Health, Dix estimated, 750 non-urgent scheduled surgeries will not be performed in the next two week period. Vancouver Coastal Health will see 1,000 non-urgent surgeries postponed.

"This news is obviously disappointing for some patients and their families," Dix said. "We talk about non-urgent surgeries but ... every one of them is medically necessary and needed."

He said Lower Mainlandhealth authorities are asking nurses who are specialty trained in critical care but currently working in community settings to redeploy to hospitals on a voluntary basis. Eight nursesfrom the Provincial Health Services Authority have been redeployed to Fraser Health.

So far, B.C. has recorded 122,757 cases of COVID-19, including 1,550people who have died.

In a statement released later Thursday, health officials reported8,733 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and12,846 people under public health monitoring forexposure to known cases.

As of Thursday, 1,500,430 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine hadbeen administered, 88,475 of which are second doses.

Thursday's update included anew outbreakin B.C.'s health-care systemat Mount St. Mary Hospital, a long-term care facility in Victoria.

Hospitalizationsexpected to keeprising

Henry said she expects hospitalizations will continue to rise in B.C. for the next few weeks but is hopeful that things will then start to "slow down" along with transmission of the coronavirus.

Patients from northern B.C. who might normally be sent south to Metro Vancouver for care may now be sent to Vancouver Island, Dix said.

Dix added anyone whose surgery is being postponed will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

"This is a necessary step," Dix said. "But it is not easy."

New restrictions coming

Wednesday's numbers indicated B.C.'s rolling caseload averageis on a downward trend, but hospitalizationswhich typically lag behind spikes and dips in new casesareupfrom last week.

On Wednesday, officials reported that, for the first time in B.C., a person in their 20shad died of COVID-19. Earlier this week, Henry announced a child under the age of two had died.

In an effort to stop further transmission, new travel restrictions are due to take effect in B.C. on Friday.

Earlier this week, Premier John Horgan announced Solicitor General Mike Farnworthwould bedrafting orders forstrict new travel measuresthat willlast until after the May long weekend.

WATCH | Dr. Bonnie Henry explains how vaccinations canreturn of normalcy gradually:

B.C. health officials offer hope amid pandemic fatigue

3 years ago

Duration 1:17

Dr. Bonnie Henry predicts that by the end of the May long weekend, B.C. will have enough vaccine protection to start easing some restrictions.

Those orders, Horgan said Monday, are intended to stop people leaving their health authority areasfor non-essential reasons. There will be random audits of travellers to make sure people are in compliance.

Full details on the official rules will be announced Friday, including a clearer definition of what constitutes "essential travel" and what penalties mightbe in store for those who break the rules.

'Variant of interest'

Passenger flights from India and Pakistan to Canada are to be banned for 30 days starting Thursday night, CBC News has learned, as concerns grow about rising case numbers in India and new mutations of the virus.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Controlreported42 casesB1617in the province as of Thursday.

The variant, first identified in India, has two mutationsandis associated with a poorer antibody response, according to an immunologistwith theInstitutnational de la recherche scientifiquein Quebec.

Dix announced Wednesday the B1617 variant is considered a "variant of interest" and Henry on Thursday continued to describe the variant in those terms.

"If this variant is not a variant of concern and it has not been identified as suchyet it's concerning," Dix said Wednesday."That being said, all cases of COVID-19, are of concern. They are in India and they are in Canada."

A variant becomes a variant of concernwhen its changes have a clinical or public health significance:for example, if it affects the transmission, severity, vaccine effectiveness and/or diagnostic testing of the disease.

Henry saidB1617has been seen in several instances inrecent weeks. Some cases are associated with direct travel from India but others are not travel-linked. She said there are noindications at this time the variant is widespread in B.C. but banning flights is the right move.

"It's a tragedy globally that we are seeing, and India is bearing the brunt of it right now," Henry said. "We are very supportive of the federal government stopping flights coming into Canada right now."

Vaccination eligibility

As of Thursday,British Columbians born in 1996or earlier canregister online, by phone at 1-888-838-2323 or in-person at a Service B.C. office to get their first dose of a vaccine. Once registered, individuals will be contacted when it is their time to book an appointment.

People born in 1981 or earlierare eligible for the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine now through pharmacies and, in some hard-hit areas, special clinics.

Officials have released a list of13 community health service areasthat have seen the highest COVID-19 case rates, whichwill be given top priority through the clinics. Eligibility for those clinics is based on postal code.

People who wish to get the AstraZeneca vaccine through a pharmacy need to book their shot with the pharmacy itself. The province providesa list of participating pharmacies online.Pharmacies have limited supplies of the vaccine.