Omicron causes uncertainty among BC health officials

NORTHERN BC- Provincial Health Officer, Dr.Bonnie Henry says there are 44 cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant of concern in BC, 7 of the cases are among unvaccinated people. Two of the unvaccinated people with Omicron are among children under 11. No residents have been hospitalized with Omicron in BC. Only one of the cases have been identified in Northern Health.

As more information on Omicron is revealed, the province expects three possible outcomes. Transmission of Omicron could be increased by 1.5 to 3 times that of Delta, immune evasion could be 30%-60% or BC could see a combination of increased transmission and immune evasion. The modelling shows that in the worst case scenario, there will be 2,000 new cases a day by the end of December due to Omicron. These scenarios don’t account for third vaccination doses, which will impact the severity of the illness and transmission.

“There is still a lot that we don’t know about this new strain and how it may affect transmission and how it may affect the people that go to the hospital. What we do know, is if cases go up, the percentage of people that end up needing hospital care go up as well,” stated Henry.

No additional public health measures will be implemented over the holidays. However, Henry says BC residents still shouldn’t be having large indoor parties.