33 flights added to B.C. COVID-19 exposure list so far this week; most since early May
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has added 33 flights involving B.C. airports to its list of COVID-19 exposures since Sunday. That's the most new additions to the list in a one-week period since the week that ended on May 8, when 52 flights were added to the list.
The BCCDC added eight flights to the exposures list on Monday, six on Tuesday, eight on Wednesday and 11 on Thursday.
Though the latest additions were added to the list this week, the flights in question either took off from or landed at a B.C. airport between July 8 and 19.
Twelve of the 33 flights added so far this week were international, while the rest were domestic.
Details of all flights with a coronavirus case on board - including rows considered to be at greatest risk - can be found on the BCCDC website.
While studies suggest the risk of contracting COVID-19 on an airplane is low, there have been some examples of it happening.
The increase in the number of flight exposures follows several weeks in which the BCCDC added fewer than two dozen flights per seven-day period.
In the past, the number of flights with COVID-19 cases on board passing through B.C. airports has tended to mirror the pandemic's overall trajectory, with more exposures happening during times when active caseloads are high or rising and fewer happening when they are low or declining.
On Friday, B.C. health officials announced more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day for the first time since mid-June.
While the rolling seven-day average for daily cases in the province remains a fraction of what it was in April, at the height of the third wave of the pandemic in the province, it has been rising in recent weeks.
As of Friday, the average was 73 cases per day, more than double the post-third-wave low of 35 on July 5.
The increase in flight exposures comes roughly two weeks after Canada began allowing fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents to enter the country without quarantining.
Fully vaccinated Americans will be allowed to enter Canada without quarantining as of Aug. 9, and the federal government has said it plans to extend the policy to all fully vaccinated international travellers on Sept. 7.
The U.S., meanwhile, has decided to leave its border closed to Canadians travelling for non-essential purposes until at least Aug. 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.