B.C. residents mark Christmas Day amid surge in COVID-19 cases across province

Residents in B.C. once again marked Christmas Day with gathering limits in place due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the province.

The latest round of provincial health restrictions meant many would be celebrating the holiday in smaller groups.

Parishioners at Gateway Community Church were still grateful to gather together, despite churches being capped at 50 per cent capacity.

“We were wondering due to the Omicron variant if we were going to be permitted, but just the fact that we were able to gather safely and to worship was just a joy,” said pastor Justin Carruthers.

However, finding joy for others can be difficult with record-breaking COVID-19 case counts recorded in B.C. this past week and line-ups at testing centres stretching up to five hours in some cases.

At the new UBC testing site on Saturday, things seemed to be running smoothly.

The site, which opened for the first time on Friday, is only distributing rapid antigen tests for people who have symptoms of COVID-19, reflecting a recent shift in the provincial testing strategy necessitated by Omicron.

Despite the rise in cases, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have remained lower compared to this time last year and health experts say vaccines are to thank for that.

“We have the tools to deal with this and it’s up to us to use them,” Dr. Brian Conway of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre said.

While most cases of the Omicron variant appear to be milder than the Delta variant experts still believe it will take several weeks to learn just how severe the new variant is.

“So my sense is, especially with the sheer numbers of infection, if we’re not careful, there will be hospitalizations in vulnerable individuals,” Dr. Conway said.

The provincial advice for now remains to keep gatherings small with no more than 10 people.

“Right now people need to think ‘if I have any symptoms at all, even if it's just the sniffles, then I don’t want to be around my new nephew or niece or people who might have more severe illness if they get sick with this,’” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a news conference on Friday.