Critics call on B.C. to fill gaps in COVID-19 information amid 6th wave
With COVID-19 hospitalizations climbing, a group of B.C. doctors is raising concerns around the elderly and others vulnerable to the virus, saying it’s unknown how many of them have been offered a second booster shot.
While fewer masks and more people out in public might suggest otherwise, the province is in the middle of a sixth wave of COVID-19.
“And based on what we’re seeing in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, this is not going to be a small wave,” said Dr. Lyne Filiatrault, a retired emergency physician and member of the COVID-19 watchdog group Protect our Province British Columbia (PoP BC).
The most recent data from the provincial government shows there were 570 COVID hospitalizations as of April 28, which is more than double the number from just a month earlier. Cases continue to climb the fastest for people aged 80 and older. With pandemic safety measures lifted, Filiatrault says seniors and many others are at risk.
“We basically are exposing the most vulnerable in our community to the virus and they are seeing the consequences of that with more hospitalization.”
One layer of protection against serious infection in seniors and people considered clinically extremely vulnerable is a second booster shot. In early April, the province announced fourth doses were being offered, including to people over 70 and the immunocompromised. However, Filiatrault says there’s no way of knowing the progress of the fourth dose rollout, because the province no longer provides that information.
“For accountability purposes, (the provincial government) should be telling us where they’re at with the rollout of the fourth dose for residential care, long-term care, and for the most vulnerable in the community,” said Filiatrault.
For several weeks now, the province has provided weekly COVID-19 updates instead of daily briefings. With the testing strategy having changed, the provided data is not as detailed as it used to be. Analysts and researchers say it’s now nearly impossible to make predictions on where the pandemic is headed in B.C.
“There is a great deal of effort on the government’s side to hide COVID under the rug,” said Damien Contandriopoulos, a professor and public health researcher at the University of Victoria. “To talk as little as possible about COVID and dismiss the gravity of the situation.”
Another layer of protection for high-risk COVID-19 patients is Paxlovid, an antiviral pill designed to prevent hospitalizations. CTV News has learned B.C. has 32,000 rounds of Paxlovid, but has only administered approximately 2,500, due to limited eligibility.
“Plus there’s the issue of how you can access it if you don’t have a family doctor,” added Filiatrault.
As for COVID-19 transmission, take-home rapid tests are the only testing method for most British Columbians. With the province not collecting the results, it’s hard to know how far-reaching this latest wave of the pandemic will be.
With files from CTV's Ian Holliday and Penny Daflos
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.