Delta COVID-19 variant infections stable as B.C. cases continue to decrease overall
The latest information from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control paints a troubling picture of the variant of concern that’s arguably causing the most concern in the world right now.
While overall infections continue to go down overall in the province, the Delta variant, first discovered in India and known clinically as B.1.617.2, is holding steady and representing a larger share of positive cases.
At the height of the third wave, when resources were strained by cases north of a thousand per day, B.C. public health officials had moved to a surveillance model where they were essentially spot-checking random samples to determine which variants of concern were circulating. But given the rise of the Delta variant, which is ravaging India and threatening the United Kingdom’s reopening, they recently announced the BC CDC would go back to whole genome sequencing of all positive samples.
B.C. has transitioned to whole genome sequencing on all positive samples to provide gold standard analysis to detect variants of concern and “fingerprint details to support outbreak responses,” reads the latest VOC report published Thursday afternoon.
“The main circulating variants are B.1.1.7 and P.1, respectively accounting for ~45 % and ~46% of positive specimens screened or sequenced,” it goes on to say, showing the remaining nine per cent of variant samples are the Delta lineage.
While the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7, first identified in the U.K.) and Gamma variant (P.1, first identified in Brazil) were initially feared as being more contagious and resistant to vaccines than the original virus, the Delta variant is believed to be even worse. There is growing evidence to support those concerns.
One of the few care home outbreaks declared in B.C. in recent weeks was at Surrey’s Cherington Place long-term care centre, where seven staff and 21 residents have been infected so far. Four residents have died. The most recent publicly available data outlining immunization rates for care homes, admittedly stale and dated Feb. 15, posted a vaccination rate of 97 per cent for first doses.
CTV News has tried on several occasions to determine staff vaccination rates in each care home, but the Ministry of Health has refused to provide those statistics.
On Thursday, Alberta’s top doctor revealed that of 22 people diagnosed with the Delta variant after a hospital outbreak in Calgary, 10 had been fully immunized with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. They are believed to have mild forms of the illness.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw did not specify which types of vaccines they had taken, nor the interval between doses or how long it has been since their second dose, but epidemiologists tell CTV News that those details in connection with delta variant outbreaks will be scrutinized to determine how effective vaccines are against the mutation, and whether they mitigated the severity of the illnesses.
Earlier this month, a group of independent B.C. scientists and data researchers warned policymakers to consider the Delta variant a “wild card” that could challenge the province’s reopening plans, particularly if vaccine uptake isn’t robust for first and second doses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.