Following COVID-19 death of person in their 20s, B.C. health officials direct message to younger residents
B.C. health officials are once again warning young people about the dangers of COVID-19 after the death of a person in their 20s.
In a COVID-19 briefing Thursday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that the young victim was a resident of B.C.’s Northern Health authority, which has recently seen a spike in cases and high transmission rates.
Henry says the highly transmissible Delta variant that we’re seeing across the province is largely to blame.
“We are seeing it cause more severe illness in younger people,” says Henry. “So if you are somebody who is young and healthy and thinks: ‘I’m just going to get through this, no problem,’ that’s not the case now.”
B.C.’s top doctor says more younger people are ending up in hospitals and intensive care units, particularly those who are unvaccinated in communities in the north.
“We need to take additional measures to stop this transmission, to stop this severe illness in young people, in middle-aged people and people whose immune systems aren’t working as well,” says Henry.
“We are seeing hospitals and ICUs filling up with young and otherwise healthy individuals struggling to breathe with COVID-19.”
Henry adds that the strain on hospitals isn’t only affecting people who become infected with COVID-19, but others who are seeking medical care.
“It’s spilling over into communities, meaning that young people can’t get care for the issues they have. People who need cancer treatment, people who have heart attacks, it’s now a challenge for everybody in our community. So we need to take additional actions,” says Henry.
Health officials also announced new COVID-19 restrictions to help stop the spread in the province’s hard-hit communities in the Northern Health region.
The restrictions – which include strict limits on gatherings and the closure of bars and nightclubs – will be in place until Nov. 19.
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.
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.
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.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
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.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
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.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.