'If it's not necessary, don't go': B.C. health minister advises against domestic travel

B.C.'s Minister of Health expressed support for the federal government's advisory against non-essential international travel on Wednesday, and took it a step further, suggesting provincial residents rethink domestic travel, as well.

"It's pretty simple," said Adrian Dix at an afternoon news conference.

"If it's not necessary, don't go."

The health minister also noted that B.C.'s COVID-19 caseload has been increasing in recent days, and said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry may need to introduce new restrictions as a result.

"Dr. Henry will be reviewing and is reviewing - actively - any changes to public health orders that will be required in the coming days to address the increase in case counts," Dix said.

ADVICE AGAINST DOMESTIC TRAVEL

The federal travel advisory comes as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly around the world. It's scheduled to be in place for four weeks, after which federal officials plan to reassess the epidemiological situation. 

On Tuesday, Dix and Henry announced that B.C.'s total for confirmed Omicron cases had quadrupled since Friday. There were 44 confirmed cases of the concerning variant in the province as of the last update, with more expected in the coming days.

In his remarks Wednesday, Dix noted that there are currently more Omicron cases in Ontario and Quebec than in B.C., and said domestic travel has the potential to contribute to the spread of the variant.

"People have to, I think, exercise the same caution (the federal government recommends) in travelling across Canada," the minister said. "This is a time to exercise caution across the board."

Dix's comments echoed and expanded on a statement from B.C. Premier John Horgan reacting to the federal announcement.

"I urge British Columbians to follow the federal government's advice to avoid non-essential travel outside the country," reads the premier's statement.

"As the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreads worldwide, this is not a time to take chances."

NO NEW RESTRICTIONS YET

Dix and Henry also provided updated modelling on the pandemic in B.C. in their wide-ranging briefing on Tuesday.  

The modelling's worst-case scenario showed that B.C. could see cases explode to 2,000 per day by the end of the month, while hospitalizations could be near the province's previous daily maximum by early January.

Not all of the projections were that dire, however, and Henry stressed that there is "a lot of uncertainty" in the modelling.

The province did not announce any new, Omicron-related restrictions on Tuesday, but once again strongly encouraged the public to keep holiday gatherings small, to continue following the indoor mask mandate, and to get a booster vaccine dose as soon as possible.

RAPID TESTING STRATEGY COMING NEXT WEEK

One area where the minister did say change is imminent is regarding the province's use of rapid tests.

"British Columbia has, of course, been waiting for at-home tests, which are on-label at-home tests, which are not yet available in wide numbers in Canada," Dix said.

He said the province believed it would be receiving the take-home tests in November, but their delivery has been delayed multiple times, with fewer-than-desired tests now slated for delivery next month.

B.C. has faced significant criticism for its use of rapid tests, which has lagged behind other provinces. 

Data from the Public Health Agency of Canada suggests that B.C. has received roughly two million rapid tests from the federal government that it has not distributed for use.

In comparison, Nova Scotia, which has less than one-fifth of B.C.'s population, made rapid testing a part of its COVID-19 strategy much earlier in the pandemic. Perhaps as a result, that province has received about a million more rapid tests from the federal government than B.C. has. 

On Tuesday, Henry said the tests other provinces have been distributing for free are different than the ones B.C. wants to use, though PHAC data suggests that most of the tests that have been used in Nova Scotia have been brands that B.C. has received.

She also said that some of the tests B.C. has received for "at-home" use come in boxes of 25, with only one bottle of testing solution per box. It’s challenging and time-consuming to break those boxes down into smaller kits to give away, Henry said.

On Wednesday, Dix said he and Henry will announce details of its updated rapid testing strategy during their regular COVID-19 briefing next Tuesday.

"As we did with vaccination and other things, you'll see a systematic effort focused on those who need it most and to reduce transmission for those who are the most vulnerable," Dix said. "You'll be seeing that shortly. People will see action on rapid testing." 

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel and Shannon Paterson