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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.