Unvaccinated kids under 12 now make up 20% of B.C.'s COVID-19 cases
Children under age 12 now make up about 20 per cent of British Columbia's COVID-19 cases, health officials revealed Tuesday while presenting their plans for vaccinating kids as young as five.
There were 568 confirmed cases involving infants, toddlers and children up to age 11 from Nov. 16 to 22, according to new data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. The government announced 2,679 cases in total over that seven-day period.
Children between the ages of five and 11, who just recently become eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, accounted for 457 of those.
That age group has been vastly overrepresented in the province's COVID-19 case numbers since transmission exploded near the start of the school year – while children under 12 have made up 20 per cent of recent cases, they represent just 10 per cent of B.C.'s population.
But provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry noted Tuesday that transmission has been decreasing across the board in recent weeks, including among those age five to 11.
She also noted there were no COVID-19 hospitalizations in that age group from Nov. 16 to 22, and there have been no COVID-19 deaths among B.C.'s school-aged children so far.
"I think that's really important for us to remember," Henry said. "This virus, thankfully, does not cause as severe disease in most children."
Since the start of the pandemic, 183 children under the age of 12 have been hospitalized in B.C., and 17 have ended up in critical care. The deaths of one infant and one toddler, both recorded earlier this year, have been blamed on COVID-19 as well.
There have been 19 cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, each of which required hospitalization, and Henry noted that kids can also suffer long-haul coronavirus infections.
"Children are not immune, and some of them will have severe illness and some of them will require critical care," Henry added.
"We know that it's important to protect children individually, because we can't always tell who's going to get the severe disease. But it's also important to allow children and families to get over some of the very severe disruptions we've had from the pandemic in our lives."
Health officials also presented updated data on COVID-19 cases in schools, which has led to much anxiety among some parents and teachers this year, particularly given the rise of the more contagious Delta variant.
There have been 2,975 exposure notifications across 835 schools since the start of the fall semester, more commonly in parts of the province with increased transmission and lower vaccination, such as the Interior and North.
Those notifications are triggered whenever someone enters a school while infected, whether or not it results in any additional cases.
Those were linked to 382 clusters – defined as incidents involving two or more cases and transmission that is believed to have occurred on school grounds – resulting in 1,187 infections.
About 12 per cent of schools experienced a cluster from the start of the school year to Nov. 6, Henry said.
"So in 88 per cent of our schools across this province, we have not had any transmission events. I think that's good news," she added. "It tells us what's happening in the schools is working to support children."
The median number of cases associated with clusters has increased this school year, going to three from two, which officials also blamed on the Delta variant.
But a new BCCDC investigation into B.C.'s school clusters found "most of the transmission in school-aged children happens in the community or at home," Henry said.
Canada's first doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed specifically for children between the ages of five and 11 recently arrived in the country, and B.C. announced Tuesday that invitations to book appointments will be going out to families next week.
There are about 360,000 children in that age group, and 91,000 have already been registered for their shot, according to health officials.
Unlike previous vaccine rollouts, appointments for children ages five to 11 are mandatory.
The dose they will be receiving is smaller – just 10 milligrams, compared to 30 milligrams for adults – which was determined to build just as strong an immune response in that age group. Henry noted it's not because of their comparably small size, but "because our immune systems when we're younger are just that much more responsive."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.