Health officials in B.C. are bracing for a possible spike in the drop in COVID-19 and flu cases that could increase pressure on an already strained health care system.
Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix spoke live Wednesday afternoon about fall respiratory viruses, especially COVID-19 and the flu.
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“I think we’re coming out of this pandemic, but there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Henry said during the news conference. “Covid-19 is going to be with us for the long term, and we have to put that in the context of the other respiratory viruses that we’re likely to see again this fall.”
For example, health officials explained, flu cases remained fairly low in 2020 and 2021 because of measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. But with restrictions lifted and people spending more time indoors, the flu and other respiratory illnesses are likely to return this year, they said.
RISE IN HOSPITALIZATIONS?
The Ministry of Health explained that the hospital capacity in the province is about 9,400. This estimate is not based on physical beds, but also on realistic staffing levels.
“Our hospitals have an extraordinary challenge,” Dix said.
Officials said that with an increase in Omicron cases, hospitalizations could reach about 700 additional patients. There are currently about 350 people hospitalized with COVID-19, although the province includes in this total those who are hospitalized for other reasons and test positive for COVID incidentally. An estimated 40 to 50 percent of people hospitalized with COVID-19 are there specifically because of the disease, while the rest are there for another reason and tested positive.
The “big unknown,” officials said, is how much impact the flu will have. Projections based on a possible “high” flu season could see a spike of up to 1,200 additional patients requiring hospitalization in the coming months.
To prepare for that additional demand, officials said they are looking to reduce current hospitalizations by focusing on patients currently awaiting care outside the hospital, such as in a community clinic or through placement in a long-term care home. Hundreds of beds could be freed up through this process, officials said.
In addition, a task force is being set up to improve hospital efficiency and, as a last resort, surgeries may have to be postponed again.
VACCINE CAMPAIGNS
Officials on Wednesday reiterated the importance of getting a fall boost with the Omicron-targeted bivalent vaccine. They said the boosters reduce the risk of long-term COVID symptoms and re-infection of the disease.
Flu shots will also be available in the province soon. They are expected to be offered to the most vulnerable members of the community next week and may be available to all British Columbians six months and older after the Thanksgiving long weekend.
“We know that this bivalent booster, regardless of how many booster shots you’ve had in the past, we want everyone to get it,” Henry said.
“We know that it protects against infection, but it declines over time, but it also prevents reinfection, and we want people to have that increase in antibody levels as we go into November, December and January.”