Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on B.C.'s COVID-19 situation on Tuesday, Dec. 7 (Flickr/B.C. Government)

By Liam Verster

five cases in B.C.

New Omicron cases identified in B.C.

Dec 7, 2021 | 4:18 PM

Four new cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in British Columbia.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the cases were confirmed over the weekend, and there are a number of other individuals who are suspected of being infected with the mutated strain, but results of genome sequencing tests are still pending.

During Tuesday’s provincial COVID-19 update, Henry said the transmission of the variant is not a surprise.

“As we said, once we start to look for it, it is likely that we’re going to find it. We know this virus travels quickly and we know that it travels in people, and when people move, the virus strains move with them,” said Henry.

B.C. has now had five confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, and all of the infected individuals had been associated with international travel recently, including to Nigeria, Egypt, and countries in southern Africa.

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Three of the cases are in Vancouver Coastal Health with two in Fraser Health.

Henry said, of the five infected individuals, three were fully vaccinated, and each had received a different course of vaccines. The other two individuals were not vaccinated.

She said the fact that over half the cases currently identified in B.C. have been found in people who had received vaccines is not of great concern as of yet.

“It is too small a sample size to make any indication at all about things like vaccination (efficacy), and obviously we’re talking across the country and sharing information on cases as we’re finding them, and that’s really the point we are at globally right now is ‘how far has this virus, this strain of the virus, spread?'” said Henry.

Also during her update, she noted there needs to be an altruistic mentality with providing vaccines to countries with low immunization rates, as it’s in those populations where the virus can spread further where it eventually grows and mutates.

“This virus is going to be with us, that is clear, but if we can get protection through immunization to more people around the world — so vaccine equity is the other important part of this globally — and when we do that globally the risk of having another mutation that’s different, that escapes or spreads more quickly is going to go down dramatically.”

With the new variant making its appearance in B.C., Henry said it’s likely to cause a level of uncertainty in people that could lead to anxiety and depression. She suggests people find ways to alleviate their stress, whether it be by meditating, exercising, or doing a hobby that brings joy. She also recommends checking in on other people, particularly the elderly, to ensure they are doing well and not struggling in silence due to anxiety.

by Liam Verster

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