With Canada’s first two known cases of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant of concern (VOC) identified in Ottawa, B.C.’s health authorities say there is no evidence this new variant has been introduced into the province.

The discovery of Omicron which was labelled a “variant of concern” last week by the World Health Organization (WHO), has sent shockwaves around the world over fears it could resist vaccinations and prolong the nearly two-year COVID-19 pandemic.

First discovered in South Africa, Omicron has in the span of less than a week already been detected in 16 countries (as of Nov. 29) including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, issued a statement supporting the federal government’s travel restrictions barring entry to anyone who has been to seven southern African countries in the last 14 days.

“We do not yet know the impact this new VOC will have on transmission or of severity of illness, but taking this immediate precautionary action is prudent. We will continue to closely monitor developments around the world,” they said.

“At this time, there is no evidence that this variant has been introduced into British Columbia. The BC Centre for Disease Control’s public health lab has sequenced over 90,000 virus isolates in B.C. and will continue to use whole genome sequencing to monitor for all variants circulating in B.C., including this new VOC Omicron.”

They also urged all British Columbians to continue to follow any health orders in place, to stay home when sick, wash hands frequently and “most importantly, to get fully vaccinated if you haven’t done so already,” Henry and Dix urged in their statement.

As of Friday, Nov. 26, 91 per cent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 87.6 per cent have received their second dose.

Pediatric vaccination begins
Monday, Nov. 29 marked the start of pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations in the Interior Health region for children five to 11 years old.

“We’re launching the next phase of our immunization campaign by now offering the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine to children,” said Dr. Sue Pollock, Interior Health interim chief medical health officer.

“This vaccine is safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in children, which means less disruption to school and the activities children and their families enjoy,” she added.

Parents and guardians must register their children at www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca or call 1‑833‑838‑2323. Children are eligible for registration on or after their fifth birthday. When a nearby clinic is available, parents and guardians will receive a text or email when it is time to book an appointment.

“Immunizing children brings additional protection to everyone in your family,” said pediatrician Dr. Shannon Wires. “The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine has gone through a rigorous review and approval process. It provides excellent protection and I recommend parents get their children vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Rural and remote clinics
Interior Health is also planning whole community immunization clinics in rural and remote communities for people 18 and older who are due for their COVID-19 booster dose and for children to get the COVID-19 pediatric vaccine.

“Early in our vaccine rollout this spring, we held immunizations clinics for people living in rural and remote communities to make it easier for people to get vaccinated right away,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown.

These clinics will return beginning in December and residents in these communities will be notified directly by Immunizations BC when it is time to book their appointment. For a full list of immunization clinics, please visit Interior Health here.

Latest case counts
As of Friday, Nov. 26 B.C. is reporting 341 new cases of COVID-19, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 217,099 cases in the province. This includes 77 new cases in Interior Health region which currently has 593 active cases.

There are 3,035 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and of the active cases, 291 individuals are in hospital and 115 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

From Nov. 11-24, not fully vaccinated individuals accounted for 68.4 per cent of hospitalizations.