Interior Health's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Albert de Villiers
Image Credit: Submitted/Interior Health
April 01, 2021 - 2:57 PM
To date, there have been 70 cases of COVID variants of concern in the Interior Health region but, eventually, all cases are likely to be variants, according to Interior Health’s chief medical health officer Dr. Albert de Villiers.
“From what we’ve heard from the United Kingdom and other countries is, eventually the variants will take over,” he said during a news briefing today, April 1. “It will be more than the regular COVID.”
He noted the original COVID-19 was the Wuhan variant in China but that’s not what’s been predominant in Canada.
Of the variants, 27 cases have been the P.1 Brazillian variant, of which four cases are still active. Those have been in small clusters, confined to five to 10 people and mostly in family groupings, not in schools or workplaces, Dr. de Villiers said.
There is only one active case of the other variants in the Interior Health region, but Dr. de Villiers said it can take a week to get results of testing for the variants.
Vaccines and other preventative measures seem to be effective against the variants, Dr. de Villiers said.
READ MORE: Two more COVID cases connected to Vernon Jubilee Hospital outbreak
There are now three hospital units with outbreaks, two at Kelowna General Hospital and one at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. There are numerous sources for the outbreaks such as staff, patients or visitors who bring it into the hospital wards, Dr. de Villiers. There have been two deaths in ward 5B in Kelowna.
The outbreak at Cottonwoods care home in Kelowna has not resulted in any hospitalizations, since the vaccine does decrease the severity of symptoms. Dr. de Villiers expects that to be declared over soon. Staff immunizations there are getting up to the 75 per cent range from 65 per cent when the outbreak was first declared in early March.
At Big White Ski Resort, it will take a few days to determine if the party Monday evening at a restaurant on the hill will turn into a "superspreader" event, he said.
READ MORE: Big White restaurant owner issues apology for party that broke COVID rules
There may be some further actions taken against the restaurant operator, which could include from the RCMP, Dr. de Villiers said.
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