Vaccines Providing Better Protection Still Available In B.C.

Public health officials in British Columbia continue to encourage everyone to book an appointment to receive their influenza and updated COVID-19 vaccines to protect against severe illness and hospitalization.

“We are still in respiratory illness season,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer.

“With people back to school and work after the holidays comes increased potential for transmission of illness. That is why we need to continue to practise healthy habits, doing our part to limit the potential spread of respiratory illnesses.”

The BC Centre for Disease Control says elevated Influenza A and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity continues throughout the province, at levels that are expected at this time of year prior to the pandemic.

COVID-19 activity remains stable, generally decreasing since early November 2023, but with case counts on the rise at the end of December.

As of the last update from BCCDC (to Jan. 4, 2024), there were 219 patients in hospital with COVID-19, 26 of them in critical care.

Overall, emergency department visits for respiratory symptoms and visits to community health-care practitioners for respiratory symptoms have continued to increase in recent weeks.

The BCCDC recently reported three pediatric-influenza-related deaths in British Columbia. These were deaths in which influenza was a contributing factor, but not necessarily the primary cause of death.

This year’s respiratory illness immunization campaign was launched for the general population on Oct. 10, 2023.

At the end of day on Tuesday, B.C. had administered 1,519,606 doses of influenza vaccines and 1,390,508 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The province says B.C. continues to have the highest vaccination rates in Canada.

To see the full release, visit Government of British Columbia.