scrubbedexpat091

BC is at 89% of the eligible population with 1 dose and 82% of the eligible population fully vaccinated.

Eligible population being everyone 12 and older.

Add in the 0-11 year old age group, they drop the overall vaccination rate to 79% with one dose and 72% fully vaccinated, but those 0-11 have no option to get vaccinated.

But if we have 12+ at 89% with one dose, presumably most will get a 2nd dose, and now the question is of the 10% or so not vaccinated, how many are one the fence vs diehard anti-vaxx types?

Also overall population may not necessaiirly be a good metric in provinces like BC, because its Vancouver and Vancouver Island pushing up the overall average.

Vancouver Coastal Health- 77.07% fully vaccinated
Vancouver Island Health- 72.6% fully vaccinated

But then it drops

Fraser Health 69.8% fully vaccinated
Interior Health 68.38% fully vaccinated
Northern Health 54.19% fully vaccinated.

And since the areas seeing the worst spread are the bottom 3, even if the top 2 were at 100% it would not make a huge dent in new cases because the bottom 3 are responsible for the bulk of the new infections.

When you have much smaller Northern Health with more new cases than Vancouver Coastal, we have a problem, one is a large population and one is a small population, but some reason people up north wont get vaccinated, Fraser Health is the largest health authority so its given they will have more total cases, they cover everything from Burnaby next to Vancouver all the way to Boston Bar, and their area also covers well known anti-vaxx hotspots in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, so the anti-vaxx mindset in the eastern Fraser Valley isn't new, pockets of very religious groups who refuse vaccines and have been responsible in the past for measels outbreaks.

I wouldn't necessary dwell on total population % if the total population isn't even distributed, because as you can see while BC is pushing 80% fully vaccinated, there are areas with horribly low vaccination rates and they are driving much of the new cases.

printer

But can we be sure that the dropping of the mask mandate caused all this? Look at some other countries, England for example still seeing high cases but these have apparently stabilized as have hospitalizations and still no further restrictions being talked about so currently no mask mandate. Holland (a friend from here is over there visiting) currently relaxed restrictions including masks and distancing, 11 million are fully vaccinated but the Netherlands has a population of 17 million. They did relax stuff back in early summer and had a rise in cases so reintroduced some restrictions to curb this yet it hasn't stopped them from relaxing again despite heading into winter months. We cannot expect to easily achieve over 80% of total population vaccination and if by some small miracle we do its going to be well into start of next year when the vax is beginning to wane in the elderly and we find ourselves back to where we were.

BristolUK

Yes. Nothing else has changed that would have put more people in closer proximity to each other than was already the case for several months.

caretaker

It isn't unreasonable to expect future mutations causing spikes, and the labs trying to play catch-up producing boosters. I'm sure they try to predict what they need, but if a resistant variant pops up on the other side of the world they only have so much time to work on it. Ups and downs, flattening the curve, the new normal, need I go on? I don't think we get to choose what the long haul entails. I found out last night that a friend of mine is an anti-vaxxer; Tyranny! and fake statistics and taking licorice root will neutralise covid. I'm still having trouble processing it, no red flags at all. I told him to make a sign and get on the street.

scrubbedexpat091

I venture at least one of us vaccinated on this website has had the virus since vaccinating and didn't know, I had a week about a month ago, where I had a little cough, and bit of a stuffy nose, allergies? COVID? one of the many regular viruses that cause colds? Any other time of my life, I would just have said I had a cold, but was it just a cold? Who knows.

caretaker

Wasn't everybody out there choking on smoke most of the summer?

scrubbedexpat091

July and August got bad at points, September wasn't bad though, and I don't recall it being smokey that week, but it might have been, I didn't exactly keep a diary....ha ha

caretaker

You're probably right that some of us have had it and not known; if you were asymptomatic and got over it without being detected everywhere you went would be under the radar.

caretaker

Our Premier has been getting a lot of flak for refusing to enact gathering size limits and generally falling behind the national guidelines, even as case numbers and deaths continue to rise, and without a suitable bag man to blame he's attempting to shift control, or appear to, (while still calling the shots). Hopefully he has cost the Saskatchewan Party it's next election.
"The Government of Saskatchewan reported Thursday that the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre will assume operational, planning, logistical and administrative responsibilities of the fight against COVID-19."
https://regina.ctvnews.ca/watch-live...ntre-1.5614880

Danny B

Us sickos who are immunocompromised can get a 3rd shot so I'm booked in for mine tomorrow. Hopefully I don't feel like crap for 24hrs after.

printer

Got my text today yet my wife who is way more in need has yet again been left off their list it seems.
Seems the UK bods are predicting a serious winter flu season like no other because last year was almost non existent due to lockdown, masks and distancing they now fear peoples immunity is poor and it will take off

scrubbedexpat091

I almost think COVID is more serious for those like my wife, but hey immunocompromised enough for free flu shots, but I guess not enough for COVID booster.

Now it would doubly suck to get flu and COVID at the same time, which can happen being different viruses and all, both being pretty hard on the body, could spike deaths, but then if someone is double infected is it flu death, a COVID death or both?

scrubbedexpat091

BC Ferry seeking clarification from federal government over the new rules announced yesterday for their employees.

Apparently passengers on BC Ferries are exempt from the new federal rules.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...says-1.6202459

Danny B

I work for a crown corporation and they announced mandatory vaccination for all of its staff yesterday. We have until Nov 22 to show HR our vaccination proof. Fine by me.

scrubbedexpat091

I have no issue with it.

Maybe some job openings will help some vaccinated unemployed get in with the government.

Tricky place to get hired anything involving the government, my wife got an interview once, but they didn't like her.....