COVID-19 update for April 30-May 1: Weekly data shows 42 more deaths April 17-23, rise in hospitalizations and ICU admissions | Moderna seeks Health Canada approval for vaccine for children under six

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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the COVID-19 situation in BC and around the world for April 30-May 1, 2022.

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We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen, so be sure to check back often.

You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 pm by subscribing to our newsletter here.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• Weekly dating shows 42 more deaths April 17-23rise in hospitalizations and ICU admissions
•Ontario reports 15-patient increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations13 deaths
• Moderna seeks Health Canada approval for COVID-19 vaccine for kids under six
• Honda Celebration of Light returns after two-year COVID-19 hiatus
• Hong Kong eases COVID rules for aircrews, lifts overseas travel alert

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Here are the latest figures given on April 28 for the week of April 17 to 23:

• Hospitalized cases: 570 (as of April 28)
• Intensive care: 47 (as of April 28)
• Total deaths over seven days: 42 (total 3,147)
• New cases: 2,276 over seven days
• Total number of confirmed cases: 363,302

Read the full report here | Next update: May 5 at 1 pm or later

Six deaths a day, significant jump in hospitalizations in latest weekly data

The latest weekly data on the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia paints a sobering picture of a stubbornly persistent current wave of the Omicron variant.

Data released Thursday for the week of April 17 to 23 showed 42 newly reported deaths during that period, an average of six people dying from COVID-19 every day. Twenty-seven died in the last weekly reporting period before this one.

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A total of 3,147 have died from the novel coronavirus in BC since early 2020.

Even with those 42 victims of the virus being removed from data on hospitalizations, the number of people in hospital as of Thursday rose from 485 to week ago to 570; 57 of them are in intensive care, a jump of 19 from last week.

Read the full story here.

—Joseph Ruttle

Ontario reports 15-patient increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, 13 deaths

Ontario is reporting 13 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 today and a 15-patient increase in hospitalizations linked to the disease.

The Health Department says 1,676 people are in hospital, up from 1,661 on Thursday.

It says 188 people are in intensive care, a decline of 14.

The province says 2,799 new infections were confirmed with PCR testing, which is limited to certain higher-risk groups.

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It says 13.8 per cent of tests analyzed on Friday were positive.

The scientific director of Ontario’s panel of COVID-19 advisers has said multiplying the daily case count by 20 would give a more accurate picture.

—The Canadian Press

Moderna seeks Health Canada approval for COVID-19 vaccine for children under six

The first COVID-19 vaccine for infants and very young children is now under review by Health Canada.

Moderna Canada President Patricia Gauthier said Friday the company sent an application to the Canadian vaccine regulator late Thursday for a vaccine to protect children between six months and five years old.

“It’s now in the hands of Health Canada,” she said at an event in Montreal where the company announced plans to build a vaccine production plant.

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Health Canada authorized Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine for adults in December 2020, for teenagers in August 2021 and for children ages six to 11 in March.

There is no vaccine authorized for children younger than five. Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine can be used on children as young as five but its version for younger children was delayed because two doses didn’t produce a strong enough immune response.

—The Canadian Press

Honda Celebration of Light returns after two-year COVID-19 hiatus

It’s shaping up to be a summer of festivals, fun and crowds following two years of COVID-19 shutdowns.

Now Vancouver’s annual Honda Celebration of Light has announced its dates and lineup for the annual fireworks competition at English Bay, after a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021. The last show was in 2019 and included Canada, Croatia and India.

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Celebration of Light organizers have announced that this year’s competitors will be Japan, Canada and Spain.

Japan’s Akariya Fireworks will perform Saturday, July 23, followed by Canada’s Midnight Sun Fireworks on Wednesday, July 27. Finally, Spain’s Pirotecnia Zaragozana will go on Saturday, July 30.

Read the full story here.

—Tiffany Crawford

Hong Kong eases COVID rules for aircrews, lifts overseas travel alert

Hong Kong will shorten mandatory hotel quarantine for passenger flight crews to three days from seven, while cargo crews will be exempt, modest steps at unwinding coronavirus curbs that have turned the city into one of the world’s most isolated places.

The changes, which take effect in May, give the global financial hub’s aviation trade and logistics industries “much needed survival space,” the government said in a statement on Friday.

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Hong Kong said it was also lifting an outbound travel alert on overseas countries from May, more than two years after it was first implemented in March 2020.

“The epidemic situations in overseas countries/territories with frequent traffic with Hong Kong have generally been on a downward trend…The risk of traveling overseas has lowered relatively,” the government said in a separate statement.

Hong Kong has some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 rules. Non-residents will be allowed to enter the city for the first time in more than two years from May, the government announced on April 22.

—Reuters

What are BC’s current public health measures?

MASKS: Masks are not required in public indoor settings though individual businesses and event organizers can choose to require them.

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Masks are also encouraged but not required on board public transit and BC Ferries, though they are still required in federally regulated travel spaces such as trains, airports and airplanes, and in health care settings.

GATHERINGS AND EVENTS: There are currently no restrictions on gatherings and events such as personal gatherings, weddings, funerals, worship services, exercise and fitness activities, and swimming pools.

There are also no restrictions or capacity limits on restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs; and no restrictions on sport activities.

CARE HOMES: There are no capacity restrictions on visitors to long-term care and seniors’ assisted living facilities, however, visitors must show proof of vaccination before visiting. Exemptions are available for children under the age of 12, those with a medical exemption, and visitors attending for compassionate visits related to end of life.

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Visitors to seniors’ homes are also required to take a rapid antigen test before visiting the facility or be tested on arrival. Exemptions to testing are available for those attending for compassionate visits or end-of-life care.

How do I get vaccinated in BC?

Everyone who is living in BC and eligible for a vaccine can receive one by following these steps:

• Get registered online at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated to book an appointment in your community.
• Or, if you prefer, you can get registered and then visit a drop-in clinic in your health authority.
• The system will alert you when it is time to go for your second dose.
• The same system will also alert you when it is time for your booster dose.

Where can I get a COVID-19 test?

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TESTING CENTRES: BC’s COVID-19 test collection centers are currently only testing those with symptoms who are hospitalized, pregnant, considered high risk or live/work with those who are high risk. You can find a testing center using the BC Center for Disease Control’s testing center map.

If you have mild symptoms, you do not need a test and should stay home until your fever is gone. Those without symptoms do not need a test.

TAKE-HOME RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS: Eligible British Columbians over the age of 18 with a personal health number can visit a pharmacy to receive a free take-home test kit containing five COVID-19 rapid antigen tests.

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