COVID-19 update for July 5: B.C. health minister says province preparing for fall wave | Ireland plans ‘extensive’ autumn vaccine campaign | Federal health minister says ‘two doses are no longer enough’

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Here’s your update with everything you need to know on the COVID-19 situation in B.C. and around the world for July 5, 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 every day this week, 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 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Here are the latest B.C. figures given on June 30 for June 19 – June 25:

• Hospitalized cases: 273
• Intensive care: 28
• New cases: 620 over seven days
• Total number of confirmed cases: 374,594
• Total deaths over seven days: 17 (total 3,747)

Read the full report here | Next update: July 7 at 1 p.m. (or later)

Headlines at a glance

• Preparations are underway to help B.C. fight any potential surges in COVID-19 this fall.
• Ireland is planning an ‘extensive’ autumn COVID-19 vaccine campaign.
• Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says Canadians should expect to get a booster shot every nine months for the foreseeable future as the term “fully vaccinated” no longer makes sense.
• The third Omicron wave has begun in B.C. and is expected to increase rapidly and peak in August, says a COVID modelling expert.
• Canada’s chief medical officer is urging those behind on their boosters to catch up now with Omicron cases expected to increase in the coming weeks but B.C. is continuing to limit those who can get a fourth dose
• Novovax’s COVID vaccine targeting Omicron expected in late summer or fall
• New contagious sub-variants driving COVID increases in Ottawa
• On the eve of Canada Day, B.C. reports 273 people in hospital with COVID-19, 17 deaths over seven days

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Latest News

B.C. health minister says province preparing for fall COVID-19

Preparations are underway to help B.C. fight any potential surges in COVID-19 this fall.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended and he’s urging people to continue to stay safe and ensure they have been vaccinated.

Dix says the number of people in hospital in B.C. with COVID-19 continues to decline but that isn’t the case in other jurisdictions.

The minister made the comments at a news conference announcing the government is seeking proposals to build a new hospital and cancer centre in Surrey.

Dix says there are currently no immediate plans to return to a province-wide mask mandate.

Read the full story here.

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—The Canadian Press

Ireland sees ‘extensive’ autumn COVID-19 vaccine campaign -deputy PM

Ireland expects to run an extensive vaccine drive against COVID-19 and flu ahead of a potentially worrying winter surge that could lead to the reimposition of mask wearing in certain settings, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Tuesday.

Ireland dropped all COVID-19 curbs earlier this year after having one of Europe’s toughest lockdown regimes. While infections are on the rise again, Varadkar said the current wave seemed to be peaking and the number of hospitalized patients was expected to start falling in the next two to three weeks.

“I’m more concerned about the next wave which will come in the winter because that will happen when we’re indoors more and it might come at the same time as the flu. We haven’t really had a serious flu season since 2019,” he told national broadcaster RTE.

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“I see a very extensive COVID and flu vaccine program happening in the early autumn…and a possibility in the winter that we may ask people to wear masks again in certain settings. I don’t envisage us having to bring back restrictions that cause businesses to close, but nobody can rule that out for sure.”

Varadkar added that he expects the expert committee which advises the Irish government on COVID-19 vaccinations to approve a further widespread booster program.

—Reuters

‘Two doses are no longer enough’: Canadians should expect to get COVID shot every nine months, says health minister

As we continue to live with COVID-19, turns out we will also have to get used to living with COVID-19 vaccinations.

Canadians will be required to get a booster shot every nine months for the foreseeable future, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters.

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So if you thought you were fully vaccinated, think again.

Duclos said that the previous definitions of “fully vaccinated” makes no sense, explaining that it’s more important that shots are “up to date” and whether or not a person has “received a vaccination in the last nine months.”

He added, “We will never be fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

Read the full story here.

— Denette Wilford, Toronto Sun

Third Omicron wave has begun in B.C. and it’s expected to grow rapidly

The third Omicron wave has begun and is expected to increase rapidly and peak in August, says a COVID modelling expert.

“I think there was hope we wouldn’t have another wave until the fall, but the wave is starting now,” said Sally Otto, who advises masking up again, along with getting booster shots.

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Otto, an evolutionary biologist and mathematical modeller at the University of British ­Columbia, presented her data to the main North American ­meeting of evolutionary biologists in Cleveland, Ohio, this past week.

Data from public health labs across Canada tracking Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 show they will soon outgrow the initial Omicron subvariants in Canada, said Otto, who is a member of the COVID-19 modelling group in B.C.

Read the full story here.

— Cindy E. Harnett, Victoria Times Colonist

COVID-19: B.C. resists offering fourth dose of vaccine to broader population

B.C. health officials’ staunch decision to limit who gets fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses seems to be at odds with advice from Canada’s chief medical officer.

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Despite ongoing pressure to change its stance, the province is giving fourth doses only to people age 70 and older, Indigenous people over 55, and people in long-term care. Those individuals can receive their fourth dose six months after their last booster.

Canada’s chief public health officer Theresa Tam warned Thursday that there could be a rise in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks due to highly-transmissible Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 circulating, which evade immunity more than previous variants.

That’s why she urged those behind on their boosters to catch up now.

Read the full story here.

— Katie DeRosa

Novavax expects COVID vaccine targeting Omicron in fourth quarter

Novavax Inc said on Friday it expects to provide a COVID-19 vaccine targeting Omicron in the fourth quarter as it accelerates development of shots to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

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The U.S. FDA on Thursday recommended COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers change the design of their booster shots beginning this fall to include components tailored to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

Novavax expects additional preclinical data on shots tailored against the fast-spreading Omicron subvariants in late summer or fall.

The company’s vaccine, based on an earlier strain of the virus, has not yet been authorized in the United States and is currently under U.S. Food and Drug Administration review.

—Reuters

About 40 per cent of Canadians haven’t got a booster shot

Faced with sluggish enthusiasm for COVID-19 boosters, federal health officials appealed to Canadians Thursday to prepare for a possible COVID-19 resurgence in the weeks or months ahead by getting “up to date” with their vaccines.

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“What, exactly, do we mean by up-to-date vaccination? Let me be very clear,” federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said during a briefing Thursday. “Up to date means you’ve received your last dose in the past nine months.”

Those who have received a first booster should see if they’re eligible for a second or third, Duclos.

“But my message today, more specifically, is for those that haven’t yet received their first booster.” About 40 per cent of adult Canadians who have had two shots haven’t returned for a third.

The immunity from two doses a person would have received in 2021 has waned, Duclos said. “While you might have gotten infected, (the) risk is high you could get reinfected, with all the downfall, including the risk of developing symptoms like long COVID.”

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Read the full story here.

— Sharon Kirkey, National Post

What are B.C.’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.

Masks are also encouraged but not required on board public transit and B.C. 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.

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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.

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 B.C.?

Everyone who is living in B.C. 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.

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Where can I get a COVID-19 test?

TESTING CENTRES: B.C.’s COVID-19 test collection centres 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 centre using the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s testing centre 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.