B.C. confirms 44 Omicron COVID-19 cases

There have been 44 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 confirmed in B.C.

In an update Tuesday, provincial health officials said that number reflects cases up to and including Dec. 12. It is up from the 10 cases confirmed on Dec. 10.

Dr. Bonnie Henry said genome sequencing, to detect this variant of concern, is being done on “almost 100 per cent” of samples.

Of the cases, 20 were linked to recent international travel to countries including to Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Germany, Portugal, and the U.S.

Henry said while there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Omicron, it has been shown to be more transmissible even among those who have already had the virus.

“There is consensus is that it spreads faster than Delta, that it is more infectious, but how much more is challenging to know,” she said.

“We know that it can cause increased breakthrough cases, or increased reinfection in people who’ve had previous infection. That’s been shown quite clearly.”

Had been below R-1 but increasing over last week
Fraser stable.
Island, VCH increasing
Interior inching up
North coming down
These scenarios – omicron on bottom look at what could happen & what we need to do to prevent#bcpoli #covid19 @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/9KobSV0Qyw

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) December 14, 2021

There have been confirmed cases in all five of British Columbia’s health authorities. However, more than half were identified in Fraser Health. So far, Henry says no one has required hospitalization, but people have become seriously ill. Seven of the infections were in people who are not unvaccinated.

“There’s still a lot we do not yet know about this new strain and how it may affect transmission, how it may affect the people who go to hospital. But what we do know is if cases go up, the percentage of people that end up needing hospital care goes up as well. This is a time more than ever, that we need to hold the line.”

Vaccination, Henry said, remains crucial. She is urging anyone who is not yet vaccinated to get their shot, and for anyone eligible for a booster dose to make sure they have registered to secure their appointment.

But she also urged British Columbians not to abandon or loosen other COVID-19 safety measures — like keeping gatherings small and limited to people who have been vaccinated, following the order mandating masks indoors, and going to places like restaurants where vaccine cards are checked.

“We should not be having large parties where we’re coming together indoors, particularly with people we don’t know, where we don’t know their vaccination status. That’s where this virus is taking hold and spreading rapidly. And we know that that’s going to be even more of a risk with Omicron. As we go into this holiday period, I’m asking people to rethink those situations,” she said.

In the worst-case scenario, if Omicron spreads quickly and there is “immune evasion with the same severity as Delta,” the province could see 2,000 new infections per day by Dec. 26. However, the best-case scenario means over 1,000 daily cases by early January.

RELATED: Omicron, holidays, lead to surge in rapid test buying in B.C.

Amid increased concerns over the Omicron variant and the increase in cases, Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix were again questioned about the lack of accessibility to at-home rapid testing kits.

Henry said the inaccuracy of the rapid tests can make people feel safe when they may be infected.

“If you’re vaccinated, your risk of shedding the virus in enough amount that it can be detected by the rapid test is not very high. So, your positive predictive value is very low. It means that there’s false positives and false negatives, but particularly false negatives in vaccinated people,” says Henry.

Key rapid test details:Only 700,000 of BC’s couple million tests are take home rapid tests but they are in large boxes of dozens difficult to break down (one vial of solution for all tests)- take ppl power. For @uvic are breaking down 10,000. #bcpoli #covid19 @CityNewsVAN

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) December 14, 2021

However, Dix said Canada is waiting on receiving Roche rapid tests which according to the minister, are more reliable.

“I think really since the beginning of November, we’ve been looking forward to a home test that are made by Roche which is available in small quantities, so you don’t have to deliver them in quantities of 25 or 30. Those tests have not arrived yet, although the federal government is working hard to get them.”

Although some businesses around the province are using rapid tests as a way to ensure security in the workplace, Henry says the tests should only be used for specific occasions.

“Rapid tests are really helpful in certain situations where you’ve been exposed to a high risk setting or where you’ve been exposed to somebody with COVID. What they are not helpful for is a one off in a vaccinated person who wants to go to a party because the tests are not sensitive enough,” says Henry.

RELATED: Study finds Pfizer COVID-19 pill effective against Omicron variant

Meantime, Pfizer says its experimental COVID-19 pill appears to be effective against the Omicron variant.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the company says full results of its 2,250-person study confirmed the pill’s promising early results against the virus: The drug, which could be taken at home, reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89 per cent among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial COVID-19 symptoms.

Separate laboratory testing shows the drug retains its potency against the Omicron variant, the company says.

The federal government has an agreement with Pfizer that will provide Canada with an initial quantity of 1 million courses of the oral antiviral treatment, pending Health Canada authorization. Pfizer submitted a rolling submission for authorization to Health Canada, earlier this month.

With files from Monika Gul