Thread by @richardzussman

Dr. Bonnie Henry providing a vaccine program update and public health response. #bcpoli

Dr. Henry mentions COVID-19 vaccines are fully licensed in Canada now. Mentions the change of brand names.

I do wonder whether Dr. Henry is right in her assumption that people consume all their BC COVID news in these briefings, because this news is pretty old. #bcpoli

NEW - Dr. Bonnie Henry says there are a number of unvaccinated pregnant women in ICU with COVID-19 in BC. #bcpoli

Dr. Henry says clinical trials did not include pregnant people but the vaccine is safe based on real world information. Recommending COVID vaccine for pregnant women. #bcpoli

Dr. Bonnie Henry takes the public's questions while the media waits a week to ask questions presser is something I thought was behind us.

Dr. Henry says Pfizer will be submitting data to Health Canada over the next few weeks. #bcpoli

On contact tracing, Dr. Henry says every exposure if investigated and any one who tests positive for COVID must self isolate. #bcpoli

The province scaled down contact tracing and they are now scaling up again. #bcpoli

Dr. Henry says vaccinated contacts of positive COVID patient do not need to isolate. But they do need to monitor. Any positive test must isolate for 14 days. #bcpoli

Adrian Dix says they have fixed the problem with the wrong names on Vaxx Cards. The name will now match what is on the health services cards. #bcpoli

There are 20 people in ICU in Northern Health. Only 65% of those 12 plus in the health authority are fully immunized. #bcpoli

Dix says over the last week Northern is averaging 41 new cases per 100,000 population. The best is Coastal Health at 7 new cases per 100,000 population. #bcpoli

Dix - "The North is being overstretched by COVID-19." #bcpoli

9 COVID-19 positive patients have had to be moved from the North to other areas to support health system. #bcpoli

The province is allotting 10 Lower Mainland beds and 5 Vancouver Island beds to manage COVID patients from the North. #bcpoli

Dix says the fourth wave has required more surgery cancellations. "We have the power to turn this around. We can do it by showing an act of good citizenship. By getting vaccinated." #bcpoli

Dix - Speaking about health care workers - "We cannot keep asking them to do more when people make the decision not to get vaccinated." #bcpoli

The numbers are going fast. But from Sept 5 to Sept 18 there have been substantial surgeries cancelled. Includes:
176 - Interior
167 - Northern
"This is not where we want to be. The pressures were preventable." #bcpoli
#bcpoli

Dix going through contact tracing numbers. Says the numbers will be close to the spring peaks. I missed the new contact tracers by health authority. #bcpoli

On pregnant women in ICU, Dr. Henry says 40 pregnant women have been in ICU through the pandemic. Most have been in the fourth wave. Was half a dozen late last week, but number keeps moving. #bcpoli

On whether the health care system is at a breaking point, Dr. Henry says it is very hard for those in the system to watch people get sick from a preventable virus. #bcpoli

Henry says the province is not a breaking point. Says we can't support taking ICU patients from Alberta. But says because we kept contact tracing here we aren't in as bad a place as they are. #bcpoli

British Columbia's ICU peak was in the spring at 183 patients. B.C. is currently at 156 patients in ICU. #bcpoli

On how many people are vaccinated in Northern Health health care system, province does not have the numbers yet but are starting to put in measures to figure it out before mandate comes in. #bcpoli

Over 100 health workers in BC were off work last week because they were either sick or exposed by not being immunized against COVID. #bcpoli

On the BCNU opposed to the vaccine mandate and cover shortages, Dr. Henry says they know health care worker immunization rates are driving rates up. "i don't believe there are thousands of nurses who will be impacted." #bcpoli

On integrating QP codes between provinces, Dr. Henry says the BC Vaccine Card is a visual check in other provinces. BC working with Ottawa to integrate. #bcpoli

On beds available in Northern Health, Dix says yesterday there were 20 in ICU from Northern Health. 53 in hospital. Will provide all details later today on beds available. #bcpoli

On Northern vaccine hesitancy, Dr. Henry says different communities have different reasons. Says in some cases the challenges were access. There were some issues with faith and community leaders against vaccination. #bcpoli