Thread by @brish_ti

BC health ministry presser happening now.
Dr. Henry says there's a spike in serious influenza cases among children, reflected in absenteeism in schools.
Calls for parents to get kids vaccinated against the flu, as the best protection available.

@CapitalDailyVic #bcpoli

@CapitalDailyVic Re: upcoming holiday season: "Now is the time to plan so that you can have a safe and joyful holiday together with friends and family and loved ones."

DBH says to get vaccinated, stay home if sick especially if fever, washing hands, wear mask if you have mild symptoms.

Dr. Penny Ballem announces low influenza vaccination numbers among children.

Only 20% of kids aged 6months to 4 years, and 15% of kids aged 5-11 are vaccinated against the flu

Ballem says province will use the provincial Get Vaccinated registry to send a notification to parents, encouraging them to get their kids vaccinated.

#bcpoli

Are we doing as much to protect kids as we did to protect adults at height of covid asks @richardzussman:

DBH: Most kids have mild illness from flu; most severe illness is in younger kids not in school. Mandate are in settings where it'll make impact, like mask mandate in health

.@VaughnPalmer asks about independent report that found erosion of trust in public health. Is that why parents haven't got kids vaxxed?

DBH: Parents of young children have a lot going on right now and that's why we need to make it as easy as possible for them.

Report also called for review of COVID public health measures to see what worked best. When would you do that?

DBH: We are doing it.
"Things changed a lot during these last three years." Virus, immunity, global situation changed.
"We have to become comf with changing tactics"

Said it's important to communicate those changes and ease people's anxieties. DBH said she's very interested in how to do that in a way that "helps build up trust."

Update on what's being done to handle surge of kids in hospitals, from Dix:

Victoria General now has pediatricians providing care in the ER. ER satellite clinic opened at BCCH. Opening pediatric access to rapid care clinic at Peace Arch Hospital.

Why weren't we making flu shots more accessible before now, from @justine_hunter:

DBH: We did. Pedaitricians across the province have been reaching out to children in their practice to get the message out. This is a reiteration, because we're heading into holiday season.

If vax rates are so low, why not do vax clinics at schools?

DBH: For younger children, "we've heard from families that that's not their preferred place to have children immunized."

Seen increased absenteeism in classrooms but "we've been managing"

How far into respiratory illness season are we, from @janeskrypnek:

DBH: "We started to see quite a dramatic increase about two weeks ago."

"We can blunt that peak and we can prevent that ongoing transmission to older adults as we come together over the holiday season."

Q from @moirawyton: Why are mask mandates in schools not on the table right now?

DBH: Now there are a number of viruses transmitted in different settings. Masks in schools is unlikely to have an effect on trajectory of viruses.

"Heavy handed" "last resort"

Why not mandate flu vaccines in schools?

DBH: Schools aren't only setting where transmission is happening; unclear if measures in schools would change things.

"We have to balance risk and the measures that we have...that don't interfere with social connections and activities."

What's the breakdown of flu, RSV, covid, among kids across BC?

DBH says labs do multiplex PCR tests to determine who has what virus. This says we're seeing lots of flu and covid is low in kids.

(Most people don't get tested to determine what they have: capitaldaily.ca/news/some-bc-h…)

.@SoniaFurstenau holding a press conference with pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi:

Furstenau: "It's disappointing to see the minister and PHO essentially come out and reiterate...a vaccine-only strategy...this approach isn't resulting in decreasing the pressures on ERs"

Dr. Gandhi: we're seeing a tidal wave of viral infections.

"It's a fallacy that the pandemic and its consequences are problems of the past."
"We have all the tools to change the trajectory."

Calls for public health to have the courage to be transparent and mandate measures.

Dr. Gandhi: "Everybody talked during COVID about wanting to get herd immunity but what we've gotten instead is a herd immune deficit. COVID hurts our immune systems and it's causing children to get sicker than they should."

My @CapitalDailyVic article on today's comments from public health leaders, politicians, and critics about the respiratory illness season:

#yyj #bcpoli

capitaldaily.ca/news/bc-health…