Fewer second doses have been given in Canada but even after that hundreds have been infected.

443 of breakthrough first dose COVID-19 cases were hospitalized, and 95 died, Health Canada stated in an emailed response.

In BC, data available to May 1, supplied by Dr. Bonnie Henry, shows 1,340 people were infected after first dose of whom 141 people were hospitalized, 13 people ended up in ICU, and 30 died.

The average age of BC people hospitalized after a breakthrough infection was 81, said Henry.

Only about 160,000 British Columbians have had a second dose and breakthrough numbers were lower after second dose – at 120, Henry added.

“As of May 13, 2021, a total of 13,461 COVID-19 cases were reported after receiving the first vaccine dose out of a two-dose series,” Health Canada stated.

“Among these, 8,565 (64%) cases were reported within 14 days of their first vaccine dose and 4,896 (36%) cases were reported at a minimum of 14 days (reflecting the time period required to build partial immunity) after receiving the first dose only out of a two-dose series of COVID-19 vaccine,” a spokesman for Health Canada said.

“As of May 13, out of the 4,896 cases with partial immunity reported above for which outcome information was available, 443 (9.2%) COVID-19 cases were reported to be hospitalized, and 95 (3.0%) cases died due to COVID-19,” said the Health Canada statement.

Across Canada, as of May 13, there were 587 covid cases after a second dose had been given.

“Out of the 587 cases with full immunity reported above for which outcome information was available, 32 (5.5%) COVID-19 cases were reported to be hospitalized, and 13 (3.5%) cases died due to COVID-19.”

In BC, Henry pointed out that there’s a drop in infections at regular intervals as the body creates an immune response. But she also pointed out the risk of infection is not zero after people reach maximum immunity through two doses.

Age remains the main vulnerability after vaccination, she added.

“So again, really positive, showing us the risk decreases dramatically. But it is not zero and it takes some time to get to that level of protection,” Henry emphasized.

The continuing risk after full vaccination, although reduced, has led to questions about why provinces have begun dismantling barricades against the pandemic.

BC now allows unlimited household to household gatherings without requiring any vaccination. And in-restaurant dining is allowed even as variant cases are at approximately 87% of total daily infections.

Hard to wrap my head around Manitoba's ICUs overflowing, patients airlifted to Ontario & BC opening gyms, indoor dining, gatherings- today. Vaccination uptake great in BC but not enough to change principles of transmission indoors. Too soon IMO.

— Abdu Sharkawy (@SharkawyMD) May 25, 2021

The post 14,000 Covid-19 cases in vaccinated Canadians, 121 deaths appeared first on Vancouverite.

Spring Valley Care Centre outbreak was declared on April 27 with one senior and one staff member.

Interior Health responded to questions sent by email stating residents received their second shot in early May and the uptake was 95%.

But Interior Health did not respond to a specific question about how many infections occurred in vaccinated seniors nor how many of the ten deaths occurred in those already vaccinated.

Breakthrough infections have killed 30, mostly seniors, across BC.

In a two paragraph response, Interior Health stated:

“Spring Valley long-term care in Kelowna has 48 cases: 36 residents, 12 staff/other, with 10 deaths connected to the outbreak.”

“The vaccination rate for residents is 95% and they were vaccinated with their second dose earlier in May.”

At the time Dr. Henry listed breakthrough infections, she said 141 of those infected after being given first dose ended up in hospital. 13 in ICU.

#bcpoli 1,340 people who had passed 21 days after 1st dose vaccination got infected with Covid. Dr. Henry said 141 of those were hospitalized, 13 in ICU. 30 of them died..120 past 7 days after dose 2 also got infected. The average age of those who died was 87. pic.twitter.com/mGr2nyYFes

— Salim Jiwa (@realreporter) May 14, 2021

Still, a majority of vaccinations in BC are a first dose and studies have cast doubt on robust immune response among elderly.

The post Vaccinated Kelowna care home has 48 covid cases, ten senior deaths appeared first on Vancouverite.

On Sunday thousands of BC folks noticed their timeline for second vaccine dose had been moved much closer than previously anticipated 3 months between shots.

This change was apparent on the online Health Services app.

Some were notified of dates going back to May 6, making them believe they were late for their shots already.

Others received updated eligibility status that was ahead by more than six weeks prior to former eligible date forecast for their second dose as figure below shows.

A call attendant at BC’s vaccine centre said public health had issued new guidelines Monday afternoon that no bookings should be done without a prior invitation.

Second dose vaccine invitations are generally sent by public health by text, email or phone call.

“The guidelines were changed a couple of hours ago – it seems like there was a glitch in the system,” she said.

There are indications that BC will provide vaccine second doses ahead of the planned 16-week wait.

Several studies have pointed to reduced efficacy with a single shot of either mRNA vaccines or AstraZeneca.

BC is currently only using Pfizer or Moderna following concerns about a blood clotting problem that has affected several.

https://t.co/N5wEh6jSYF

— Yvette Brend (@ybrend) May 15, 2021

A decision has not been finalized on whether those who got AstraZeneca as first shot will also get it as their second dose or whether they’ll be able to mix and match with mRNA vaccines.

The post System glitch advances vaccine 2nd shot for thousands in BC appeared first on Vancouverite.

At the same time, children have had thousands of new infections since school began in September. And CDC of BC admitted in a surveillance report last week that children 10 to 19 had the highest positivity rate of all age groups.

“As of Dec 17, there have been 4 confirmed cases of MIS-C in BC,” the ministry of health confirmed.

“An additional 17 children have been investigated but did not test positive for the COVID-19 virus, did not test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, and had no known exposure to another person with COVID-19,” a spokesman said in an emailed response.

On November 4, BC confirmed 2 cases, while ruling out 16 kids because of lack of evidence of exposure to Covid-19.

“Since none of the cases were linked to a COVID-19 infection, we expect they are likely due to another cause but they are reported to public health to ensure they are captured in the system,” a spokesman for the ministry added.

A North Vancouver mom, Tara Rondeau, told of life-and-death struggle for her 10-year-old daughter Jillian who was just released from BC Children’s Hospital.

She told the moderator of BC Covid tracker page on Facebook she believed her child’s ordeal was a result of Covid-19 infection picked up at school.

“The first few days her heart was inflamed and we had to take some serious medications and wait to see if it worked,” she said.

“After an unusually long time it worked, but the inflammation moved to her liver.

“Things change with a blink of an eye. One minute she has a full body rash, and then it is gone. They’re doing another round of an antibiotic and we won’t get much sleep. The medication had some serious side effects for her and every 15 minutes they will need come in to check her vitals.

“This is a rollercoaster ride I would not wish on anyone. It’s been challenging to share – It’s just been really hard.”

Doctors and scientists working in BC have not been able to state the diagnosis of MIS-C-like cases in the other than 17 children.

MIS-C produces symptoms similar to Kawasaki Disease and other conditions such as toxic shock.

BC Children’s Hospital states:

“BC Children’s Hospital has seen a small number of children with confirmed MIS-C and physicians are monitoring the situation closely.

“It’s an immune response that happens in the body in a small portion of children” says Dr. Kevin Harris, a pediatric cardiologist at BC Children’s.

MIS-C is a newly recognized syndrome being reported in children and adolescents, linked to the COVID-19 virus. 

“It’s not something parents need to worry they’re going to miss it,” says Harris. “It’s a case where the child would appear very sick and parents would be bringing their child in to the doctor for evaluation. It’s up to us, as medical teams to make sure it’s on our radar as something we need to evaluate for and treat.”

“The first reports of MIS-C were seen in April 2020. North America, Europe, India and Africa have all identified children with MIS-C.

“It appears to lead to severe widespread inflammation in different parts of the body, including the heart, gastrointestinal system, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and lymph nodes.

“It can be serious and even deadly, but most children get better with medical care. The province has seen much lower rates of COVID-19 infection than harder-hit areas of the world so we expect to see fewer cases of MIS-C in our province.”

Meanwhile, child infection numbers since schools opened have mushroomed.

6,159 infections have occurred as of December 22. There had been only 574 cases until Sept 14.

BC Premier John Horgan is the latest BC official to make an untrue statement that children don’t transmit the virus. BC officials have also made false claims that children don’t get infected or transmit Covid-19 – something already debunked by numerous studies.

Horgan drew a scornful response from an internationally known epidemiologist, Dr. Zoe Hyde who tweeted.

Wonder why I talk about the role of children in the pandemic a lot? It’s because the message isn’t getting through.

In November, a prominent Canadian politician said, “children are not transmitters of COVID.”

That is wrong and frankly horrifying to hear.pic.twitter.com/bhoiWxWpzC

— Dr Zoë Hyde (@DrZoeHyde) December 19, 2020

CDC of BC data also shows a high number of child hospital admissions after the opening of schools. The figures below are for admissions for Covid-19 and not MIS-C.

The post MIS-C confirmed in 4 BC kids as covid cases mount to 6,159 in children under 19 appeared first on Vancouverite.

Vancouver – Another BC child became ill from a rare but dangerous post-covid Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children – MIS-C, according to the BC ministry of health.

Public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry had revealed earlier that one child had confirmed MIS-C in BC. At the same time 16 other children were being investigated as suspected cases of MIS-C.

In an emailed response, the ministry of health confirmed a second child now has been confirmed to have been a victim of the syndrome first identified in May as the disease that causes inflammation in multiple organs a few weeks after an exposure to Covid-19.

“There have been two confirmed cases of MIS-C in BC,” said ministry spokesperson Sabreena Thouli.

“An additional 16 investigated cases were not found to have MIS-C, as they did not test positive for the COVID-19 virus, did not test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, and had no known exposure to another person with COVID-19.”

A MIS-C case generally requires admission to hospital and is considered a life-threatening emergency.

The illness is similar to Kawasaki’s Disease or toxic shock.

The US CDC states: “Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.”

“We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, we know that many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.

“MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care.”

The CDC of BC lists a confirmed case of MIS-C as: “MIS-C person under investigation And evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (positive PCR test or serology), or close contact with a confirmed or probable (lab-probable or epi-link probable) COVID-19 case.”

The decision to rule out 16 cases by experts will likely lead to questions by parents who were told by doctors their children likely had MIS-C.

Hundreds of children between 0 and 19 have been infected during September and October.

During the first wave of the pandemic children were mostly sheltering. During March, April, May, June, July and August only 438 had Covid-19 infections.

In September and October 599 children aged 0 to 10 have been infected.

In the age group 10 to 19, 1,169 children have been infected.

The total number of child cases has gone up to 1,768.

Several hundred children are part of BC’s 3,017 active cases, with some picking up infections in schools while others getting infected at home.

The high number of child infections caused parents to form groups demanding a better school plan that makes the classroom safer for their children.

Parents and teachers argue Dr. Henry discarded public safety measures such as six-foot distancing to cram kids into schools with poor ventilation and no requirement for masking in class.

The post Second BC child had confirmed MIS-C, 16 suspected cases ruled out appeared first on Vancouverite.

Earlier BC PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry had said 8 cases of suspected MIS-C had been noted in children with a mean age of 4.

The latest MIS-C count was released by Ministry of Health spokesman Stephen May after a query by Vancouverite.

“There are now 16 persons under investigation for MIS-C (this is what we used to call suspected MIS-C),” May said in an emailed response.

Alberta Health Services spokesman Tom McMillan said his province has 6 cases linked to MIS-C.

The syndrome which causes multiple organ inflammation was first identified and named as a disease associated with Covid-19 exposure or infection on May 12.

Several BC children have spent time in ICU – mostly at BC Children’s Hospital.

Parents who suspect their children had MIS-C told harrowing stories of illness that was hard to diagnose because of similarity to other disease – in particular Kawasaki’s Disease.

Kawasaki is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in Canada but it’s not known if this is the case with MIS-C as well.

“The Canadian Pediatric Society issued a Public Health Alert on May 12, 2020 to notify health practitioners of an acute inflammatory syndrome temporally linked to COVID-19 that has been reported in children and teenagers,” says guidance provided by CDC of BC.

“Children with this condition present with symptoms of systemic inflammation, and can have clinical similarities to Kawasaki Disease, toxic shock syndrome and macrophage activation syndrome.

“Prominent features include fever, abdominal pain, cardiac involvement and rash, among others. There may be a spectrum of disease severity and phenotypes in children affected by COVID-19-associated inflammation,” CDC states.

“If you see a child with features that could be in keeping with MIS-C obtain a comprehensive history of exposure to a person with COVID-19.

“Children with unexplained fever and inflammation (elevated WBC, CRP), and those in early phases of an acute illness should be followed closely for progression of their illness,” it says in guidance directed at clinicians.

“Care may involve serial monitoring of clinical and laboratory parameters, cardiac imaging, therapies targeting inflammation, and close follow up post-discharge.”

“Children admitted to a general pediatrics ward for MIS-C warrant close monitoring for clinical deterioration. Affected patients can become critically ill quickly and there have been deaths reported.

“When evaluating patients for MIS-C, it is imperative that clinicians give due consideration to sepsis and other life-threatening infections whose clinical presentations overlap with MIS-C. Evaluation for MIS-C should not delay empiric antibiotic coverage in patients whose clinical picture may be in keeping with a serious bacterial infection.”

MIS-C generally occurs several weeks after a Covid-19 exposure and is considered an emergency.

A teacher who made another round of Children’s Hospital recently told Vancouverite that she was again told her 15-year-old had all the symptoms of MIS-C.

A definitive diagnosis has proved elusive.

Since September Covid-19 infections have more than doubled those during the whole pandemic.

20 children 0 to 10 tested positive during the long weekend. 46 children aged 10 to 19 tested positive.

Total children tested positive Friday to Monday – 66. Total children tested positive so far in pandemic 1,039.

Up to Sept. 1 only 438 were positive for Covid-19 during a six month period starting in March.

Since Sept.1 601 have been infected.

The post 16 BC kids likely had MIS-C, 601 children infected with Covid-19 since September 1 appeared first on Vancouverite.

This page is not being updated. Follow @realreporter on Twitter – information will be posted there as it becomes available.

BC School Covid-19 Cases – total 70 schools and 1 school board office. Some schools have more than one event. Some schools have multiple events. Caulfeild has two classes isolated with several children testing positive. Some parents withdrawing children from school, others keeping kids at home.

Northern Health

1. Quesnel Junior School: Parents have been notified of potentially serious exposure at Quesnel school with students and staff. Contact tracing continuing. Exposure dates Sept. 10 and 11.

Second exposure alert issued on Sept.25 for event September 15-18, 2020.

2. Ecole Frank Ross Elementary. Students and parents notified of exposure in School District 59. Ecole Frank is located in Dawson Creek and has 490 students. Exposure date Sept 10 and 11. Confirmed by Northern Health.

3. Nak’albun Elementary School Covid-19 case and potential exposure. Fort St. James in Northern Health. Infectious person at school between Sept. 16-18.

4. David Hoy Elementary has Covid-19 incident in Nechako Lakes in Northern Health. Exposure Sept. 17 & 18.

Interior Health

1. J A Laird Elementary School: Covid infection and possible exposure. Interior Health is reporting an infected student attended the Invermere on Sept. 14 and 15. School contacted by IH.
2. Two staff working at School Board for District 20 have been confirmed to be positive by acting superintendent Katherine Shearer. In a letter she says the staff members are isolating and Interior Health is tracking contacts. No date of exposure but letter dated Sept. 16.
3. Stanley Humphries Secondary School. A member of the Stanley Humphries Secondary School student community in Castlegar has tested positive for COVID-19. Student case is isolated at home with support from public health officials. Sept.11. Interior Health has directly contacted any individuals who may have been exposed to provide direction and support.
4. Rossland Summit School. Case confirmed on Sept. 21, 2020. The school is in SD 22 – Vernon. K-9 school.

Fraser Health

Maple Ridge

1. Yennadon Elementary school sends letter to parents about Covid-19 event. School is in Maple Ridge. Covid-19 infection reported on Sept. 21.

Port Coquitlam

1. Ecole Riverside Secondary Confirmed infection and potential exposure. 2215 Reeve St. In Port Coquitlam. (Confirmed letter from school)

Abbotsford/ Chilliwack School Districts

1. Harry Sayers Elementary School reports infection exposure on Sept, 14 and 15.
2. Ten-Broeck Elementary School reports infection exposure on Sept. 17.
3. Chilliwack Secondary School has Covid-19 infection and possible exposure. Dates of exposure Sept. 22, 23, 24.

New Westminster

1. Fraser River Middle School in New Westminster has an infection event on Sept. 17.
2. New Westminster Secondary School is reporting an infection event on Sept. 17.
3. Ecole Lord Tweedsmuir in New Westminster sends out exposure alert. Sept. 24 and 25.
4. Queensborough Middle School. New Westminster. Covid-19 case and exposure alert. September 21 and 22, 2020 (reported by FHA).
5. Gordon Greenwood Elementary, Langley has a Covid-19 alert. Exposure September 29, 30, October 1, 2020. FHA confirmed.

Surrey

1. Queen Elizabeth Secondary School Covid-19 exposure confirmed. QE school exposure on Sept. 14.

2. L.A. Matheson Secondary in Surrey has an exposure of Covid-19. 9484- 122 Street, Surrey.

3. Ecole Panorama Ridge in Surrey has second exposure warning involving 2nd individual in less than one week. This raises level of danger of spread. Supt. Jordan Tinney says two cases not linked to first alert.

• Ecole Panorama Ridge had yet another Covid-19 incident alert on Seot. 24. This is a 7-day event. Sept. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23. Notification from Supt. Tinney.

4. Latimer Road Elementary School had an infection alert when a person attended the school on Sept, 10.

5. Tamanawis Secondary in Surrey has 4 day exposure event. Single individual attended school over the four-day period. Letters out and contact tracing underway. Second notification sent on Sept. 23.

6. Morgan Elementary school at 3366 156A Street has exposure event. Parents have received emails.

7. T E Scott Elementary has Covid-19 exposure event. School is located at 7079 148 Street in Surrey. Two people attended school on Sept. 14 and 15 while Covid-19 positive. Parents notified by email.

8. Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School at 6151-180 Street has Covid-19 exposure over 2 days. Sept. 14 and 15.

9. North Surrey Secondary School. Notification sent to parents about individual who attended school on Sept. 14. Contact tracing underway.

10. Khalsa Secondary School. There was a Covid-19 exposure at this school on 124 Street in Surrey. The exposure occurred over two days, Sept. 9 and 10.

11. Khalsa Elementary School. There was a COVID-19 exposure at Khalsa Elementary School (Old Yale Campus) in Surrey on September 1st and September 4th. Five non-teaching staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. These individuals are currently in self-isolation at their homes. Neither students nor parents were exposed at the school during these times.

• Second Covid-19 event at Khalsa Elementary (Newton) Exposure dates September 22, 23, 24 and 25, 2020. That’s a long exposure.

12. Panorama Ridge Secondary. A COVID-19 exposure occurred at Panorama Ridge Secondary School in Surrey on Tuesday, September 8th. No students were present at the site that day.  One staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. This person is currently in self-isolation at their home. Out of an abundance of caution, Fraser Health Public Health notified close contacts who have been instructed to self-isolate. Panorama Ridge also had a second event on Sept. 10.

13. Johnson Heights Secondary.  A COVID-19 exposure occurred at Johnson Heights Secondary School in Surrey on September 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th. One staff member has tested positive for COVID-19. This person is currently in self-isolation at their home. Fraser Public Health has identified and informed close contacts who are instructed to self-isolate.

14. Sullivan Heights Secondary School. An individual who is confirmed Covid-19 case attended the school on Sept. 10. Contact tracing is underway. Second notification sent on a 4-day exposure event on Sept. 23. For Sept. 14, 15, 16, 18.

15. William Watson Elementary. An individual who is Covid-19 positive attended the school on Sept. 10. Contact tracing is ongoing.

16. Princess Margaret Secondary in Surrey. Confirmed exposure. Individual in school was positive. Attended on Sept. 11.

Alert 2 issued Sept. 25

Princess Margaret Secondary has a Covid-19 alert issued on Sept. 25. Dates when Covid-19 positive person was in school Sept. 15 to 18

17. Boundary Park Elementary school has an infection event that could have led to exposure of staff or students. An infected person attended on Sept. 17.

18. Boundary Park Elementary. First infection alert for Sept. 14 and 15.

19. Fraser Health confirms Covid-19 incident at Gobind Sarwar Elementary School at 88 Ave and 168 Street. The school is an independent Sikh school. Exposure on Sept. 17 and 18.

20. Kennedy Trail Elementary in Surrey has a 3-day Covid-19 infection event and possible exposure. Revealed by Supt. Jordan Tinney.

21. Rosemary Heights Elementary school in Surrey has Covid-19 alert. Covid-19 positive person was present at school on Sept. 21.

• Rosemary Heights Elementary School has second alert issued on Oct. 3.

22. Fraser Health has sent out letters to parents confirming Covid-19 case at Earl Marriott Secondary in Surrey. Person attended school over 4-day period.

23. Johnston Heights Secondary school in Surrey has Covid-19 infection exposure. Revealed by Supt. Tinney. Letters have gone out.

24. Beaver Creek Elementary in Surrey has Covid-19 cases. Parents notified about exposure even Sept. 21 to 23.

25. North Surrey Secondary. COVID early notice letters have gone to staff and parents tonight, according to Supt. Tinney. Seot. 24 and 25.

26. Ecole KB Woodward. COVID letters going out about infection. Covid-19 alert September 24 and 25.

27. Rosemary Heights Elementary. COVID exposure letter sent out. Exposure dates September 24 and 25.

28. Georges Vanier Elementary School, Surrey, has reported a Covid-19 case.

29. G.A.D Elementary (Surrey). Exposure

 September 23, 2020. This is an independent Sikh school. (Added by FHA).

Delta

1. Delta Secondary School. On September 11, the school was informed one student has tested positive for COVID-19. This person is currently in self-isolation at their home. Fraser Health Public Health has identified and informed close contacts who are instructed to self-isolate

Vancouver Coastal Health

Vancouver

1. Hastings Elementary School is reporting an infection. Principal’s email to parents verifies case at Franklin Street school in Vancouver.
2. Ecole Laura Secord has an infection event and an alert has been issued to parents by Principal Laurent Briseboia.
3. Xpey’ Elementary School. Confirmed Covid-19. Vancouver School District. 1950 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, Potential exposure date(s): September 10, 14, 15 and 21.Long exposure. (From VCH).
4. Covid-19 case at Gladstone Secondary, Vancouver School District 4105 Gladstone Street, Vancouver, Potential exposure date(s): September 16 to 18, September 21 to 22.
5. Cunningham/Carleton Schools combined earlier is reporting a Covid-19 case. Parents have received an email. The Cunningham Elementary school is located at 2330 East 37 Avenue in Vancouver.
6. Vancouver Technical Secondary, 2600 East Broadway, Vancouver, Potential exposure date(s): September 21.
7. Elsie Roy Elementary school has notified parents of a covid case. 150 Drake Street, Vancouver.
8. VCH lists Cedar Walk Program, Vancouver School District. 1043 Kingsway, Vancouver. Potential exposure date(s): September 14, 15, 17 and 21.
9. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School has a Covid-19 case. This is a private Catholic school. Oct.3.
10. Champlain Heights Elementary, Vancouver School District. 6955 Frontenac St., Vancouver. Potential exposure date(s): September 22 to 24.

11. Aries Program, Vancouver School District. 1618 E. Hastings St., Vancouver. Potential exposure date(s): September 17, 18, 22, 24, 28.

West Vancouver

1. Sentinel Secondary. Parents of students at Sentinel Secondary in West Vancouver have received a letter about an exposure at school. Contact tracing underway. Letter to parents sent out on Saturday. (North Shore News reports possible in-class spread to teacher)
2. Collingwood School has reported an exposure event to Vancouver Coastal Health. It says staff and students are not involved. Collingwood is an independent school with two campuses teaching Kindergarten to Grade 12. No details provided.
3. Mulgrave School exposure among teachers and grade 9 students during outdoor activities. Made public on Sept. 8.
4. West Vancouver Secondary School has sent notices to parents about an infection event. Contact tracing underway by VCH. Teachers and students ordered isolated.
5. Caulfeild Elementary School has ordered students in their Div. 12 class to self isolate as a precaution. Vancouver Coastal Health ordered isolation of class cohort after a positive test, school said in letter. Two classes ordered isolated and parents report several children being positive.
6. Mamquam Elementary, Sea to Sky School DistrictAddress: 40266 Government Road, Garibaldi Highlands, BC. Potential exposure date(s): September 11, 16, 17 and 18.
7. Signal Hill Elementary, Sea to Sky School DistrictAddress: 1410 Pemberton Portage Road, Pemberton, BC. Potential exposure date(s): September 21.
8. Howe Sound Secondary, Sea to Sky School District. 38430 Buckley Avenue, Squamish. Exposure Sept. 21 to 25.
9. Rockridge Secondary school in West Vancouver and VCH have notified parents about Covid-19 case. This, according to parents, is linked to a sibling who is + from Caulfeild school. School to school transmission

Richmond

1. Robert A. McMath Secondary at 4251 Gary Street in Richmond. Some contacts isolated. School areas affected deep cleaned. SD 38 letter sent to parents. No info how many or who was isolated.
2. ’École des Navigateurs, RichmondAddress: 8580 Kilgour Place, Richmond, BCPotential exposure date(s): September 14.
3. BC Muslim School, Richmond. 12300 Blundell Road, Richmond.Potential exposure date(s): September 11 to 18.

List will expand as we confirm other suspected school exposures.

The post BC schools report Covid-19 infections appeared first on Vancouverite.

A full 46% of infections in age group 0 to 19 during the pandemic occurred during September when hundreds of thousands of children were shoved into ill-prepared schools.

Statistics published by the BC Centre for Disease Control show kids registered a total of 382 infections in September.

That’s the highest number of infections in one month during the entire pandemic.

On Sept. 1 BC had 145 children under 10 infected.

For September 30, that figure stands at 298. That’s total of 153 children 0 to 10 infected this month.

In the age group 10 to 19 BC had 293 infected on September 1 and now that figure has surged to a total of 522. That’s up 229 this month.

Total child infections in September number 382. For the past six months from March to August child infections numbered 438.

A total of 6 children have been admitted to hospital so far in the pandemic while there are 8 suspected cases of MIS-C.

MIS-C, according to the US CDC, is a dangerous multi system inflammation of organs resulting from either covid infections or proximity to a Covid-19 infected person. It was identified in May as a separate illness. Early on it was thought to be Kawasaki’s Disease.

61 BC schools have reported infections and exposures with numerous children isolated. In some cases children have brought infections home and in turn made their parents ill.

The worst scenario appears to be at Caulfeild School in West Vancouver where two division classes have been sent home.

Facebook forums show the outbreak has resulted in at least 7 confirmed infections.

Worried parents are accusing BC Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry of spreading misinformation.

She has claimed schools are safer than home for children.

A frustrated mother posting on a North Shore forum stated she felt misled by Henry.

“There have been no transmissions or outbreaks of COVID-19 at schools and health authorities follow up individually with anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive,” she quoted Henry as saying.

“This is misinformation,” the angry mother said.

“The 5 kids (so far) who have tested positive in grade 2, Div 12 at Caulfeild Elementary were with absolute certainty not all together outside of school.

“A couple of them may have been, but certainly not all in a group.”

“It is not a coincidence that they are all in the same small classroom and all have tested positive.”

“In one case (mine), the kid also transmitted it to other family members — her mother (me) and her older sister.”

Several parents said they are keeping their children home. Some said they’ll not send their children back out of fear of infections.

Henry removed almost all safety rules practised out of school settings that she has insisted on during the pandemic.

The 2-metre distancing no longer applies in schools, masks are not mandatory in class and children can associate with large cohorts even as rising case numbers have resulted in her warning the public to stick to a bubble of six.

The post September sets record of 382 Covid-19 infections in BC children appeared first on Vancouverite.

This story is published as told by a teacher whose son fell desperately ill during July. She suspects it was MIS-C. The boy was in ICU at BC Children’s Hospital. The photos were taken by mom.

As I see stories in the news about suspected MIS-C in BC, I have finally decided to share my family’s story to personalize the experience.

My son is a fit, strong, 16-year-old who loves mountain biking and working out. He has no diagnosed immune compromised issues. He was incredibly strong and could do the lifting of two men if you needed a hand hauling anything; that is until late March when he had pneumonia for 3 weeks and lost 25 pounds.

He had actually started his school strong man competition but couldn’t finish the week as that was when he got pneumonia.

Little did we know that after recovering from pneumonia, he’d soon be facing a more traumatic health crisis.

When our summer misadventure started with a sore neck, we had no idea we’d be fighting for his life in a matter of days. Here is our journey with suspected MIS-C.

July 5 – 7 – He started complaining about a sore neck. As he’d done some heavy landscaping work the day prior, we thought perhaps he’d strained something. For the next few days, he laid around to heal. However, the neck started to swell in lymph area on one side on night of July 7.

July 8 – Shortly after waking, passed out briefly. Thankfully, he safely lowered himself to the floor. We were able to book a virtual doctor appointment for later that day as thoughts of meningitis creeped into our minds.

Blood tests were ordered for the next day but we were told to take him to the hospital for an in-person assessment if any other symptoms developed.

 Shortly after our appointment, a rash started to appear on his hands and arms so off we went to hospital.

Although he had a fever, Covid-19 was not likely, we thought, as we’d been strict about following health guidelines. However, there was that one trip to a couple of stores the week before (masked, of course, but not everyone around was masked).

At the hospital, a number of tests were administered including Covid-19,which was negative.

Through blood and urine tests, they ruled out a few other things including meningitis but the doctor was concerned enough to give IV antibiotics and asked us to come back to the pediatric unit the next day for an appointment.

Worry was setting in.

 July 9- Our pediatric appointment was surprising. The rash had begun to spread but we were hopeful that it was “just” a nasty virus or infection. He now had very sore and swollen lymph nodes on his neck, fever, rash all over but especially arms, fatigue, no appetite and doctors seemed stumped as they struggled to diagnose.

Some strange numbers on various tests were raising concern. He was put on IV fluids and antibiotics as some kind of infection was suspected. There were many possibilities pondered but none that could explain his combination of symptoms. We were not going home  – that was certain. 

July 10 – Overnight, the rash spread, more blood tests were ordered to help inform a course of action – would he become outpatient and come back each day for IV antibiotics and further tests or would he be moved to a hospital that had more intensive pediatric services?

He continued to stump doctors. Many hands were now on deck and more professionals were involved in his case.

His inflammatory markers were increasing, his hemoglobin decreasing, his platelets were lowering, and he was showing a bit of blood in his urine.

While they thought this all may be part of an infectious process, they couldn’t pinpoint the type; and new test results would take 2-7 days.

While his “numbers” were not yet serious, there was apparently a risk of internal bleeding. Was it Coxsackievirus? Was it HSP? Did he have ‘Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation?’

What did all of these terrifying words even mean? Two days ago, he only had a sore neck! Nothing being explored at this point could explain his combination of symptoms.

That night, after increasingly troubling number of changes in blood and urine tests, as well as increasing blood in the urine, was dosed up on even more IV antibiotics and then sent by ambulance to BC Children’s Hospital.

The attending paramedic was a great match for my son, with 9 different black belts, he was a great conversationalist. I drove my vehicle. While we tried to keep up good spirits, we were desperately hoping for answers.

 July 11 – The doctors were increasingly concerned and a sense of urgency was now prevailing as his condition was clearly deteriorating.

Was there a severe infection possibly in his neck, that was now impacting multiple organs?

If so, why had it not responded to the massive amounts of antibiotics? He had now developed low blood pressure, low oxygen level, low hemoglobins, blood in urine showing kidney damage, and increasing rash.

We were exhausted. We got into our beautiful room at 4:30 am after lots of poking and prodding downstairs.

He had been poked and prodded since about 8 am with very small breaks and was finally able to rest for about 45 minutes.

 The doctors were acting swiftly to gain further informatIon via an MRI on his neck, more IV antibiotics (three types), IV fluids to keep him hydrated and help keep his blood pressure up, more blood work, and they took two more nose swabs, checking for Covid-19 sgsun and other super bugs. (The horrible COVID swab – he has now had four of them.)

 Possible diagnoses on the table were now MIS-C – Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children associated with COVID-19 or he had a severe viral or bacterial infection.

On a positive note, our isolation room was amazing! We had a fridge, real bath/shower, a comfortable day bed for one parent, and a stunning view of the north shore mountains!

I was fortunate to have family 10 minutes away and Vancouver friends offering help if I needed anything and an “in-house” friend with her son offering to get me things as I was to stay away from food service areas, etc.

I was allowed to walk to warm blanket location. It was really hard on his sister to not be able to see him due to Covid-19 restrictions. I was becoming quite used to wearing a mask 24/7 (even though at first I found it to create a feeling of panic – this disappeared after the first 30 minutes or so.)

July 11- He had a CT Scan and Echocardiogram (which I found absolutely fascinating). His blood pressure was increasingly low and he needed oxygen as his levels were not high enough (although breathing was not laboured). CRP (inflammatory markers in urine) had risen from 87 a couple of days ago to close to 200 (whereas the norm is below 3, whatever that means).  

The antibiotics were causing digestive challenges.  The poor guy had to have his fluid intake measured and restricted, as well as all of his “output” weighed and measured. Talk about leaving your dignity at the door!

He continued to get fluids to keep his blood pressure up, as well as oxygen to keep his oxygen levels up. His urine was dark brown.

 The possibilities were slowly being narrowed down. We met with a team including rheumatology specialist, infectious disease specialists, kidney specialist, and pediatrics. The possibilities that caused his condition werr narrowed down to about 5 of them – scary but rarely life threatening.

A few he would simply recover from and a couple may have longer term complications that could be remedied with long term medications.

Tonight, he’d start on Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) transfusion which would help with the three most likely possible diagnoses.

This involved a review of risks – all extremely rare – and a meeting with ICU staff in case any issues arose with the transfusion – highly unlikely but they were “ready for him” just in case.

One of the diagnose at this point was COVID-related; although he did not presently have Covid we were waiting for results that would tell us if he had Covid as part of his pneumonia in March or since.

However, the antibody test is considered highly unreliable – with a 34-50% false negative result (we were told) so a negative would not take this possible diagnosis off the table but a positive result would move it from suspected MIS-C to confirmed MIS-C.

This diagnosis was one of the three possibilities left on the table (along with Toxic Shock – but no found infection source and Atypical Kawasaki – usually found in youth under age 5 – not 16).

 What is Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)?

It is associated with COVID-19 and something a small number of youth are experiencing after recovery.

I could tell the staff here were all really concerned about Covid and the after-effects, many of which are new and under study. Although many people have “recovered”, more and more new post-Covid problems have become and continue to become evident.

 July 12 – Last night was the scariest night of my life! On top of his organs showing major issues (kidney, especially but also liver, fluid around heart, and in lungs) major anaphylaxis reaction to IVIG treatment resulted in him literally fighting for his life.

His convulsions were terrifying and the look in his eyes will haunt me for some time.

You know in the movies when a team rushes a patient down the hall to open elevators, the bed surrounded by professionals staring at monitors and all working in sync and intensity – that was what happened with my son!

He had one of the extremely rare reactions we’d been warned about. He needed the meds that only ICU could offer and he needed them fast! Of course, I was in the hall during this intense period, taken upstairs to our room to get everything for a move to ICU as a distraction, and after an unknown time, allowed back in. I have no idea if it was 45 minutes, an hour, or more.

Thankfully, they were able to stabilize him. He was hooked up to so many machines. His arms and feet all had multiple sensors!

Imagine, though, a few hours later, being told that the treatment that almost killed your son needed to resume to save him?

Under the collaboration of cardiology, rheumatology, and infectious disease specialists, we were told they should try again but follow a slightly different protocol to avoid the anaphylactic response.

 We asked our close family and friends to keep us in their prayers or thoughts or send positive energy out – we needed our kiddo to kick whatever was causing this systemic inflammation in the butt.

Still, only my husband or I were allowed to see him or be with him and only one of us at any time. His sister had not seen him since July 8th.

By the evening of July 12, his body accepted the treatment! What a turn-around.

The IVIG take two made a huge difference and quickly! He began to perk up, was gaming in a chair, and even ate soup… he even laughed a few times. Last night he was fighting for his life.

Finally, things were turning around, and that fact that he responded so well to IVIG points to increased likelihood that an inflammatory disease (MIS-C/Kawasaki) rather than an infection was the problem.

July 13 – Progress! My son was finally making a recovery. He left ICU to a regular ward this morning and we were told he may be on the road home in a few days if this progress continued. He still had a lot of monitoring and a ton of vials of blood taken every few hours!

 July 14 – He continued to improve. His kidney seemed to be healing, his oxygen started heading in the right direction, his inflammatory markers were decreasing. If this continued, we were told we should be home between Thursday and Monday.

He even had energy to dominate in a couple of card games until he fell asleep with his head on the table.

Everything was now stable and we were through the danger zone.  We still didn’t know for sure if this is Kawasaki disease, MIS-C, or Toxic Shock.

July 14 – This day was a relatively good day overall. While we were told he had an acute kidney injury, we were assured that it should heal over a reasonably short time. We would need to follow up in a month or two to see if the fluid problem around his heart resolved. Until then, he would need to stay on a high dosage aspirin. His liver seemed better.  As his kidneys improve, we were told, his oxygen levels would be more consistent as they dipped slightly low a few times today – all stages of healing,

 We were sent home finally.

His discharge sheet indicated this diagnosis: MIS-C vs. Atypical Kawasaki vs. Toxic Shock as they were not able to disprove or unquestionably prove any of them, but MIS-C sounded like the most likely of the three. We will never know for sure.

 Editors note: BC PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry has said we’ve 8 cases of suspected MIS-C in children but these are not proven. The mean age in those 8 cases is 4. So it’s highly unlikely that this boys name is on government database.

However, mystery still surrounds MIS-C and knowledge is not perfected as is the case with the parent disease Covid-19. Other jurisdictions in Canada have reported MIS-C name in May as a distinct illness related to Covid-19. Earlier cases in the pandemic were called Kawasaki and these two resemble each other significantly.

The US CDC says a child who is in close proximity to someone with Covid-19 can develop MIS-C.

US CDC – “MIS-C is a new syndrome, and many questions remain about why some children develop it after a COVID-19 illness or contact with someone with COVID-19, while others do not.”

“CDC has received reports of 792 confirmed cases of MIS-C and 16 deaths in 42 states, New York City, and Washington, DC. Additional cases are under investigation.

• Most cases are in children between the ages of 1 and 14 years, with an average age of 8 years.

• Cases have occurred in children from <1 year old to 20 years old.”

Another BC child’s story was published earlier…read it here

The post BC Teacher – if my son didn’t have MIS-C then what caused this life and death illness? appeared first on Vancouverite.

Researchers from Huazhong Agricultural University, in the Chinese city, took blood samples from 102 cats between January and March 2020, following the first outbreak. Nasal and anal swabs were also collected.

Reporting their findings in peer-reviewed journal Emerging Microbes & Infections, they show COVID-19 antibodies present in 15 of the blood samples taken from the cats. Of these, 11 cats had neutralizing antibodies – proteins that bind so successfully to a virus they block the infection.

None of the cats actually tested positive for COVID-19 or displayed obvious symptoms and, according to the results of return visits, none of these felines have died.  

The sample of cats looked at included 46 abandoned from 3 animal shelters, 41 from 5 pet hospitals, and 15 cats were from COVID-19 patient families.

The three cats with the highest levels of antibodies were all owned by patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, whilst there were also signs of cats being infected with the virus by other cats from those that were abandoned (4) or based in the pet hospitals (4).

Commenting on the findings, lead author Meilin Jin states that whilst there is currently no evidence for cat-to-human transmission, precautions should be considered.

“Although the infection in stray cats could not be fully understood, it is reasonable to speculate that these infections are probably due to the contact with SARS-CoV-2 polluted environment, or COVID-19 patients who fed the cats.

“Therefore measures should be considered to maintain a suitable distance between COVID-19 patients and companion animals such as cats and dogs, and hygiene and quarantine measures should also be established for those high-risk animals.”

The team assessed the type of antibody reactions in thorough detail and were able to describe the dynamic characteristics of the antibodies found.

Amongst many discoveries within the antibodies, they saw that the type of reaction produced by the cats resembles those observed in seasonal coronavirus infections, implying that the cats who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection “remain at risk of re-infection”.

The authors state that this is a similar transient antibody response to also be observed in humans, and that their study should be used going forwards as a “reference for the clinical treatment and prevention of COVID-19”.

“We suggest that cats have a great potential as an animal model for assessing the characteristic of antibody against SARS-CoV-2 in humans,” they add.

From here, the team state that more research is needed to establish the route of Covid-19 from humans to cats.

“Retrospective investigation confirmed that all of antibody positive samples were taken after the outbreak, suggesting that the infection of cats could be due to the virus transmission from humans to cats. Certainly, it is still needed to be verified via investigating the SARS-CoV-2 infections before this outbreak in a wide range of sampling,” Jin states.

– Supplied by Taylor & Francis Group

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