Vancouver Island top doctor urges mainland visitors to stay away as cases spike
Posted November 17, 2020 4:59 pm.
Last Updated November 17, 2020 5:07 pm.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) — Vancouver Island’s top doctor isn’t looking to cut off travel from the mainland but is asking everyone to stay put unless travelling on or off the island is absolutely essential.
Dr. Richard Stanwick, chief medical health officer for Island Health, says the Island is at risk of going in the same direction as Metro Vancouver — where cases have been surging — now that 566 people are in isolation, ten times higher than it was a few weeks ago.
Reality check how fast #covid19 situation can change.
556 people now isolating in @VanIslandHealth. Top doctor Richard Stanwick says that *10 X* more than a few weeks ago. 16 new cases Monday after 41 new cases over weekend & another outbreak 1/2#bcpoli #nanaimo #yyj @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/hBNhEhXwjG— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) November 17, 2020
While he isn’t saying don’t come ever, it is clear that people shouldn’t be visiting now.
“Can you postpone your visit to a time when COVID is perhaps better controlled? In hotspots, and even on the Island, we’d love to have people well-vaccinated before visitors arrive.”
Looking at recent cases, Stanwick says 66 people were islanders bringing the virus back with them. Another 20 cases were from visiting mainlanders that led to ten direct transmissions and four secondary ones.
More from @VanIslandHealth. Stanwick says 66 #covid19 cases over last couple months were islanders bringing it back with them another 20 cases were ppl bringing it from the mainland – those 20 transmitted to 10 others and 4 secondary transmissions.#bcpoli #nanaimo #yyj @NEWS1130
— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) November 17, 2020
Stanwick says contacts for each positive case have doubled, putting massive pressure on contact tracers.
In the province’s recent modelling data, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry stressed how far COVID-19 transmission can go and how the second wave of the pandemic has been stretching contact tracers to their limits.
Henry, along with Health Minister Adrian Dix, urged people to avoid travelling outside their communities since travel from the Lower Mainland has led to an increase in infections.