COVID-19 taking its toll on older vaccinated residents

• Majority of new cases and hospitalizations are unvaccinated people.
• However, 46 per cent of deaths last month were among fully vaccinated.
• Many of those were over 80 years old.

British Columbia has seen a steady decrease in new COVID-19 cases the last couple of weeks, but the main concern remains the high number of hospitalizations.

“This has been the challenge for us the last few months,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer. “It has been the reason we have done things like making sure health-care workers are vaccinated and making sure we get booster doses out to where we see breakthrough cases.”

Henry told a news conference Thursday, a majority of new cases and hospitalizations are unvaccinated people, but 46 per cent of the deaths last month were breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated residents.

Henry said many of those were people over 80 whose response to the vaccinations is not as strong.

“The number one risk factor for having severe illness or dying from COVID is age, always has been,” Henry said. “As we get older, our response to vaccination is not as strong. Our immune system doesn’t mount as strong a response, or a long lasting response. We are seeing breakthrough in some people over age 70 and 80.”

Henry said it highlights the need for people around seniors to be protected by vaccination.

“Because if they [seniors] get infected, their risk of having more severe illness is that much higher, and that leads to people ending up in hospital and, sadly, to people dying.”

Health Minister Adrian Dix updated the number of health care workers who are now unvaccinated, saying its “about two per cent.”

Dix said that amounts to 3,091 workers with 959 in Interior Health, 573 in Fraser Health, 306 in Northern Health, 33 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 485 in Island Health, 101 in Providence Health Care and 399 with the provincial health services authority.

Dix said in the last week, 238 surgeries had been postponed in B.C. with 61 in Interior Health, 31 in Fraser, 12 in Northern, 61 in Vancouver Coastal and 71 on the Island.

With files from Pete McIntyre/Vernon Matters