The province has seen a slight uptick in cases of a second COVID-19 Omicron variant since many health orders were relaxed, including one that required masks in indoor public spaces, says a member of the B.C. COVID-19 Modelling Group.
“The growth rate is modest — like three per cent per day — which is not great, but it’s not a steep rise,” Sarah Otto, a University of B.C. zoology professor with expertise in infectious-disease modelling, said this past week.
“In other jurisdictions when they’ve compared the effects of masking, it makes enough difference that we could potentially reverse this rise.
“This three per cent rise could be turned down again simply by the return of masking.
Otto predicts a lot more COVID-related hospitalizations in what she is calling a “second Omicron wave” because of waning immunity among some of the people who were vaccinated first, including the elderly and those with health risks.
She said she would like to see a fourth round of COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out soon.
Health Minister Adrian Dix has said the province is preparing to provide an update Tuesday on potentially making a fourth COVID-19 dose available to vulnerable people in B.C.
The University of Victoria’s board of governors this past week rejected a request from the university’s senate to restore the mask mandate on campus. In K-12 schools, meanwhile, students and teachers can be maskless if they choose when they return after spring break, with at least one exception.
Anyone who travelled outside Canada over spring break has to wear a mask in public places for 14 days after returning. That includes schools and daycares. The rule is federal and trumps the recent lifting of B.C.’s mask mandate.
Island Health also continues to require masks for staff and visitors at all facilities, regardless of recent travel.
The president-elect of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation said he hopes teachers and students respect the rule for international travellers.
“We don’t know the travels of every single student and school teacher, so it was a bit of a concern for us,” Clint Johnston said. “You may know your own personal status and you may feel safe, but it’s good to think about those around you who you don’t know.”
Some of those people might have “particular vulnerabilities,” said Johnston, who represents more than 46,000 teachers.
The prospect of moving from mandatory to optional masks at schools is raising some concerns, he said — especially the timing immediately following spring break, when many people travel.
“We always said that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave them a little longer, and let people come back from spring break — when many people will have travelled with the mask still on — and then slowly transition out of it,” he said.
“It’s a pretty significant shift to go from fully masked with everyone to no masks at all, being optional.
“So a lot of the discussion has been about how to continue to encourage both students and staff to wear masks and keep that added layer of protection.”
