Health officials in British Columbia are bracing for a “winter surge” of COVID-19 and flu in November and December, while insisting no public health measures will be needed.
The province’s flu vaccination campaign will begin, for the vast majority of British Columbians, around October 11 after the Thanksgiving long weekend.
This campaign merges with the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination program. All adults in BC are now eligible for a bivalent COVID booster and can book one through the Get Vaccinated website or by phone.
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Those who received a non-bivalent booster in the spring as their fourth injection will be offered the new vaccine as their fifth injection in October.
“The plan is to get the bivalent and the flu shot at the same time. That will be the best protection to get us through the fall and the coming months,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer.
The province is bracing for possible additional hospitalizations due to spikes in COVID-19 in the community, but said volumes are difficult to predict.
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Projections suggest the number of COVID-positive patients in BC hospitals could rise to 700 in the coming months. The current total is 350 people hospitalized with the virus.
The data also suggests that a peak of up to 1,200 additional patients may require hospitalization due to the flu for a few weeks in the coming months.
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British Columbia has been using data from Australia and New Zealand to plan for flu impacts. Australia recently experienced its worst flu season in over five years.
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The province plans 1,500 more hospital beds if needed, through late fall and early spring.
“We are emerging from this pandemic. But there is still uncertainty about what we should expect in the coming months,” Henry said.
“While we may be emerging, it’s clear that COVID will still be with us.”
Work is also underway to continue improving air ambulance teams to speed up transfers.
Under worst-case planning, when as a last resort and when necessary, the province would consider hospital service reductions, including postponing surgeries, as it did earlier in the pandemic.
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