Covid-19 Updates – November 9, 2021 – 3rd Shots and Booster Shots

Updates to the Provincial COVID-19 Immunization Plan

More people in B.C. will start to receive invitations for a COVID-19 booster shot as the Province continues its COVID-19 immunization plan, prioritizing B.C.’s elderly and most at-risk through to the December holiday.

The plan expands to include all British Columbians 12+ beginning in January 2022.

People 70+ who are registered in the Get Vaccinated System, as well as Indigenous Peoples 12+, will soon be invited to book their booster, which will help maintain protection against COVID-19. Booster doses are underway for other priority groups, including residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities and vulnerable people living in shelters or high-risk congregate settings, and are in use as part of outbreak management.

“Our vaccines are highly effective. However, we are starting to see a gradual decline in protection over time. As a result, we are taking the proactive step of expanding boosters to everyone in our province,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer. “We’re starting with the people who need them most to continue to do all we can to keep people in B.C. safe from this virus and its variants.”

As was the case with the first and second doses, the timing of invitations is based on risk and age (beginning oldest to youngest), with an interval of between six to eight months from the second dose.

 

To get your first or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, register on BC’s Get Vaccinated site:

https://www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca/s/

In the Vancouver Coastal Health region, there are vaccine clinics daily (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore, Sunshine Coast):

http://www.vch.ca/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine#clinics

In the Fraser Health region, you can find local vaccine clinics here (Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley):

https://www.fraserhealth.ca/health-topics-a-to-z/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/registration-support#.YYqczC-96aA

More information on the updated Covid-19 Immunization Plan here:

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0189-002044

==== ==== ==== ==== ====

Staying Safe and Healthy

1. Get Vaccinated
2. Stay Home if you are sick – call 811 and get tested if directed
3. Wear a Mask in indoor spaces
4. Wash your Hands
5. Keep your Distance
6. It’s always Safer Outdoors

Here is a link to the latest BC Government update – November 8^th, 2021:

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0069-002125

In this update, they provide the numbers and I think this set of numbers provides an important insight:

Past two weeks, cases hospitalized per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (Oct. 22 to Nov. 4)

• Not vaccinated: 58.0
• Partially vaccinated: 14.7
• Fully vaccinated: 3.0

This tells us that being vaccinated greatly reduces the risk of hospitalization if you get Covid-19.

On Thursday, November 4^th, Dr. Bonnie Henry presented the updated modelling information on Covid-19 for the Province:

https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/04.11.21_Covid19Modelling.pdf

Here is one of the slides:

 

This graph shows that Age and Vaccine Status are the two greatest risk factors in hospitalization of people with Covid-19.

30, 40 and 50 Year Olds Should Not Be Dying At This Level – Times Colonist

https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/thirty-40-and-50-year-olds-shouldnat-be-dying-at-this-level-a-day-in-the-icu-4732317

If vulnerable seniors in care homes were the face of the pandemic’s first wave, young unvaccinated people intubated in critical-care wards are the hallmark of the fourth.

On any given day in B.C., the large majority of people in hospital intensive care units are unvaccinated. On Nov. 5, 59 of 64 COVID patients age 59 and younger in ICUs in the province were unvaccinated.

Risk Assessments

An important consideration when people have questions about the risks of the vaccine, is to consider the risk of serious illness and hospitalization due to Covid-19  The Delta variant is far more infectious than the first Covid-19 we experienced in 2020, and causes more severe illness in more age groups than the first Covid-19.

At Spectrum we are continuing to assess the risks to the people we support and our teams and developing mitigation strategies to reduce risks.  Many people are feeling safer due to vaccinations and lower case counts and returning to some of their favourite community activities such as restaurants and movies.  The basic safety strategies still apply:
Staying Safe and Healthy

1. Get Vaccinated
2. Stay Home if you are sick – call 811 and get tested if directed
3. Wear a Mask in indoor spaces
4. Wash your Hands
5. Keep your Distance
6. It’s always Safer Outdoors

Let us know if you have any questions or need any assistance.

Ernie Baatz

Executive Director

Spectrum Society for Community Living

______________________________________________________________________

If you have a friend, family member or meet someone in the community that is interested in joining the team and you refer them to Spectrum, you could be eligible for a referral bonus!

If the person referred is hired and maintains at least 9 months of consistent employment with Spectrum,  we will award a $50 Referral Bonus.

*for more information on the program, please email hr@spectrumsociety.org

We thank you for bringing us quality applicants/employees!

______________________________________________________________________

Danielle Reed is collecting the following items for distribution to folks who live in the Downtown East Side:

• Gently used, clean blankets
• New blankets
• Socks in all sizes for both men and women

Please drop off your donations to:

Spectrum Office at 3231 Kingsway, Vancouver

When:

Monday to Friday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm

Donations will be accepted until Tuesday, November 30, 2021

______________________________________________________________________

Collingwood Winter Carnival and Tree Lighting

Arts and Crafts / Photos with Santa / Hot Cocoa & Cookies

Kingsway & Tyne / Safeway Parking Lot

November 27, 2021 3:00 – 5:30 pm.

_______________________________________________

Canada Revenue Agency is pleased to host the following live webinars in November and December:

Digital Services for Individuals Presentation on November 23, 2021 from 11:00–11:45am PST and December 15, 2021 from 1:00–1:45pm PST

The CRA has a wide number and range of electronic and digital services available for individuals including My Account, Represent a Client and mobile apps. Join our webinar to learn about some of our most popular services such as changing your address or phone number, submitting documents electronically, and changing your return.

Scam awareness – Be scam smart Presentation on November 30, 2021 from 12:30–1:15pm PST and December 9, 2021 from 1:30–2:15pm PST

Help protect yourself and others against fraud – Taxpayers should be vigilant when they receive, either by telephone, mail, text message or email, a fraudulent communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number. Learn to recognize common types of scams and to identify legitimate communications from the CRA.

You can register for one of the above webinars by going to the below link and clicking on the link associated with the date of your choice.

https://canada.webex.com/canada/onstage/g.php?PRID=4f1473dfdd206ba0967b78ce55fe4326 (English presentations)

Warm regards,

Allison Reed

BC and YT Outreach Team

Assessment, Benefit, and Service Branch

Canada Revenue Agency / Government of Canada

PacificRegionOutreach@cra-arc.gc.ca /Phone: 604-775-5020/1-855-214-7070

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

RISE Community Groups and Workshops

For info or to register:

• Email info@cnh.bc.ca
• Call Collingwood Neighbourhood House at 604-435-0323
• Or ask a RISE Staff member

Spots are limited.  Registration required.

Please click these links below for further details:

Rise Groups

RISE Spring 2021 Workshops Info

______________________________________________________________________

It is a great time to review the contents of emergency medical and earthquake kits in your home. 

Are your water and food rations currently dated? Other items like glow sticks and batteries have expiry dates. It’s a good time to make sure everything is up to date.

Did you use some of the medical supplies during the year?  Now is a great time to order replacement items.  Please note that WCB First Aid Kits are required in all of the homes that are staffed.

Have there been changes in the number of people residing in your home?  Do you need more or less supplies?

Have any of the people you live with changed their diets over the past year? Do you need to change the dietary foods in their earthquake kits?

If you need help with restocking your emergency medical and earthquake supplies please feel free to contact Judy Smith at judy@spectrumsociety.org for assistance.

It is a good time to review all safety procedures in the home; making sure that exit routes are clear of debris, including accessing risk factors (for example, moving items on shelves that could fall and moving heavy items to bottom shelves instead of top shelves). Are all staff are familiar with where emergency care items are stored?  Please review the following information from our policy manual with the staff and individuals you support. Include staff to join on skype or zoom if you cannot meet in person so everyone is familiar with this process.

(https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/General%20Policies/34.0.EmergencyPreparedness.pdf)

When you have completed your Earthquake Drill please record this information on Sharevision.

______________________________________________________________________

How to Register for First Aid:

We recommend obtaining and/or renewing your First Aid through St. John’s Ambulance with the Emergency First Aid Community Care course. If there is another course offered by a different provider, please contact Human Resources prior to enrolling to determine if it is equivalent and meets the basic requirements.

To obtain/renew through St John’s Ambulance, please call (604) 321-7242

• They above number is their main line, but they have a number of locations across the lower mainland if you would like to call a location directly: http://www.sja.ca/English/About-Us/Pages/Locations.aspx
• Register yourself for Emergency First Aid Community Care.

If an employee does not have a valid first aid certificate upon hire, the fee to obtain or renew certification is the responsibility of the employee. Future renewal fees for active employees are covered by Spectrum.

• If you are renewing your first aid, ask St. John Ambulance to invoice Spectrum Society
• Let them know Spectrum Society will be paying for your course fee.

*St. John Ambulance may request authorization from Spectrum. Email hr@spectrumsociety.org with the date/location you want to complete the course and we will call them to confirm your registration.

First Aid is a requirement for employment as indicated in ‘Policy 4: Requirements for Employment. Below is a link to Spectrum’s First Aid policy:

https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/Personnel%20Policies/P04.0.Requirements.for.Employment.pdf

For employees renewing their first aid, please ensure St. John’s Ambulance (SJA) includes the CPR pocket mask with your first aid registration. If the CPR pocket mask is not included with your registration fee, SJA requires attendees pay for this on the day of course completion; you can save your receipt and submit it to Human Resources for reimbursement.  

Please email your certificate of course completion to hr@spectrumsociety.org to have your file updated.

Please let Judy know if you have any questions or issues registering, by emailing judy@spectrumsociety.org