Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly throughout B.C., public health officials have changed their approach to pandemic management in an effort to minimize social disruption.New guidance issued Friday was less restrictive for adults who test positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts, but family physician Dr.
Birinder Narang reassured British Columbians that the changes are reflective of a “highly-vaccinated community.”“I think we’ve realized that there are extreme limitations in the ability to do that kind of pandemic management that we’ve all gotten accustomed to, and that’s with testing, tracing and monitoring, isolation enforcement,” said Narang, who is also Global BC’s medical contributor.“What I’m grateful for is that there is evidence that the way Omicron is behaving is that there is less severe disease associated with it and I think a lot of the briefing today reflected that.“ B.C.’s top doctor signals major shift in COVID strategy, says contact tracing no longer useful On Friday, provincial health officer Dr.
Bonnie Henry confirmed that fully-vaccinated adults with COVID-19 need only isolate for five days, while unvaccinated adults must still isolate for 10.Close contacts of people with the virus need not isolate at all and those with symptoms, but not a positive diagnosis, can return to work or school at their discretion when they feel better.
Tests are not recommended for those with mild symptoms.It’s a shift from the strictly-regulated approach the province has taken in previous waves — before contact-tracing and testing capacity were overrun by Omicron.A mother and school teacher in Metro Vancouver, who asked not to be named to protect her job, said she’s concerned by the less.