Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Tempting - But Still No.
British Columbia's Centre for Disease Control posts daily updates (Mon. to Fri.) of the number of Covid-19 cases across the province.
The island isn't heavily populated. 870,000 and change, about half of which live in the southernmost city of Victoria and the Capital Regional District. The further north you go it becomes progressively more a place of rocks and Christmas trees. Lots of room for social distancing.
Since the pandemic sent us into lockdown most of us have noticed an impressive adherence to the health authority's directions.
It seems to have paid off. The latest CDC update shows the island logged a total of 126 diagnosed cases. There's one person currently in hospital but not in intensive care.
The rest of the province is doing fairly well too.
Does this mean it's over? Will this be a "one and done" miracle for Vancouver Island? I haven't heard anyone broaching the idea. Most seem to accept there'll probably be a rough patch again in the autumn and many are concerned about an influx of summer tourists that is the bread and butter of several island towns.
It's good to know that we took this seriously and that we got where we wanted to go. Me? I want to spend an afternoon with my dog on my favourite beach. It's one of those secluded gems that locals have kept quiet about. The sort of place where at the height of summer there's still never a scrap of garbage left on the beach at the end of a day.
Next up is wildfire season. Thanks to an unduly wet summer last year we dodged that bullet here on the island. This year is expected to be closer to normal. Fortunately that fancy new mask I bought, one that's popular with American fire departments, is said to be excellent for smoke particulates. Gotta get my money out of it somehow.
Update:
I had a regular phone consultation with my GP today (20 May). The conversation briefly touched on the Covid-19 situation on the island. Thor (his real name) said, with no new cases in 8 days, and just one islander still in hospital, we're doing pretty well so far especially given the age demographic in our community. He puts it down to a populace that is taking the threat seriously, diligently following the mandated social distancing, face masks, isolation, hand washing, etc. Apparently the hand washing and other measures have resulted in an abrupt drop in cases of severe colds, strep throat and other community infections. I told him if he really found himself strapped for paying work I can use somebody to paint my house. Somehow I think I'll pay for that wisecrack sooner or later. On a grim note he shared the concern of many locals that we may be inundated with tourists this summer including those flocking from Covid-heavy areas to low-Covid resort destinations.
.. 6,000 Canadians dead.. a shocking number.. just shocking.. and there will be many more. Yet in my opinion, Canada has been astonishingly fortunate.. Also in my never too humble opinion, BC is nothing short of a miracle. I thought you would be the hardest hit. No, I cannot explain why Canada seems to be 'lucky'.. or BC, or why Quebec is a disaster zone.. To me its almost unreal.. sureal.. all atwonce. Meanwhile, exactly as predicted, USA is hit catastrophically. Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain.. and of course Russia. (China I simply do not believe them), Brazil - no surprise..
ReplyDeleteAll i can say is keep BC secure, keep the lid on real tight.. protect the miraculous defiance of the odds.
ReplyDeleteHey, Sal. I caught a CBC report that explained how Quebec has had such a horrible death and infection toll and it seems to come down to Legault.
I too feared that BC would be a nightmare but our medical officer of health seems to deserve a lot of credit for that, Dr. Henry and a provincial government that, for motives that may be more pragmatic than altruistic, chose not to defy her calls. Dr. Henry really set the bar for her counterparts, federal and provincial.
I have been struck by how many of those I know aren't taking this first-wave result for granted. Those I've spoken with seem to understand that the worst may yet be to come.
We're learning expensive lessons right now and I hope this knowledge isn't squandered but opens a path we'll use when the next body blow arrives.