Lessons from July's outbreak

Canada Day celebrations saw a sharp rise in COVID cases in Kelowna, leading to 130 new cases and more than 1,000 people forced into self-isolation.

However, since the August long weekend, Kelowna has not had any new cases, suggesting we may have learned from our mistakes in July.

With the heat rising and our community going into its sixth month of restrictions, it’s understandable that people  crave summer gatherings of friends and family, or look forward to spending time in public in the region’s wineries, breweries and restaurants.

However, the recent outbreak has served as a stark reminder that all is not back to normal, and that the importance of social distancing, sanitizing and keeping groups small remains.

Many people feel frustrated with the restrictions and have begun to resent the stringent controls put in place by government and businesses alike. However, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my experience with COVID, and how important it is to maintain these boundaries.

Although I now live in B.C., I am from the U.K. I moved here permanently in March after graduating from medical school, and have spent the last six months acutely aware of the differences between Kelowna and my home, London.

There have been 196 deaths as a result of COVID in B.C. While each of these deaths is a tragedy, I can’t help but compare it to the huge number of deaths in the U.K. — currently at 41,369.

This number is almost certainly high due to a slow response from the British government and an unwillingness to enter lockdown, although this was the eventuality. The U.K. entered lockdown on March 23, with it being eased on July 3.

There are huge differences between the U.K. and B.C. The U.K. is far more densely populated; although B.C. is 7.2 times as big as England, it has only 7.6% of the U.K.’s population.

The spread of COVID was also likely to be faster, wider and more deadly in the U.K.; the healthcare system was already at breaking point before the global pandemic hit.

Having said this, I want to highlight how well we have done here in B.C., and how this work to contain the virus involves us all, and must continue.

The outbreak in July has shown us that COVID is still in the province, and is still capable of tragedy. For the 196 families lost loved ones due to the virus, COVID is real, and devastating.

Even if you don't know anyone directly affected, it is vital that, as a community, we understand the reality of the virus and the cataclysmic effect it has had on our town and province.

Many of my friends and family back in the U.K. have lost loved ones, and I hope that no more families will experience the same suffering here in B.C.

The best way we can ensure that happens is to understand that our actions do have consequence. Large gatherings without precautions, as seen on Canada Day, have a direct impact on other members of the community.

Although you yourself may not suffer any symptoms, you could be the asymptomatic carrier that spreads the virus. You’ll never know, but you can be sure that sticking to government guidelines around social distancing and sanitizing will lower this risk significantly.

It’s not over yet; please think about the devastation that this virus has already wreaked, and think about the impact that your actions have.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.