Sudden shift in COVID-19 guidance in B.C. ‘led to confusion’ says BCCDC

Original Story posted by CHEK News

Guidance on the home management of COVID-19 symptoms and decisions about who should self-isolate and for how long could dominate today’s pandemic update with British Columbia’s health minister and top doctor.

The news conference with Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry comes one day after the BC Centre for Disease Control apologized for posting unanticipated changes to testing and isolation guidelines, saying they “led to confusion.”

The changes, posted Wednesday on the centre’s website, include ending isolation for close contacts of a person with COVID-19.

RELATED: Here’s what to do if your child has COVID-19 in B.C.

They also lift a five-day isolation period for vaccinated adults who haven’t tested positive but have mild symptoms, instead allowing them to resume activities when they “feel well enough.”

The CDC statement says due to the Omicron variant, guidance about managing the virus is changing rapidly but the public health body does its best to provide the most up-to-date information as quickly as possible.

The latest figures from the Health Ministry show 2,150 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in B.C., and 15 more people have died — for a total of 2,520 deaths.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2022.

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