Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix answer viewer questions at COVID town hall

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix answered more than two dozen questions about the province’s response to the pandemic on Monday night.

Hundreds of viewers submitted questions for Global BC’s first COVID-19 town hall of 2022 on topics including vaccines, public health restrictions and the Omicron variant.

“When we have a really highly infectious variant like Omicron, it’s a whole new game because it spreads very rapidly,” said Henry, addressing the way the newest variant of concern has changed the province’s approach.

Hospitalization rates and the province’s rolling seven-day average paint a more accurate picture of B.C.’s pandemic reality than daily case counts, she explained, as testing and contact-tracing fail to keep up with the spread of the virus.

0:45 Additional vaccine mandates could be coming to B.C. health sector, says Dr. Bonnie Henry

2:35 COVID-19 hospitalizations key statistic during Omicron outbreak

Omicron now accounts for about 80 per cent of the province’s COVID-19 cases.

The province reported 6,966 new infections between Friday and Sunday, and seven more deaths. At least 431 British Columbians are hospitalized with the virus, 95 of whom are intensive care.

“Obviously our health-care system is very stretched so any additional burden is very much a challenge right now,” Henry said Monday. “We’re not only dealing with people needing hospital care … but we’re also dealing with health-care workers who are ill.”

3:34 Dr. Bonnie Henry addresses adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccine in B.C.

There are more than 34,551 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and that number is expected to grow, said Henry, as this wave of the pandemic is “a lot sharper and steeper, but also moving a lot more quickly.”

The province is continuing to urge anyone with mild symptoms of the virus who is not part of an at-risk group to stay home, rather than seek testing, so the limited supply of tests can be prioritized for those who are more vulnerable.