Respiratory illness season is over, British Columbia’s top doctor said Friday, but the province is set to launch a spring COVID-19 immunization campaign and wants everyone to ensure they’re fully protected against measles.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C.’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit the lowest level since 2020, with about 40 people in hospital, while cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have also been declining.
Still, Henry said there have been resurgences in spring and summer in the past, and the province is focused on protecting people at the highest risk of serious illness.
“We still need to be really careful and continue to use our healthy habits that prevent us from getting sick, but also from passing illness on to others.”
Health Minister Josie Osborne said the province is preparing to launch its latest COVID-19 immunization campaign on April 8, while ending the requirement for medical masks in health-care settings where patients are being cared for.
She said the focus will be on priority populations, including older adults, residents of long-term care facilities and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, but anyone interested in getting the shot may call a pharmacy to ask about availability.
Image description: Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry at the Legislature in Victoria, British Columbia, March 28, 2025. She has grey hair, and she is not wearing a mask during the ongoing pandemic. Photo: Government of British Columbia. The image is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 generic licence.
