Another 10 COVID-19 flight exposures have been reported through the Victoria International Airport, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control, setting the region on an unfavourable upward trajectory.
On Aug. 5, two cases were reported. Passengers who sat in rows three to nine on Air Canada Jazz flight 8050 from Victoria to Vancouver, and those in rows one to seven on Air Canada Jazz flight 8559 from Calgary to Victoria, were at the highest risk of having been infected.
On Aug. 6, another case of COVID-19 was reported on Air Canada Jazz flight 8487 from Calgary to Victoria. The affected rows were not specified.
The next day, two more cases were found. Passengers in rows one to six on Air Canada Jazz flight 8069 from Vancouver to Victoria, and those in rows seven to 13 on Air Canada Jazz flight 8487 from Calgary to Victoria, were the most at risk.
On Aug, 8, three flights had cases of COVID-19 on board, though none of them had specified the at-risk rows. Passengers may have been exposed on Pacific Coastal Airlines flight 108 from Victoria to Vancouver, Pacific Coastal Airlines flight 1532 from Kelowna to Victoria, or Pacific Coastal Airlines flight 1414 from Prince George to Victoria.
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On Aug. 9, passengers in rows 16 to 22 on Air Canada Jazz flight 8556 from Victoria to Calgary were at the highest risk of having been infected. The next day, those in rows one to five on Flair flight 8506 from Victoria to Waterloo may have been exposed.
Earlier in the month, cases of the virus were also reported on Air Canada Jazz flight 8055 and WestJet flight 3295 between Victoria and Vancouver Aug. 3, and WestJet flight 198 between Victoria and Calgary Aug. 1.
All the affected passengers are asked to self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days, which include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, the loss of sense of smell or appetite, muscle aches, fatigue and headaches, diarrhea and nausea or vomiting.
In total, 13 flight exposures have been reported through Victoria in August so far, more than doubling July’s total of six. Since the BC Centre for Disease Control began recording cases in March 2020, YYJ’s monthly totals have ranged between zero and eight, with the exception of 17 in April 2021.
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