Young people and parents with children are severely affected by the social and economic effects of the epidemic

Adults aged 18-29 are almost twice as likely to work because of the epidemic, with 27 percent of respondents at this age compared to 16 percent of the total in the province.

They are more likely to report increased difficulties in meeting financial needs and are more pessimistic about their financial future than those of other ages.

Homes with children are more likely to report deteriorating mental health, sleep deprivation and increased alcohol consumption.

BC Deputy Provincial Health Officer Dr Reka Gustafson told a news conference Friday that the results of the survey were used to inform decisions about public health measures during the epidemic.

“When we start schools, when we prioritize what we limit and what we do not do, one of the main things that remains is to see that children continue to receive a school education. Individual school,” she said.

“Both are informed by how safe the schools are, because they are one another, and those services are definitely crucial for young families.”

Miranda Tracy, who lives in Langley and has two school-aged sons, said her stress levels are now worse than in a May survey.

Recently there was an exposure at her son’s school and Tracy is worried that they might bring the virus home.

“It’s a lack of masks, an inability to socialize,” she explained. “There are 30 children and small classrooms that have no real protection against COVID.”

Tracy questioned why the results of a survey conducted in the spring when conditions were different were only released in December.

Gustafson attributed the delay to cleaning up the data and analyzing it and preparing it for publication.

This is the first time BC officials have released any kind of COVID-19 data related to specific communities and ethnic groups.

It is the largest population health survey ever conducted in Canada, with a sample size of 395,000 or one in 10 adults in BC

The survey results were weighed using census data to reflect the BC population.