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  • COVID-19 update for March 3: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    COVID-19 update for March 3: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.

    Publishing date:

    Mar 03, 2022  •  1 day ago  •  6 minute read  •  28 Comments

    Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.
    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus /PNG

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for March 3, 2022.

    We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.

    Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

    B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

    Here are the latest figures given on March 3:

    • Total number of confirmed cases: 349,604
    • New cases: 391
    • Total deaths: 2,896 (13 reported in past 24 hours)
    • Hospitalized cases: 511
    • Intensive care: 79
    • Total vaccinations: 4,517,958 received first dose (90.6{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of eligible pop. 5+); 4,303,614 second doses (86.3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}); 2,590,923 third doses (55.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of those 12+)
    • Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 21

    IN-DEPTH: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

    B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

    • COVID-19: B.C.’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works

    • COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated

    • COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in B.C.

    Another 13 deaths reported Thursday

    B.C. health officials reported 13 more deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total death toll in the province to 2,896 since the start of the pandemic.

    Another 391 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were also reported, though that number reflects selective PCR testing that prioritizes those who are vulnerable or experiencing severe symptoms.

    More than 90 per cent of the eligible population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 86 per cent have had two doses.

    Those numbers have seen only marginal gains in recent weeks as the vaccination campaign focuses on booster doses. Third shots have now been administered to 55.9 per cent of those who are eligible (age 12 and over).

    One new outbreak in care has been declared, at Parkwood Court in Island Health, while another at Rest Haven Lodge, also in Island Health, is over. That leaves 21 health-care facilities still managing an outbreak across the province.

    — Joseph Ruttle

    Fraser Health Authority closing down some large vaccine clinics

    Fraser Health officials are scaling back the large COVID-19 vaccine clinics and will shift the focus to child immunizations.

    The health authority said more than 90 per cent of eligible people 12 years and older in the region have received at least two doses of vaccine, so they are ramping down to meet demand.

    Sarah Siebert, director of clinical operations for Fraser Health’s Pandemic Response COVID-19 Testing and Immunization Centres, said they are consolidating resources in each community. So for example, the Cloverdale Recreation Centre the Poirier Forum testing sites have closed and the one at the Anvil Community Centre in New Westminster will close in the coming weeks.

    The South Surrey Recreation Centre testing site closed last month to vaccines but will reopen on March 17 for kids’ vaccinations. The last day for the vaccines at Kwantlen Polytechnic University will be March 18, while the Langley Event Centre will continue offering vaccines for now.

    —Tiffany Crawford

    Ontario likely to end mask mandate by end of month

    Ontario is poised to remove masking mandates by the end of March if current positive COVID-19 trends continue, chief medical health officer Dr. Kieran Moore says.

    In what’s expected to be his second-last regular weekly COVID-19 update, the province’s top public health doctor said he’ll make recommendations shortly on an appropriate time to lift compulsory face-covering requirement for schools and the general public.

    “But I ask all Ontarians, if you’re vulnerable to this virus, if you haven’t received your full dose of vaccine — first, second, third or fourth dose — that you remain prudent, that we remain kind and considerate to those that decide to wear masks,” Moore said Thursday. “I do believe they are protective, they do decrease your personal risk, but … we can only mandate masking for so long.”

    Read the full story here.

    — Toronto Sun 

    CBSA resumes airport service as federal travel restrictions ease

    The Canadian Border Services Agency is resuming regular service at two B.C. airports after federal travel guidelines eased earlier this week.

    The CBSA will now operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, at Penticton and Pringe George airports, after earlier suspending service due to COVID-19 in March 2020.

    Following the federal government’s travel restriction update on Feb. 28, international flights are now also permitted to land at three B.C. airports, where they had previously been halted due to the pandemic.

    Those airports include Kamloops and Nanaimo airports, as well as the Vancouver International Airport’s small aircraft station. The CBSA will resume regular clearance services at these three points of entry.

    – Stephanie Ip

    10 deaths reported Tuesday, outbreaks in care drop despite five new ones

    B.C. reported 10 more deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday after a rare report a day earlier with none.

    That raises the death toll to 2,883 since the start of the pandemic.

    Some 442 new cases of the viral disease were confirmed in the past 24 hours, though that number only reflects testing of those who are symptomatic or clinically vulnerable.

    Those who suspect they have COVID-19 but are experiencing only mild symptoms and have no other risk factors are advised to isolate but not to get a test.

    Five new outbreaks have been reported in long-term and acute care, including Mission Memorial Hospital in Fraser Health, Gillis House in Interior Health, and Berwick House Gordon Head, The Heights at Mt. View and Greenwoods, all in Island Health.

    However, the B.C. Health Ministry said 11 other outbreaks across the province were declared over, dropping the number that are active to 21.

    — Joseph Ruttle

    Interior Health moving to pharmacy and clinic-based vaccination

    With vaccination rates reaching new heights, Interior Health is winding down its mass immunization clinics and moving the campaign to pharmacies and IH-operated health centres.

    COVID-19 vaccine appointments in the coming weeks will gradually move out of the large clinics into the pharmacies and health centres in Interior Health.

    Anyone who hasn’t received a vaccine, booster or pediatric vaccine (for children age five to 11) can continue to book appointments as before. Pediatric vaccines will be administered in IH clinics while those 12 and older can go to a pharmacy in their community. More than 90 pharmacies are part of the program in the health region

    Regular and pop-up clinics will continue in some rural and remote communities where access to pharmacies is limited.

    —Joseph Ruttle

    Nerve damage may explain some cases of long COVID: U.S. study

    A small study of patients suffering from persistent symptoms long after a bout of COVID-19 found that nearly 60{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} had nerve damage possibly caused by a defective immune response, a finding that could point to new treatments, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

    The study involved in depth exams of 17 people with so-called long COVID, a condition that arises within three months of a COVID-19 infection and lasts at least two months.

    — Reuters

    DEATHS BY HEALTH AUTHORITY

    LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

    Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    • Vancouver Coastal Health – Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

    • HealthLink B.C. – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

    • B.C. Centre for Disease Control – Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

    • Government of Canada – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update

    • World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

    –with files from The Canadian Press

    Comments

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  • Here’s How You Can Lead A Healthy Lifestyle Like Celebrities

    Here’s How You Can Lead A Healthy Lifestyle Like Celebrities

    We all believe that leading a balanced way of life normally takes a lot of effort! But have you ever questioned how the super active actors get time to keep a healthful way of living? Of course, we all know they have busy schedules. Properly! The only mystery is to alter necessary patterns with balanced habits. 

    We all want to have flawless skin and hair like superstars, but we rarely abide by a strict life style. So below we have brought some unbeatable ideas by Dr Anjum Shaikh, Founder and proprietor of Anjum’s Eating plan. You can also direct a healthier life style like superstars by following her recommendations: 

    Allow us convey to you that Shaikh has aided a number of stars to obtain a healthy physique and nutritious way of life around the decades! Shaikh thinks that a good food plan is also essential to keeping in good shape and exercising. With compact modifications in your diet plan, you can continue to be in shape. 

    In a chit-chat session with TellyChakkar, the superstar dietician Anjum Shaikh shared some guidelines to lead a wholesome life-style like the Television actors.  

    Scroll down and have a glance at some remarkable recommendations to stay balanced, like your favorite actors.

    ●      Eat 5 To 6 Periods A Working day

    Although you can find no exploration to back up this position, getting five to 6 little foods in a working day is comparatively much better than acquiring a entire-pack food. By having little quantities a number of periods, the charge of metabolism increases, and blood sugar amount also continues to be stable. The most sizeable benefit of adopting this strategy of feeding on is that you steer clear of overeating. Considering that you retain taking in small by minor every two hours, you do not truly feel so hungry that the food gets abnormal.

    ●      Drink A good deal Of Drinking water

    Ingesting 7 to 8 eyeglasses of water during the working day not only keeps your overall body hydrated but also aids in the elimination of pointless and harmful components from the overall body and makes your belly come to feel complete. It also avoids bogus hunger (usually, we truly feel hungry when we do not drink h2o). Prime of all, drinking loads of water keeps your skin on the lookout radiant. 

    “People today give a large amount of significance to what they eat, but they usually forget that the most vital nutrient is water. No subject what protein or dietary health supplement you are possessing, it is all squandered if you are not having more than enough drinking water,” added Shaikh. 

    ●      Eat Balanced Snacks & Commence With Toddler Measures

    What we consume when we are hungry involving two foods is a big choosing element of how fit we are. If you take in pakora, burgers, or other junk food items as a snack when you are hungry among two meals, you will be significantly at the rear of in the fitness index. Instead, try to eat boiled gram, dry fruits, and sprouts as snacks. And most importantly, you simply cannot provide these alterations above the night. As an alternative, you really should start with toddler techniques. 

    ●      Include Vegetables In The Diet regime

    If you want to continue to be in shape, you must make good friends with vegetables devoid of delay. Most greens are small in unwanted fat and calories. Not only this, but greens are also a good resource of vitamins, fibre, anti-oxidants, minerals, and natural vitamins.

    ●      Follow A Lean Protein And Elaborate Carbohydrate Diet 

    If you have the correct stability of lean protein and complex carbs in your diet plan, the approach of body fat conversion slows down. For all those who want to lose bodyweight or keep it under management, this blend proves to be fantastic. It also balances the level of blood sugar. 

    ●      Eat New Fruit one particular fruit mandatory. 

    Try to eat fresh fruits they comprise a fantastic sum of protein, vitamins, and fibre. In addition, having fruits regularly retains the immune program improved. You can take superior edge of eating fruits by including seasonal fruits in your diet. Highlighting one particular behavior of Indians, Anjum explained, “most Indians buy fruits in huge amounts, eat them in two to a few days and then really don’t consume fruits for subsequent three-four days. Nonetheless, we really should adhere to a pattern of a person fruit each and every day. 

    ●      Include Fat In Foods

    This typical perception that is consuming fats is not nutritious demands to be changed. Not all fat are harmful to overall health. The truth of the matter is that some fat are essential for excess weight reduction. Omega-3s are vital for your system to function accurately. Thanks to its use, there is no fat accumulation in the overall body.

  • COVID-19 update for March 3: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    COVID-19 update for Feb. 24: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.

    Publishing date:

    Feb 24, 2022  •  8 hours ago  •  5 minute read  •  9 Comments

    Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.
    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus /PNG

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for Feb. 24, 2022.

    We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.

    Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

    B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

    Here are the latest figures given on Feb. 24:

    • Total number of confirmed cases: 346,793
    • New cases: 597
    • Total deaths: 2,840 (nine new deaths)
    • Hospitalized cases: 612
    • Intensive care: 102
    • Total vaccinations: 4,513,956 received first dose (90.6{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of eligible pop. 5+); 4,287,016 second doses (86{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}); 2,555,669 third doses (55.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of adults)
    • Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 29

    IN-DEPTH: Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

    B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

    • COVID-19: B.C.’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works

    • COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated

    • COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in B.C.

    COVID-19 test positive rate in Northern Health tops 25 per cent

    More than a quarter of all people taking COVID-19 PCR tests in the Northern Health region are reporting positive, compared to just four per cent in Vancouver Coastal Health, according to latest data.

    The seven-day average for Northern Health on Feb. 23 was 25.7 per cent after peaking at 31.2 per cent on Feb. 9.

    This means that for every 100 laboratory tests done in the Northern Health region 26 are coming back positive.

    By contrast, on Feb. 23 the seven-day average in Vancouver Coastal Health was four per cent after peaking at 20.8 per cent on Jan. 4.

    On Feb. 23 the test positive rate in Fraser Health — that is B.C.’s largest health region — was 6.6 per cent.

    Interior Health was 17.2 per cent and Vancouver Island Health was 20.6 per cent.

    Fewer than 700 people receive a first dose of vaccine on Wednesday

    The B.C. Ministry of Health says 672 people received a first dose of vaccine on Wednesday, bringing that total to 90.6 per cent of British Columbians aged five and up.

    Latest data shows 6,459 people got a third booster shot on the same day, while 2,650 people got a second dose.

    There were 597 new cases of COVID-19 identified through PCR testing over the past day, which is not an accurate reflection of cases because of limited testing.

    The number of people in hospital because of, or with, COVID-19 continues to fall and is now at 612 — with 102 of those cases in intensive care.

    Nine people died from the disease over the past day and there are 29 active outbreaks in health care facilities.

    B.C. doctor gets misconduct warning over ‘misleading’ social media posts

    A disciplinary panel will hold a hearing about alleged misconduct by a B.C. doctor after he made “misleading, incorrect or inflammatory” statements about COVID-19 on social media.

    The B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons has issued a citation for Charles Douglas Hoffe, a family doctor who practises in and around Lytton and Kamloops.

    The college alleges Hoffe’s online comments contravened the standards of the Health Professions Act including the Canadian Medical Association’s code of ethics and professionalism.

    Among the wrong or inflammatory statements Hoffe is alleged to have published online around April 2021 include that “ivermectin is an advisable treatment for COVID-19” and that “the public obtain ivermectin from animal feed stores.”

    Read the full story here.

    —Joseph Ruttle

    Some violation tickets dropped in B.C., many more go unpaid

    While about 2,700 tickets totalling almost $2 million have been issued, ICBC says only 736 have been paid. About 390 tickets have been cancelled, withdrawn, determined “not guilty” or remain in progress, with 417 more in dispute.

    Crown prosecutors recently stayed 25 tickets totalling almost $58,000 issued to representatives of four B.C. churches accused of contravening COVID-19-related public health orders last winter.

    Simon Fraser University criminologist Robert Gordon speculated more tickets could be stayed if Crown decides it is no longer in the public interest to pursue them as B.C. moves from “pandemic to endemic.”

    “It is not unusual for certain changes in the law to be preceded by withdrawal of charges,” he said, pointing to various cannabis-related charges that were stayed in advance of legalization. “Crown may indirectly follow the direction of political decisions.”

    Read the full story here.

    —Glenda Luymes

    COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall in B.C.

    The number of people in B.C. hospitals either because of COVID-19 or admitted for another reason but with the disease continues to fall.

    According to B.C. Ministry of Health data released on Wednesday, there were 653 people in hospital because of or with COVID-19, of which 108 were in intensive case. These numbers have been falling for the past two weeks as the disease levels off in the province.

    One person was reported to have died over the past day, bringing that total to 2,831.

    There are 29 active outbreaks in health care facilities, a number that is also falling. The percentage of people testing positive to a PCR test is now less than 10 per cent, since peaking at 24 per cent in early January. There were 6,647 PCR tests administered on Tuesday.

    Free rapid tests to be distributed in B.C. through pharmacies

    B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix says free COVID-19 rapid tests will begin to be made available through pharmacies on Friday.

    Dix said people aged 70 and over would be able to get a free five-pack through select pharmacies, and that the age group would be lowered over the next few weeks to make them available to all British Columbians within a month.

    Dix said the number of pharmacies distributing the test kits would grow rapidly over the next few weeks.

    Pharmacies distributing the kits can be found at the B.C. Pharmacy Association website.

    DEATHS BY HEALTH AUTHORITY

    WHAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS CANADA

    LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

    Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    • Vancouver Coastal Health — Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

    • HealthLink B.C. — Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

    • B.C. Centre for Disease Control — Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

    • Government of Canada — Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update

    • World Health Organization — Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

    —with files from The Canadian Press

    Comments

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

  • Jane Brody: Here’s How Health Advice Changed Since I Joined The Times

    Jane Brody: Here’s How Health Advice Changed Since I Joined The Times

    Surgical procedures. Early in my occupation, radical mastectomy was the gold normal for dealing with breast cancer, and I recall saying that would be my preference if I received this ailment. Tiny by minor, by massive, high priced clinical trials, this overall body-deforming procedure has been just about entirely replaced by early detection and negligible surgical treatment, frequently adopted by radiation and chemotherapy, when survival premiums have soared.

    Also, I’ve witnessed significant enhancements in operation to eliminate cataracts (now an outpatient technique) replace hips, knees, shoulders, elbows and even finger joints crippled by arthritis and protect against heart assaults and strokes by bypassing obstructed arteries. Not to point out the ability to transplant organs between genetically different individuals, or even from animals to human beings. Today, most recipients of coronary heart and lung transplants accomplish extensive-phrase positive aspects.

    Pediatric surgeons now function to accurate or lessen big probably deadly defects, which includes spina bifida and obstructed airways, although infants are continue to in the womb. Intrauterine gene therapy, now currently being analyzed in fetal animals, is most likely subsequent. And bariatric surgeons can now properly facilitate significant excess weight decline in youngsters and older people with well being-threatening obesity when dietary modifications really don’t suffice.

    Sexuality and gender. Our knowing of human sexuality has also undergone a cataclysmic shift towards health care and cultural acceptance of lesbian, gay, transgender and queer people today. It might shock you to learn that a Web site 1 article I wrote in 1971 recommended that psychotherapy could assistance homosexuals grow to be heterosexual, an concept that I, alongside with well being gurus, now scorn as abusive.

    Medicine now acknowledges and accepts a broad selection of gender and sexual identities. Progressively, persons who recognize as transgender, for instance, are in a position to undertake a gender identity or gender expression that differs from what is usually involved with the “male” or “female” intercourse they were being assigned at beginning.

    Mental wellness. The closing of most psychiatric hospitals and deinstitutionalization of folks with major emotional conditions through the 1950s and ’60s lit a fire beneath long-needed endeavours to develop greater therapies for mental disease. There are now a lot of helpful drugs and other therapies for widespread circumstances which include bipolar disorder, depression, anxiousness, focus deficit hyperactivity problem, write-up-traumatic strain ailment and psychosis.

    The recognition of autism as a spectrum ailment is fostering better knowledge of kids and grownups with this condition. Leaders in their discipline, like the animal scientist Temple Grandin and the actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, who have talked brazenly about staying on the spectrum, are supporting other individuals locate acceptance in society.

    More than nearly anything else, what is stored me crafting beyond age 80 is the comments I have gained from viewers with heartwarming personal accounts of life remodeled through the data and assistance my column supplied. May perhaps my successors glean as considerably pleasure as I have from researching and composing about whichever the potential retains.

  • COVID-19 update for March 3: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    COVID-19 update for Feb. 5-6: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.

    Publishing date:

    Feb 06, 2022  •  9 hours ago  •  7 minute read  •  55 Comments

    Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.
    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus /PNG

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for Feb. 5-6, 2022.

    We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.

    Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

    B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

    As of the latest figures given on Feb. 4:

    • Total number of confirmed cases: 330,942 (25,479 active)
    • New cases: 1,799
    • Total deaths: 2,675 (19 new deaths)
    • Hospitalized cases: 946
    • Intensive care: 139
    • Total vaccinations: 4,486,817 received first dose (90{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of eligible pop. 5+); 4,199,246 second doses (84.2{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}); 2,227,223 third doses (51.5{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of adults)
    • Recovered from acute infection: 301,573
    • Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 58

    IN-DEPTH:   Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

    B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

    • COVID-19: B.C.’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works

    • COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated

    • COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in B.C.

    Orca Realty says “rogue individual” drove company van in anti-vax rally

    A Vancouver real estate company has apologized after one of its vehicles was used in the anti-vax rally held in the city over the weekend — blaming a “rogue” individual.

    According to a statement posted on Sunday on the Orca Realty website, “Orca Realty did not participate in this convoy protest today. Orca Realty would never be part of this ever. We are reaching out to find out exactly who drove a vehicle with our name on it in this rally. We apologize profusely for this horrible incident. This was a rogue individual and in no way reflects the beliefs of Orca Realty or Orca Realty ownership.”

    The black Mercedes van with Orca Realty markings was photographed among the rally of vehicles that travelled from Langley to downtown Vancouver on Saturday.

    Hundreds converge on Vancouver to oppose health mandates

    Protesters disrupted the route of a truck convoy and other vehicles that travelled from Langley to downtown Vancouver on Saturday in opposition to COVID-19 health mandates and to show support for the “Freedom Convoy” that converged in Ottawa last weekend.

    At Kingsway and Broadway streets, protesters stood and biked in front of the convoy, blocking traffic until police temporarily rerouted several large trucks, to the cheers of protesters.

    “I don’t necessarily love the idea of blocking roads, because it does make things worse for any type of emergency service and ruins everyone’s day,” said a protester named Madeline, who called the convoy of trucks an act of racism, “because it’s throwing that in the face and billions of people in the world that don’t have access to that health care.”

    “But it was really good to see the trucks turn around,” she added.

    Read the full story here .

    — Nathan Griffiths, Tiffany Crawford

    Ottawa protesters outnumber police and are in control: Mayor

    Protesters camped out in the Canadian capital outnumber the police and control the situation, the Ottawa’s mayor said on Sunday, as a demonstration against vaccine mandates clogged parts of the city for a 10th day.

    The “Freedom Convoy” began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

    Protesters have paralyzed downtown Ottawa for the past nine days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they wanted to dissolve Canada’s government.

    “The situation at this point is completely out of control because the individuals with the protest are calling the shots,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said on a local radio station. “They have far more people than we have police officers.”

    Read the full story here .

    — Reuters

    Vancouver Giants cancel home game over COVID concerns

    The Vancouver Giants‘ game against the Seattle Thunderbirds scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre has been put off due to COVID-19 issues with the Giants.

    In a statement, the Western Hockey League said it is “working in consultation with the WHL chief medical officer regarding the matter concerning the Vancouver Giants. Information on the rescheduling of Sunday’s game between the Thunderbirds and Giants will be provided at a later date.”

    The Giants are slated to visit the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday.

    Read the full story here .

    — Steve Ewen

    U.S. surpasses 900,000 COVID deaths

    The coronavirus pandemic reached a grim new milestone in the United States on Friday with the nation’s cumulative death toll from COVID-19 surpassing 900,000, even as the daily number of lives lost has begun to level off, according to data collected by Reuters.

    The latest tally marks an rise of more than 100,000 U.S. COVID-19 fatalities since Dec. 12, coinciding with a surge of infections and hospitalizations driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus.

    Preliminary evidence has shown that Omicron, while far more infectious, generally causes less severe illness than earlier iterations of the virus, such as Delta. But the sheer volume of Omicron cases fuelled a surge in hospitalizations that has strained many U.S. health care systems to their limits in recent weeks.

    Experts have said the bulk of Omicron patients requiring hospitalization were unvaccinated individuals and people with other underlying chronic health conditions.

    Read the full story here .

    — Reuters

    Preparing for whatever post-pandemic’s ‘business as usual’ looks like

    The COVID pandemic has permanently changed things for theatre companies, tourism operators and event organizers, even though the rest of society wants to get back to normal.

    “(The pandemic) teaches me … that our business model has to be fluid and that you can’t get frustrated with endless planning cycles,” said Peter Cathie White, executive director of the Arts Club Theatre.

    So, while Cathie White is confident that patrons will get the same old in-theatre experience when the Arts Club raises the curtain on its production of Kim’s Convenience at the Stanley Industrial Stage on Feb. 24 (with everyone around them wearing masks), behind the scenes, things work a little differently.

    There are plans to use understudies in case of illness, and preparations to move shows if another COVID variant shows up, as well as to “COVID-proof ourselves to the best of our ability,” Cathie White said.

    The pandemic hasn’t finished with B.C. The province reported 1,799 new COVID cases Friday with 946 British Columbians still in hospital, 139 of whom are in intensive care, and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

    Read full story here .

    — Derrick Penner

    GoFundMe shuts down truck convoy fundraiser

    GoFundMe said it has removed the ‘Freedom Convoy 2022’ fundraiser from its website, citing reports of violence and harassment.

    In a statement Friday, the online fundraising platform said it believed the truck convoy, which made its way from B.C. and other parts of Canada to Ottawa last weekend and started with the intention of protesting vaccine mandates, was originally intended to be peaceful.

    “We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity,” it said.

    The fundraiser has raised more than $10 million for the truckers and demonstrators protesting COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa.

    946 hospitalizations, 19 deaths

    The COVID-19 pandemic’s death toll continues to mount as B.C. records one of its highest single-day totals.

    On Friday, 19 COVID-related deaths were reported across the province, the second-highest daily tally this year, topped only by Jan. 26’s 21 deaths.

    Five of the deaths occurred in Fraser Health, six in Vancouver Coastal, six in Island Health, and two in Northern Health.

    There are 946 people who tested positive for COVID who are currently in hospital, 39 less than yesterday’s 985. Hospitalization figures include both those who were admitted to hospital with severe COVID-19 symptoms and those who happened to test positive while admitted to hospital for other reasons.

    DEATHS BY HEALTH AUTHORITY

    B.C. VACCINE TRACKER

    WHAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS CANADA

    LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

    Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    • Vancouver Coastal Health — Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

    • HealthLink B.C. — Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

    • B.C. Centre for Disease Control — Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

    • Government of Canada — Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update

    • World Health Organization — Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

    —with files from The Canadian Press

    Comments

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

  • COVID-19 update for March 3: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    COVID-19 update for Feb. 2: Here’s the latest on coronavirus in B.C.

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.

    Publishing date:

    Feb 02, 2022  •  10 hours ago  •  7 minute read  •  101 Comments

    Here's your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C.
    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. Photo by iStock/Getty Images Plus /PNG

    Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for Feb. 2, 2022.

    We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.

    Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our newsletter here.

    B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

    As of the latest figures given on Feb. 2:

    • Total number of confirmed cases: 327,625 (25,959 active)
    • New cases: 1,236
    • Total deaths: 2,643 (18 new deaths)
    • Hospitalized cases: 988
    • Intensive care: 136
    • Total vaccinations: 4,483,908 received first dose (90{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of eligible pop. 5+); 4,191,486 second doses (84.1{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}); 2,176,872 third doses (50.3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of adults)
    • Recovered from acute infection: 293,488
    • Long-term care and assisted-living homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 54

    IN-DEPTH:   Here are all the B.C. cases of the novel coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

    B.C. GUIDES AND LINKS

    • COVID-19: B.C.’s vaccine passport is here and this is how it works

    • COVID-19: Afraid of needles? Here’s how to overcome your fear and get vaccinated

    • COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in B.C.

    Number of people in hospital falls as 18 people die

    Latest health data shows that 279 people were admitted to hospital over the past day either because of COVID-19, or for other reasons but they tested positive upon arrival.

    According to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry around 40 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in hospital are there because of the disease.

    There are now 988 people in total in hospital that have COVID-19. There are 136 people who are seriously sick with the disease and being treated in intensive care.

    There were 1,776 cases reported over the past day and 25,959 active cases. Both these numbers are understated by a factor of four due to limited PCR testing.

    Eighteen people died because of COVID-19 over the past day, with that total now at 2,643.

    More provinces preparing to loosen COVID-19 restrictions in coming weeks

    More provinces are loosening COVID-19 restrictions as hospitalizations in some parts of the country appear to plateau, but health officials caution that eased measures could lead to increased infections in the coming weeks.

    “We really certainly hope that we will not have to get back (to restrictions) in any way, but there’s a risk,” said Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec’s interim director of public health.

    COVID-19 hospitalizations in Quebec dropped Wednesday by 122 to 2,730, and the number of people in intensive care decreased by 14 to 204.

    Quebec released modelling that showed the decrease may not last long. Boileau said the number of infections, and ultimately hospitalizations, is likely to rise again with children going back to school and the softening of health measures.

    Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the daily number of people with COVID-19 in hospitals is dipping slightly at the national level. But, she added, it remains high and is still rising in some jurisdictions.

    “Where some public health measures are easing, layers of personal protective practices remain crucial for reducing spread and preventing resurgence,” she said in a social media post.

    Alberta and Saskatchewan reported record numbers of people in hospital with COVID-19 this week as both provinces announced plans to remove vaccine passport requirements by the end of the month.

    Read the full story here.

    — Canadian Press

    Lockdowns only reduced COVID deaths by 0.2 per cent, Johns Hopkins study finds

    A new study out of Johns Hopkins University is claiming that worldwide pandemic lockdowns only prevented 0.2 per cent of COVID-19 deaths and were “not an effective way of reducing mortality rates during a pandemic.”

    “We find no evidence that lockdowns, school closures, border closures, and limiting gatherings have had a noticeable effect on COVID-19 mortality,” reads the paper, which is based on a review of 34 pre-existing COVID-19 studies.

    Given the “devastating effects” that lockdowns have caused, the authors recommended they be “rejected out of hand as a pandemic policy instrument.”

    In both Europe and the United States, researchers found that a lockdown could only be expected to bring down mortality rates by 0.2 per cent “as compared to a COVID-19 policy based solely on recommendations.” For context, 0.2 per cent of total Canadian COVID-19 fatalities thus far is equal to about 70 people.

    The impact of border closures was found to be even less effective, with death rates only going down about 0.1 per cent.

    Read the full story here.

    — Tristin Hopper, National Post

    Seniors advocate welcomes new long term care rules, but outbreak murkiness presents ‘risk’

    Every long term care resident in B.C. can now choose a designated visitor who will be granted unlimited visits even if an outbreak is declared in the facility.

    Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, Tuesday said this effort is in “adjusting our outbreak management approach in long term care.”

    “We are acutely aware of the impact of the extended social isolation that comes with the full closures of long term care homes,” said Henry. “And we’ve been trying to find the balance between limiting the risks to residents in long term care, minimizing transmission of the virus as well as having that all-important contact with loved ones.”

    B.C.’s seniors advocate and families of long term care residents have been calling for that change for close to a year.

    Read full story here.

    —Lisa Cordasco

    These doctors and COVID-19 experts are pushing for quicker return to pre-pandemic normal

    It’s been a tough two years in the intensive care unit of Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng’s Ottawa hospital.

    The hours have been horrendous and burnout among staff widespread, not least due to a unique characteristic of the COVID-19 sufferers who have flooded the ward.

    While the typical ICU patient is unconscious for much of his or her stay, those with COVID often arrive awake and can chat with the doctors and nurses, which makes it all the harder when some grow desperately ill and succumb to the virus, said Kyeremanteng, the unit’s head.

    “You could have a conversation with them, they’re relatable,” he said. “That was a very under-recognized source of stress.”

    But despite the pressures of grappling head-on with the world’s worst public-health crisis in generations, Kyeremanteng has a perhaps surprising take on the pandemic and its impact.

    As some of his colleagues balk at any easing yet of public-health restrictions, the critical-care specialist is pushing for schools to move more quickly toward open, pre-pandemic norms, and questions the need for some of the other limits still in place.

    Read the full story here.

    —Tom Blackwell

    COVID-19 vaccine for toddlers in B.C. will not happen in the short term, says provincial health officer

    Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says a COVID-19 vaccine for infants and toddlers will not arrive in B.C. in the short term.

    Henry was reacting to news that Pfizer had been asked by U.S. health regulators to accelerate its application for emergency approval of a vaccine that could be used in people aged six months to four years.

    At the moment, vaccines are approved for use in Canada and the U.S. for anyone aged five and up.

    In a statement released on Tuesday, Pfizer said it had begun submitting data to U.S. regulators including the Food and Drug Administration for authorization of its vaccine for children under five. This was done at the request of the FDA.

    A panel of outside advisers is scheduled to meet Feb. 15 to consider the request, with the agency stating it wants a vaccine available for this age group as a matter of priority.

    B.C. registers nine deaths over past day

    The B.C. Ministry of Health is reporting nine new COVID-19 deaths over the past day, bringing that total to 2,625. There were 1,236 new cases reported, and 28,302 active cases of the disease in B.C. — both these numbers are underestimates due to limited PCR testing being done.

    Interior Health is now accounting for more cases than any other health authority, despite it being smaller than Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health. According to the  ministry, there were 406 new cases reported in Interior Health compared to 253 in Fraser Health and 212 in Vancouver Coastal Health.

    There are now 55 active outbreaks in health-care facilities, mostly in long-term care homes.

    DEATHS BY HEALTH AUTHORITY

    B.C. VACCINE TRACKER

    WHAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS CANADA

    LOCAL RESOURCES for COVID-19 information

    Here are a number of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

    • B.C. COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

    • Vancouver Coastal Health – Information on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

    • HealthLink B.C. – Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page

    • B.C. Centre for Disease Control – Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

    • Government of Canada – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update

    • World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

    –with files from The Canadian Press

    Comments

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.