A man in Austria has been convicted of intentionally infecting his ex-wife with the coronavirus by coughing at her. A spokesman for the Linz regional court said Tuesday that the 63-year-old was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for three years. Judges had convicted the man Monday of attempted serious bodily harm for giving the victim COVID-19 while they were still living in the same house pending the finalization of their divorce last November. The defendant had coughed at the 70-year-old woman after learning that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was also convicted of threatening

Workers will soon have access to a made-in-B.C. paid sick leave program that will support workers to stay home when they are sick during the pandemic and afterward, including permanent paid sick leave, as a result of legislation tabled Tuesday, May 11, 2021.To better support workers during the pandemic, amendments to the Employment Standards Act will bring in three days of paid sick leave related to COVID-19, such as having symptoms, self-isolating and waiting for a test result. Employers will be required to pay workers their full wages and the Province will reimburse employers without an exis

RCMP are asking for the public's help in locating a person of interest in the suspicious death of a woman whose body was found last week along a highway in Kootenay National Park. Police say a 41-year-old man that Brenda Ware knew is being sought and that her body was discovered last Thursday, about 50 kilometres northeast of Radium. Superintendent Sanjaya Wijayakoon of the R-C-M-P's Major Crime Section says details aren't being released about the nature of the pair's relationship. The man is described as Caucasian and nearly six feet tall. BC RCMP on Twitter: #BCSoutheastDistrict #ColumbiaVa

Doctors in British Columbia are being warned they could face investigation or penalties from their regulatory body if they contradict public health orders or guidance about COVID-19. The warning is contained in a joint statement from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. and the First Nations Health Authority. The statement says the college and authority have become aware that some B.C. physicians oppose vaccines and are spreading ``misinformation'' about mask wearing, physical distancing and lockdowns. There's also concern that certain doctors are promoting COVID-19 treatments ``not

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Alberta has stopped administering first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in favour of other types of immunization. The newspaper quotes Kristin Klein, the co-lead of the province’s vaccine task force, as saying the province has decided to shift to mRNA vaccines for first doses.The report says the move is partly due to the greater supply of mRNA shots, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna ones, and partly due to concerns over a rare blood clot condition linked to AstraZeneca.Klein says AstraZeneca shots will still be made available to t

Scores of dead bodies have been found floating down the Ganges River in eastern India as the country battles a ferocious surge in coronavirus infections. Authorities say they haven't yet determined the cause of death. Health officials working through the night Monday in Bihar state retrieved 71 bodies. Images on social media of the bodies in the river prompted outrage and speculation that they died from COVID-19. Authorities performed post mortems on Tuesday but said they could not confirm the cause of death due to decomposition of the bodies. More corpses were found floating in the river on

Richmond RCMP now has access to video cameras at traffic intersections throughout the city. For several months now, the City of Richmond has been installing intersection video cameras at 110 major traffic intersections across the city. Beginning April 28th, these cameras started recording. Officer-in-charge of the Richmond RCMP, Chief Superintendent Will Ng said, "This is an important advancement for public safety in our community, especially when it comes to road safety. While they can offer evidence in a variety of investigations, video cameras are particularly useful in traffic collision in

BC is reporting 1,759 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has also announced 20 additional deaths, bringing the total in the province to 1,622. Dr. Henry says more than two-million residents have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and the immunization program is rapidly accelerating. She says that starting tonight, all those 40 and older will be able to book an appointment for a vaccination, as well as all those 18 and up in high risk areas. Dr. Henry says COVID-19 measures will eventually be loosened across the province

Ontario will likely mix and match COVID-19 vaccine doses in light of uncertain future supply of all the shots approved for use in Canada. Health Minister Christine Elliott says it's likely that recipients of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine may receive a different shot for their second dose. The province is waiting for the results from a U.K. study on mixing different vaccines and on advice from a federal immunization panel. Quebec has also said that it plans to mix vaccines due to supply shortages, substituting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the Moderna vaccines in order to quickly give booste