Health Canada has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada. Up to 168,000 of the drug developed by US biotech firm Moderna are due to arrive in Canada before the end of the month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said deliveries could begin within 48 hours of approval. The vaccine approval follows the greenlighting of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine on December 9th. Moderna anticipates starting shipments to Canada within the next 48 hours. Up to 168,000 doses are set to arrive by the end of December, and two million by the end of March.

COVID-19 vaccine clinics are now underway in every health region in BC and more than 4,100 people have received the shot so far. BC health officials say Pfizer has explained how to safely transport its vaccine, while Moderna has also done the same. Health officials say that means the vaccine will be available at more locations across the province in the coming weeks. They urged people to continue following public health rules while reporting 12 more deaths and 444 new cases of COVID-19. 777 lives have been lost related to COVID-19 in British Columbia since the beginning of the pandemic.

Congress MP K Suresh on Wednesday said that former party chief Rahul Gandhi will lead a demonstration tomorrow at 10:45 am from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhavan and will submit a memorandum to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking his intervention over farmers' protest."Rahul Gandhi along with Opposition leaders met President and submitted the memorandum to resolve farmers' issue. But there was no action from the President and the government. Rahul Gandhi will lead demonstration tomorrow at 10:45 am from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhavan with Congress MPs," Suresh told ANI. "After that, he and ot

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 444 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 47,510 cases in British Columbia. "There are 9,481 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 357 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 84 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. "A total of 36,094 people who tested posit

Police say they are investigating the sudden death of a child. Incident took place in Tofino, B.C. The Integrated Major Crime Unit says the Mounties were called to help BC Ambulance workers on Dec. 13 after it was reported a child had suffered injuries on the Ty-Histanis Reserve. Police say the child died on Dec. 16. A news release from the RCMP says the BC Coroners Service is also conducting a fact-finding investigation into the unexpected death.

BC Federation of Labour is attending a rally to show support for Indian farmers. The rally is being organized in Surrey. The BC Federation of Labour, alongside several unions, has declared full support for the farmers in India who are currently protesting against legislation that will deregulate agricultural markets and favour corporate interests over those of small food producers. Among other demands, farmers in India are also demanding the minimum support pricing for various crops to be made a law. The protest will begin at 6.30pm. To support social distancing protocols, the intersection of

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says "the whole research community" is working on the newly detected strain of the virus that causes COVID-19. They're trying to determine whether it's more of a threat to public health than the more familiar strains of the virus. Hajdu says the appearance of the new strain in the United Kingdom is a reminder that international travel is a bad idea during the pandemic. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new strain appears to spread much more easily. The Canadian government temporarily shut down flights from the U.K. Sunday evening. Public Safety Mi

The apparent drowning death of a prominent Pakistani dissident in Toronto is provoking suspicion. Police said they had found 37 year old Karima Mehrab dead yesterday. Mehrab, widely known as Karima Baloch, had been reported missing a day earlier. A close friend and fellow activist tells The Canadian Press that Mehrab had recently received death threats. Her body was pulled from waters near downtown Toronto. Police in Toronto say they are not treating the apparent drowning death of a prominent Pakistani dissident as suspicious. But Lateef Johar, a friend of Karima Mehrab, says the family fears

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says this is a perilous time, and Canada is set for an even stronger resurgence of COVID-19. She is urging all Canadians to obey public health advice to keep the situation from getting worse and to protect health-care workers. Dr. Tam says so far, officials have not detected any cases of the new strain of COVID-19 sweeping southern England. Ottawa has temporarily banned flights from the UK. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says officials are considering bringing in even stricter border-protection measures.