BCDec 10, 2020
Long-term care workers to get priority vaccination in B.C. to protect elderly: Dr. Bonnie Henry
British Columbia's top doctor says health-care workers in long-term care facilities and intensive care units will be the first to be immunized against COVID-19 with the Pfizer vaccine starting next week. Dr. Bonnie Henry says immunizations will happen at two clinics in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, before eventually expanding to 30 sites as part of a process that will ramp up as more doses and vaccines become available. Up to 400,000 B.C. residents can get a shot in the arm by the end of March. Henry says prioritizing those who work at care homes will protect the eld
CanadaDec 10, 2020
No significant evidence of severe adverse reactions to the COVID-19 shot: Dr. Supriya Sharma
Health Canada has approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, paving the way for vaccinations to begin countrywide next week. Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser to Health Canada, says the authorization follows a science and evidence-based review. Sharma says there's no significant evidence of severe adverse reactions to the shot.Dr. Sharma says she and other health officials are amazed at the accomplishment in such a short time. Supriya Sharma says they are making the approval process as open and transparent as possible by publishing the technical information for each va
CanadaDec 09, 2020
Health Canada approves Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine
Health Canada has approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, the first to be given the green light for national use. Canada is set to receive four million doses of the Pfizer vaccine by March, including up to 249,000 doses this month, with the first shipment set to arrive next week.The federal government has purchased 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires people to receive two doses each, and has the option to buy 56 million more.Pfizer needs to store its vaccine at ultracold temperatures below -70 C and so the company is planning to ship the doses directly to pr
BCDec 09, 2020
B.C. premier says nearly 4,000 high-risk people to be vaccinated next week; 566 new COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths reported
British Columbia has recorded 566 new cases of COVID-19, which the provincial health officer and health minister say is the "start of encouraging trends" in the progression of the virus. However, Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix say the number of new cases and hospitalizations due to serious illness are still high, requiring health orders and restrictions to stay in place. They say 352 people with the illness are being treated in hospital, with 74 of them in intensive care. Sixteen more people have died, for a total of 543 fatalities in the province. Premier John Horgan says on Twitter that ab
WorldDec 08, 2020
90-year-old British grandma is first in world to get Pfizer Covid vaccine shot
Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother on Tuesday became the first Briton/person in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine shot outside of a clinical trial.The United Kingdom has become the first Western nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with a coronavirus shot outside of clinical trials, a landmark moment amid the pandemic, CNN reported.Those who are vaccinated will be issued with a "vaccination passport" containing details such as date of vaccination and date of the first inoculation to remind people when to receive the second jab.The vaccine has to be administered twice
BCDec 08, 2020
COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia extended to Jan. 8; 2,020 new cases and 35 deaths reported
COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia have been extended to Jan. 8 as the province continues to experience high levels of transmission and community spread of the virus. Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says restrictions on gatherings are being extended. All worship services and community and social events remain suspended, along with high-intensity group fitness, such as interval training, hot yoga and spin classes. The latest order includes an exemption for drive-thru events like light festivals and drop-off toy drives. Dr. Henry says 2,020 new cases of the illness have
CanadaDec 07, 2020
Prime Minister says first COVID-19 vaccine doses arriving this month
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the first COVID-19 vaccine doses are on track to arrive this month, as tough new measures took effect in Prince Edward Island and Ontario hit a new daily case record today.
Trudeau says Ottawa has reached an agreement with Pfizer to have up to 249,000 doses delivered, pending Health Canada approval, and that the first shipments could come next week.
In Atlantic Canada, Prince Edward Island entered what it's calling a two-week "circuit-breaker" lockdown after seven new cases of the virus were reported over the weekend.
The province reported four new ca
CanadaDec 07, 2020
Military, health officials doing a practice run of COVID-19 vaccine rollout
The military, health workers and government officials will go through a practice run today of the complex plan to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the country.The first vaccine, made by Pfizer-BioNtech, could be approved for use in Canada as early as this week. And Major-General Dany Fortin, who's leading the military through the vaccine distribution process, says the dry run is intended to get everyone involved comfortable with the intense requirements of handling a vaccine that has to be kept below minus 70 Celcius at all times.The national operations centre quarterbacking the effort is loo
IndiaDec 05, 2020
India: Govt to hold next meet with farmers on Dec 9; MSP to continue: Tomar
After its fifth round of talks on Saturday with farmer group leaders remained inconclusive, the Centre announced another meeting on December 9.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar today reassured the agitating farmers that central government is ready to resolve all their issues.
He also said that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system will continue and there is "no threat to it."
Addressing a press conference after the meeting at Vigyan Bhawan, Tomar said: "We have said that the MSP will continue, there is no threat to it. It is baseless to doubt this. Still, if someone is suspicio