New modelling by the federal government suggests daily hospitalizations will surge in the coming weeks, driven by extremely high levels of transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Though the rate of people who are hospitalized with Omicron is lower compared to the Delta variant, the forecast shows new daily hospital admissions will far exceed previous historical peaks due to the sheer number of cases. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam released the new modelling today, which suggests the current wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant will peak this month at between 1

Vancouver Coastal Health says it has prevented recent attempts to fraudulently obtain B-C vaccine cards. It says ``vulnerable people'' in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have been approached and offered payment to get vaccinated while falsely using that person's name and information. The health authority says fraudulent vaccination records are being removed from the provincial immunization registry and the cards are being revoked. It says future instances of fraud will be brought to police.

B.C. is reporting 2,554 new cases of COVID-19, including six epi-linked cases, for a total of 291,246 cases in the province.There are 36,049 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 249,458 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 534 individuals are in hospital and 102 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. The new/active cases include:885 new cases in Fraser HealthTotal active cases: 16,972485 new cases in Vancouver Coastal HealthTotal active cases: 9,762462 new cases in Interior HealthTotal active cases: 4,882304 new

The federal government says a statement from the Canada Border Services Agency that said Canadian truckers would be exempt from a new COVID-19 vaccination requirement was provided in error. Federal officials say today the vaccine mandate for truckers crossing into Canada from the United States will come into effect this Saturday as planned. There was no explanation for the incorrect information emailed to media more than 20-hours earlier. The federal Conservatives, as well as trade groups representing oil, manufacturing and export companies, had called on Ottawa this week to postpone the Janu

Surrey RCMP is requesting the public’s assistance with locating an inmate who fled from the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre.On January 13, 2022, at 12:46 p.m., Surrey RCMP were notified that inmate Mustafa Sa’Ada had fled from the custody of correctional officers at the Surrey Pretrial Services Centre at 14323 57th Avenue. Mustafa Sa’Ada left on foot and was last seen heading south towards Highway 10.Surrey RCMP along with Integrated Police Dog Services are actively searching for Mustafa Sa'Ada who is considered to be unlawfully at large.Mustafa Sa’Ada is described as a 32-year old, Mi

Effective today, women who are pregnant can book a COVID-19 booster vaccine if it has been at least eight weeks since they received their second vaccine dose.While it is recommended people get their booster six months after their second dose to ensure longer-lasting protection, it is important for pregnant people to receive their booster during pregnancy to ensure optimal protection for them and their baby.People who indicate they are pregnant when they call the Get Vaccinated system will receive an invitation for a booster shot if it has been eight weeks or more since their second dose. Appro

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says while he respects provincial jurisdiction, he opposes Quebec's plan ``to tax and target'' those who are unvaccinated against COVID-19. The Tory leader made his position known on Premier Francois Legault's proposal during a Facebook Live today. Earlier in the week Legault announced adults living the province who are unvaccinated and don't have a medical exemption could expect to start paying a ``significant'' financial penalty. The premier said the measure was needed because around half of the patients in intensive care are unvaccinated even those only abo

Health Canada's chief medical adviser says a decision on Pfizer's antiviral treatment for COVID-19 is expected in seven to 10 days.But Supriya Sharma says the department reached out to Pfizer asking for shipments of the drug before approval, using regulations that allow medications approved elsewhere to be used in Canada when there is an urgent health need.Sharma says the company said no because it didn't have any supply to send.Canada has a contract to buy one million doses of Paxlovid but Pfizer spokeswoman Christina Antoniou says information on shipments to Canada won't be provided until H

British Columbia is providing a one-million-dollar grant to expand access to resources aimed at preventing overdose deaths in the construction industry. The province says the program, dubbed the Tailgate Toolkit, was developed on Vancouver Island last year in partnership with people in the industry who have experience with illicit drug use. Sheila Malcolmson, the minister of mental health and addictions, says it's now set to be expanded across the province. She says it aims to reduce the stigma that can deter people from asking for help and that drives them to hide their substance use and con