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Jan 13, 2022 2:00 AM - The Canadian Press

11 LifeLabs locations forced to close due to staffing shortages in B.C.

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BC's largest lab service provider is the latest to face staffing shortages as a result of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19. (Photo - LifeLabs/Twitter)

BC's largest lab service provider is the latest to face staffing shortages as a result of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19.

LifeLabs says it has been forced to close 11 of its 129 locations, and five will operate with reduced hours.

It says employees from the closed sites will be redeployed to nearby locations.

The company says it will be monitoring the situation and will provide an update in two weeks.

BC is reporting two-thousand-859 new cases of COVID-19 and six new deaths for a total of two-thousand-455. It says 500 people are currently in hospital and 102 of those are in intensive care.

There have been five new health-care facility outbreaks, including at Langley Memorial, Burnaby, Peace Arch and Kelowna General hospitals.

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