19.75°C Vancouver

Jun 8, 2021 2:21 AM -

More second doses to put B.C. on 'good path' toward normal life: Dr. Reka Gustafson

Share On
more-second-doses-to-put-b-c-on-good-path-toward-normal-life-dr-reka-gustafson
Dr. Reka Gustafson says B.C. recorded 481 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths over three days while 199 people are in hospital. ( Photo - B.C. Government)

British Columbia's deputy provincial health officer is encouraging residents to register for a second dose of vaccine as the province heads toward a return to normal life with declining COVID-19 cases and rising vaccination rates.

Dr. Reka Gustafson says B.C. recorded 481 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths over three days while 199 people are in hospital.

A total of 511 people were in hospital at the height of the pandemic, with 183 patients in intensive care.

Gustafson says 72 per cent of residents 12 and over have now received a first dose of vaccine as the province pushes to get second doses administered as fast as possible, about eight weeks after an initial shot. While two doses of vaccine are more protective against the Delta variant, Gustafson says B.C. has had only about 500 of such cases, which is relatively low compared with other jurisdictions.

She says people who had a first shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should feel comfortable getting the same vaccine or an mRNA vaccine such as the one made by Pfizer-BioNTech for their second dose unless they've had an allergic reaction or a blood clot, both of which are rare.

Latest news

rogers-wins-gold-sets-canadian-record-in-hammer-throw-at-world-championships
BCSep 15, 2025

Rogers wins gold, sets Canadian record in hammer throw at world championships

Canada's Camryn Rogers defended her women's hammer throw world title in dominant fashion. Rogers, from Richmond, B.C., broke her own Canadian record with a throw of 80.51 metres on Monday to take the gold medal at the world athletics championships. Silver medallist Zhao Jie of China was well back of Rogers with a throw of 77.60 metres. Another Chinese thrower, Zhang Jaile, was third at 77.10 metres. The 26-year-old Rogers now has two world championship gold medals to go with her Olympic title at the 2024 Paris Games. It was Canada's second gold at the world championships after E
alberta-next-panel-seeking-input-on-federal-grievances-hosts-town-hall-in-airdrie
AlbertaSep 15, 2025

Alberta Next panel, seeking input on federal grievances, hosts town hall in Airdrie

Premier Danielle Smith's Alberta Next panel is in Airdrie tonight, as she marches through a final stretch of town halls surveying the public on the province's relationship with the federal government. It's the eighth of 10 in-person town halls scheduled for the panel, which has been travelling across Alberta since mid-July to address grievances Smith says are fostering separatist sentiment. The event in the Calgary bedroom community comes hot on the heels of a town hall in Lethbridge, where Smith met a mostly friendly crowd that cheered mentions of separation and widely supported th
boy-14-charged-after-report-of-student-with-gun-at-alberta-high-school
AlbertaSep 12, 2025

Boy, 14, charged after report of student with gun at Alberta high school

A 14-year-old boy is facing weapons charges after police were called to a high school near Edmonton for a report of a student with a gun. RCMP say a teacher called 911 on Thursday afternoon, after a student was seen with a gun in a classroom at a high school in Sherwood Park, a suburb community east of Edmonton. They say a suspect was taken into custody and Mounties recovered what they think is an imitation gun. No injuries were reported. Police say the boy, who can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a
high-speed-rail-construction-could-begin-in-four-years-leblanc-says
CanadaSep 12, 2025

High-speed rail construction could begin in four years, LeBlanc says

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the government's new major projects office will work to get construction underway on the Alto high-speed rail line within four years. He says the work would determine the final route for the planned high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced in February that the government had awarded a $3.9-billion, six-year contract to a consortium to design the project. The 1,000-kilometre high-speed rail network would take passengers from Montreal to Toronto in just three hours on trains travelling
g7-finance-ministers-meet-to-discuss-increasing-pressure-on-russia
CanadaSep 12, 2025

G7 finance ministers meet to discuss increasing pressure on Russia

Canada hosted a virtual meeting of G7 finance ministers today to discuss further measures to increase the pressure on Russia. John Fragos, press secretary for the minister of finance and national revenue, says the group also talked about ways to limit Russia's "war machinery." Fragos says the G7 is united in its opposition to Russia’s "illegal and unjustified" war on Ukraine. He also says Canada is deeply concerned by Russia’s escalation of the conflict in the wake of Wednesday's Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace. The G7 group is made up of Canada, the United States, France, Ger

Related News