Residents of the Lower Mainland in B.C. between the ages of 55 and 65 can now schedule an appointment to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, but making a booking might be challenging. A statement issued by the Ministry of Health said appointments opened today, but London Drugs posted a message Tuesday saying all bookings at its three designated sites had been filled. The tweet from London Drugs said the response to the wider vaccination program has been "overwhelming." The province decided to bump up its age-based immunization plan for AstraZeneca shots after concerns about rare blood clot

British Columbia is bumping up its age-based vaccination plan by offering Oxford-AstraZeneca shots to Lower Mainland residents between the ages of 55 and 65. The move comes a day after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced a pause on use of the same vaccine for anyone under 55 on the advice of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization amid concerns about rare blood clots. Dr. Henry says in a news release that officials know from the millions of doses used worldwide that the vaccine is highly effective and the benefits to those over age 55 far outweigh the very real risks

A lawyer for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou says the case before a British Columbia Supreme Court judge is "unprecedented" in that the extradition request from the United States violates international law. Gib van Ert says Canadian courts have stayed extradition proceedings because of international law breaches in the past, but in those cases the conduct around the requests was unlawful. He says the case against Meng is unique in that the request itself is unlawful, as American authorities are seeking the Chinese national on fraud charges that her lawyers argue have no connection to the United

The sister of a British Columbia woman who took on a stabbing suspect with an umbrella says her sibling always does what she believes is right. Sheloah Klausen, a school teacher in North Vancouver, was at the Lynn Valley public library on Saturday to attend a book fair with her daughter. Leah Michayluk says when her sister saw a man stab a woman in the library, she ordered her 10-year-old daughter to hide and grabbed a nearby umbrella to intervene. Klausen has injuries to her neck, head and hands, and Michayluk says a bystander who pressed napkins to the cut artery in her sister's neck likely

Fire crews have responded to separate fires at three buildings operated by the Freemason society in Metro Vancouver. North Vancouver RCMP say in a statement a fire broke out just before 7 a.m. at the Lynn Valley Lodge Masonic hall. A second fire was reported just minutes later four kilometres to the west at the North Vancouver Masonic Centre. That blaze has severely damaged the low-rise structure and RCMP say they are trying to determine if the two fires are related or were deliberately set. A third fire, at a Masonic hall in southeast Vancouver, was reported about 15 minutes after the first b

BC is temporarily suspending use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for those under age 55 for the next few days. The national advisory committee on immunization issued that recommendation today over concerns the vaccine may be linked to rare blood clots. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry calls the condition very rare and says it's unlikely any cases will be seen in Canada. She says she anticipates more information in the next two to three days. The province says there were 2,518new cases, pushing the total in the province past 98,000. Six more people have died, raising that total to

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is banning indoor dining at bars and restaurants and indoor activity at fitness centres for three weeks starting at midnight. Dr. Henry describes the move as a "circuit breaker" amid concerns that more infectious variants are driving "exponential growth" of COVID-19 cases. She says the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort will also be closed until at least April 19th as cases spread in the community. Dr. Henry has also reintroduced restrictions on indoor religious services that she just announced would ease last week. Social activities need to be limited to

The Surrey RCMP Special Victims Unit is looking for information from the public related to an on-going investigation.This investigation began on March 12, 2021, after police received information about a sexual assault that occurred in February 2021. Further investigation put investigators in contact with three additional victims related to incidents that took place between June 2019 and February 12, 2021.On March 19, 2021, a male suspect was arrested. However, investigators believe there may be further victims in the community who have not yet come forward. Further information is being release

The Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit is currently investigating a shooting that occurredinside of a residence in Guildford. Shortly before 12:00 a.m. on March 29, 2021, Surrey RCMP responded to a call from Emergency HealthServices reporting a shooting in a residence in the 16300-block of 113B Avenue. Frontline officers arrived and located a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. She was transported to the hospital in serious condition. The suspect in this shooting fled the residenceprior to police arrival. The initial indications are that this shooting is between parties known to one anoth