British Columbia’s top two doctors are defending the province's approach to releasing data on COVID-19 but say they'll provide more information that may be helpful for the public. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and her deputy, Dr. Réka Gustafson, say they wouldn't characterize data first released to the Vancouver Sun by someone at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control as "leaked" because it would have been available in some form later anyway. Documents from the centre show higher rates of COVID-19 in some neighbourhoods of Surrey, for example, but Henry says the province has said

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 722 new cases, for a total of 134,341 cases in British Columbia. "There are 6,757 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. A further 125,799 people who tested positive have recovered. "Of the active cases, 445 individuals are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 157 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "There have be

Katie Telford says she has asked herself in recent months whether she could have done more to fight sexual misconduct in Canada's armed forces. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff testified at a parliamentary defence committee today. Telford says she didn't learn the content of a 2018 complaint against Canada's former top soldier until February when it was reported publicly. She has told MPs she was only told it was a ``personal misconduct'' complaint. Telford says since then, she has replayed past conversations in her head with female soldiers and asked herself what more she could

Statistics Canada says the economy lost 207,000 jobs in April as a new rise in COVID-19 cases led to renewed public health restrictions that closed businesses. The unemployment rate rose to 8.1 per cent from 7.5 per cent in March. Statistics Canada says the number of employed people in April working less than half their usual hours increased by 288,000 or 27.2 per cent. The losses in April nearly wiped out the 303,000 jobs added in March when the economy outpaced expectations and put the country about half a million jobs below pre-pandemic levels. More losses were seen in full-time work than

A woman in BC has been hospitalized with a rare blood clot associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the first such reaction reported in the province. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry says the woman contacted her family doctor when she had symptoms five or six days after being vaccinated. Dr. Henry urged people to be alert to the symptoms, which range from a persistent and severe headache to difficulty moving parts of your body, and back, or chest or abdominal pain. However, she also defended the vaccine, saying AstraZeneca has played an important role in BC's immunization

Fraser Health has expanded its immunization capacity in anticipation of an increase in vaccine supply coming to the Province. Register and book your appointment today to get your shot as soon as possible. Fraser Health is supporting a registration drive to remove any barriers to people registering for a COVID-19 vaccination. To do this, there will be a number of registration kiosks where staff and volunteers will register anyone 18 years and older, and, for those eligible, Fraser Health will also help book the vaccination appointments at the same time. Appointments may be available the same da

Canada achieved a new milestone in its vaccination program Wednesday, surpassing the vaccination rate in the United States for the first time. The Our World in Data project that tracks vaccinations given around the world, says on May 5, the United States injected doses at a rate of 6.4 doses for every 1,000 people. Canada injected 6.6 doses for every 1,000 people. Canada has been inching closer to the U.S.'s rate for weeks now, as supplies of vaccines shipped into Canada increased in April, and the United States has been slowing, after getting at least one dose to 44 per cent of Americans, an

Under order by the Supreme Court, India's government has agreed to provide more medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, potentially easing a 2-week-old shortage that worsened the country's exploding coronavirus crisis.Officials also denied reports that they have been slow in distributing life-saving supplies donated from abroad.The Supreme Court intervened in the supply of oxygen in New Delhi after 12 COVID-19 patients, including a senior doctor, died at a hospital when it ran out of oxygen for 80 minutes last week.On Thursday, the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases breached 400,00

British Columbia youths aged 12 to 17 years old could soon be getting COVID-19 vaccines, and possibly before the end of the school year. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says they're looking at ways to immunize young people with their first dose by the end of June now that Health Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those 12 and older. She says the province is looking at best ways to provide the vaccine to young people, including the option of running clinics in schools. Dr. Henry says she understands some people have concerns about vaccine risks, especially for those