BCMar 03, 2021
Decision to delay second doses of COVID-19 vaccine by four months based on scientific evidence and real-world data: Dr. Bonnie Henry
BC's top doctor says the decision to delay second doses of COVID-19 vaccine by four months is based on scientific evidence and real-world data. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the data show protection from a single dose is upwards of 90 per cent and lasts for several months. She says delaying second doses will reduce mortality and severe illness for those most at risk while maximizing the benefit of vaccines for everyone. Dr. Henry adds that the approval of Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine, which can be kept in the fridge, means it's possible everyone in BC could receive their fir
CanadaMar 03, 2021
Unanimous committee report calls on Trudeau not to trigger election during pandemic
A House of Commons committee is unanimously urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to promise he won't call a federal election while the COVID-19 pandemic rages across Canada. In a report by the procedure and House affairs committee, even Liberal members supported a recommendation calling for a commitment that there will be no election during the pandemic, unless Trudeau's minority Liberal government is defeated on a confidence vote. The committee makes no similar call for opposition parties to promise not to trigger an election during the pandemic by voting non-confidence in the government. Ho
CanadaMar 02, 2021
Federal Conservatives worried about vaccine hesitancy among seniors because of conflicting advice on Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine
The federal Conservatives say they're worried about vaccine hesitancy among seniors because of conflicting advice on the use of the recently-approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Tory MP Michelle Rempel Garner says the advice is confusing. A national panel of vaccine experts says provinces should not use the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on seniors. But Health Canada says it can be used on Canadians aged 65 or older. Michelle Rempel Garner on Twitter: We have called for an emergency meeting to understand why Health Canada is recommending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in seniors when the
CanadaMar 02, 2021
Canadian economy contracted 5.4 per cent in 2020, worst year on record
The Canadian economy posted its worst showing on record in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country, shutting down businesses and putting millions out of work.Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product shrank 5.4 per cent in 2020, the steepest annual decline since comparable data was first recorded in 1961. The drop for the year was due to the shutdown of large swaths of the economy in March and April during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that crushed the economy.Since then, economic activity has slowly and steadily grown. Statistics Canada says the economy grew
BCMar 02, 2021
1,478 new COVID-19 cases and 8 deaths reported in B.C.; 42 new cases are variants of concern
More than 275 thousand COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in BC, but that isn't nearly enough to prevent new health facility outbreaks at Glacier View Lodge, Chilliwack General Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital. However, several outbreaks were also declared over, including one at St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver. BC is reporting 1,478 new COVID-19 infections from Saturday to Monday, for a total of 80,672 cases in the province since the pandemic began. There are 4,464 people with active cases in the province, of whom 236 are hospitalized and 65 are
BCMar 01, 2021
Units in two Vancouver-area hospitals closed by COVID-19 outbreak
Health officials have declared COVID-19 outbreaks at two more Metro Vancouver hospitals after finding evidence the virus was transmitted within a medicine unit at both locations. A statement from Fraser Health says the outbreaks are in single units of Surrey Memorial Hospital and Chilliwack General Hospital. One patient at Surrey Memorial and five patients at Chilliwack General have tested positive for COVID-19. Those units have been closed to admissions, but Fraser Health says other units and the emergency rooms of both hospitals remain open. Information from Vancouver Coastal Health shows a
BCFeb 27, 2021
B.C. records 589 new cases of COVID-19 as officials welcome new vaccine approvals
British Columbia health officials say the federal government's approval of two new vaccines is encouraging news and one more layer of protection to help get the province through the pandemic. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a statement that approval of the vaccines by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Verity-Serum Institute of India is an "exciting" step forward. The statement says the new vaccines are "fridge stable," making them easier to transport and distribute across the province. British Columbia announced 589 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday along w
CanadaFeb 26, 2021
Health Canada approves AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine
Health Canada has approved the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca, the third to be given the green light for national use.Canada has pre-ordered 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was co-developed by researchers at the University of Oxford.It will also receive up to 1.9 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the global vaccine-sharing initiative known as COVAX by the end of June.Vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna had already been approved by Health Canada.Approximately 1.7 million doses of those formulas have been administered in Canada.Health Canada sen
BCFeb 26, 2021
395 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths reported in B.C.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says rising case numbers and test positivity rates mean it's soon to lift COVID-19 restrictions. Dr. Henry says BC has seen its rolling seven-day average case numbers rise and there's potential to see rapid growth in cases if residents aren't careful. She adds BC is ramping up screening for variants of concern and aims to be testing 100 per cent of all COVID-positive samples starting next week to see if they're likely variants that should be sent on for further study. Dr. Henry reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 78,673 cases in British
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