BC will start a clinical trial on a COVID-19 drug therapy approved by Health Canada on an emergency basis for patients who are at risk of severe illness. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the trial on the drug bamlanivimab is expected to get underway by the beginning of March. The antibody drug has been studied elsewhere, and Henry says it would be given to patients within a certain time period after diagnosis. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the trial will be done at Surrey Memorial Hospital with the help of a one-million-dollar donation from a BC biotech company. The drug has

Canada's COVID-19 vaccine drought could be coming to an end.The Public Health Agency of Canada says Ottawa plans to distribute more than 70,000 Pfizer-BiotNTech vaccine doses this week ahead of a major ramp-up, but no Moderna doses are on the schedule.Starting today, 70,200 Pfizer doses are expected to be delivered.Next week, officials are expecting shipments of about 3,35000 doses, which would be the single biggest vaccine delivery to Canada so far.Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are the only two to be approved by Health Canada, though the department is reviewing others from AstraZeneca, Novava

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 471 new cases, including four epi-linked cases, for a total of 69,716 cases in British Columbia."There are 4,423 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 253 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 70 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation."Currently, 6,886 people are under active public health monito

BC's top doctor says current provincewide health orders on gatherings will remain in place until at least the end of the month. Dr. Bonnie Henry says just one super-spreader event or a slight increase in contacts could counteract all progress made so far to slow the spread of COVID-19, especially as two variants of the virus have been identified here. She says restrictions must stay so there's a smooth finish as more vaccines are available. Dr. Henry says an easing of restrictions could be considered by the end of February, to allow people to spend time with their safe six. Health Minister Ad

Statistics Canada says the economy lost almost 213,000 jobs in January as employment fell to the lowest level since August last year, wiping out the gains made in the fall.The unemployment rate rose 0.6 percentage points to 9.4 per cent, the highest rate since August. Financial data firm Refinitiv says the average economist estimate was for a loss of 47,500 jobs in January and an unemployment rate of 8.9 per cent.The losses were almost entirely concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, and mostly in the retail sector as lockdowns and restrictions closed many businesses.Employment declines were heav

The COVID-19 curve is slowly bending downward in British Columbia but health officials are urging caution for those making weekend plans given the presence of new variants. The province confirmed 465 new cases Thursday for a total of 69,245 since the pandemic began. There are 4,447 active cases and of those, 257 people are hospitalized including 76 in intensive care. Six more people have died for a total death toll of 1,240 in B.C., while about 62,078 people who tested positive are considered recovered. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint s

A mega pop star, a beloved activist and a relative of a ground-breaking politician have angered the Indian government by tweeting support for protesting farmers. It took just one tweet from Rihanna to anger the Indian government and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting new agriculture laws they say will devastate their earnings. Greta Thunberg and the niece of US Vice-President Kamala Harris are also among those who tweeted their support. Although Greta Thunberg tweeted again in the support of Indian farmers. She wrote "No amoun

The federal government says a ban on cruise ships in Canadian waters will stay in place for one more year. The ban until Feb. 28, 2022 applies to cruise ships carrying more than 100 people as well as pleasure crafts operating in the Arctic, except for those used by residents in the region. The ban was originally put in place last year was to expire at the end of February. A news release from Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the ban in necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect vulnerable communities. He also says it will allow public health authorities to focus on pressing is

Homicide investigators have identified the victim of a targeted shooting in Langley, B.C. Sgt. Frank Jang with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 22-year-old Arshdeep Singh died in the late-night attack on Jan. 26. Jang says Singh's name and photo are being released in an effort to further the investigation, but he provided no other information. Singh was in the driver's seat of a car parked in a residential area of Langley when it was riddled by gunfire, killing him and injuring a man in the passenger seat.In the hours after the shooting, Jang confirmed Singh had been known to p