Preliminary reporting released by the BC Coroners Service confirms at least 176 British Columbians were lost to toxic illicit drugs in April, bringing the total number of deaths recorded in 2021 to 680."Once again, we're reminded that the scale of this public health emergency is truly unprecedented," said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner. "I offer my heartfelt condolences to every family in the province that is experiencing the unimaginable pain of sudden and unexpected loss. Every life lost to toxic drugs in our province is a profound tragedy. Every one of them mattered, and every one of them wil

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the National Advisory Committee on Immunization is giving the measure the green light for people who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose. Dr. Theresa Tam acknowledges that the ever-changing recommendations on vaccines can be confusing to Canadians. But she says those recommendations must evolve as the scientific research on vaccines evolves. Dr. Tam says the new recommendation doesn't mean Canadians who received the AstraZeneca shot need to switch brands for their second dose. A study in the United Kingdom reported last m

Greece, Germany and five other European Union nations have introduced a vaccination certificate system for travelers weeks ahead of the July 1 rollout of the program across the 27-nation bloc. The other countries starting early were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Croatia and Poland. Greece, which depends heavily on tourism, has been pressing for the commonly-recognized certificate that uses a QR code with advanced security features. The certificates are being issued to people who are fully vaccinated as well as those have already contracted the virus and developed antibodies and other

A retired Supreme Court justice is calling for significant changes to how the Canadian Armed Forces deals with allegations of sexual misconduct following a months-long review of Canada' military justice system. In an at-times scathing report tabled in the House of Commons this morning, Morris Fish says his review confirmed that the nature, extent and human cost of sexual misconduct in the military remains as rampant and destructive as in 2015. That was when fellow retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps released her own explosive report that revealed a highly sexualized culture within t

The government on Tuesday decided that class XII board exams of CBSE would not be held this year in view of the uncertain conditions due to COVID-19 and the feedback obtained from various stakeholders. The government said that CBSE will take steps to compile the results of class XII students as per a well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner. It was also decided that like last year, in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them by CBSE, as and when the situation becomes conducive. The decisions were taken at a review meeting chaired by Pr

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization issued guidance today allowing for people who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose to get an mRNA vaccine for their second. A study in the United Kingdom reported last month that mixing AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech as first and second doses led to more reports of short-lived side-effects like fevers and fatigue but was otherwise safe. The Spanish study concluded a second dose of Pfizer after a first dose of AstraZeneca produced more than twice the antibodies as a second dose of AstraZeneca. All provinces paused the use

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 on three periods. From May 28 to May 29, we had 258 new cases. From May 29 to May 30, we had 238 new cases and in the last 24 hours, we had a further 212 new cases."This results in a total of 708 new cases, for a total of 144,289 cases in British Columbia."There are 2,953 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and a further 139,562 people who tested positive have recovered."Of the acti

It seems Justin Trudeau has picked up a new accessory, though this one is not by choice. The prime minister known for his snazzy socks and styled hair was spotted Monday walking with a cane after leaving an event announcing federal loans for Black entrepreneurs. Spokesman Alex Wellstead says Trudeau sprained his ankle while playing Frisbee with his children at home over the Victoria Day long weekend. There was no word on the severity of the sprain or how long the prime minister will need to use the device, which was nowhere to be seen during the actual announcement. However, Wellstead says th

Naomi Osaka's agent has confirmed to The Associated Press that the four-time Grand Slam champion has withdrawn from the French Open. A spokeswoman for the tournament said the French Open was not aware of Osaka's withdrawal. Osaka wrote on Twitter that ``the best thing for the tournament'' would be if she pulled out and took a break from competition. She had declared last week that she would not speak to the media at Roland Garros and was fined $15,000 after she skipped the post match news conference following her first-round victory Sunday. Osaka also said Monday she has ``suffered long bouts