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Tag: British Columbia

Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

COVID-19 prevalence high and rising across most of province as BCCDC revamps reporting dashboards

Published October 3, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Ian Holliday

The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – in B.C. wastewater is high and rising across most regions, according to the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

The BCCDC released its first weekly data update of the 2024-25 respiratory illness season Thursday, and took the opportunity to dramatically revise the information it presents and the way it is presented.

Gone is the previous year’s “COVID-19 Situation Report” dashboard, replaced with a new dashboard titled “Viral Respiratory Outcomes.”

While the situation report included specific numbers for newly confirmed infections, hospital admissions, critical care admissions and deaths within 30 days of a positive COVID test, the new dashboard reports the latter three numbers as a rate per million residents.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

B.C. posts highest COVID-19 hospitalizations since January in latest monthly update

Published September 5, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Ian Holliday

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. has risen to its highest level since January, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s latest monthly update.

There were 214 test-positive COVID patients in provincial hospitals as of Thursday, according to the BCCDC. That’s the second-highest total the agency has published all year, only slightly below the 219 seen on Jan. 4, the first – and still highest – total reported in 2024.

Thursday’s update showed the number of lab-confirmed cases rose each week in August, with 365 new positive tests recorded during the week of Aug. 4 to 10 and 462 recorded last week.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

COVID shots available in B.C. until new vaccines arrive: province

Published September 5, 2024

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Published by: CBC News / The Canadian Press
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British Columbia says its current supply of COVID-19 vaccines will remain available until new formulations are approved — unlike other provinces that say they’re following a federal directive to destroy existing doses.

A spokesperson for the provincial health officer says B.C. residents are encouraged to wait for the updated COVID vaccines if possible, but people can still get last season’s shots if they need them.

Officials in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and say they are following instructions from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to dispose of vaccine stocks that target the XBB.1.5 variant, since updated formulations are expected this fall.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Health Canada orders provinces to destroy old COVID-19 vaccines amid wait for new batch

Published September 4, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Luca Caruso-Moro

Health Canada has directed provinces to withdraw and destroy remaining supplies of last year’s COVID-19 vaccines while it works to authorize updated shots, which is expected to happen in October, according to Ontario’s health ministry.

“Vaccines will be available once Ontario receives supply from Health Canada following their regulatory authorization of the new, updated vaccine formulation,” read a statement from Ontario spokesperson Hannah Jensen.

A notice posted on the federal government’s immunization guide says vaccines aimed at Omicron variant XBB.1.5 is no longer available in Canada. Updated shots, made to target the now-dominant JN.1 or KP.2 strains are expected to get the green light “in the coming weeks.”

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Topic: COVID denialView all posts for the topic: COVID denial

As COVID Surges, the High Price of Viral Denial

Published September 3, 2024

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Andrew Nikiforuk

COVID is surging once again and, if you live in British Columbia, you probably already know someone sick with fever, chills and a sore throat.

As of mid-August, about one in every 19 British Columbians were enduring an infection, with or without symptoms.

Although the media routinely dismisses all COVID infections as an inconsequential nuisance, that’s not what the science says. The virus remains deadlier than the flu and repeated infections can radically change your health.

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Local groups join forces for Vancouver’s second annual Clean Air FestivalLight blue illustrated image with clouds. Text reads, the second annual Clean Air Festival! (The “R” in Air has cartoon eyes and is wearing a mask). A Covid-safer hybrid event.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Local groups join forces for Vancouver’s second annual Clean Air Festival

Published August 22, 2024

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Published by: Clean Air Festival
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Event spotlights clean air, community care, and award-winning talent

August 22, 2024 (Vancouver, BC) – On September 15, 2024, a coalition of community groups will present Vancouver’s second annual Clean Air Festival. From 1-6:30 pm, Clean Air 604, Clean Air in BC Schools, DoNoHarm BC, Masks 4 East Van, Millions Missing BC, Protect Our Province BC, SolidAIRity GVRD, Safe Schools Coalition BC, Spring Vancouver, and Vancouver Still Cares will join forces to present a COVID-safer, immuno-inclusive hybrid event, taking place in-person at Slocan Park and digitally via livestream and recording.

The event features a DIY air purifier-building workshop, tabling, children’s games and activities from 1:00 pm, with a stage magic performance at 3:45 pm and an outdoor concert from 4:30 pm. Masks, rapid tests, zines and DIY fit test kits will be available while supplies last. Air purifiers from the workshop will be donated to schools via Clean Air in BC Schools, and to vulnerable community members via Masks 4 East Van.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

‘High’ COVID levels show virus may no longer be an emergency in B.C. but it’s still a threat

Published August 12, 2024

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Published by: Vancouver Sun
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By Michelle Gamage

B.C.’s [top doctor] has ended the COVID-19 public health emergency, but experts warn that COVID-19 still poses a serious and potentially deadly threat to the public.

“COVID is still a major, ongoing health issue and crisis,” said Tara Moriarty, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, an infectious disease expert and co-founder of the COVID-19 Resources Canada database.

By Moriarty’s calculations, one in 52 British Columbians currently has COVID. According to recent federal wastewater testing from mid-July, B.C. has “high” COVID-19 activity levels.

This can have major implications for public health because hospitals don’t have mandatory masking requirements.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

No Longer an Official Emergency, COVID Remains a Crisis

Published August 5, 2024

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Michelle Gamage

British Columbia’s top doctor has ended the COVID-19 public health emergency, which began nearly 1,600 days ago on March 17, 2020.

Declaring COVID-19 a public health emergency gave provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry the ability to issue mask mandates, travel and gathering restrictions and vaccination requirements for health-care workers to curb the spread of the virus.

While experts The Tyee spoke with agree the public health emergency may no longer be needed, they stressed that COVID-19 still poses a serious and potentially deadly threat to the general public.

“COVID is still a major, ongoing health issue and crisis,” said Tara Moriarty, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, an infectious disease expert and co-founder of the COVID-19 Resources Canada database.

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The Risks of Killing a COVID Early Warning SystemPhoto of a person wearing an elastomeric respirator, with an outstretched, gloved hand reaching forward towards the viewer. On the light blue glove, the text reads: Stop COVID-19. With a bokeh effect, there is a sharp image of the glove, and the person’s face and respirator are blurred in the background. Photo: fernando zhiminaicela via Pixabay.
Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

The Risks of Killing a COVID Early Warning System

Published August 1, 2024

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Andrew Nikiforuk

COVID-19 is surging in parts of North America and Europe, and even played a role in ending the presidential campaign of 81-year-old Joe Biden, who was infected for the third time last month.

Nevertheless, on Wednesday the Ontario government shut down its early warning system to detect COVID and other emerging diseases.

Doctors, citizens and researchers are calling the decision to kill the province’s wastewater disease surveillance program both wrong-headed and dangerous. Ending the program will make it harder to track and thwart viral outbreaks, they say, and thereby increase the burden on Ontario’s understaffed hospitals, which experienced more than 1,000 emergency room closures last year.

“Pandemics do not end because science has been muzzled,” Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a well-known Toronto physician and clinical researcher, told the CBC.

In emails to politicians, more than 5,000 citizens have demanded restoration of the program, with little effect.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

B.C. COVID hospitalizations at highest level since January

Published July 4, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Ian Holliday

It may not be on most people’s minds, but COVID-19 is on the rise again in B.C.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control released its monthly data on the disease Thursday, showing 204 test-positive patients in provincial hospitals. It’s only the second time all year that the hospitalized population has risen above 200, and the first time since early January.

The hospital census is more than double what it was at this time last year, when the BCCDC’s July update showed just 96 COVID patients receiving hospital care.

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What We Can Do about Long COVID’s Growing TollA stylized image of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle, depicted with bright red colours. Illustration by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

What We Can Do about Long COVID’s Growing Toll

Published July 2, 2024

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Kaylee Byers, Julia Smith, Kayli Jamieson, Rackeb Tesfaye

Kaylee Byers is an assistant professor in the faculty of health sciences and senior scientist at the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society at Simon Fraser University. Julia Smith is an assistant professor in the faculty. Kayli Jamieson is a master’s student in communication and a research assistant for the Pacific Institute. Rackeb Tesfaye is director of knowledge mobilization at the institute. This article was originally published by the Conversation.

We are living through a mass-disabling event: Over 200 million people worldwide have long COVID. In Canada, one in nine people have experienced long COVID symptoms, and this is likely an underestimate.

Occurring weeks to months after a COVID-19 infection, this multi-system chronic illness has led to what some have called “the shadow pandemic.” Although millions are navigating this new illness, four years into the pandemic both patients and their caregivers continue to face challenges accessing the information and care they need.

Most Canadians have had COVID, and at least one in five have been infected more than once. These trends are troubling because evidence suggests that the risk of acquiring long COVID increases with reinfection.

 Image description: A stylized image of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle, depicted with bright red colours. Illustration by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Number hospitalized with COVID-19 in B.C. hits highest level since March

Published June 6, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Ian Holliday

The number of COVID-19-positive patients in B.C. hospitals surged by 67 per cent during the month of May, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control on Thursday.

The centre’s first update since May 2 shows 162 test-positive patients in B.C. hospitals, up from just 97 in the previous release.

The latest hospitalization total is the highest the BCCDC has reported since March 14, when there were 163 people hospitalized with the disease.

The data is also a notable shift from last June, when the number of COVID-positive patients in B.C. hospitals was plummeting.

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Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa presents month-long programme benefitting the ME | FM Society of BCViolet, blue and teal graphic featuring a side profile of a young Asian woman with her hand upheld, a purple butterfly hovering above it. The background features translucent torn strips of paper twined with blue watercolour flowers. Gauzy purple and blue text reads, Opera Mariposa 2024, May 1 - June 1. Benefit + Awareness Month for the ME | FM Society of BC. Smaller dark blue lettering features the URL Benefit.OperaMariposa.com above a globe icon next to the words All online; a spoon icon next to the words self-paced; a closed captioning icon next to the word English; and a dollar icon next to the words By donation and free. Collage by Christina Baltais. Design by Stephanie Ko.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa presents month-long programme benefitting the ME | FM Society of BC

Published May 28, 2024

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Published by: Opera Mariposa
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This May, Opera Mariposa is rallying the community to support people with chronic and post-viral illnesses. From May 1 to June 1, 2024, the disability-led indie arts company is presenting their 2024 Benefit + Awareness Month: an all-digital charity extravaganza featuring music, art, prizes, and special events benefiting the ME | FM Society of BC.

The initiative honours the International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases, and it showcases disabled and chronically ill artists from around the world. Proceeds aid people and families affected by myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, and long COVID – a group of complex chronic illnesses that are surging due to long-term health impacts from COVID-19.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Masks should be mandatory in healthcare

Published May 22, 2024

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Published by: The Peak
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By Yasmin Hassan

As of April 8, 2024, masks are “no longer required in healthcare settings” in BC. This decision comes after data showing decreased COVID-19 levels in the province. However, COVID-19 hasn’t suddenly become less dangerous, nor has it disappeared. Data surrounding masks suggests the decision is questionable, if not dangerous. Healthcare settings have always been environments with increased pathogenic risk, which is why masks are so important.

Medical masks have been a thing long before COVID-19. Countries in Asia have worn masks for a variety of reasons “since at least the 1950s.” With the propagation of the SARS outbreak back in 2002, masks as a layer of protection have become a staple in many societies. Throughout the ongoing pandemic, and previous ones, they’ve been proven to be an efficient form of protection and prevention of airborne diseases. A wealth of studies have demonstrated masking’s effectiveness for both the wearer and those around them. One study showed masks were effective in “reducing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.” N95s are especially effective, with efficacy rates 48% higher than cloth masks.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

BC health advocates demand return of mandatory masks in healthcare

Published May 14, 2024

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Published by: The Peak
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By Yashita Dhillon

In response to April’s removal of mandatory mask mandates in healthcare settings, BC’s health advocacy group DoNoHarm BC, joined by Protect Our Province BC and Masks4EastVan, are leading a campaign to urge the provincial government to reinstate these protections. The groups say that BC health authorities have ignored warnings about ongoing COVID-19 risks and other respiratory threats like measles and tuberculosis.

The decision to remove mask mandates in healthcare settings was announced by the Ministry of Health, “the peak of the respiratory illness season has passed.” Though COVID-19 levels typically lessen in the spring, COVID-19 has not been established as a seasonal illness.

The Peak reached out to Dr. Karina Zeidler who organizes with DoNoHarm BC and is the co-founder of Protect Our Province BC for more information. Zeidler referenced a research article from BC Medical Journal which noted that “for some of these most vulnerable patients, the air in the hospital can be deadlier than the diagnosis that brought them in.” This is due to hospital acquired infections, which can then lead to COVID-19 deaths.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

BC Supreme Court rules in favour of PHO’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health-care workers

Published May 14, 2024

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Published by: CityNews
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By Charlie Carey, Dean Recksiedler

Health-care workers who pushed back against being forced to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face losing their jobs have lost in the BC Supreme Court.

In a ruling released Monday, presiding judge Justice Simon R. Coval says the provincial health officer was right in mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers.

The three cases in question were brought to court by a nurse practitioner and two doctors, with all three saying they didn’t want to get the shot.

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Topic: climate crisisView all posts for the topic: climate crisis

Wildfire smoke could move into Ottawa, eastern Ontario tonight

Published May 13, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By William Eltherington

Wildfires in western Canada will likely bring smoke into Ottawa and eastern Ontario starting on Monday and into Tuesday morning.

CTV’s Your Morning chief meteorologist Kelsey McEwen says smoke could travel as far as Quebec City by Tuesday morning with air quality advisories being issued in five provinces.

“You can see the Jetstream pulling that smoke down south of the border through the Dakotas and back up through the Great Lakes,” McEwen said.

“By tomorrow, this begins to slide toward the Ottawa-Gatineau area, tomorrow morning and out toward Quebec City.”

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Topic: pandemic responseView all posts for the topic: pandemic response

Scientists, clinicians across Canada preparing for future pandemic threats

Published May 6, 2024

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Nicole Ireland

Nearly $574 million will be doled out to researchers across the country for projects aimed at ramping up Canada’s preparedness for future health emergencies, including the next pandemic, the federal government announced on Monday.

One of the 19 projects is a national network of existing emergency departments and primary-care clinics, called Prepared, that will screen for any new viruses or pathogens that start to appear in patients.

“As a public health specialist and as a practising physician, I would very much anticipate there being another respiratory pandemic in the future. The challenge is we don’t know when it will be or what it will be,” said Dr. Andrew Pinto, Prepared project lead and a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

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