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Tag: British Columbia

Number with COVID-19 in B.C. hospitals has tripled since early August

The number of COVID-positive patients in B.C. hospitals has more than tripled in the last month, according to the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

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B.C. hospital sees fast spread of COVID-19, but no outbreak declared due to ‘negative connotations’

Health-care workers at a hospital on Vancouver Island are sounding the alarm about the fast spread of COVID-19 at the facility in the last few weeks, after public health officials said they would not declare it an outbreak because of “negative connotations.”

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First-person stories from British Columbians

CW: cancer, surgery, medical negligence, denial of care, disability grief

As part of DoNoHarm BC’s #Postcards4PublicHealth campaign, we’ve invited British Columbians to share their stories about the lack of Covid safety in BC – particularly the loss of mask protections in healthcare. Many wrote directly to policy makers. Some generously gave us permission to share their stories with the public and the press.

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Four months after healthcare mask mandate dropped, a protest calls for its return

“It’s now obvious we’ve started a COVID surge with a new variant, right when flu and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] are about to hit. Our healthcare system is on its knees. We have the tools, and we need to use them. Not restoring mask protections to healthcare would be criminal.”

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British Columbians protest calling to restore mask protections in healthcare

On Monday, August 28th at 12:00 pm, British Columbians will gather outside the MLA office of Health Minister Adrian Dix to demand the restoration of universal masking in healthcare settings, alongside other key safety measures like clean air. Echoing guidance from the WHO and calls from BC’s Human Rights Commissioner (and doctors and researchers worldwide), healthcare workers, patients and caregivers will tell their stories, and demand measures to protect the most vulnerable.

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COVID-19: B.C. doctors, researchers and teachers warn of another triple epidemic

I do feel like we are in a worse position (than last winter) because of the complacency of people. I think the pandemic has been downplayed this whole past year. And not enough has been explained to people about the long-term harm from previous COVID infections.

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B.C. wastewater showing increases in COVID-19 concentrations as new variant spreads

For the first time in months, weekly wastewater data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows increasing concentrations of COVID-19 at most monitored treatment plants around the province.

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Group warns of ‘tripledemic’ repeat without B.C. government action to combat COVID-19 in schools

Currently in B.C., we have no mask protections in schools, no proof of indoor air quality in schools including monitoring of carbon dioxide levels during full class occupancy, no [high-efficiency particulate air] filtration units available in most classrooms, almost non-existent [nucleic acid] testing, and only the occasional provincial public health report (and those reports we do see are of limited value).

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Dozens sign open letter urging ‘safe return to school’ amid respiratory illness concerns

With students returning to B.C. classrooms in four weeks, an open letter to the province is outlining five things the signatories say must be addressed to ensure “a safe return to school.”

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B.C. woman sentenced to 18 months probation for coughing at grocery employee during pandemic

A British Columbia judge has sentenced a Vancouver Island woman to 18 months of probation for deliberately coughing in the face of a grocery store employee and shoving her shopping cart into another worker during the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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DoNoHarm BC protests the removal of mandatory masks in healthcare settings

All COVID-19 patients (including vaccinated adults and children) are potentially at risk of long-term health damage or death, though some groups are disproportionately affected. These risks multiply with each reinfection.

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DoNoHarm BC to stage a die-in protesting end of hospital mask mandate

Getting rid of masking means I can’t safely get the care I need. I need regular follow-up care, and because I’m immunocompromised, getting Covid in hospital is a massive risk… Right now, one of my greatest health risks is accessing medical care.

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End of health-care mask mandates puts vulnerable at risk: B.C. human rights commissioner

B.C.’s human rights commissioner is criticizing provincial health officials for ending mask mandates in health-care settings, saying it puts the most vulnerable and marginalized people at risk.

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“I don’t feel protected”: How a lack of COVID-19 protections is impacting mental health

People who are COVID-aware or at high risk discuss the mental health burden of staying safe.

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