Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: British Columbia

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.”

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

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).

Comments closed

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.”

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

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.

Comments closed

“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.

Comments closed

Human rights complaint filed against B.C. health-care authority over N95 respirator ban

A class complaint has been filed at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against a regional health-care authority over their policy prohibiting hospital patients and visitors from using N95 respirators.

The complaint was filed by Vancouver resident Lena Patsa on Wednesday against Fraser Health, the province’s largest health-care authority by population.

Comments closed

B.C. to allow COVID-positive and double-vaxxed patients to share hospital rooms

Due to record-high hospitalizations, patients who have COVID-19 are being placed in the same room with double-vaccinated people who do not have the virus, British Columbia health officials said.

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed the policy at a Friday news conference, responding to a specific question about the policy’s use by the Fraser Health Authority.

Comments closed