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Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseasesAn artistic portrait in blue and purple hues shows a woman in side profile from the chest up. Her figure is partly hidden by thick, cloud-like haze, and her silhouette includes images of tall wild grass and evergreen trees. Overlaid text reads: “Opera Mariposa’s Benefit + Awareness Month for the ME | FM Society of BC. May 1–June 1, 2025. Enter to win $3K prizes for charity. benefit.operamariposa.com. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.” The image also includes two butterfly logos: a red one for Opera Mariposa, and a blue, purple, and teal one for the ME | FM Society of BC. Additional details note that the event is online, closed-captioned in English, self-paced, by donation and free to attend, with support up to $3,000 being triple matched.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases

Published April 30, 2025

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

April 30, 2025 (Vancouver, BC) – This May, Canadian artists are rallying the community to support people with chronic and post-infectious illnesses. From May 1 to June 1, Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa is presenting their 2025 Benefit + Awareness Month: an all-digital charity extravaganza featuring art, prizes, and special programming benefiting the ME | FM Society of BC.

May is the International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases, and Mariposa’s programming is created by and for people impacted by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS), Long Covid, and Fibromyalgia. These complex multisystem illnesses affect millions of people across Canada – and that number is rising, given that they can be triggered by viruses, including COVID-19.

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New travel-related measles case found in the Lower MainlandColourized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (gold), with a purple background. Photo: CDC and NIAID. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

New travel-related measles case found in the Lower Mainland

Published April 26, 2025

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Published by: CityNews
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By Emma Crawford

A new case of travel-related measles has been confirmed in the Lower Mainland this week.

Fraser Health says a traveller from Ontario who went to Vancouver and Chilliwack on April 20 has a confirmed infection of the virus.

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

Is Public Health Really Dead?

Published April 22, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: The Tyee
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By Michelle Gamage

Local podcaster Daniella Barreto called her latest project Public Health Is Dead to capture her frustration with how leaders handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It seemed like all of these things we’re taught in school, like prevention being key and using evidence to make decisions, was thrown out the window,” Barreto told The Tyee. “Mask mandates were being taken away, people were increasingly getting long COVID, and I decided I needed to do something because people were not getting the information they needed.”

Launching the podcast in November 2024, Barreto used her background in public health, with a master of science in population public health from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor of science in health science from Simon Fraser University, to help explain what went wrong. So far she’s released five episodes and has many more in the works.

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Topic: VancouverView all posts for the topic: Vancouver

Long COVID sufferers converge outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest for better support

Published March 15, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Mina Kerr-Lazenby

Crowds of people suffering long COVID rallied outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Saturday afternoon to raise awareness of the debilitating effects felt by those still battling the disease.

People had gathered to call on the government to assist with funding for further research into symptoms and treatments, disability support, public awareness, and training for medical staff.

Via placards and speeches, protesters described their own various experiences and asked passers by and others in attendance to send letters to their MLA’s and MP’s, requesting support.

According to Statistics Canada, 3.5 million Canadians continue to suffer symptoms five years after the global outbreak of COVID-19.

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

Additional measles case detected in B.C.‘s Lower Mainland: officials

Published February 19, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Lisa Steacy

A second case of measles linked to a group that travelled to Southeast Asia has been identified in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, according to health officials.

The infected person lives in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and was on Air Canada Flight 66, which arrived at YVR on Feb. 11, said a statement from the health authority on Wednesday. The person was travelling in the same “party” as a Fraser Health region resident in whom measles was detected over the weekend.

People who were on the flight or who were in the international arrivals area of Vancouver’s airport between 7 and 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 may have been exposed, the notification from health officials said.

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Topic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu

B.C. teen with bird flu is in critical condition, says Dr. Bonnie Henry

Published November 12, 2024

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Published by: Vancouver Sun / The Canadian Press
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By Chuck Chiang

B.C.’s provincial health officer says the teenager who has tested positive for bird flu is in critical condition in B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says the teenager, who has the first presumptive human case of bird flu contracted in Canada, was admitted to hospital late Friday. B.C. tests last week confirmed the teenager has the virus, but are waiting confirmation from a national laboratory in Winnipeg.

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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

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

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

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

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: lung diseaseView all posts for the topic: lung disease

Severe COVID leads to higher risk of pulmonary fibrosis: research

Published April 8, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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For Vancouver resident Farrell Eckman, having a long conversation or attending a workout class without breaking into coughs is a major accomplishment.

The 50-year-old is one of many people who researchers say developed pulmonary fibrosis — a condition that thickens the tissue in lungs and can affect breathing — after experiencing a severe case of COVID-19.

In January 2022, Eckman was admitted to Vancouver General Hospital because she was having trouble breathing along with flu-like symptoms.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Researchers say more support, education needed to help B.C. long-COVID patients

Published April 5, 2024

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Published by: Global News
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By Darrian Matassa-Fung

Better long-COVID awareness, education and support are needed for patients, according to Simon Fraser University researchers who conducted a study on the topic.

More education for health-care workers, including doctors and nurses, is one of the recommendations made in a report done by the SFU-based Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society.

The report includes findings from two focus groups of unpaid caregivers, professional care providers, long-COVID researchers and people living with long COVID, identified as “longhaulers.”

“It’s an invisible and new condition,” said Kayli Jamieson, a longhauler who co-led the focus groups as part of a larger study with Kaylee Byers, an assistant professor in SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences. “Many people don’t believe that long COVID is real or exists. Unfortunately, that permeates through the healthcare system.”

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

Surrey Memorial Hospital installs portable as waiting area for pediatric ER

Published November 8, 2023

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Published by: CityNews
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By Liza Yuzda, Hana Mae Nassar

Using portables for kids in B.C. isn’t just happening at schools — Surrey Memorial Hospital has installed a temporary emergency waiting area at its pediatric wing, preparing for a potential surge in patients.

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Topic: VancouverView all posts for the topic: Vancouver

East Vancouver woman warns of COVID-19, flu vaccine appointment shortage

Published November 3, 2023

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Published by: CityNews
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By Sonia Aslam

About a month after the provincial government rolled out its flu and COVID-19 vaccine campaign, one East Vancouver woman says she’s having a heck of a time getting an appointment for her family.

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

Advocacy group calls for stronger COVID-19 measures this fall

Published September 19, 2023

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Published by: The Peak
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By Michelle Young

On August 28, DoNoHarm BC hosted a protest in front of the Minister of Health, Adrian Dix’s office to call for the return of universal mask protections in healthcare settings. The in-person protest featured 25–30 people, but thousands of postcards were mailed to MLAs as part of a campaign to amplify the experiences of those affected by the removal of masks in healthcare. The event organizers read some of the submitted stories to represent those who could not attend.

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

BC’s first annual clean air festival promotes immunocompromised accessibility

Published September 14, 2023

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Published by: The Peak
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By Eden Chipperfield

On September 2, BC’s first annual Clean Air Festival occurred at Trout Lake in East Vancouver. The event is supported by Protect Our Province, Safe Schools Coalition BC, Masks4EastVan, and DoNoHarm BC. It promoted an accessible space where immunocompromised individuals can find sanctuary among peers who relate to ongoing concerns around airborne pathogens, like COVID-19, and pollutants that significantly affect air quality.

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First-person stories from British ColumbiansAn oversized postcard affixed to the window of Adrian Dix’s MLA office. The postcard reads, “Dear Minister Dix: Restore Masks in Healthcare! Covid is Airborne! DoNoHarm BC.” In place of a postage stamp is a headshot of Health Minister Adrian Dix wearing a respirator mask. Photo from DoNoHarm BC.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

First-person stories from British Columbians

Published August 28, 2023

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Published by: DoNoHarm BC
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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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