After 2023, funding for Covid-related services is set to end in BC.<\/p>\n
For nearly four years now, British Columbians have been grappling with Covid-19. We\u2019re currently aided by health management initiatives like vaccination, testing, and protective equipment for healthcare workers. Since 2021, these measures have been funded by BC\u2019s Pandemic Recovery Contingencies<\/a>, a three-year plan that also sustains economic recovery programs and supports for vulnerable community members.<\/p>\n This plan expires at the end of 2023. After that, our government anticipates that \u201cmost initiatives will wind down or be integrated into existing government programs.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n The problem is, Covid-19 isn\u2019t winding down\u2014and pre-existing programs are being strained. <\/p>\n One in 39 Canadians<\/a> are currently infected with SARS-CoV-2. Despite scant public messaging, hospitalizations are 14 times higher and deaths are 15 times higher<\/a> than the lowest point in the pandemic to date. Statistics Canada found that life expectancy has fallen for three years in a row<\/a>, while Covid-19 has risen to become the third leading cause of death<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After 2023, funding for Covid-related services is set to end in BC.<\/p>\n For nearly four years now, British Columbians have been grappling with Covid-19. We\u2019re currently aided by health management initiatives like vaccination, testing, and protective equipment for healthcare workers. Since 2021, these measures have been funded by BC\u2019s Pandemic Recovery Contingencies, a three-year plan that also sustains economic recovery programs and supports for vulnerable community members.<\/p>\n This plan expires at the end of 2023. After that, our government anticipates that \u201cmost initiatives will wind down or be integrated into existing government programs.\u201d <\/p>\n