Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 05:36 PM
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's provincial health officer says she's optimistic the province is moving to a "better place" that could see more COVID-19 restrictions lifted this month before spring break.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says a decline in hospitalizations, immunity from vaccination and the availability of at-home rapid tests point the way forward to normal activities like high school graduations that youth in particular need to feel connected to others.
Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer for an update on COVID-19. #CovidBChttps://t.co/NqLNlkeM4D
However, she says not everyone will be ready or able to leave behind some pandemic measures like masks so it's important for people to be respectful of those who are immunocompromised or elderly because they're still at risk of infection.
She says businesses and workplaces will have to take responsibility for requiring some measures like vaccine passports, depending on the level of risk, and it's important to move slowly through a time of transition.
Henry says there are still some uncertainties about new variants, including BA. 2, with some cases present in B.C., though no cases of BA. 3 and Delta Omicron have been detected in the province.
Henry says she will soon shift to weekly updates as B.C. ensures it's prepared for a potential uptick in COVID-19 cases during respiratory season in the fall.
Trudeau made the pledge in a statement issued late Monday after he spoke with provincial and territorial leaders, saying Ottawa will do all it can to help them cope with the fifth wave of the pandemic.
The latest atmospheric river to wash over British Columbia was expected to soak parts of the south coast with as much as 150 millimetres of rain in a series of waves that won't relent until Thursday, Environment Canada said. Rainfall warnings covered the west coast of Vancouver Island and the inner south coast, including Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Last night, January 10, just after 10:00 p.m., Burnaby RCMP received a report of a possible shooting incident in the area of Randolph Avenue and Kingsway. Frontline officers located a 43-year-old man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The man was transported to the hospital.
There has been a surge of COVID-19 infections in health-care and long-term care facilities in British Columbia with seven more outbreaks reported in the last few days. A statement from the Health Ministry says 43 facilities were listed as having outbreaks on Monday, including several hospitals in the province.
International Trade Minister Mary Ng announced Canada's intention in a statement released by her office on Monday, that disclosed her Sunday telephone call with a Taiwanese minister. She said the island represented a key trade and investment partner as Canada tries to diversify its trade relations in the Indo-Pacific.
Children in Alberta and British Columbia returned to the classroom Monday as surging COVID-19 cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals in several provinces and prompted the United States to advise its citizens to "avoid travel" to Canada.
