National

B.C. long-term care workers vaccinated next week

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Dec, 2020 12:18 AM

British Columbia's top doctor says health-care workers in long-term care facilities and intensive care units will be the first to be immunized against COVID-19 with the Pfizer vaccine starting next week.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says immunizations will happen at two clinics in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions, before eventually expanding to 30 sites as part of a process that will ramp up as more doses and vaccines become available.

Premier John Horgan, Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Ross Brown provide an update on COVID-19 vaccines in BC.#CovidBC
https://t.co/JrH2jdyHyV
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) December 9, 2020

Up to 400,000 B.C. residents can get a shot in the arm by the end of March.

Henry says prioritizing those who work at care homes will protect the elderly, who can't travel to sites where the vaccine must be administered because it needs to be kept at a very cold temperature.

Henry says a dry run at one clinic yesterday on handling the vaccine allowed people running the vaccination program as well as those who would be working with it to grasp the reality of having it available.

She says precautions such as washing hands and wearing masks will need to continue for a few months, though she expects a "good summer" is on the horizon.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver Police identifies city's 15th homicide victim

The VPD’s Major Crime Section is continuing to investigate Mr. Wanke’s murder. His remains were found in a large recycling bin in the water off of Kits Point on October 18.

Vancouver Police identifies city's 15th homicide victim

Conversion therapy ban approved in principle

O'Toole allowed his MPs a free vote on the issue, part of his bargain with social conservatives that helped him secure the Conservative leadership in August.

Conversion therapy ban approved in principle

Blair pledges to address prison isolation concerns

Prisoners transferred to the units are supposed to be allowed out of their cells for four hours each day, with two of those hours engaged in "meaningful human contact."

Blair pledges to address prison isolation concerns

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

In the 2016 presidential election, there were approximately 620,000 Americans in Canada who were eligible to cast ballots, though only around 32,000 did.

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

COVID-19 deaths hit racialized communities hardest: Stats Can

The report's authors say it is more evidence that the pandemic is disproportionately affecting visible minorities, who are more likely to live in overcrowded housing and work in jobs that put them more at risk of exposure to COVID-19.

COVID-19 deaths hit racialized communities hardest: Stats Can

EI commissioners: start review of safety net now

The shortcomings in EI, flagged for years by experts, have been exposed by the pandemic, including that not every worker is covered, nor can everyone who is covered get benefits when they need them.