National

COVID-19 down, influenza and RSV up in B.C, says CDC

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Nov, 2023 11:43 AM

New data suggest that COVID-19 activity in British Columbia is trending downward, while influenza and RSV are on the rise.

A weekly update provided Thursday by the BC Centre for Disease Control says COVID-19 cases, new hospitalizations and deaths are all declining from a peak in the first week of October.

It says there were 25 deaths of patients with COVID last week, down from 70 three weeks earlier.

But the number of people in hospital with COVID-19, including new and previous admissions, has risen to 263 as of Thursday.

The CDC says Influenza A is behind a rise in flu activity, accounting for 96 per cent of tested cases this season, while positive test rates for respiratory syncytial virus are also up, particularly among children.

However, it says emergency department visits due to all respiratory diseases remain comparable to or below historical averages.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

BOC keeping interest rate at 5%

The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate at five per cent, saying there are clearer signs that monetary policy is moderating spending and relieving price pressures. But it hasn't ruled out future rate hikes as those pressures remain high.

BOC keeping interest rate at 5%

BC United calls premier 'condo king' over his property sale; Eby says 'nonsense'

The sale of Premier David Eby's condominium in Victoria has become embroiled in the debate over the New Democrat government's proposed law on short-term rental accommodations. The Opposition BC United accused Eby on Tuesday of largely profiting from the sale of his condominium in 2019 because it was in a building complex that did not have rental restrictions.

BC United calls premier 'condo king' over his property sale; Eby says 'nonsense'

Boat capsizes, 61 year old dead

RCMP say a 61-year-old man was alone when the tugboat he was piloting capsized off Vancouver. Mounties say they received a report of a body washing ashore on Tower Beach on Monday afternoon on the U-B-C endowment lands.

Boat capsizes, 61 year old dead

Southern B.C. sees snow at higher levels as incoming rainstorm meets arctic cold

The first major snowfall of the season could blanket higher elevations of Vancouver Island with up to 10 centimetres of snow as an eastbound rainstorm meets a westbound blast of arctic air over British Columbia's south coast. Environment Canada has posted special weather statements for inland, northern and eastern parts of Vancouver Island, warning that rain could fall as snow on the highest elevations of Highways 4, 19, 28 and the Malahat Summit as the two systems brush, although no snow was expected at sea level.

Southern B.C. sees snow at higher levels as incoming rainstorm meets arctic cold

Five people, including shooter, dead after shootings in Sault Ste. Marie, police say

Five people – including three children and a shooter – were found dead in the northern Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie after shootings at two homes, police said Tuesday, calling what happened a tragic case of intimate partner violence. Sault Ste. Marie police said the shootings that took place Monday night had left the community in deep mourning.

Five people, including shooter, dead after shootings in Sault Ste. Marie, police say

Magnitude 3.9 quake recorded off B.C. coast, no tsunami or damage expected

A minor earthquake has struck off the coast of British Columbia. Earthquakes Canada says the 3.9 magnitude quake was registered just before 11:00 p.m. PDT. The epicentre was 198 kilometres west of Port Hardy, south of Vancouver Island. It was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres. No tsunami is expected.