Coronavirus

A registered nurse takes a moment to look outside while attending to a ventilated COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. British Columbia has announced a new program aimed at helping internationally trained nurses get registered and licensed faster through financial support that could save them thousands of dollars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

B.C. COVID hospitalizations under 500 for the first time since April

473 people are in hospital, 42 of whom are in ICU

 

Davis Graham, aka Pencil Fingerz, donated this original painting to B.C. Emergency Health Services. (Submitted by BCEHS)

B.C. artist ‘Pencil Fingerz’ donates painting to honour paramedics

Additionally, 5,000 limited edition prints will be made and given to every paramedic in B.C.

 

Eldo Enns rides his penny farthing bicycle in Dawson City, Yukon, on Friday June 19, 2009. Yukon’s tourism industry is abuzz with anticipation as Canada’s northernmost border opens June 1 for the first time since the pandemic began, says the executive director of the Klondike Visitors Association in Dawson City.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada’s most northern border to reopen June 1, Yukon prepares for return of tourism

Americans typically make up most of the territory’s tourists

 

Specimens to be tested for COVID-19 are seen at LifeLabs after being logged upon receipt at the company’s lab in Surrey, B.C., on March 26, 2020. A COVID-19 outbreak at the South Terrace Continuing Care Centre in Edmonton has seen 66 residents contract the infection. Ten have died. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. COVID hospitalizations down, ‘second Omicron wave’ may have peaked

540 British Columbians are in hospital with 49 in ICU, down from 596 and 54 last week

Specimens to be tested for COVID-19 are seen at LifeLabs after being logged upon receipt at the company’s lab in Surrey, B.C., on March 26, 2020. A COVID-19 outbreak at the South Terrace Continuing Care Centre in Edmonton has seen 66 residents contract the infection. Ten have died. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Specimens to be tested for COVID-19 are seen at LifeLabs after being logged upon receipt at the company’s lab, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada’s COVID-19 infections among adults tripled in early 2022 due to Omicron: study

Researchers found nearly 30 per cent of Canadian adults were infected during the first Omicron wave

Specimens to be tested for COVID-19 are seen at LifeLabs after being logged upon receipt at the company’s lab, in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Jonah McGarva has been living with long-COVID since becoming infected in March 2020. (Submitted photo)

‘It’s really distressing’: Extensive long COVID symptoms linger, 2 years after infection

As of April 1, 5,288 people in B.C. have been referred to Post COVID-19 clinics for treatment

Jonah McGarva has been living with long-COVID since becoming infected in March 2020. (Submitted photo)
People wait in line to check in at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Thursday, May 12, 2022.The Canadian Airports Council is asking the federal government to do away with COVID-19 protocols at customs to clear up the chaos that international travellers experience when they arrive in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Regular travel and public health measures can’t coexist: Canadian Airport Council

Council wants federal government to do away with random tests and public health questions at customs

People wait in line to check in at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Thursday, May 12, 2022.The Canadian Airports Council is asking the federal government to do away with COVID-19 protocols at customs to clear up the chaos that international travellers experience when they arrive in Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
B.C. Library Association executive director Rina Hadziev speaks at the James Bay branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, May 17, 2022. (B.C. government video)

B.C. boosts public libraries with $8M COVID-19 recovery fund

Pandemic shows need for technology, building upgrades

B.C. Library Association executive director Rina Hadziev speaks at the James Bay branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library, May 17, 2022. (B.C. government video)
A doctor draws out vaccine during a drive-through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Will B.C. be rolling up its sleeves for a fourth vaccine dose?

Officials still undecided on whether that is a necessary step in province’s pandemic-fighting path

A doctor draws out vaccine during a drive-through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
A registered nurse takes a moment to look outside while attending to a ventilated COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

B.C. COVID hospitalizations climb to 596 for the first time in months

Latest data from the BCCDC shows hospitalizations on the rise again

A registered nurse takes a moment to look outside while attending to a ventilated COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom graphic)

Fraser Valley woman has $5,750 COVID violation ticket dropped by Crown

Alberta’s Justice Centre defended ‘Ms. C’ who refused PCR test at U.S. border crossing

(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom graphic)
Free Reformed Church is seen as people attend Sunday Service, in Chilliwack, B.C., on Sunday, February 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Crown drops COVID charges against Fraser Valley pastors accused of violating public health orders

Fines totalling $55,200 dropped against three Chilliwack pastors

Free Reformed Church is seen as people attend Sunday Service, in Chilliwack, B.C., on Sunday, February 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Fraser Valley Bandits mascot Berry entertains kids at the Maple Ridge COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Maple Ridge, Jan. 18, 2022. (Colleen Flanagan/Maple Ridge News)

Doctors, dieticians most vaccinated among B.C. health professions

Overall COVID-19 coverage 94%, regulating colleges say

Fraser Valley Bandits mascot Berry entertains kids at the Maple Ridge COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Maple Ridge, Jan. 18, 2022. (Colleen Flanagan/Maple Ridge News)
A doctor prepares for a surgical procedure at a hospital in Washington on June 28, 2016. The latest data release by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows Canadians still struggled with long wait times for surgeries last year compared to the days before COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Molly Riley

Pandemic ups and downs likely still compounding surgical backlogs across Canada

The ups and downs of pandemic waves continue to affect wait times…

A doctor prepares for a surgical procedure at a hospital in Washington on June 28, 2016. The latest data release by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows Canadians still struggled with long wait times for surgeries last year compared to the days before COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Molly Riley
A woman wears a vaccinated sticker after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in Richmond, B.C., April 10, 2021. Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia researchers are trying to increase vaccine uptake by young adults in the province with the release of a new COVID-based game. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

B.C. researchers develop game to address vaccine concerns among young adults

COVID Chronicles looks to meet people where they’re at and build trust

A woman wears a vaccinated sticker after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in Richmond, B.C., April 10, 2021. Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia researchers are trying to increase vaccine uptake by young adults in the province with the release of a new COVID-based game. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Tam says the government is trying to find out how many Canadians are suffering from long-COVID as researchers try to learn more about the prolonged affects of the virus. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Public health agency trying to find out how many Canadians struggling with long COVID

Tam: ‘We probably anticipate that the impact of long COVID is going to be quite substantial’

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Tam says the government is trying to find out how many Canadians are suffering from long-COVID as researchers try to learn more about the prolonged affects of the virus. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Los Angeles Kings’ Carl Grundstrom (91) looks on as Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane (91), Connor McDavid (97) and Jesse Puljujarvi (13) celebrate a goal during third period NHL playoff action in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Oilers take long route from Edmonton to L.A., avoiding COVID-19 testing

NHL team elects to drive over the border in Vancouver on its way to playoff game

Los Angeles Kings’ Carl Grundstrom (91) looks on as Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane (91), Connor McDavid (97) and Jesse Puljujarvi (13) celebrate a goal during third period NHL playoff action in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Langley City committees and task forces can resume in-person meetings, after council rescinded a resolution that restricted them to videoconferencing. (Langley Advance Times file)

VIDEO: Langley City council approves a return to in-person meetings for municipal committees and task forces

Online sessions have actually improved participation, report says

Langley City committees and task forces can resume in-person meetings, after council rescinded a resolution that restricted them to videoconferencing. (Langley Advance Times file)
Fraser Health operating room, 2000s (Black Press file)

B.C.’s surgical wait list lower than 2020, still 88,000 people

Training staff, buying private clinics expands capacity

Fraser Health operating room, 2000s (Black Press file)
A traveller exits the COVID-19 testing centre for arriving international passengers at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Thursday, December 2, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

1,000 pieces of germ-fighting antimicrobial copper installed at YVR to combat COVID

Baggage carts, water fountains and washrooms throughout the terminal now feature the copper

A traveller exits the COVID-19 testing centre for arriving international passengers at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Thursday, December 2, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck