COVID-19

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addresses delegates during the first day of the 75th World Health Assembly at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

WHO chief: COVID pandemic is ‘most certainly not over’

‘We lower our guard at our peril’

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addresses delegates during the first day of the 75th World Health Assembly at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
The Legion Veterans Village project is seen under construction in Surrey, B.C., on Saturday, November 6, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Painful Truth: The glass is half-empty

Look on the gloomy side, it’ll keep you from falling flat on your face

The Legion Veterans Village project is seen under construction in Surrey, B.C., on Saturday, November 6, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Brookswood Library is one of seven in library branches in the Fraser Valley Regional Library system. (Langley Advance Times files)

Fraser Valley libraries get funding boost from Victoria

FVRL will get almost $220,000 in COVID relief and for emergency planning

Brookswood Library is one of seven in library branches in the Fraser Valley Regional Library system. (Langley Advance Times files)
Dozens display signs at the BC Health Care Matters rally on May 19, 2022, at the legislature for World Family Doctor Day. (Evert Lindquist/News Staff)

B.C. family doctor shortage sparks hundreds to rally in Victoria

Advocates say 1 in 5 people in B.C. lack a general practitioner

Dozens display signs at the BC Health Care Matters rally on May 19, 2022, at the legislature for World Family Doctor Day. (Evert Lindquist/News Staff)
(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)
In this photo provided by Pfizer, a lab technician visually inspects COVID-19 Paxlovid tablet samples in Freiburg, Germany in December 2021. As more doctors prescribe Pfizer’s powerful COVID-19 pill, new questions are emerging about its performance, including why a small number of patients appear to relapse after taking the drug. (Pfizer via AP, File)

Rare cases of COVID returning pose questions for Pfizer pill

U.S. government has spent more than $10 billion to purchase pills

In this photo provided by Pfizer, a lab technician visually inspects COVID-19 Paxlovid tablet samples in Freiburg, Germany in December 2021. As more doctors prescribe Pfizer’s powerful COVID-19 pill, new questions are emerging about its performance, including why a small number of patients appear to relapse after taking the drug. (Pfizer via AP, File)
A rat crosses a Times Square subway platform in New York on Jan. 27, 2015. So far this year, people have called in some 7,100 rat sightings — that’s up from about 5,800 during the same period last year, and up by more than 60% from roughly the first four months of 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Oh, rats! As New Yorkers emerge from pandemic, so do rodents

Through April, people have called in some 7,400 rat sightings

A rat crosses a Times Square subway platform in New York on Jan. 27, 2015. So far this year, people have called in some 7,100 rat sightings — that’s up from about 5,800 during the same period last year, and up by more than 60% from roughly the first four months of 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Parents in Kelowna lack confidence in the vaccination (Metro Creative Graphics Photo)

Majority of B.C. parents vaccinated, but most kids are not

Parents in B.C. say they are wary of mRNA vaccination technology when it comes to their kids

Parents in Kelowna lack confidence in the vaccination (Metro Creative Graphics Photo)
The Annacis Island wastewater treatment plant, one of five where COVID-19 testing takes place across the Lower Mainland. (Black Press Media files)

Wasterwater tests flush out data on Langley COVID numbers

The current wave may have peaked, according to sewage testing for the virus

The Annacis Island wastewater treatment plant, one of five where COVID-19 testing takes place across the Lower Mainland. (Black Press Media files)
Families embrace after a flight from Los Angeles arrived at Auckland International Airport as New Zealand’s border opened for visa-waiver countries Monday, May 2, 2022. New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years as it dropped most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. (Jed Bradley/New Zealand Herald via AP)

New Zealand welcomes back tourists as COVID-19 pandemic rules eased

Visitors will need to be vaccinated

Families embrace after a flight from Los Angeles arrived at Auckland International Airport as New Zealand’s border opened for visa-waiver countries Monday, May 2, 2022. New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years as it dropped most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. (Jed Bradley/New Zealand Herald via AP)
Wildland firefighter Ty Feldinger works on steep terrain to put out hot spots remaining from a controlled burn the B.C. Wildfire Service conducted to help contain the White Rock Lake wildfire on Okanagan Indian Band land, northwest of Vernon on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Vaccine policy to remain in place for B.C. Wildfire Service

All B.C. government employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Wildland firefighter Ty Feldinger works on steep terrain to put out hot spots remaining from a controlled burn the B.C. Wildfire Service conducted to help contain the White Rock Lake wildfire on Okanagan Indian Band land, northwest of Vernon on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
Travelers wait in a security line at Love Field in Dallas, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The major airlines and many of the busiest airports dropped their mask requirements after a Florida judge struck down the CDC mandate and the Transportation Security Administration announced it wouldn’t enforce its 2021 security directive. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Most people in U.S. want masks for travellers: AP-NORC poll

Polling shows a wide partisan divide on the mask issue

Travelers wait in a security line at Love Field in Dallas, Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The major airlines and many of the busiest airports dropped their mask requirements after a Florida judge struck down the CDC mandate and the Transportation Security Administration announced it wouldn’t enforce its 2021 security directive. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Mickey and Minnie Mouse perform during a parade as they pass by the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The theme park resort announced Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, that face coverings will be optional for fully-vaccinated visitors in all indoor and outdoor locations, with one exception. Face masks still will be needed for visitors ages 2 and older on enclosed transportation, such as the resort’s monorail, buses and the resort’s sky gondola. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Walt Disney World in Orlando lifts last of its facemask requirements

Masks now only optional for all areas of resort

Mickey and Minnie Mouse perform during a parade as they pass by the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The theme park resort announced Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, that face coverings will be optional for fully-vaccinated visitors in all indoor and outdoor locations, with one exception. Face masks still will be needed for visitors ages 2 and older on enclosed transportation, such as the resort’s monorail, buses and the resort’s sky gondola. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Everything for Ewe sells wool products like, yarn, sweaters, knitting, crotchet and weaving supplies. (Everything for Ewe/Facebook)

Northern B.C. business fined $5,000 over COVID-19 safety compliance

Northern Health also issued a warning to the business last year over failure to comply with the provincial order for face coverings

Everything for Ewe sells wool products like, yarn, sweaters, knitting, crotchet and weaving supplies. (Everything for Ewe/Facebook)
What do we know about ‘stealth omicron’ so far? (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)

SCIENCE: What do we know about ‘stealth omicron’ so far?

Now the dominant coronavirus version in the U.S.

What do we know about ‘stealth omicron’ so far? (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)
Oceana PARC residents May Bucholtz and Florence Ross and executive chef Shaun Maclean add to the pot-clanging din at the healthcare workers appreciation event at Peace Arch Hospital Wednesday morning (March 30).

Pot-banging salute returns for Peace Arch Hospital staff

Appreciation event marks second anniversary of short-lived practice

Oceana PARC residents May Bucholtz and Florence Ross and executive chef Shaun Maclean add to the pot-clanging din at the healthcare workers appreciation event at Peace Arch Hospital Wednesday morning (March 30).
West Kelowna resident Ben Orritt was unable to attend his first-ever Vancouver Canucks game in January because of “surprise” COVID-19 ticket cancellations. (Photo courtesy of Ben Orritt) West Kelowna resident Ben Orritt was unable to attend his first-ever Vancouver Canucks game because of COVID-19 ticket cancellations in January. (Photo courtesy of Ben Orritt)

B.C. man denied refund on Canucks tickets after ‘surprise’ COVID-19 cancellations

Ben Orritt was hoping to take his family to Vancouver in January to attend their first game

West Kelowna resident Ben Orritt was unable to attend his first-ever Vancouver Canucks game in January because of “surprise” COVID-19 ticket cancellations. (Photo courtesy of Ben Orritt) West Kelowna resident Ben Orritt was unable to attend his first-ever Vancouver Canucks game because of COVID-19 ticket cancellations in January. (Photo courtesy of Ben Orritt)
Cloverdale Traditional Elementary School’s PAC was the winner of a contest for 20 HEPA filters. Pictured are the purifiers when they were first shipped to the school. The PAC says the pallets have since been taken apart due to space constraints but the filters remain unused and stored at the school. (Submitted photo: CTS PAC)

‘Waiting to be plugged in’: B.C. school district urged to install donated HEPA filters

Surrey elementary school was the winner of 20 air purifiers that have been sitting unused

Cloverdale Traditional Elementary School’s PAC was the winner of a contest for 20 HEPA filters. Pictured are the purifiers when they were first shipped to the school. The PAC says the pallets have since been taken apart due to space constraints but the filters remain unused and stored at the school. (Submitted photo: CTS PAC)
Bruce Orydzuk talking to security guard in July. (Video: InfoTel)

Kelowna anti-vax protester charged with uttering threats against reporter

Bruce Orydzuk is charged following a July 13 incident outside a vaccine clinic

Bruce Orydzuk talking to security guard in July. (Video: InfoTel)
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‘BearHug BC’ truck convoy travels to Mainland to ‘unite communities in love and truth’

The convoy promises ‘peaceful and lawful’ protesting of health orders and restrictions in province

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