Schools in Surrey are strengthening and expanding public health measures as more potential COVID-19 exposure notices go out to parents. In a video posted online, the superintendent of Surrey Schools says the district is pursuing targeted measures for more vulnerable schools, where more exposures have been reported. Jordan Tinney says the impacts of COVID-19 have not been felt equally across the district — noting that socioeconomic inequality is a major factor in how easily students can self-isolate — and the toll on both staff and students is high. The measures come in three parts: universal, targeted, and intensive. Tinney went on to say “We’re trying to protect our staff, we’re trying to protect our children and their families, and support our community, and these measures are intended to reduce the number of cases coming into schools, to mitigate the effects of exposures, and ultimately, to prevent transmission in our schools is what we want to do,” Surrey’s school district — the largest in B.C. — continues to be a major hot spot, with dozens of possible exposures being recorded in the region.
British Columbians between 80 and 84 years old will be able to start booking vaccine appointments this week, which is one week ahead of schedule. The province estimates there are 105,000 people in this age group. To avoid jamming phone lines, booking will be staggered with the oldest eligible people being given first priority. starting Monday, March 15 today with anyone 84 years and older. The province is also repeating its advice to designate only one person to call on behalf of an eligible senior. Each health authority has a different phone number for booking appointments. and only those who live in the Fraser Health Authority have the option to book online.
British Columbia health officials are scheduled to give an update on COVID-19 cases this afternoon. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry are expected to share further details on vaccinations and new case counts covering the weekend. Last week, Henry loosened restrictions to allow for up to 10 people to gather outside. As of Friday there were more than five-thousand active cases in the province. Dr Bonnie henry announced 648 new cases of COVID-19 in BC and no new deaths.
France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands are the latest countries to suspend use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over potential blood clot concerns. However, it doesn’t appear Canada will stop using the drug just yet, with the country’s health agency continuing to point out the supply we have is not one of the batches under scrutiny. The issue has come up since a small number of people in Norway suffered serious blood clotting after getting AstraZeneca’s vaccine. While infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch says watching the situation is reasonable, he notes context is important. While Canadian officials also say there’s no scientific evidence to support the link between AstraZeneca’s vaccine and potential clots, Health Canada notes the batches we have in this country are not under investigation. Ireland and the Netherlands join Iceland, Norway, and Demark in suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the time being. Canada currently has four vaccines that are approved for emergency use here: the ones made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca
B.C. Premier John Horgan said Friday he hopes the annual changes between daylight and standard time will be scrapped by fall, but the government is still waiting on three U.S. states to go along with the plan. At 2 a.m yesterday, the clocks “sprung” forward an hour, resulting in more daylight in the evening. He said being on the same time as B.C.’s closest southern neighbours is important for many industries, for example Hollywood North, which benefits from being in the same time zone as California. Horgan believes there would be economic harm if B.C. scrapped the time change before Washington state, Oregon and California. The day following a time change has shown a huge jump in accidents on the road due to groginess and lack of sleep so this morning be extra careful out on the roads.
One COVID-19 outbreak at Vancouver General Hospital has ended, but another has been announced as cases of the virus surface again in the hospital’s Jim Pattison Pavilion. Vancouver Health says two patients in the in-patient ward T-14-G have tested positive for COVID 19, meaning admissions, transfers and most visits to that unit are cancelled, and restrictions remain in effect on unit T-8-B in the same tower. But the health authority says restrictions have been lifted on unit T-11-D after no further infections were identified there. Five hospitals in the Fraser Health Authority are also reporting continuing outbreaks in single wards of Mission, Chilliwack and Surrey hospitals, and in units of Eagle Ridge and Ridge Meadows hospitals, but other units — including emergency wards — remain open.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is shutting down talk of reopening the Canada-U-S border. He says Canadians are looking forward to the day regular cross-border travel resumes, but he suggests that day is not coming any time soon. There has been mounting optimism and pressure from south of the border, as more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19. U-S President Joe Biden has said he expects to have enough vaccine for every U-S adult by the end of May.
BC is reporting 1,506 new cases of COVID-19 over the past three days. And provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says 10 more people have died, bringing the death toll in B-C to 1,407. Henry used her COVID update today to urge people to get vaccinated as soon as possible with whatever vaccine they are offered. She says concerns about blood clots that have led some countries to suspend use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine appear to be related to 37 cases. She says blood clots can occur naturally and that’s out of more than 17-million doses administered so far.
The prime minister is offering reassurances on the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This comes as more European countries suspend its use due to safety concerns about blood clots in some people who’ve received it. Justin Trudeau says Canada is monitoring the European reaction to the batch of COVID-19 vaccines linked to possible side-effects. But the P-M says he’s confident in Health Canada’s guarantee that vaccines it has approved in Canada are safe. Trudeau also says he will gladly take any vaccine offered to him, when the time comes.
Surrey City Councillor Brenda Locke is lodging a formal complaint with the Minister of Municipal Affairs against Mayor Doug McCallum after he gave short shrift to her notice of motion calling for a referendum on the policing transition. But the mayor seemed unfazed by her threat. Locke delivered her lengthy notice of motion at the end of council’s March 8 meeting, calling for a referendum to be held on the transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP and a catalogue of reasons why. Her notice of motion called for a referendum to be held concurrent with the next civic election, on Oct. 15, 2022, to “determine once and for all public support to develop a Surrey police service.”