The Surrey Board of Education has decided against mandating COVID-19 vaccines for staff. In a release, the board says that “after carefully considering the matter,” it won’t be mandating the vaccine. “Our Board recognizes the importance of vaccines, and we continue to encourage anyone that is eligible to get vaccinated,” This news comes a little more than a week after the district said it was continuing to discuss a mandate. In Surrey, 87.6 per cent of those aged 12 and up are fully vaccinated, while 93.8 per cent have had one dose
Twenty-five people have died from COVID-19 in B.C. in the last 72 hours, as the province records 1,370 new cases of the virus. Eight of those deaths were in the Fraser Health region, of the 436 people who are in hospital, 140 are in intensive care — which is down a bit. Between Oct. 15 and 28, people who were unvaccinated accounted for 73.5% of hospitalizations. When it comes to vaccines, 90 per cent of those eligible have received their first dose, and 85.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.
A staffing shortage due to the B-C government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers has forced surgeries to be postponed in some hospitals. Health Minister Adrian Dix says more than 33-hundred health-care workers have been put on unpaid leave because they are not vaccinated. Dix says that has forced operating services to be reduced in the Interior and Fraser health authorities. He says added demand for health care has also forced postponements of surgeries in many other parts of the province.
B-C is expanding early eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to people who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Boosters are already being offered to seniors and people with compromised immune systems but AstraZeneca recipients will also be getting invitations for boosters six months after their second dose. Dr. Bonnie Henry says that’s because data has shown those who got AstraZeneca have had waning protection from infection — although it is still strong. Boosters for all people 12 years and older are expected to be available starting early next year.
BC is applying to the federal government to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs as part of efforts to fight the overdose crisis. That follows Vancouver’s request in May for a Health Canada exemption decriminalizing the possession of illicit drugs for personal use in the city. Figures released in September from the B-C Coroners Service show there were one-thousand-204 deaths from illicit drugs between January and the end of July, a 28 per cent jump over the same period last year.
The B-C Coroners Service says the deaths of all 595 people who died during extreme heat events over the summer are being investigated. The new death toll was just announced and is up from — the 569 deaths confirmed at the end of July. The province will be better able to prevent future similar tragedies by identifying patterns and factors in each of the deaths. Reports on each fatality should be complete by early next year.
A study by Elections Canada has found that 40 per cent of respondents believe some form of conspiracy theory. The online study, polled two-thousand Canadians. Among the questions asked was whether people believed big global developments have been the result of a small group of people who secretly manipulate world events.
Surrey RCMP’s fixed radar system is on the prowl in response to speeding complaints in the city. The technology is called Black Cat Radar…multiple systems are being deployed around the city in “known problem areas as well as areas where members of the community have reported speed concerns. The radar systems capture data including vehicle speeds and traffic volume “to better understand speed trends within the City of Surrey in order to effectively deploy our resources and take enforcement action”.
BC health officials announced 406 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 206,690. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that there are 4,694 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 445 individuals are currently in hospital, 137 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
New cases and total active cases, broken down by health region, are as follows:
- Fraser Health: 133 new cases, 2,157 total active cases
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 41 new cases, 607 total active cases
- Interior Health: 95 new cases, 613 total active cases
- Northern Health: 86 new cases, 606 total active cases
- Island Health: 51 new cases, 652 total active cases
- Outside of Canada: No new cases, 59 total active cases
There have been five COVID-19-related deaths over the past 24 hours, for a total of 2,186 deaths in BC. This includes one in Interior Health and four in Northern Health. From October 25 to 31, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 64.4% of cases and from October 18 to 31, they accounted for 72.4% of hospitalizations.
Past week cases (October 25 to 31) – Total 3,743
- Not vaccinated: 2,205 (58.9%)
- Partially vaccinated: 204 (5.5%)
- Fully vaccinated: 1,334 (35.6%)
Past two weeks cases hospitalized (October 18 to 31) – Total 381
- Not vaccinated: 255 (66.9%)
- Partially vaccinated: 21 (5.5%)
- Fully vaccinated: 105 (27.6%)
Past week, cases per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (October 25 to 31)
- Not vaccinated: 280.2
- Partially vaccinated: 70
- Fully vaccinated: 30.9
Past two weeks, cases hospitalized per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (October 18 to 31)
- Not vaccinated: 48.3
- Partially vaccinated: 9.1
- Fully vaccinated: 2.3
To date, 90% of all eligible people 12 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine; 85.4% have received their second dose.
An independent think tank has released a report calculating the living wage in Metro Vancouver has jumped to $20.52 cents an hour. The Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives says that’s up more than one-dollar from its last calculation in 2019 — and more than five dollars higher than B-C’s minimum wage. The centre says the most significant increase was for housing costs, which were up 8.6 per cent. But it says provincial investments in child care have helped offset increases in family expenses since 2018 and stopped the living wage from going up even further.
Transport Canada says three B-C airports are among eight across the country that can accept international arrivals _ starting November 30th. A statement from the federal government says travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic are being eased on international flight arrivals at airports serving Victoria, Kelowna, and Abbotsford. The other five airports are in Saskatoon, Regina, Waterloo, Hamilton and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Right now, only 10 Canadian airports _ including Vancouver _ accept international arrivals but Transport Canada says the new the pan-Canadian proof of vaccination card, along with strict vaccine travel requirements in effect by the end of this month, offer more opportunities for safe travel for vaccinated Canadians.
Simon Fraser University says it plans to fully divest from the use of fossil fuels by 2025. A statement from the university says its decision recognizes the increasingly dire global climate emergency. Student groups at S-F-U are praising the decision, saying their members have been demanding fossil fuel divestment for eight years. The University of B-C’s board of governors passed a resolution in 2019 divesting its endowment from fossil fuels, but that change is not due to be complete until 2030.
A 57-year-old man has been shot and killed in Maple Ridge. Ridge Meadows R-C-M-P say it happened just before seven last night in a remote, rural area of the community. The critically injured victim was found in a white G-M-C pickup and police day he died at the scene, despite life-saving efforts by officers. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is on the scene and R-C-M-P say it’s not yet known if the shooting is related to Metro Vancouver’s ongoing gang conflict.