BC is reporting just 56 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths, bringing the seven-day daily new case average to its lowest level since August 31st.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says BC is progressing well through its second stage of re-opening with more than one million people fully immunized and a sustained dropped in hospitalizations. However, she also notes that the COVID-19 virus is still a threat and she’s urging people to get fully vaccinated as the best way to ensure they’ll have a good summer.
A statement from the Provincial Government says the State of Emergency here in BC could be cancelled before July 6th! In order for this to happen, we’ll need to see continued progress on case numbers, hospitalizations and vaccination rates.
Premier John Horgan says better days are within reach, but we still need to guard against COVID-19
The first declaration of the state of emergency was made on March 18th 2020, the day after the provincial health officer declared a public health emergency.
While the State of Emergency may not mean much to most people, It means police and enforcement officials can use measures under the Emergency Program Act to enforce safety measures and issue tickets to limit the spread of COVID-19.
WorkSafeBC is reminding employers of their responsibility to keep workers safe in extreme heat this week and next.
Currently there’s no defined rule in BC about when it’s too hot to work outside, but Barry Nakahara, senior manager of prevention field services, says employers must have a heat stress plan, which typically includes rest and cool-down periods. Much of southern B-C is experiencing a heat wave with temperatures in the Interior set to peak in the 40s over the weekend.
As Canadians slowly start to return to office buildings and job sites across the country, rapid COVID-19 testing could soon be available to some workers. The workplace testing program is being led by the Creative Destruction Lab’s rapid screening consortium, and could help limit outbreaks and possibly prevent future lockdowns. Rapid testing for COVID-19 can show results as quickly as 15 minutes.
Going unclaimed for weeks, the massive 70-million-dollar Lotto Max jackpot is set to be split between two winning tickets.
Officials say one ticket was sold in BC and the other in Ontario, with each taking 35-million in Tuesday night’s draw. The BC ticket was purchased somewhere in Kamloops.
In addition, there are 46 Maxmillion prize winners. Twenty-one winning tickets were sold in Ontario, 11 in BC, 10 in Quebec and four in the Prairies.
BC health officials announced 87 new test-positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the province to 147,271. In a written statement, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said that broken down by health region, 13 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 30 are in the Fraser Health region, three are in the Island Health region, and 41 are in the Interior Health region. There are no new cases in the Northern Health region. There are 1,119 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. Of the active cases, 109 individuals are currently hospitalized, 41 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. There has been one new COVID-19-related death, for a total of 1,744 deaths in British Columbia. To date, 77.2% of all adults 18 and over in BC and 75.8% of those 12 and older have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 4,570,153 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in BC, 1,051,910 of which are second doses. A total of 144,383 people who tested positive for the virus have now recovered.
The discovery of what are believed to be human remains in unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School has sparked a cross-country art project. Work by eight Indigenous artists is being displayed on hundreds of billboards across Canada in an effort to educate people about the atrocities that happened at residential schools and start the healing process for survivors. Artists Against Racism developed the project after hearing about the Kamloops discovery. The art will be displayed on more than 500 digital billboards in all areas of Canada for the next month.
The Liberal government has introduced a bill it says will protect Canadians from online hate speech. It would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to reinstate an amended version of a controversial section that was repealed in 2013 amid widespread criticism that it violated freedom of speech rights. It would more narrowly define hatred to mean — quote — “the emotion that involves detestation or vilification” that is stronger than dislike or disdain.
Vaccination clinics aimed at those aged 12 and older – including one in South Surrey on Friday (June 25) – are the latest move in the push to get Fraser Health residents immunized. Clinics are planned for tomorrow (June 24) and Friday throughout the health region. In South Surrey, youth are invited to get their first dose at the South Surrey Recreation Centre between 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, while the Al-Iman Islamic Centre in Newton (18-13478 78 Ave.) will be open from 3:30-7 p.m. Clinics in the city’s other neighbourhoods are scheduled at the Cloverdale Recreation Centre (6188 176 St., from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.); the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre (13458 107 Ave., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.); and the Guildford Recreation Centre (15105 105 Ave., 11:15 a.m. till 7 p.m.).