COVID-19

The risk of dying from a toxic-drug overdose increased by up to 50 per cent coinciding with the start of the pandemic for people who had been released from Ontario jails, and some who were still incarcerated, a study says. Prison cells are shown under construction in a new jail and detention centre in Zurich, Switzerland on June 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Gaetan Bally/Keystone via AP

Former Ontario inmates saw higher risk of overdose death as COVID-19 emerged: study

The most substantial impact was on individuals between the ages of 25 and 49

The risk of dying from a toxic-drug overdose increased by up to 50 per cent coinciding with the start of the pandemic for people who had been released from Ontario jails, and some who were still incarcerated, a study says. Prison cells are shown under construction in a new jail and detention centre in Zurich, Switzerland on June 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Gaetan Bally/Keystone via AP
A protester, later identified as Silke Schulze, was filmed by students hurling expletives and racist comments during a anti-COVID protest held near the Oliver high school in 2022. (Youtube)

Case dropped against B.C. woman filmed shouting racial abuse at teens

Silke Schulze was filmed harassing kids outside Oliver’s high school in 2022 during the pandemic

A protester, later identified as Silke Schulze, was filmed by students hurling expletives and racist comments during a anti-COVID protest held near the Oliver high school in 2022. (Youtube)
Dr. Reka Gustafson, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Island. (Submitted photo)

PODCAST: COVID, flu update with Dr. Reka Gustafson

TODAY IN B.C.: Health officer addresses common myths, evolving nature of pandemic

Dr. Reka Gustafson, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Island. (Submitted photo)
Wastewater testing can find what COVID-19 variants are present in the community. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in British Columbia, with the BC Centre for Disease Control reporting hospitalizations have increased 58 per cent in the past two weeks. (Pixabay).

B.C. COVID-19 hospitalizations up 58% in 2 weeks

COVID-19 levels detected in wastewater are up at every monitored treatment plant in the province

Wastewater testing can find what COVID-19 variants are present in the community. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in British Columbia, with the BC Centre for Disease Control reporting hospitalizations have increased 58 per cent in the past two weeks. (Pixabay).
Fraser Health held a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib in Surrey on May 7, 2021. A 2023 report notes that half of British Columbians are tired of having to get vaccinated. (Lauren Collins)

Vaccine fatigue: 55% of British Columbians plan to get a COVID shot this fall

Half of British Columbians say they’re tired of having to get vaccinated

Fraser Health held a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib in Surrey on May 7, 2021. A 2023 report notes that half of British Columbians are tired of having to get vaccinated. (Lauren Collins)
A registered nurse pulls on an N-95 mask in a COVID Acute Care Unit in Seattle, Washington. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Masking returning to B.C. hospitals, clinics as respiratory illnesses rise

COVID-19, influenza vaccines to begin rolling out in early October

A registered nurse pulls on an N-95 mask in a COVID Acute Care Unit in Seattle, Washington. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A Fraser Health registered nurse draws a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at a walk-up vaccination clinic at Bear Creek Park, in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, May 17, 2021. The detection in British Columbia of the country’s first known case of the latest COVID-19 variant should have Canadians ready to roll up their sleeves for newly formulated vaccines to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as influenza and RSV in some cases, an immunologist says.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canadian scientists monitoring how vaccines will work against latest COVID variant

B.C.’s Health Ministry confirmed the first case of the new variant was detected in the province

A Fraser Health registered nurse draws a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at a walk-up vaccination clinic at Bear Creek Park, in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, May 17, 2021. The detection in British Columbia of the country’s first known case of the latest COVID-19 variant should have Canadians ready to roll up their sleeves for newly formulated vaccines to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as influenza and RSV in some cases, an immunologist says.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A man has been found not guilty of assault for allegedly spitting on a woman at Nelson’s Empire Coffee during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020. File photo

Nelson man found not guilty of COVID-19 spitting incident

Jeremy Undershute was acquitted in a Castlegar courtroom

A man has been found not guilty of assault for allegedly spitting on a woman at Nelson’s Empire Coffee during the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020. File photo
A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. (Jennifer Smith - Morning Star)

COVID outbreak at B.C. hospital results in one death

Four people have been infected since the outbreak was declared Monday, Aug. 28

A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Vernon Jubilee Hospital Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. (Jennifer Smith - Morning Star)
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry looks on as Health Minister Adrian Dix speaks during a press conference at provincial legislature in Victoria, Aug. 23, 2021. Dix and Henry are confirming the province’s first case of a new COVID-19 variant in the province as of Aug. 29, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

B.C. confirms 1st case of new COVID variant

Province says a person in Fraser Health has been infected with the BA.2.86 variant of Omicron

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry looks on as Health Minister Adrian Dix speaks during a press conference at provincial legislature in Victoria, Aug. 23, 2021. Dix and Henry are confirming the province’s first case of a new COVID-19 variant in the province as of Aug. 29, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A man walks past the Supreme Court of Canada, Friday, June 16, 2023 in Ottawa. An Alberta woman who tried to take her fight over COVID vaccine rules to the Supreme Court has died. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Woman who tried to take COVID transplant fight to Supreme Court dies

Sheila Annette Lewis was diagnosed with a terminal disease in 2018

A man walks past the Supreme Court of Canada, Friday, June 16, 2023 in Ottawa. An Alberta woman who tried to take her fight over COVID vaccine rules to the Supreme Court has died. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A person draws out Moderna vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Some parents have not had their children vaccinated. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg)

B.C. daycare OK to remove family for not getting COVID-19 vaccine: ruling

B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal rejects claim for terminated contract, emotional distress

A person draws out Moderna vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Some parents have not had their children vaccinated. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg)
A man displays his COVID-19 rapid test kit after receiving it at a pharmacy in Montreal, Monday, December 20, 2021. The federal government is sitting on a stockpile of 39 million rapid tests and is struggling to get rid of them without chucking them in the trash, an internal Health Canada memo shows. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Feds struggling to get rid of millions of extra COVID-19 rapid tests

At the end of 2021, the government rapidly bought up rapid antigen tests

A man displays his COVID-19 rapid test kit after receiving it at a pharmacy in Montreal, Monday, December 20, 2021. The federal government is sitting on a stockpile of 39 million rapid tests and is struggling to get rid of them without chucking them in the trash, an internal Health Canada memo shows. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Campbell River, B.C., Courthouse. Photo by Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror

B.C. woman sentenced for coughing on grocery worker during COVID-19 tirade

Campbell River resident gets 18 months probation for 2020 disturbance in Save On Foods grocery store

Campbell River, B.C., Courthouse. Photo by Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror
A server clears a table on a patio at a restaurant, in Vancouver, on Friday, April 2, 2021. COVID-19 showed Canadian cities the benefits of extended patio programs for businesses and citizens, but experts say cities in the middle of transitioning to permanent versions of temporary policies are undermining pandemic-spurred improvements.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

As Canadian cities make pandemic patios permanent, standards called for

‘It’s remarkable how bad a job we’ve done’

A server clears a table on a patio at a restaurant, in Vancouver, on Friday, April 2, 2021. COVID-19 showed Canadian cities the benefits of extended patio programs for businesses and citizens, but experts say cities in the middle of transitioning to permanent versions of temporary policies are undermining pandemic-spurred improvements.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The Arbutus Club in Vancouver has a wealthy clientele. (Arbutus Club photo)

Man barred from exclusive Vancouver club over COVID-19 vaccine rules sues

Judge rejects Saul Kahn’s claim Arbutus Club was ‘unfairly prejudicial’

The Arbutus Club in Vancouver has a wealthy clientele. (Arbutus Club photo)
Leslie Ann Coles poses for a photograph in Toronto on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Coles knew “almost immediately” something was wrong after her COVID-19 infection in January 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Canadian researchers find brain inflammation in patients with long COVID

Autopsies of people who died in the midst of severe COVID-19 infection have previously shown they had brain inflammation

Leslie Ann Coles poses for a photograph in Toronto on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Coles knew “almost immediately” something was wrong after her COVID-19 infection in January 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Penticton Law Courts. (Black Press File)

Maskless-man guilty of assault on Okanagan store owner during COVID

The assault happened in 2021 at the height of COVID-19 safety measures

Penticton Law Courts. (Black Press File)
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin speaks to members of the media following an acquittal in his case at a Gatineau, Que., courthouse on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The Military Police watchdog is launching a probe into how investigators handled a historical sexual-assault allegation against a central figure in Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Watchdog to probe how military police handled case against Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin

A Quebec court acquitted Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin last December of one count of sexual assault

Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin speaks to members of the media following an acquittal in his case at a Gatineau, Que., courthouse on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The Military Police watchdog is launching a probe into how investigators handled a historical sexual-assault allegation against a central figure in Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Dr. Reka Gustafson, Chief Medical Health Officer for Vancouver Island and the former Medical Health Officer for the City of Vancouver. (Island Health photo)

PODCAST: Dr. Reka Gustafson talks COVID in a one-on-one interview

TODAY IN B.C.: Medical Officer says review of pandemic response should be global

Dr. Reka Gustafson, Chief Medical Health Officer for Vancouver Island and the former Medical Health Officer for the City of Vancouver. (Island Health photo)