VANCOUVER -- Another 3,289 cases of COVID-19 and 18 related deaths were recorded over the weekend in British Columbia, which is grappling with its record-breaking third wave of the pandemic. The province has now identified a total of 112,829 coronavirus infections and suffered 1,513 fatalities since the start of the global crisis. Speaking at her COVID-19 briefing on Monday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry once again stressed the importance of following all restrictions and guidelines to keep everyone safe until they can be vaccinated. "It is our collective efforts that have made the difference so far," Henry said. "To get to the end as quickly as possible, there are things we need to do now and that includes staying home, staying in your immediate neighbourhood as much as possible."
VANCOUVER -- The gun salute and honour guard that usually precedes the delivery of the government’s Throne Speech in Victoria has gone to the dogs. Due to the pandemic, the usual pomp and ceremony was gone, but Lt.- Gov. Janet Austin’s canine companion made a special appearance. After being coaxed to the historic stairs, Vice Regal Macduff Austin-Chester climbed up to greet Premier John Horgan, ahead of her honour. All of the adorable antics were caught on camera. Macduff is no stranger to the spotlight. His Instagram account has more than 1,500 followers. He’s described as the “charming and self-confident Vice Regal Canine Consort” to the lieutenant governor.
VANCOUVER -- Firefighers and RCMP members in Surrey and White Rock are being offered early COVID-19 vaccinations due to their cities’ high infection rates. The new program applies to officers and civilian staff at detachments in both cities, as well as firefighters, and comes as a third wave of coronavirus infections grips the province. Sgt. Elenore Sturko said getting the vaccines will mean she is no longer at risk of unknowingly spreading the vaccine to community members or her family. “This is a great morale boost...knowing that the chance of me inadvertently spreading the virus, as a result of the work that I do, is reduced a lot,” she said, just minutes after receiving her COVID-19 shot.
VANCOUVER -- The head of a Vancouver-based biotech company says he’s frustrated at the delay in delivering what he calls a potentially "life-saving" COVID-19 treatment. Carl Hansen is the CEO of AbCellera, which discovered an antibody treatment for the virus last year. In partnership with Eli Lilly Canada, the two companies developed the drug bamlanivimab. It was first approved for emergency use by Health Canada in November, shortly after FDA approval in the U.S. Since then, Hansen says nearly half a million people over the border have been treated with the drug, but that’s not the case in Canada.