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COVID-19 drug trials start Thursday

Don’t expect a vaccine for up to 18 months: UBC researcher

Clinical trials on a drug to block the COVID-19 virus will start April 9 at 10 centres in Europe, the University of B.C. researcher leading the work said April 8. “We will understand it.…

Alberta surpasses B.C. in COVID-19 cases for first time

Data suggests B.C. is flattening the curve better than other provinces

British Columbia has outperformed other provinces in flattening the COVID -19 curve according to provincial health data released by Canadian provinces. On Monday April 6, Alberta became the third province to surpass British Columbia in the number of COVID-19 cases and the second province in the last three weeks.…

Expanded officers’ duties bring calls for public caution

Civil liberties association fears ‘mass police database’

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is warning both the public and the authorities to ensure compliance officers and police don’t overstep their legal bounds after a ministerial order expanded such officers’ duties. “It is important that people are actively aware and informed about their rights during the pandemic, and that police officers and compliance officers absolutely not over-reach their authorized powers in B.C.,” association executive director Harsha Walia said.…

Keep mental health top of mind

Talking to family and friends, exercise, sleep, diet key to surviving home work

Maintaining mental health during stressful periods such as the one Canadian workers are currently experiencing should be a top-of-mind issue, counsellors and employee assistance experts say. That’s the case more than ever as people find themselves working from home while wondering what the future holds.…

Ottawa adjusts wage subsidy program, offers help to job-seeking students

Ottawa is once more retooling economic relief efforts addressing the COVID-19 crisis in a bid to help students and businesses. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday (April 8) that organizations participating in the Canada Summer Jobs Program will get a subsidy of up to 100% from government to cover the cost of hiring students.…

Telus CEO donates quarterly salary to COVID-19 relief efforts

The CEO of Telus Corp. (TSX:T) is donating his second-quarter salary to efforts helping frontline health-care workers amid the COVID-19 crisis.…

Time for smokers to butt out is now, or risk ventilator shortage: researcher

Dr. Kelley Lee of SFU says by quitting, smokers can play an important role in preventing further stress on the healthcare system, but governments need to do more to wean people off cigarettes and vaporizers

If there ever was a good time to quit smoking and vaping, now is that time, says public health researcher Dr. Kelley Lee of Simon Fraser University. Smokers and vapers are not just at a greater risk of having more serious complications from COVID-19; they are less likely to receive a ventilator in short supply.…

Corridor communities unite in asking visitors to stay away

Those who don’t follow bylaw direction can be fined $500

DESPITE REPEATED warnings from provincial health officials about the importance of physical distancing, the Sea to Sky region continues to be a popular draw for visitors—even during a global pandemic. The large number of visitors has prompted an unprecedented plea from local leaders throughout the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD): stay away.…

Pandemic experts put ‘least weight’ on recovery stats, look to hospitalizations

VICTORIA — Scientists who track the growth of pandemics say some figures provided by public health officials tell more about the spread of the novel coronavirus than others. Daniel Coombs says the number of people admitted to hospitals tells him where COVID-19 stands in a community, a province or across the entire country.…

YVR passenger traffic falls to 3,000 per day from 78,000

YVR CEO reported that passenger numbers have further plummeted at the airport.

Traffic has plummeted at YVR to four per cent of its normal volume. Craig Richmond, CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority, reported to the Richmond COVID-19 Community Task Force on Monday that only 3,000 passengers were travelling through the airport given the current travel restrictions, down from a normal volume of 78,000 per day.…

Alarm raised over travellers who aren’t self-isolating

Residents returning from abroad are considered at higher risk of having contracted the virus

Despite a federal order requiring all returning travellers to Canada to go directly home and stay there for two weeks, some are concerned not everyone is playing by the rules. Residents returning from abroad are considered at higher risk of having contracted the virus.…

VIDEO: Family ‘Legofies’ Trudeau’s message to kids in animated short

The short video was produced in the family’s basement out of their vast collection of Lego. They hope the message reaches kids from coast to coast.

A family inspired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech to the children of Canada has “Legofied” his message into an animated short Father Tyler Walsh said it all started in the family’s basement, where his kids, 9 and 12, dug through their vast collection of Lego to find the perfect facial expressions and build the appropriate sets.…

OPINION: COVID-19 recession scenarios for B.C.: one is bad; one is worse

By now it is clear the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will be widespread and unusually painful. The shuttering of much of the provincial economy is unprecedented.…

Calls grow for further measures to relieve rent and mortgage pressure

Landlord B.C. is open to collaborating with tenant advocates to lobby government to bring in more programs for renters

The Victoria Tenant Action Group and Landlord B.C. are each calling for more government support as the COVID-19 crisis hammers many renters and property owners. When April 1 rent was due, job losses in the hundreds of thousands across the country hit both renters and landlords.…

Ottawa inks deal for 30,000 made-in-Canada ventilators

Agreement comes amid concerns over Canada’s domestic supply of medical equipment

Ottawa has landed a deal with four organizations to produce 30,000 ventilators within Canada’s borders. The agreement with Victoria’s StarFish Medical (StarFish Product Engineering Inc.), CAE Inc.…