Twenty-eight British Columbians lost their lives to COVID-19 in a single day. During yesterday provincial update, Dr. Bonnie Henry called it one of the most “tragic days,” of the pandemic. She explained all but two of the people who died were residents in long-term care. Residents in long-term care will be one of the first groups to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when possible. Another 723 infections were also reported as the province surpassed 40,000 confirmed cases. The number of patients in hospital because of the virus remains high at 346. Eighty-three people are in critical care.
The RCMP has been called in to help make sure COVID-19 vaccines aren’t interfered with or sabotaged before frontline workers start lining up to get immunized next week. The first round of the COVID-19 vaccine will be arriving in BC, and it will be distributed at two locations. But Dr. Bonnie Henry has only said that the doses will be going to one place in the Fraser Health region, and another in the Vancouver Coastal region — keeping details confidential due to these safety concerns. Henry’s remarks come in the wake of a warning from INTERPOL which issued a so-called Orange Alert The concern, is that criminal organizations may being manufacturing and selling counterfeit vaccines, or may even try to steal real ones and then sell them on the black market, online and in physical locations.
Data suggests the COVID-19 death toll could hit nearly 15-thousand in just two weeks. Health officials say the country is still on a “rapid growth trajectory,” with daily cases topping 10-thousand later this month. Infections are climbing everywhere west of the Atlantic region, and rising precipitously in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says there’s been a troubling rise in infections among older Canadians, who face a higher risk of complications.
Dozens of people gathered peacefully outside of the Indian consulate in Vancouver in another show of solidarity with farmers protesting in New Delhi. Yesterday’s rally was held to support Indian farmers’ demand that newly-introduced agricultural laws be repealed. Protesters in India say those reforms will devastate independent farmers. Farmers have long been seen as the heart and soul of India, where agriculture supports more than half of the country’s 1.3 billion people.
Surrey Homicide investigators have identified the 29-year-old woman who was shot in her vehicle one week ago, and her family is hoping the public has more information. Lisa Ellie Marie Baines, who went by Ellie, was found last Thursday morning with a gunshot wound in an alleyway near 137 Street and 75A Avenue. Police say it is an isolated incident and wasn’t related to “drug nor gang activity.” We have spoken with many of Ellie’s friends and family but we are also aware there may be someone who we have yet to speak with that may have information about her recent activities. We urge that person to come forward.
A Langley woman is hoping to brighten spirits for seniors in care, as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming holidays most likely without their loved ones. She’s launched a Christmas card campaign and needs the public’s help to make it a success. She says writing and receiving cards is a big part of the Christmas tradition for this generation of people and hopes this will help bring some much-needed cheer around the holidays. There’s no limit to how many cards you can send. You can send them to Chartwell Langley Gardens