The British Columbia Teachers Federation says data published by WorkSafeBC revealing “significantly higher” COVID-19 infection claims among elementary school teachers compared to their secondary school counterparts shows the importance of wearing masks in classrooms. Teri Mooring, BCTF president, noted that as of March 11 a total of 80 occupational COVID-19 infection claims were approved for K–7 teachers, compared to 25 for Grades 8–12 teachers. Mooring noted that Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and the provincial government “seem to be holding firm with their current mask mandates, so while we continue to advocate for stronger measures, we also need to rely on parents to talk to their children about the importance of wearing a mask for everybody’s safety. The BCTF is advising teachers who are working in a classroom environment “where there is a significant risk of exposure” to COVID-19 to “work with their local union” to file a claim with WorkSafeBC if they are diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The 26th consecutive extension of B-C’s state of emergency this week marks a year since it was first declared in response to the pandemic. The Ministry of Public Safety says the unprecedented state of emergency allows officials to use extraordinary powers, including issuing tickets and fines to those who disobey the provincial health officer’s orders It says more than 220 fines of 23-hundred dollars each have been issued since last August to organizers who broke rules on gatherings and events. And more than 12-hundred 230-dollar fines have been issued to individuals who refused to obey direction from law enforcement.
A cougar was tranquilized and later euthanized in Port Moody on Monday after numerous recent attacks and sightings in the area. It’s not known if the cougar was responsible for any or all of
the attacks, but the B-C Conservation Officer Service says cougars showing no fear of humans have been spotted in yards and near a local elementary school. It says their behavior indicates the cougars are comfortable living and hunting non-natural prey in a residential setting, posing a public safety risk. The service says it has received 82 reports of cougars in the Anmore, Belcarra and Port Moody areas since April 1st last year.
More than 120-thousand Canadians got a shot of COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday. As provinces shift their vaccination clinics into high gear, chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam is warning the country is now being hit by a third wave of infections. She’s especially concerned about the rising number of cases of more highly contagious variants. The World Health Organization is reporting global cases soared 10 per cent last week, with the Americas and Europe accounting for more than 80 per cent of all new illnesses and deaths
A COVID-19 vaccine created by a Canadian company is one step closer to becoming an option. Quebec-based Medicago says its plant-based vaccine candidate, made in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has reached the final stage of human testing. It’s the only vaccine candidate made by a Canadian company for which the federal government has deals in place. While the first 20-million doses have been promised to Canadians, the shot has also been fast-tracked for approval in the U.S. Medicago uses plants as living factories to grow virus-like particles, which mimic the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. British partner GSK contributes an immune-boosting chemical called an adjuvant to the vaccine. The drug maker is currently looking for adult volunteers to take part in its Canadian trial and also hopes to run trial sites in several other countries. The company says it plans to enroll up to 30,000 subjects “initially composed of healthy adults” between the ages of 18 and 65 to start, before including elderly adults — those over the age of 65 — as well as adults with underlying health conditions.
The European Union is again threatening to halt exports of COVID-19 vaccines to other countries, at a time when Canada is set to see a huge influx of doses with record deliveries coming next week. As the EU faces a third wave of this pandemic, and production disruptions and fears around blood clots with the AstraZeneca vaccine are causing shortages, the head of the EU is once again talking about preventing deliveries outside that region. Ursula von der Leyen says this is the crisis of the century and they will have to reflect on the exports to other countries. Two of Canada’s approved vaccines — the ones made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — are produced in Europe. This comes as Canada is expecting deliveries of two million doses next week. Procurement Minister Anita Anand says Pfizer is set to deliver 1.2-million doses while Moderna is expected to deliver more than 800,000 doses. Canada is also in talks with the U.S. about vaccines as President Joe Biden says his government will open access to other countries when the American population is inoculated. The U.S. has said Canada and Mexico are at the top of the list.
A man who robbed an Abbotsford bank in 2019 and had two robbery charges in Surrey in 2020 has been sentenced to time served and three years’ probation for all three offences.
Mitchell Christopher Mousseau, 49, previously pleaded guilty to robbing the HSBC branch at 32412 South Fraser Way on Aug. 9, 2019. He was sentenced Monday (March 15) in Abbotsford provincial court.
Police at the time of the robbery said a man had entered the bank and demanded cash from a teller. He threatened the worker, but did not use a weapon, police said.
Before he could be located and arrested, Mousseau turned himself in to police two days after the bank robbery.
B-C’s top doctor is reminding anyone celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to follow public health rules aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry says in a statement that last call for alcohol sales at restaurants, pubs and liquor stores will be at 8 p-m tonight. BC has confirmed 556 new cases of COVID-19, while 280 people are in hospital and no one else has died from the illness in the last day. More than 424-thousand doses of COVID-19 have been administered so far in the province and Henry says appointment bookings should be opening for people 80 and older by the end of the week.
B-C Premier John Horgan says people in the province who get the COVID-19 vaccine will be able to participate in more activities as provincial health restrictions are eased. But he says he’s not prepared to speculate on what limits could be placed on people who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, Horgan said he supported the concept of vaccine passports to prove international travellers have had COVID-19 vaccines. But he was not enthusiastic about certificates for people in B-C to attend local sports and entertainment events.
After plateauing for several weeks, Canada’s average daily case counts of COVID-19 are on the rise. Chief public health officer Doctor Theresa Tam says infection rates are highest among those between the ages of 20 and 39. Tam also notes a national decline in severe COVID-19 outcomes, such as hospitalizations and deaths, is starting to level off.
A provincial grant program to help businesses build or expand their online operations is getting an extra 30-million dollars in funding. That’s in addition to 12-million dollars B-C provided when the program launched last month to help businesses adapt as the pandemic pushes more customers to shop online. The province says 35-hundred businesses have so far applied for grants up to 75-hundred dollars each under the program that was initially set up to help 15-hundred, and it will now help about four-thousand more. Premier John Horgan says the program has also been expanded to include businesses that sell services in addition to goods, benefiting the tourism sector and those with online booking systems.