COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we grieve. (File photo)

Hay: We can’t let the pandemic put grief on hold

‘I have learned the difference between fear and hope is focus’

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we grieve. (File photo)
Vancouver Island COVID-19 cases for the week of Jan. 2-8. (BCCDC photo)

North Island’s COVID-19 cases jump from 29 to 54 during first week of January

The BCCDC releases the weekly COVID-19 case numbers every Wednesday

Vancouver Island COVID-19 cases for the week of Jan. 2-8. (BCCDC photo)
An outbreak limited to the first floor of Beacon Hill Villa in Victoria was declared Thursday following positive tests among three residents. (Photo courtesy of Google Streetview)

COVID-19 outbreaks declared at long-term care homes in Victoria, Nanaimo

A separate care facility outbreak in Victoria was declared over Thursday

An outbreak limited to the first floor of Beacon Hill Villa in Victoria was declared Thursday following positive tests among three residents. (Photo courtesy of Google Streetview)
A woman tries to speak to her mother, through a window at Orchard Villa Care home, in Pickering, Ont. on Saturday, April 25, 2020. The expert spearheading new draft national standards for long-term care says they must strike a balance between residents’ safety and their quality of life. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

New Canadian care home standards to emphasize fact that they are homes, not wards

Consultations showed pandemic policies hurt mental and social well-being, balance called for

A woman tries to speak to her mother, through a window at Orchard Villa Care home, in Pickering, Ont. on Saturday, April 25, 2020. The expert spearheading new draft national standards for long-term care says they must strike a balance between residents’ safety and their quality of life. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Island Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak in Saanich Peninsula Hospital’s long-term care department. (Arnold Lim/Black Press)

COVID-19 outbreak declared in Saanich Peninsula Hospital’s long-term care unit

Two staff members, three residents tested positive as of Jan. 11

Island Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak in Saanich Peninsula Hospital’s long-term care department. (Arnold Lim/Black Press)
FILE - A chef cooks Chinese food on a rainy fall day as the restaurant is open for curb-side pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Monday, November 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Slim majority support government lockdowns, restrictions in response to Omicron

Growing number of Canadians are unhappy with how their governments are handling pandemic

FILE - A chef cooks Chinese food on a rainy fall day as the restaurant is open for curb-side pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Monday, November 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Boston Pizza on Hillside and Blanshard closes its doors as of Jan. 9. (Megan Atkins-Baker/News Staff)

Victoria Boston Pizza location closes its doors after 35 years

Franchise owner writes restaurant has suffered greatly from impacts of pandemic in past two years

Boston Pizza on Hillside and Blanshard closes its doors as of Jan. 9. (Megan Atkins-Baker/News Staff)
People walk by a sign at a restaurant advising customers of Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport in Montreal, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Quebec is considering expanding its vaccine passport system further, a move that some health and ethics experts say is justified because of the high number of COVID-19 patients in the province’s hospitals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Tightening rules for unvaccinated is justified as health system struggles: experts

Others: people rejecting COVID-19 vaccines out of ideology won’t be swayed by restrictions

People walk by a sign at a restaurant advising customers of Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport in Montreal, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Quebec is considering expanding its vaccine passport system further, a move that some health and ethics experts say is justified because of the high number of COVID-19 patients in the province’s hospitals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A row of ambulances is seen outside a hospital in Montreal, on Monday, January 10, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will do all it can to help provinces and territories cope with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infections fuelled by the Omicron variant threaten to overwhelm health systems. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Trudeau says Canada will have enough COVID-19 vaccines as US issues travel advisory

Provinces and territories will receive a combined 140 million rapid tests this month

A row of ambulances is seen outside a hospital in Montreal, on Monday, January 10, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will do all it can to help provinces and territories cope with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infections fuelled by the Omicron variant threaten to overwhelm health systems. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Gym manager Dirk Popen (left), business partner Melissa Baxandall and owner Craig Vasconcelos at the currently closed Eagle Creek Athletic Club in View Royal. The club’s status as a new business renders it ineligible for federal business pandemic supports. (Photo courtesy of Craig Vasconcelos)

West Shore business owners worry about future in wake of COVID-driven closures

Amount, eligibility for pandemic biz aid falls short, West Shore health club operators say

Gym manager Dirk Popen (left), business partner Melissa Baxandall and owner Craig Vasconcelos at the currently closed Eagle Creek Athletic Club in View Royal. The club’s status as a new business renders it ineligible for federal business pandemic supports. (Photo courtesy of Craig Vasconcelos)
Paramedics transfer a person from an ambulance into a hospital in Montreal, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. The Health Department says data from the last 24 hours indicates a 140-jump in hospitalization from the previous day, for a total of 2,436. The province is also reporting 11,007 new cases of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

COVID hospitalizations nearing or reaching record highs in several provinces

Many provinces imposed a weeklong delay in the return to in-person schooling

Paramedics transfer a person from an ambulance into a hospital in Montreal, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. The Health Department says data from the last 24 hours indicates a 140-jump in hospitalization from the previous day, for a total of 2,436. The province is also reporting 11,007 new cases of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The District of Central Saanich is addressing how its businesses have been impacted by the pandemic through hosting free, educational workshops. (Photo by Janis Jean)
The District of Central Saanich is addressing how its businesses have been impacted by the pandemic through hosting free, educational workshops. (Photo by Janis Jean)
Evan Patrician (12) and the Victoria Royals, in action in November against the Vancouver Giants, are on pause for the Western Hockey League season. The Royals announced Friday (Jan. 7) their upcoming games against Spokane Jan. 11 and 12 are cancelled due to players and staff being added to the WHL’s COVID protocols list. (Gary Ahuja, Langley Events Centre/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Victoria Royals pause WHL activities season due to COVID protocols

Team said multiple players, staff are displaying symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19

Evan Patrician (12) and the Victoria Royals, in action in November against the Vancouver Giants, are on pause for the Western Hockey League season. The Royals announced Friday (Jan. 7) their upcoming games against Spokane Jan. 11 and 12 are cancelled due to players and staff being added to the WHL’s COVID protocols list. (Gary Ahuja, Langley Events Centre/Special to Langley Advance Times)
Skiers on the Boomerang Chair at Fernie Alpine Resort. (Scott Tibballs / The Free Press)

High elevation, high numbers: B.C. resort towns report COVID spikes

Resort communities are at more risk, according to Dr. Karin Goodison of Interior Health

Skiers on the Boomerang Chair at Fernie Alpine Resort. (Scott Tibballs / The Free Press)
Signs say ‘Mental Health Matters,’ ‘Gyms are Essential,’ and ‘#FreeBC’ (Iron Energy Gym Instagram)

West Kelowna gym ordered to close and fined $2,300 for disobeying COVID restrictions

Interior Health was escorted by RCMP at Iron Energy Gym

Signs say ‘Mental Health Matters,’ ‘Gyms are Essential,’ and ‘#FreeBC’ (Iron Energy Gym Instagram)
A bag of blood is shown at a clinic in Montreal on November 29, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Blood tests show waning immunity that scientists hope Omicron could counter

Canadian task force analyzing extent of immunity offered by Omicron

A bag of blood is shown at a clinic in Montreal on November 29, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
The Parksville Civic and Technology Centre at 100 Jensen Ave. (PQB News file photo)

COVID-19: City of Parksville to implement vaccine mandate for workforce

Staff, contractors, volunteers, on-call firefighters required to provide proof of vaccination

The Parksville Civic and Technology Centre at 100 Jensen Ave. (PQB News file photo)
The Eden Gardens care home in Nanaimo is among five Island facilities where new COVID-19 outbreaks were announced by Island Health on Wednesday morning (Jan. 5). (Black Press Media file photo)

Five COVID outbreaks declared at Victoria, Nanaimo long-term care homes

The majority infected are staff and outbreaks are restricted to one floor or unit

The Eden Gardens care home in Nanaimo is among five Island facilities where new COVID-19 outbreaks were announced by Island Health on Wednesday morning (Jan. 5). (Black Press Media file photo)
Penticton-based poet Shane Koyczan released his poem Tomorrow on YouTube speaking a message of hope for what 2022 could bring. (Shane Koyczan photo)

Famed Penticton poet Shane Koyczan offers a dose of hope for 2022

Shane Koyczan releases ‘Tomorrow’ on Youtube where we should ‘stockpile hope like toilet paper’

Penticton-based poet Shane Koyczan released his poem Tomorrow on YouTube speaking a message of hope for what 2022 could bring. (Shane Koyczan photo)
Namaskar Yoga Studio was forced again to shut its doors again due to a provincial health order to close all studios and fitness centres as of Dec. 23. (Namaskar Yoga Studio photo)
Namaskar Yoga Studio was forced again to shut its doors again due to a provincial health order to close all studios and fitness centres as of Dec. 23. (Namaskar Yoga Studio photo)