public health

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2020 file photo, a view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2020 file photo, a view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo. The Biden administration is putting on hold a deal brokered by the Trump administration that would have had Oracle and Walmart buying a big stake in popular video app TikTok, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

More scrutiny needed of TikTok’s reach, influence on public health: B.C. researchers

Researchers need to get ahead of misinformation and not just in regards to COVID

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2020 file photo, a view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2020 file photo, a view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo. The Biden administration is putting on hold a deal brokered by the Trump administration that would have had Oracle and Walmart buying a big stake in popular video app TikTok, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

EDITORIAL: B.C.’s prescription to end opioid epidemic

As the casualties continue to mount, B.C. is calling on Ottawa to…

  • Nov 20, 2021
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
B.C. vaccine passport (Black Press Media)

EDITORIAL: Vaccine mandates the safest way to get through pandemic

Mandates have become the latest tool in the fight against the spread…

  • Nov 4, 2021
B.C. vaccine passport (Black Press Media)
Annie Taal gets her vaccination for COVID-19. Despite a rare allergic reaction the Victoria woman is happy she received the vaccine. (Courtesy of Island Health)

Victoria woman grateful to be vaccinated despite allergic reaction

About one in 100,000 people will have a severe allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine

Annie Taal gets her vaccination for COVID-19. Despite a rare allergic reaction the Victoria woman is happy she received the vaccine. (Courtesy of Island Health)
Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix look on as Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks about the COVID-19 vaccine card set to arrive in mid-September as they discuss details about the process during a press conference at provincial legislature in Victoria, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Premier John Horgan shows his vaccination card after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the pharmacy in James Bay Thrifty’s Foods in Victoria, B.C., on Friday, April 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

No medical exemptions for B.C. vaccine card ‘blatant discrimination’, disabled activist says

Some British Columbians cannot be vaccinated due to allergies to vaccine components

Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix look on as Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks about the COVID-19 vaccine card set to arrive in mid-September as they discuss details about the process during a press conference at provincial legislature in Victoria, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Premier John Horgan shows his vaccination card after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the pharmacy in James Bay Thrifty’s Foods in Victoria, B.C., on Friday, April 16, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A 60-year-old COVID-19 patient fights for his life, desperately gasping for air as health-care staff provide life saving medical care in an emergency situation in the intensive care unit at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Surveys from the Ontario Medical Association suggest nearly three-quarters of physicians experienced at least some level of burnout when asked in 2021, up from 66 per cent the previous year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Experts warn B.C. on track to exceed record highs of new COVID-19 infections come fall

The B.C. COVID-19 Modelling Group is calling for increased safety measures to curb the spread

A 60-year-old COVID-19 patient fights for his life, desperately gasping for air as health-care staff provide life saving medical care in an emergency situation in the intensive care unit at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Surveys from the Ontario Medical Association suggest nearly three-quarters of physicians experienced at least some level of burnout when asked in 2021, up from 66 per cent the previous year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Visitors to the Calgary Stampede line up for tickets in Calgary on Sunday, July 18, 2021. Alberta Health says 71 people likely acquired COVID-19 while attending the Stampede. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta to end isolation rules for COVID-19 cases, close contacts as cases rise

Starting Aug. 16, people who test positive for the virus will not be mandated to isolate

Visitors to the Calgary Stampede line up for tickets in Calgary on Sunday, July 18, 2021. Alberta Health says 71 people likely acquired COVID-19 while attending the Stampede. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Labour Minister Filomena Tassi responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Thursday December 3, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Liberals look to fall for movement on having free tampons, pads in federal workplaces

A 100-per-cent take-up rate would put the cost at about $2.3 million annually.

Labour Minister Filomena Tassi responds to a question during Question Period in the House of Commons Thursday December 3, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Dr. Réka Gustafson, who is British Columbia’s deputy provincial health officer, speaks during a news conference in Vancouver on April 8, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. public health officials prepare to manage COVID-19 differently in the future

Flu-like? Health officials anticipate shift from pandemic to communicable disease control strategies

Dr. Réka Gustafson, who is British Columbia’s deputy provincial health officer, speaks during a news conference in Vancouver on April 8, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Smoke from wildfires burning in the U.S. fills the air as the Grouse Mountain tram transports people down the mountain, in North Vancouver, B.C,, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The World Air Quality Index, a non-profit that tracks air quality from monitoring stations around the world, rated Vancouver’s air quality as the second worst in the world Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Metro Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Prepare for the worst: 10 steps to get ready for wildfire smoke

The summer of 2021 has the potential to be worse than any wildfire season before it

Smoke from wildfires burning in the U.S. fills the air as the Grouse Mountain tram transports people down the mountain, in North Vancouver, B.C,, on Saturday, September 12, 2020. The World Air Quality Index, a non-profit that tracks air quality from monitoring stations around the world, rated Vancouver’s air quality as the second worst in the world Saturday. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for Metro Vancouver, showing a very high risk to health due to wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
British Columbia on track to record more than 2,000 deaths this year due to an ongoing supply of toxic drugs. (Paul Henderson/ Chilliwack Progress file)

Toxic drug crisis disproportionately killing B.C.’s First Nations people

First Nations Health Authority reports First Nations people killed at more than five times B.C. rate

British Columbia on track to record more than 2,000 deaths this year due to an ongoing supply of toxic drugs. (Paul Henderson/ Chilliwack Progress file)
The District of Saanich is reminding park users to comply with the current public health orders after large picnics and sports games were reported. (Black Press Media File)

Large picnics, adult sports in Saanich parks prompt reminder about COVID-19 restrictions

Groups of up to 10 can meet outside, some adult sports permitted with social distancing

The District of Saanich is reminding park users to comply with the current public health orders after large picnics and sports games were reported. (Black Press Media File)
Health Canada headquarters in Ottawa. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Health Canada releases guidelines for reducing COVID-19 transmission at home

Improve indoor air quality by opening up your windows and doors, among other encouraged ventilation measures

Health Canada headquarters in Ottawa. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
A health-care worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a UHN COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Toronto on Thursday, January 7, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

Vaccinating essential workers before seniors in B.C. could save lives: experts

A new study says the switch could also save up to $230 million in provincial health-care costs

A health-care worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a UHN COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Toronto on Thursday, January 7, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)
Kids and parents need to take social distancing seriously, and restrict their playdates, the executive director of the Public Health Association of British Columbia. (pixabay photo)

COVID-19: Keeping their distance will help keep your kids healthy

Public health official says cancel playdates, encourage two-metre gap outside household family

Kids and parents need to take social distancing seriously, and restrict their playdates, the executive director of the Public Health Association of British Columbia. (pixabay photo)
Dr. Bonnie Henry takes over for Dr. Perry Kendall, who is retiring at the end of January. (Black Press)

New provincial health officer takes over in B.C.

Dr. Bonnie Henry replaces retiring Dr. Perry Kendall to head public health efforts

Dr. Bonnie Henry takes over for Dr. Perry Kendall, who is retiring at the end of January. (Black Press)