Op/Ed: Interior Health marking Mental Health Awareness Week
COVID-19 has impacted each of us in many ways. One of the areas that we are monitoring closely is mental health. Mental health affects all of us. As we mark the 70th annual Mental Health Awareness Week I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the toll that the ongoing pandemic is having on people’s feelings of stress,...
BC reports 2,174 COVID-19 cases over weekend ; 15 new related deaths
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia: "Today, we are reporting on three periods: from April 30 to May 1, we had 835 new cases; from May 1 to May 2, we had 671 new cases ...
Don’t Overlook Swimming Lessons says Canada Safety Council
In the summer months, especially as the heat rises across the country, there’s not much more tantalizing than the call of a cool, crisp body of water. Whether it’s swimming, boating, fishing or any number of other recreational activities, the common denominator is a desire to be in the water and cool down. To mark this year’s...
Nearly 500 British Columbians lost to toxic illicit drugs in first three months of 2021
As the province’s public health emergency regarding substance related harms enters its sixth year, the BC Coroners Service reports that toxic illicit drugs have claimed the lives of 158 British Columbians in March 2021. This raises the total number of deaths in the province for the year to 498. “Once again, we are reminded ...
Nelson continues to be COVID-19 hotspot for Kootenay Boundary
Nelson continues to be the hotspot for COVID-19 cases in the Kootenay Boundary. In the weekly update on the B.C. Centre of Disease Control website, the Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 by Local Health Area of Case Residence map shows Nelson topping the count during April 18 to 24 with 19 cases. The Heritage City had 20...
BC Government extends state of emergency; 799 new COVID-19 cases reported
On the same day there was a reported 799 new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 127,048 cases in British Columbia, the BC Government formally extended the provincial state of emergency, allowing health and emergency management officials to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act (EPA) to support the...
Heritage City hotspot for COVID-19 in Kootenay Boundary Region
According to the BC Centre of Disease Control weekly map detailing cases in specific areas of the province — April 11-17 — the Heritage City is the hotspot for COVID-19 cases in the Kootenay Boundary. The BCCDC Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 by Local Health Area of Case Residence map shows Nelson topping the...
BC Government introduces COVID-19 vaccine paid leave
The B.C. government has introduced amendments to the Employment Standards Act that, if passed, will provide workers with up to three hours of paid leave to get each dose of their COVID-19 vaccine. The amendments ensure no one will lose pay if they need time away from work to get vaccinated. "We know that many workers can't ...
COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Kootenay/Boundary regions
The Kootenay/Boundary region has seen another spike in new COVID-19 cases in the province the BC Centre of Disease Control data shows. The BCCDC Geographic Distribution map show more than 100 new cases in the Boundary, and East and West Kootenay regions, with Windermere in the East Kootenay showing the highest number...
BC reports 873 new cases overnight, over 1 mill vaccinations delivered so far
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued the following joint statement regarding updates on the COVID-19 response in British Columbia: “Today, we are reporting 873 new cases, for a total of 113,702 cases in British Columbia. Due to a delay in the Public Health Reporting...
