National

B.C. urges flu vaccines for children as cases rise

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Dec, 2022 03:27 PM

VANCOUVER - The British Columbia government will be using its provincial health registry to contact parents in an attempt to increase flu vaccine rates for children.

Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer, and Dr. Penny Ballem, Executive Lead, Immunize BC Vaccine Operations, for an update on protecting children through the influenza season. https://t.co/kBznnTAtoA
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) December 5, 2022

While the province is on track for a record number of people getting their flu shot this year, Dr. Penny Ballem, with BC Vaccine Operations, says only 20 per cent of children under five have been vaccinated.

Ballem says they'll be sending texts and emails to families of about 150,000 children under five inviting them to make appointments to get vaccinated.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says after two years of low rates of flu, mostly due to travel restrictions, the province is seeing a "dramatic increase" in illness and it arrived sooner than normal.

Henry says there is still time for people to get a flu vaccine to protect themselves and their children, especially as the holiday season approaches.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says visits to provincial emergency rooms had been averaging 6,700 per day, but that is now peaking up to 6,900 patients daily, with extra pressure on B.C. Children's and Fraser Health hospitals.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Possible attempted abduction in Abbotsford, B.C.

A statement from Const. Jody Thomas says an unknown man tried to pull the youngster from a ground floor bedroom window of a home on Abbotsford's east side. It happened just before 9 p.m. Monday.

Possible attempted abduction in Abbotsford, B.C.

Sept. rate hike expected despite slowing inflation

Still, inflation is well above the Bank of Canada’s two per cent target. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem made that very point in an op-ed published by the National Post on Tuesday, saying inflation "remains far too high" and emphasizing the central bank's role in bringing inflation down.

Sept. rate hike expected despite slowing inflation

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?

The glitch-prone app touted as an efficient border tool early in the pandemic has become a punching bag for critics who question its utility ⁠ — but ArriveCan may be here to stay. The government insists it's a useful tool. Critics say it has outlived its use, if it ever had one.

The ArriveCan conundrum: Does the app have a use?

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'

Earlier, British Columbia's Environment Ministry had said that only one wolf was still missing at the zoo, located about 55 kilometres east of Vancouver in the community of Aldergrove. It did not say how many had escaped at the facility, which says it has nine adult grey wolves and six cubs.

Wolf escape at B.C. zoo suspected as 'malicious'

String of overnight fires being investigated by Surrey RCMP, fires started deliberately

Based on the initial information it appears that the fires were deliberately started. Due to the short time frame and close proximity of the fires police believe that they are likely related.

String of overnight fires being investigated by Surrey RCMP, fires started deliberately

10,000 drug deaths since B.C. emergency: coroner

New data from the coroner's service says at least 1,095 residents are believed to have died from January to June this year, at an average of six deaths per day. The report found more than three-quarters of the those who died this year have been male, and most were between the ages of 30 and 59.