National

COVID-19 down, influenza and RSV up in B.C, says CDC

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Nov, 2023 11:43 AM

New data suggest that COVID-19 activity in British Columbia is trending downward, while influenza and RSV are on the rise.

A weekly update provided Thursday by the BC Centre for Disease Control says COVID-19 cases, new hospitalizations and deaths are all declining from a peak in the first week of October.

It says there were 25 deaths of patients with COVID last week, down from 70 three weeks earlier.

But the number of people in hospital with COVID-19, including new and previous admissions, has risen to 263 as of Thursday.

The CDC says Influenza A is behind a rise in flu activity, accounting for 96 per cent of tested cases this season, while positive test rates for respiratory syncytial virus are also up, particularly among children.

However, it says emergency department visits due to all respiratory diseases remain comparable to or below historical averages.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Economy remained flat in August says Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada is reporting the economy flatlined in August as higher interest rates, inflation, forest fires and drought conditions weighed on the economy and its preliminary estimate suggests the economy shrank at an annualized rate of 0.1 per cent in the third quarter.

Economy remained flat in August says Statistics Canada

Israeli ground forces in Gaza as Canada debates humanitarian pause

A temporary respite from Israel-Hamas hostilities should not be Canada's focus, Israeli and Palestinian advocates argued separately on Parliament Hill Monday, even as the Canadian government continued to push for ``humanitarian pauses.''

Israeli ground forces in Gaza as Canada debates humanitarian pause

B.C. commits to mandatory Holocaust education for Grade 10 students

British Columbia has plans to make Holocaust education mandatory for high school students with additions to Grade 10 curriculum coming in 2025. It has been a "frightening time" for the Jewish community after deadly terrorists attacks by Hamas militants in Israel earlier this month, Premier David Eby told an audience at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Monday.

B.C. commits to mandatory Holocaust education for Grade 10 students

Surrey bylaw officers seize fireworks

Bylaw officers in Surrey have seized 100-thousand dollars' worth of fireworks from a single unlicensed retail location, just ahead of Halloween. A statement from the City of Surrey says R-C-M-P officers found the illegal fireworks store through online and social media searches and issued municipal tickets to the owner and two employees.

Surrey bylaw officers seize fireworks

Eby says B.C. deserves heating bill relief, too, after federal tax on fuel oil paused

British Columbia Premier David Eby says it's unfair that Atlantic Canada is being targeted for federal relief on heating bills that won't apply to B.C., after Ottawa announced a three-year pause on carbon pricing for home fuel oil. The pause announced last week applies to the 10 provinces and territories where the federal fuel charge applies, although home fuel oil usage is more prevalent in Atlantic Canada.

Eby says B.C. deserves heating bill relief, too, after federal tax on fuel oil paused

Trudeau to host top EU officials in Newfoundland, amid growing focus on green tech

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to welcome the top two leaders of the European Union to Newfoundland next month. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to visit St. John's alongside European Council President Charles Michel in late November.