Provincial health officials says uncertainty about new variants BA.2
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2022 11:05 AM
British Columbia's provincial health officer says there are still some uncertainties about new variants, including B-A-point-2, with some cases present in B-C.
Doctor Bonnie Henry says the province is prepared for a potential uptick in COVID-19 cases during the next respiratory season.
She says the province will integrate wastewater surveillance testing into its regular surveillance of respiratory illness including influenza, and also include other pathogens to get a periodic snapshot of what else may be circulating in communities.
Henry says a decline in hospitalizations, immunity from vaccination and the availability of at-home rapid tests point the way forward to normal activities like high school graduations, which young people need to feel connected to others.
Taxpayers ombudsperson François Boileau says gaining a larger profile would also help him reach the more than 800,000 people who don't file returns and are often from vulnerable populations that don't usually file complaints.
Trudeau's new mandate letters to the 38 members of cabinet were published online Thursday and they show that ending the fight against COVID-19 remains the top priority across government.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, wrote in an annual report on the state of public health in the country that the pandemic has exposed long-standing cracks in the system.
Special weather statements have been issued by Environment Canada including the Cariboo, West Columbia and Williston regions, with a prediction of 10 to 20 centimetres of snow starting Friday night.
Police say preliminary reports into the crash on Wednesday indicate the driver of the vehicle lost control, slammed through a fence and landed in the in-ground pool.
Politicians jet-setting to different vacation destinations drew much attention last year as federal and provincial governments told Canadians to forgo their travel and gathering plans to combat rising COVID-19 caseloads.
