The Province is providing $195M in funding in life sciences
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Mar, 2022 05:03 PM
The province is providing 195-million dollars in grant funding to help attract and retain top researchers in the life sciences field.
Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says Michael Smith Health Research B-C will get 116-million dollars while Genome BC will get the rest in order to spur innovation.
— Brenda Bailey, MLA (@BrendaBaileyBC) March 2, 2022
Kahlon says the province wants to leverage B-C's contributions to developing and manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines towards learning how to deal with future pandemics.
He says the funding could also help advance research in a range of areas including the development of new medications, rapid diagnostic tests for diseases and clean technology.
Surrey, B.C., resident Lisa Batstone was convicted of second-degree murder for smothering her daughter, Teagan, in December 2014. Batstone, who was 41 at the time, was sentenced in 2019 to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 15 years.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said the government would be providing more specific information about the severity of COVID-19 in various countries to help Canadians decide where they should consider travelling.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says provincial and federal governments are working to figure out how many doses will be needed in Canada so that everyone can be fully vaccinated, and get a booster if they need one.
The Liberal government announced earlier this month that core public servants must be vaccinated against the virus or face suspension without pay as early as Nov. 15.
Scientists are monitoring the delta-related variant — known as AY.4.2. — to see if it might spread more easily or be more deadly than previous versions of the coronavirus. In a recent report, U.K. officials said this variant makes up 6% of all analyzed COVID-19 cases in the country and is “on an increasing trajectory.”
The shots could begin in early November, with the first children in line fully protected by Christmas, if regulators give the go-ahead. That would represent a major expansion of the nation's vaccine drive, encompassing roughly 28 million elementary school-age youngsters.
