COVID-19

In this Tuesday, June 12, 2018, photo, trucks cross the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor, Ont. into Detroit. Turmoil and confusion last week over whether truckers would remain exempt from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate followed misinterpretations of regulations by both the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Paul Sancya

Public Health Agency of Canada involved in ‘error’ on trucker vaccine rules: sources

Government provided no more explanation for the botched messaging

 

(The Canadian Press/Tijana Martin)

Patients with COVID in Fraser Health may now share hospital rooms with uninfected

Public health officials say hospital space is at a premium

 

A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford. As of Jan. 19, 28 inmates have tested positive. (Abbotsford News file photo)

28 inmates at Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford test positive for COVID-19

All in-person visits are temporarily suspended, says Correctional Service of Canada

 

MSA Manor in Abbotsford has had 12 people test positive for COVID-19. The Mayfair Senior Living + Care also has 12 cases. (Google Street View)

Total of 24 people test positive for COVID-19 at 2 Abbotsford care homes

Outbreaks declared at The Mayfair Senior Living and MSA Manor

MSA Manor in Abbotsford has had 12 people test positive for COVID-19. The Mayfair Senior Living + Care also has 12 cases. (Google Street View)
Michele Matteazzi with his wife Tiffany and their kids. (Submitted photo)

Unvaccinated Abbotsford man forced to quarantine after 10-minute chat with U.S. border agents

Michele Matteazzi visited Abbotsford-Huntingdon border to have travel questions answered

Michele Matteazzi with his wife Tiffany and their kids. (Submitted photo)
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we grieve. (File photo)

Hay: We can’t let the pandemic put grief on hold

‘I have learned the difference between fear and hope is focus’

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we grieve. (File photo)
Abbotsford Regional Hospital is among those restricting scheduled surgeries to deal with COVID-19 cases. (Abbotsford News file)

Abbotsford hospital psych unit included in COVID-19 outbreak list: Fraser Health

Langley Memorial, Burnaby, Peace Arch hospitals all have affected acute care units

Abbotsford Regional Hospital is among those restricting scheduled surgeries to deal with COVID-19 cases. (Abbotsford News file)
(File Photo)

Kent Institution outbreak grows to more than 60 COVID-19 cases

41 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent outbreak

(File Photo)
A woman tries to speak to her mother, through a window at Orchard Villa Care home, in Pickering, Ont. on Saturday, April 25, 2020. The expert spearheading new draft national standards for long-term care says they must strike a balance between residents’ safety and their quality of life. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

New Canadian care home standards to emphasize fact that they are homes, not wards

Consultations showed pandemic policies hurt mental and social well-being, balance called for

A woman tries to speak to her mother, through a window at Orchard Villa Care home, in Pickering, Ont. on Saturday, April 25, 2020. The expert spearheading new draft national standards for long-term care says they must strike a balance between residents’ safety and their quality of life. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
FILE - A chef cooks Chinese food on a rainy fall day as the restaurant is open for curb-side pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Monday, November 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Slim majority support government lockdowns, restrictions in response to Omicron

Growing number of Canadians are unhappy with how their governments are handling pandemic

FILE - A chef cooks Chinese food on a rainy fall day as the restaurant is open for curb-side pickup during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Monday, November 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
People walk by a sign at a restaurant advising customers of Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport in Montreal, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Quebec is considering expanding its vaccine passport system further, a move that some health and ethics experts say is justified because of the high number of COVID-19 patients in the province’s hospitals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Tightening rules for unvaccinated is justified as health system struggles: experts

Others: people rejecting COVID-19 vaccines out of ideology won’t be swayed by restrictions

People walk by a sign at a restaurant advising customers of Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport in Montreal, Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Quebec is considering expanding its vaccine passport system further, a move that some health and ethics experts say is justified because of the high number of COVID-19 patients in the province’s hospitals. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A row of ambulances is seen outside a hospital in Montreal, on Monday, January 10, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will do all it can to help provinces and territories cope with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infections fuelled by the Omicron variant threaten to overwhelm health systems. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Trudeau says Canada will have enough COVID-19 vaccines as US issues travel advisory

Provinces and territories will receive a combined 140 million rapid tests this month

A row of ambulances is seen outside a hospital in Montreal, on Monday, January 10, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will do all it can to help provinces and territories cope with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infections fuelled by the Omicron variant threaten to overwhelm health systems. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
An ideal scenario at Hope secondary school right now is an empty hallway where students aren’t huddling together. (Eric J. Welsh/Hope Standard)

Hope secondary school staff and students trying to avoid shift to remote learning

Everyone is strictly adhering to COVID protocols, looking to keep the school’s doors open

An ideal scenario at Hope secondary school right now is an empty hallway where students aren’t huddling together. (Eric J. Welsh/Hope Standard)
Paramedics transfer a person from an ambulance into a hospital in Montreal, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. The Health Department says data from the last 24 hours indicates a 140-jump in hospitalization from the previous day, for a total of 2,436. The province is also reporting 11,007 new cases of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

COVID hospitalizations nearing or reaching record highs in several provinces

Many provinces imposed a weeklong delay in the return to in-person schooling

Paramedics transfer a person from an ambulance into a hospital in Montreal, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. The Health Department says data from the last 24 hours indicates a 140-jump in hospitalization from the previous day, for a total of 2,436. The province is also reporting 11,007 new cases of COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Skiers on the Boomerang Chair at Fernie Alpine Resort. (Scott Tibballs / The Free Press)

High elevation, high numbers: B.C. resort towns report COVID spikes

Resort communities are at more risk, according to Dr. Karin Goodison of Interior Health

Skiers on the Boomerang Chair at Fernie Alpine Resort. (Scott Tibballs / The Free Press)
Signs say ‘Mental Health Matters,’ ‘Gyms are Essential,’ and ‘#FreeBC’ (Iron Energy Gym Instagram)

West Kelowna gym ordered to close and fined $2,300 for disobeying COVID restrictions

Interior Health was escorted by RCMP at Iron Energy Gym

Signs say ‘Mental Health Matters,’ ‘Gyms are Essential,’ and ‘#FreeBC’ (Iron Energy Gym Instagram)
A bag of blood is shown at a clinic in Montreal on November 29, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Blood tests show waning immunity that scientists hope Omicron could counter

Canadian task force analyzing extent of immunity offered by Omicron

A bag of blood is shown at a clinic in Montreal on November 29, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
(File Photo)

33 inmates, 18 employees infected in COVID-19 outbreak at Kent Institution

All employees, inmates equipped with masks, CSC says

(File Photo)
Penticton-based poet Shane Koyczan released his poem Tomorrow on YouTube speaking a message of hope for what 2022 could bring. (Shane Koyczan photo)

Famed Penticton poet Shane Koyczan offers a dose of hope for 2022

Shane Koyczan releases ‘Tomorrow’ on Youtube where we should ‘stockpile hope like toilet paper’

Penticton-based poet Shane Koyczan released his poem Tomorrow on YouTube speaking a message of hope for what 2022 could bring. (Shane Koyczan photo)
After a two-day hiatus, Pacific Coastal Airlines flights will resume on Jan. 4. (File photo)

Pacific Coastal Airlines temporarily suspends operations amid Omicron outbreak

Flights are set to resume Jan. 4

After a two-day hiatus, Pacific Coastal Airlines flights will resume on Jan. 4. (File photo)