Rapid tests for people 18+ available at pharmacies
Starting Wednesday, March 23, 2022, rapid antigen test kits will be available to people aged 18 years and older through community pharmacies. Eligible individuals can pick up one kit of five tests every 28 days from participating pharmacies at no cost. Individuals must present their personal health number when picking up the...
Special OP/ED Series; Health care workers talk climate change
I am a neurologist working in Nelson. I talked to a man this summer to review his Parkinson's disease. He was not doing well. Usually he did not have any history of depression but he was lacking his usual motivation. He lived in a remote area and had lived there on a small remote property with a stream running through it for...
New locations for COVID-19 vaccine clinics in the Interior
As COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to increase, Interior Health (IH) plans to streamline its immunization campaign with new clinic locations. Over the coming weeks, the COVID-19 vaccine appointments will move from mass immunization clinics to pharmacies and IH health centres. “Together with our community partners, we...
Open Letter to the Public from Kootenay Boundary Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners
To the citizens of Kootenay Boundary, Everyone in our region has been stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. We have all been subjected to a barrage of information, advice, and instructions; always evolving and sometimes conflicting. We write to explain our perspectives as Family Practitioners (Family...
Interior Health resuming temporarily paused services
Interior Health is taking a phased approach to resume services that were temporarily paused last month due to COVID-19. The service adjustments, announced Jan. 18, were implemented to preserve safe and reliable access to patient care across the Interior region. “The Omicron-driven COVID-19 staffing impacts on the health system...
More rapid tests, ventilation support for K-12 sector
Further pandemic supports are coming for B.C. students and schools, with 300,000 rapid antigen test kits to be delivered in phases. The first phase will be rural and remote school districts for use by students with symptoms of COVID-19. “By making rapid tests available to symptomatic students in rural and remote communities,...
Interior Health encourages families to get their COVID-19 pediatric vaccines by Family Day
Local pediatricians and Interior Health are encouraging families to set a goal this winter: get everyone in your household age five and over vaccinated before Family Day (Feb. 21). “The pediatric COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and we encourage families to make their vaccination plans now to get children immunized as...
Rapid test kits distributed for symptomatic school staff
This week, 200,000 rapid antigen test kits are being shipped to the kindergarten-to-Grade 12 (K-12) sector for use by staff, teachers and administrators with symptoms of COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests are an additional tool that can be used to support the continuity of learning in schools with the aim to reduce transmission ...
City of Trail responds to rising COVID-19 cases in the community
The City of Trail wishes to acknowledge the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the area and how it may impact City facilities and services. Although the City continues to follow all safety measures and orders issued by the Provincial Health Officer (PHO), City staff, like all other businesses, are still at risk of exposure ...
BC records 9,332 COVID-19 cases over weekend 1,185 in IHA
Over a three-day period, B.C. is reporting 9,332 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 264,181 cases in the province: Dec. 31, 2021 - Jan. 1, 2022: 4,033 new cases Jan. 1-2, 2022: 3,069 new cases Jan. 2-3, 2022: 2,230 new cases Note: case counts provided today are preliminary. The new cases include: 4,859 new cases in Fraser...
