Politics This article (2024-10-06) reports that the Conservative candidate for BC Premier, John Rustad seems to be open to the idea of punishing — possibly harshly — public health officials, doctors, police, and politicians for implementing various COVID-19 mitigation measures (particularly vaccinations). This is some dark and scary shit. However, in this video, Rustad says… Continue reading 2024-10-12 BC
Category: BC
2024-10-05 BC
Note: I urged people recently in several forums to get a flu shot. I should have qualified a little. I think you should get a flu shot THIS SEASON, but I don’t think you need to get it TODAY. Sure, if you want to get it done now so you don’t forget, fine. But I… Continue reading 2024-10-05 BC
2024-09-26 BC
Statistics Provincial weekly data releases have resumed effective today. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the statistics are different and not as transparent: the raw numbers are no longer published, just graphs (usually per million people). (This provincial report says the BC population is ~5.6M, by the way.) They have also removed… Continue reading 2024-09-26 BC
2024-09-25 General/BC
About scheduling: I seem to take longer and longer to get this done. Unless anybody says something about it, that’s not likely to change. COVID-19 Long COVID This paper from USA (2024-08-09) reports that 71% of pediatric Long COVID patients have problems with orthostatic intolerance, which basically means they have trouble with maintaining blood pressure… Continue reading 2024-09-25 General/BC
2024-09-15 BC
Socializing Today (15 Sept) there will be a Clean Air Festival in Vancouver at Slocan Park, between 1:00pm and 6:30pm! Music, workshops, demos, in addition to safe socializing and networking. High-quality mask (N95-type) required; Rapid Test beforehand greatly appreciated. Health Care This article (2024-09-10) says that Vancouver Public Health failed to get Freedom of Information… Continue reading 2024-09-15 BC
2024-09-07 BC
Cases are rising in the short term but kind of flat over a longer period. Positivity is creeping upwards, and the number in hospital is rising slowly. Wastewater is going up slowly in Fraser Health, flattish everywhere else. Anecdotally, lots of people “have a cold” right now. (It’s not “a cold”, it’s COVID-19, as I… Continue reading 2024-09-07 BC
2024-08-31 BC
Hospitals This article (2024-08-29) reports that Mission Memorial Hospital was going to turn away serious patients away beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 29 until Friday, August 30 at 8 a.m. This article (2024-08-28) reports that in order to do the switch from paper-based to fully-electronic records at Royal Columbian Hospital, they are going… Continue reading 2024-08-31 BC
2024-08-26 BC
Hospitals Recent hospital closures: Party! The Clean Air Festival is happening in Vancouver on 15 September at Slocan Park (and livestreamed). It’s outdoors and N95-class masks are required! First Nations This article (2024-08-21) reports that Indigenous life expectancy in B.C. fell from 73.3 years in 2017 to 67.2 years in 2021. It fell for 6.8… Continue reading 2024-08-26 BC
2024-08-11 BC
Hospitals There have been more staffing-related closures at hospital emergency rooms this week: Wastewater From Jeff’s wastewater spreadsheet:
2024-08-03 BC
It looks like levels are flat or maybe going down a little bit, which I find surprising because the USA is going bonkers with COVID-19 right now. Hospitals This article (2024-08-02) reports that BC hospitals’ Emergency Departments — including some in Metro Van — have continued to have trouble staying open due to physician shortages.… Continue reading 2024-08-03 BC