Kamis, 29 April 2021
Dr. Bonnie Henry, Fraser Health apologize for pop-up vaccine clinic confusion - News 1130
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – B.C.’s top doctor and the head of the Fraser Health Authority are both apologizing for miscommunication that led to thousands of people across the region scrambling to get a spot at pop-up clinics in region over the past few days.
The clinics have been halted, and it’s unclear if they will start up again.
Dr. Victoria Lee, who is the head of the Fraser Health Authority, says she’s sorry many people were forced to wait more than four hours to get immunized against COVID-19, while others in target groups were never notified.
“I sincerely apologize for any negative experience that people may have had. There was confusion and frustration,” she said.
The rollout of the pop-up clinics had been described by many as chaotic, with many only hearing about the clinics through word of mouth.
The clinics were offering vaccine doses to people aged 30 and up, which was the first time most British Columbians under the age of 40 were eligible.
The purpose of the clinics was to get more people living in COVID-19 high-transmission neighbourhoods vaccinated, but there were some people showing up and getting a shot who do not live in those areas.
A few hundred people lined up at Newton Athletic Park early Thursday morning, however Fraser Health confirmed there would be no clinics anywhere in the region that day. The day before, the park was the site of long lines as well as people — many drawn by word of mouth — showed up in hopes of getting a jab.
Lee says improvements have already been made in an effort to ensure people are not jumping the queue.
“We did implement dual confirmation of age and postal codes. That is an improvement we have made and we’ll be looking at any additional enhancements that we can make,” she said.
However, there are currently no plans to offer any more pop-up clinics.
When it comes to concerns of people who may be trying to get their second dose ahead of people who are trying to get their first, Lee assures there are measures in place to ensure those people looking for their second dose early are turned away.
“When people come into the clinics … not just from the pop-ins but other clinics, as well — there is a system in place,” she said.
“We can check at the clinic whether they’ve had their first dose or not. That’s an important safety measure. Also, it’s important to have at least minimum dates apart between first and second doses.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry apologizes for chaos, says more than a million doses on the way
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also issued an apology Thursday.
“There were some operational things that were done — or not done — that caused a lot of frustration and I absolutely apologize to people for the miscommunications and for the confusion,” Henry said.
“That was certainly not the intent. The intent was to try and reach those people in those communities,” she added.
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Henry says B.C. will be getting a boost of vaccine doses in the coming month.
“We expect to receive over 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. And that means that our age based program will be accelerated and everybody will get their turn,” she said.
She believes first responders, teachers, and childcare staff will be able to receive a dose in the coming weeks.
“We expect to have those groups completed in the next three weeks, so by the … middle of May. So that’s the goal,” she said.
BC provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry is apologizing for confusion and frustration caused by unannounced pop-up and walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics.
She says everyone in BC should be eligible by July. pic.twitter.com/OP2Nq4q3uY— Lasia Kretzel (@lkretzel1130) April 29, 2021
Henry is urging everyone to be patient and wait their turn.
“If you’re not in those communities, do not go to those communities,” she said. “You will get your vaccine and there is enough vaccine coming in the next two months that everybody will get their turn. The most efficient way to do it is to register, and you’ll be notified as soon as your age category comes up and you can book yourself into the clinic that will have your vaccine for you.”
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On Thursday, B.C. recorded 853 new COVID-19 cases and one death.
There are more than 500 people in the hospital, 178 of whom are in intensive care.
-With files from Monika Gul
Dr. Bonnie Henry, Fraser Health apologize for pop-up vaccine clinic confusion - News 1130
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Calls for better communication as pop-up vaccination clinics draw thousands - News 1130
SURREY (NEWS 1130) – Pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Fraser Health are being described as chaotic, with little public communication from the health authority and people scrambling to get in line after hearing about them from word of mouth.
Despite no official heads up from the Fraser Health Authority, COVID-19 vaccination pop-up clinics this week have been attracting thousands of people, causing confusion, and frustration.
A few hundred people lined up at Newton Athletic Park early Thursday morning, however Fraser Health confirmed to NEWS 1130 there would be no clinics anywhere in the region today. The day before, the park was the site of long lines as well as people — many drawn by word of mouth — showed up in hopes of getting a jab.
The clinics are meant for people living in COVID-19 high-transmission neighborhoods, but some who are showing up and getting a shot are not from these hot spots.
“There’s been nobody that has come and asked for postal codes. I thought they might be doing it on the check-in,” a person who got vaccinated at the Poirier Forum clinic in Coquitlam on Tuesday told NEWS 1130.
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Meantime, people who actually live in the high-transmission neighborhoods say they’re not finding out about the clinics.
“I had no idea about it. My family had no idea about it,” Hannah Generoso, who lives in the Netwon neighborhood, told NEWS 1130 on Wednesday. “Literally, you could stand at our street corner, look down the street, and you will see Newton Athletic Park and we had no clue about it.”
She said there needs to be more communication with high-transmission communities on where these pop-up clinics will be, something an independent crisis communications experts agrees with.
“I’m appalled that we can’t do better than this,” says Allan Bonner. “The most creative thing people seem to be doing is opening up a clinic and hope everybody knows it’s there. It’s good that they’re opening it up, but it’s not good that they didn’t plan ahead.”
Bonner says governments have had a long time to figure this out.
“I mean we’re just now, a year into this, saying ‘well maybe we should go into the hotspots, maybe we should have communication in the languages of choice in new Canadian neighborhoods’,” he adds “I mean, this should have been thought of a year ago.”
On Wednesday, B.C.’s Health Minister admitted the clinics haven’t been without problems.
“I think that we could have done better, in terms of communications, we acknowledge that and we’re working to do that,” he told reporters.
He said while some people aren’t qualified for those clinics, the overwhelming share of people the province is trying to immunize are getting immunized. Dix also promised to improve the alert system, so target groups are notified in a timely manner.
Some health officials say the fact that so many people are eager to get vaccinated is a good thing.
“This is amazing news, this is great news. Everyone wants to be part of the solution,” Dr. Brian Conway, Medical Director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre said.
“I think that going forward, as long as we’re able to identify enough vaccine supply to meet this incredible need, this is extremely good news for our ability to handle the pandemic going forward.”
Calls for better communication as pop-up vaccination clinics draw thousands - News 1130
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Our actions now will determine what summer in Nova Scotia will look like: Strang - HalifaxToday.ca
Nova Scotia is at a turning point in its fight against a third wave of COVID-19.
That's according to the province's chief medical officer of health.
"What happens next is going to go one of two ways, and our collective actions will decide that path," stated Dr. Robert Strang at a Thursday briefing.
"Either we get things under control now and we can loosen restrictions as we head into the summer, or we don't and these restrictions have to last a lot longer than two weeks."
Strang said it didn't take long for our case numbers to skyrocket.
Two weeks ago, Nova Scotia's active case count was at 42, last week it was 111. Today there are 548 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Tuesday the province hit a single-day record for new cases with 96. There were 75 yesterday and 70 today.
Strang said even though the numbers are going in the right direction, we still have a lot of work to do.
"My message today is, just because you can does not mean you should," said Strang. "We need to closely follow the restrictions that are in place."
"It's critical. Lives, jobs, businesses and our health care system are all at stake."
He said public health officials have been flooding with calls from people looking for clarification on restrictions, but he said most of the answers are common sense.
"If you have to ask yourself if you can or you should, the answer is probably no, don't do that or don't go there. Do not look for loopholes."
He called the two-week lockdown "short-term pain for long-term gain."
The key points are to limit travel and social interactions. Nova Scotians are being asked to stay as close to home as possible.
"If you need to travel out of your community for work or school, for a child custody arrangement or child care, for a medical appointment or to get essential goods or services, all that is allowed," he explained. "These restrictions are meant to limit non-essential travel."
However he said the virus is spread through social interactions, so we need to only interact face-to-face with those we live with, work from home if possible and designate one person to go on essential shopping trips.
The risk of spread is lower outside and Nova Scotians are encouraged to continue enjoying parks, trails and beaches for their mental and physical health.
"If you're outside with people who are not in your household you must be at least six feet apart and your group can not be larger than five people," Strang added.
And as we approach our first weekend of lockdown, Premier Iain Rankin said he knows it will be difficult to not see family and friends, but it's necessary if we're going to slow the spread of the virus.
"With this weekend coming, the most important thing you can do is stay close to home," he said.
Rankin and Strang have another briefing scheduled at 2 p.m. Friday where they are expected to update the province's vaccine program.
Our actions now will determine what summer in Nova Scotia will look like: Strang - HalifaxToday.ca
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$716K is the average house price in Canada. Here's what you can get for that - Yahoo News Canada
The pandemic has pummelled many industries in Canada. Real estate isn't one of them.
House prices are soaring, with the average national price now standing at $716,828, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association's MLS system. That's up 31.6 per cent in a year, the biggest annual gain on record. The prices haven't curbed demand either; sales were up in March by 70 per cent compared to a year ago.
According to Leo Otto, a real-estate appraiser, price hikes are not limited to the hot zones like Toronto. He says the pandemic has unleashed buyers from Toronto and its commuter suburbs and pushed the real-estate frenzy into smaller cities like London, Ont., and Windsor.
"You get the lifestyle, you get larger lots, you get more bang for your buck in housing," he said.
So what do you get for nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in Canada? CBC looked through listings on April 26 and 27 and found homes across the country whose prices sit around the national average. Some city centres had no homes for sale around $716,000. In that case, lower-priced homes were chosen.
Vancouver
For $716,000, buyers will have a hard time finding anything other than a one-bedroom condominium like this one, which was listed for $719,000. Still, the hot market has prompted the province's real-estate watchdog and regulator to warn buyers to do their research and be aware of risks before making an offer.
(Colin Lo/Personal Real Estate Corp./Oakwyn Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Colin Lo/Personal Real Estate Corp./Oakwyn Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Colin Lo/Personal Real Estate Corp./Oakwyn Realty/Realtor.ca)
Calgary
The benchmark price — the typical price of a home — in Calgary rose to $441,900 in March. This townhouse, on the market for $719,900, includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms, far more than what could be purchased in Vancouver for a similar price.
(Lawrence Tian/Skyrock/Realtor.ca)
(Lawrence Tian/Skyrock/Realtor.ca)
(Lawrence Tian/Skyrock/Realtor.ca)
Regina
With an asking price of $719,000, this property boasts enough space for a workout area, a selling point for many people in the pandemic. Saskatchewan's market has exploded due to people looking for larger homes during the pandemic. "This past February was the busiest February ever in the history of all Saskatchewan MLS," said Tanya LaRose, of Royal LePage Varsity.
(Christen Johnson/Realty Executives Diversified/Realtor.ca)
(Christen Johnson/Realty Executives Diversified/Realtor.ca)
(Christen Johnson/Realty Executives Diversified/Realtor.ca)
Winnipeg
Winnipeg's average selling price last month was $318,074, according to the Manitoba Real Estate Association. So for $699,900, a potential buyer could own a large five-bedroom home. The association says that fewer properties are coming on the market, pushing prices upward.
(Cory Werenich/Purple Bricks/Realtor.ca)
(Cory Werenich/Purple Bricks/Realtor.ca)
(Cory Werenich/Purple Bricks/Realtor.ca)
Toronto
In other parts of the country, $720,000 could get you a large lot. Not so in Toronto, where you are more likely to find a condo like this one, which has a small outdoor balcony. Sales in the area reached a record 15,652 in January, up 97 per cent from 7,945 during the same time last year.
(Jonathan Pierre David/PG Direct Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Jonathan Pierre David/PG Direct Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Jonathan Pierre David/PG Direct Realty/Realtor.ca)
Windsor
This property is on the market for $699,000. Windsor prices have risen due to the influx of buyers from hot spots like Toronto. Leo Otto, the real estate appraiser, predicts there could be a softening of the market this winter but no major correction.
(Sanja Bojovic/Manor Windsor Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Sanja Bojovic/Manor Windsor Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Sanja Bojovic/Manor Windsor Realty/Realtor.ca)
Montreal
At 967 square feet, this condo is considerably larger than the ones located in Toronto and Vancouver. It also has a more spacious patio with a view. Still, buyers in Montreal will likely only find duplexes and condos selling for the national average price. This one is listed for $715,000.
(Emmanuel Samedy/REMAX/Realtor.ca)
(Emmanuel Samedy/REMAX/Realtor.ca)
(Emmanuel Samedy/REMAX/Realtor.ca)
Moncton
Newcomers, who are driving the real estate boom in New Brunswick, will find their dollars go far. For this property, listed at $699,000, the buyer even gets a wine cellar. The province's real-estate market is so hot that previously ignored vacant land, half-built developments and empty building lots are suddenly being swept up.
(Maxime LaRochelle/Exit Realty Associates/Realtor.ca)
(Maxime LaRochelle/Exit Realty Associates/Realtor.ca)
(Maxime LaRochelle/Exit Realty Associates/Realtor.ca)
Halifax
This three-bedroom townhouse, on the market for $695,000, is just a short walk to downtown. The Nova Scotia Association of Realtors says that 1,577 units were sold across the province last month, a new sales record for the month of March and an increase of more than 65 per cent from March 2020.
(Jim MacDonald/Press Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Jim MacDonald/Press Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Jim MacDonald/Press Realty/Realtor.ca)
Charlottetown
According to data released by the Prince Edward Island Real Estate Association, the average cost of a home jumped 21.9 per cent from last year, frustrating islanders looking to buy their first home. This property has a river view and is listed at $695,000.
(Michael Poczynek/Century 21 Northumberland Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Michael Poczynek/Century 21 Northumberland Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Michael Poczynek/Century 21 Northumberland Realty/Realtor.ca)
St. John's
This house, built in 1895, was recently renovated with high-end details and millwork, which can be seen in the living and dining room. It's on the market for $699,999. The province's hot housing market persists despite the negative economic outlook. Realtors believe some of this is being driven by Newfoundlanders looking to return from other provinces.
(Amanda Ryan/eXp Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Amanda Ryan/eXp Realty/Realtor.ca)
(Amanda Ryan/eXp Realty/Realtor.ca)
$716K is the average house price in Canada. Here's what you can get for that - Yahoo News Canada
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