COVID-19 update October 23-24: 649 new cases, 13 deaths | BC school boards must determine their own immunization policy for staff | North Vancouver Long Term Care Home Outbreak

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Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus situation in British Columbia from October 23-24, 2021.

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We will provide summaries of what is happening in BC right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated periodically throughout the day, and updates will be added as they happen.

Check back here for more updates throughout the day. You can also get the latest COVID-19 news delivered to your inbox on weekends at 7pm by signing up for our newsletter. here.

BC COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS

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IN DEEP: Here are all the cases of BC from the new coronavirus in 2021 | in 2020

BC GUIDES AND LINKS

• COVID-19: Here is everything you need to know about the new coronavirus

• COVID-19: The BC Vaccine Passport is here and this is how it works

• COVID-19: Here’s how to get vaccinated in British Columbia

• COVID-19: Find your neighborhood on our interactive map of cases and vaccination rates in BC

• COVID-19: Fear of needles? Here’s how to get over your fear and get vaccinated

• COVID-19: Five things to know about the spread of the P1 variant in BC

• COVID-19: Here’s where to get tested in Metro Vancouver

• BC COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

LATEST NEWS on COVID-19 in BC

Here’s what you need to know about the new Canadian vaccine passports

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Thursday October 21 that Canada will have a standardized vaccine passport, with the costs of the document covered through the federal budget.

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But while the vaccination cards for many provinces and territories are already compatible with the federal format, the BC card, one of the first implemented in the country, is not immediately compatible and it will take some time to harmonize the two cards, according to authorities. provincial.

When will the federal immunization card be available and how do I get it?

According to the BC Ministry of Health, the federal vaccination card will be available from October 30 and can be accessed in the same way that people access their BC vaccination card: using the health portal, at through the website of the Ministry of Health, by phone or by mail.

Will the federal immunization card replace our existing one, or will we need both (ie one for restaurants and one for travel)?

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According to Marielle Tounsi, Public Affairs Officer at the Ministry of Health, BC will continue to maintain the provincial vaccination card for non-essential activities in BC, such as restaurants and sports games, while offering the new federal proof of vaccination card. for those who need it to travel.

Read more here.

—Nathan Griffiths

BC School Boards Asked To Determine Their Own COVID-19 Vaccination Policy For Staff

The BC Ministry of Education has released new guidelines to assist school boards with COVID-19 vaccination policies, leaving final decisions to the respective boards.

The ministry says the guidelines, which include data collection and consultation with First Nations and employee groups, will help school boards encourage vaccination in their communities and determine whether a mandatory vaccination policy works best for them.

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The ministry says it will also work with schools, public and private, to make sure they have the tools and resources to support the process.

BC School Boards Asked To Determine Their Own COVID-19 Vaccination Policy For Staff

VICTORIA – The BC Ministry of Education has released new guidelines to assist school boards with vaccination policies against COVID-19, leaving any final decisions in the hands of the respective boards.

North Vancouver Long Term Care Home Outbreak

Vancouver Coastal Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak in Amica Edgemont Village after a resident and two staff members tested positive for the virus.

Edgemont Village is a private care facility owned and operated by Amica Senior Lifestyles. The long-term care unit on the first floor of the facility is closed to new admissions and transfers and all group activities have been suspended. Visits to that unit have also been suspended, except for essential care or compassionate end-of-life visits.

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13 deaths, 7 more hospitalized patients

BC health officials on Friday reported 649 new cases of COVID-19 along with an additional 13 deaths due to the respiratory virus.

Of the new cases, 281 were people in the Fraser Health region, 61 in Vancouver Coastal Health, 88 in Interior Health, 130 in Northern Health and 89 in Island Health.

There were 365 active cases in the hospital, a drop of 12 patients since yesterday and an increase of seven active cases in critical or intensive care for a total of 143 patients. Since the start of the pandemic, BC has reported 200,898 cases. The death total is now 2,109.

Although no new outbreaks were reported in healthcare facilities, a total of 25 long-term care homes, assisted living homes or acute care facilities remain affected by the spread of COVID-19. The outbreak in Vancouver’s Cooper Place was declared Friday.

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BC MAP OF WEEKLY COVID CASE RECORDS, VACCINATION RATES

Find out how your neighborhood is doing in the battle against COVID-19 with the latest number of new cases, positivity rates, and vaccination rates:

BC VACCINES FOLLOW-UP

LOCAL RESOURCES for information on COVID-19

Here is a host of information and landing pages for COVID-19 from various health and government agencies.

• BC COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Tool

• Vancouver Coastal Health – Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Information

• HealthLink BC – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Page

• BC Center for Disease Control – Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Government of Canada – Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Outbreak Update

• World Health Organization – Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak

–With files from The Canadian Press