Coronavirus (COVID-19) National News

Canada crossed another disheartening threshold in the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, even as the country's top doctor said there are hopeful signs with case counts and hospitalizations gradually trending downward.

NEW DELHI — With coronavirus cases still climbing, Honduras got tired of waiting to get vaccines through a United Nations program, so the small Central American country struck out on its own, securing the shots through a private deal.

The recent trend of fewer people in B.C. being hospitalized with COVID-19 complications continued on February 5, with the province now having 253 individuals in those institutions – four fewer than yesterday, and an 11-week low.

B.C. is extending its restrictions on gatherings and events indefinitely, to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said February 5.

OTTAWA — The number of Canadians vaccinated in the spring could double if Health Canada gives the green light to all three vaccines it is currently reviewing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending Canada’s decision to tap vaccine doses from a global sharing program meant to ensure an equitable distribution of doses between wealthy and poor countries.

OTTAWA — Canada is committed to helping poor countries obtain COVID-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday as he rebutted criticism over Canada's decision to draw from an international fund designed to help poor countries.

Another six British Columbians have died overnight from complications related to the COVID-19 virus, bringing the province's death toll from the pandemic to 1,240, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

Ottawa’s approach to creating a taxation process for home office work or relief funding has been an “ad hoc, band-aid process,’ a senior B.C. accountant says.

OTTAWA — The union representing front-line RCMP officers is asking federal and provincial officials to consider Mounties for priority access to COVID-19 vaccination.