Researched, Curated, Fact-Checked Covid-19 Information for Osoyoos, BC, Neighbours and Neighbors
There’s evidence that efforts by British Columbians to social distance are helping to slow the rate of growth of the coronavirus, but new cases are still growing and efforts need to continue.
That’s the message in a joint statement issued Friday, March 27 by Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer. Continue reading “Social distancing is helping, but we need to continue”
Most of us are worried about ourselves or a loved one getting sick with Covid-19. But are you paying as much attention to your mental health?
We worry about illness, losing wage income, and for some people, losing small businesses they’ve spent years building.
But for some people isolation can be the biggest cause of stress. We’re used to being around people and some of us don’t know how to deal with being alone.
It can make a big difference if you are an extrovert or introvert. Extroverts are energized being around other people. Introverts often enjoy people, especially one-to-one, but they need time alone, especially to recover from intense social situations. Continue reading “How are you managing with social distancing? Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert makes a difference”
When the history of this coronavirus pandemic is written, the initial failure by health authorities to understand the danger of transmission by people not showing symptoms will be seen as a major factor in its spread.
The information about “asymptomatic” carriers — those spreading the virus without showing symptoms — remains a work in progress and estimates of numbers are all over the map.
Enough is now known to underscore the message that strict social distancing is still very necessary, even when people aren’t showing symptoms.
China has been warning about asymptomatic transmission since January, but there was initial resistance to this idea by Western health authorities. Continue reading “Spread by people without symptoms is much worse than first thought”
The following is a Government of B.C. news release (March 26, 2020):
Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, is using extraordinary powers under a state of provincial emergency to keep British Columbians safe, maintain essential goods and services, and support the Province’s ongoing response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Continue reading “Province using extraordinary emergency powers to tackle crisis”
Federal parliamentarians of all parties came together yesterday (March 25) to pass a wide-ranging Emergency Response Act to assist Canadians who need financial help during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bill C-13 passed through the House of Commons and Senate and received Royal Assent all on Tuesday and Wednesday March 24 and 25 — just two days — a process that normally takes months. By agreement, only a few dozen parliamentarians were in Ottawa to pass the bill.
The bill provides economic assistance in a number of areas including temporarily boosting Canada Child Benefit payments and providing a taxable Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) of $2,000 a month for up to four months to support workers who lose their income as of result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading “Federal parties come together to pass emergency response bill”
Osoyoos radio personality Brock Jackson (EZ Rock) interviewed Frances Sologuk, owner of Osoyoos Home Hardware, this morning about how she and her staff are dealing with the crisis and how it’s affecting the community.
She’s suggested a great big street dance when this is all over.
Check out the audio link to Brock’s interview below and follow his broadcasts.
We’ve all heard anecdotal stories about snowbirds returning to Osoyoos from wintering in the U.S. and refusing to self-isolate for the requested 14 days.
Sometimes they’re seen stopping off at local grocery stores to shop after crossing the border and before going home. We hear stories of some of them socializing with friends and laughing about self-isolation.
Today (March 25) the federal government announced it is invoking the Quarantine Act to legally require people entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days.
“Earlier this month, we asked all travellers to self-isolate when they returned to Canada,” said Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu in a tweet this morning. “Today, we are making this isolation mandatory under the Quarantine Act to better protect our most vulnerable.” Continue reading “Feds invoking Quarantine Act for those entering Canada”
The advice from health authorities on who should wear masks for protection and when is mixed. This article will outline the advice, look at the research and discuss how some people are are busy sewing masks either for themselves and their families or to provide them to emergency workers.
The big question for most people is how long are we going to have to isolate and how long will this pandemic last.
And, what’s coming next?
No one — not even health experts and epidemiologists — can tell you for sure. But it is possible to get an idea by looking at epidemiological information about the virus and looking at the experience in other countries that got hit by the virus first.
Here’s the difficult reality: we won’t be free from the risk of the virus until a sufficient number of people acquire immunity. And that will only happen when either a vaccine is developed or enough people have had Covid-19 and recovered. Continue reading “We’re in this for the longer haul”
Hand sanitizer these days is extremely difficult or impossible to find. That’s in part due to the high demand, but there have also been some egregious cases of hoarding.
The most notorious case involved brothers Matt and Noah Colvin of Hixson, Tennessee, who drove around their state and neighbouring ones scooping up every bottle of sanitizer they could find. In the end, they had more than 17,000 bottles, along with other much-needed supplies. Continue reading “Distillers shifting from whiskey to hand sanitizer”