Virus a factor in baby’s death, B.C.’S top doctor says
VICTORIA • British Columbia’s top doctor says the province has confirmed that COVID-19 was a factor in the death of an infant from the Interior Health region.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the baby was being treated in hospital in January and the B.C. Coroners’ Service has since determined COVID-19 was a factor in the baby’s death.
Henry reported the death while addressing concerns raised in Ontario that people are dying at home of COVID-19, saying the coroners’ service in B.C. has a process in place to investigate whether the illness was a factor in any unexpected deaths.
She said the service has conducted several hundred of those investigations since the start of the pandemic and found COVID-19 was a factor in a “very small” number of deaths.
Seventeen more people died over the three-day reporting period, pushing the death toll in B.C. to 1,571.
B.C. recorded 2,491 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday and 484 people are hospitalized with the illness, including 158 in intensive care.
More than 1.6 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the province so far.
Several provinces imposed new public health restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Monday, as authorities across the country continued to struggle against the third wave.
Nova Scotia reported a single-day record for new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row on Monday, with 66 new infections.
Premier Iain Rankin said Sunday his province was at “a very serious crossroads” in its fight against COVID-19, as he tightened rules for travel and gatherings and doubled fines for those who violate public health orders.
In Alberta, councillors for the Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality voted on Sunday to declare a state of local emergency to curb rising cases of COVID-19. The measure, which has yet to be officially instated, will support future council actions that “could include enhanced measures to curb the COVID-19 emergency within the region,” the council said.
Two school divisions in Fort Mcmurray, part of the Wood Buffalo region, announced their schools were closing to in-person learning until May 10.
Manitoba announced new restrictions Monday.
While Ontario reported more than 3,500 new cases and 24 more deaths, there was reason for cautious optimism in Quebec.
The province reported fewer than 1,000 new cases for the first time in April, even as Health Minister Christian Dube expressed concern over a slight rise in hospital numbers and urged Quebecers not to become complacent.