Health

'It's a big problem:' Nanaimo principal sounds off on smart phone addiction

NANAIMO - Seeing bleary-eyed, exhausted students in the days following a prolonged winter break only amplified concerns of the principal of Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS).Liana Appelt was wo...

Feb 07, 2022

Federal prison sentence issued for man caught in significant Nanaimo drug bust

NANAIMO - A longtime drug addict was handed six years in prison following a high-profile drug seizure in downtown Nanaimo. Terrance Guy Virus, 40, who pleaded guilty to four drug trafficking charges i...

Ian Holmes Jan 28, 2022

Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district adds to electric bus fleet

NANAIMO - Fully electrifying Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools' bus fleet appears within reach over the next several years. The seat belt-equipped fleet now stands at four after the arrival of two new ...

Jan 27, 2022

SD68 firms dates of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for staff & contractors

NANAIMO - School District 68 provided details of its recently announced vaccination mandate for their staff, teachers and contractors.The Board of Trustees for Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools heard d...

Jan 27, 2022

Canada's top doctor says severe illness trends are still rising in most jurisdictions

Canada's top doctor says even though the average daily COVID-19 case count across the country is down 30 per cent compared to last week, it's not an accurate reflection of the state of the pandemic. D...

Jan 27, 2022

Vaccine card program extended through June as hospitalizations remain high

NANAIMO - B.C.'s provincial health officer still believes the province is on a downward slide from the fifth wave of COVID-19.Dr. Bonnie Henry said the trend of new cases is continuing to work down, h...

Jan 25, 2022

'We cannot eliminate all risk:' province shifts gears away from COVID-19 management staples

NANAIMO - It's not a shift to an endemic, but the latest media briefing from the province's health officer represented a major shift in B.C.'s COVID-19 response.Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a media av...

Jan 21, 2022

School District 68 to implement COVID vaccine mandate for all staff

NANAIMO - Local school board trustees voted in favour of creating a vaccine mandate for all of its employees in district 68.At a Thursday, Jan 20 special board meeting, school board trustees requested...

Jan 21, 2022

Officials optimistic treatments will help ease COVID strain on Canada's health system

With COVID-19 hospitalizations in Canada still threatening to overwhelm the health-care system, officials hope two antiviral treatments could help ease the strain. A new study published in the Canadia...

Jan 20, 2022

Island Health pushes back elective surgeries at NRGH as part of 'temporary service adjustments'

NANAIMO - Staffing levels are behind a planned reduction of certain services at hospitals across Vancouver Island, according to the local health authority.A statement from Island Health issued Tuesday...

Jan 18, 2022