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bc 1,750 non-urgent surgeries postponed in B.C. as COVID hospitalizations continue to set records 502 people in hospital, 161 in critical care B.C. health officials said Thursday the province's health-care system is under "immense" pressure due to COVID-19, with hospitalizations reaching new highs, necessitating the postponement of some non-urgent surgeries. There are currently a record 502 people in hospital, 161 of whom are in intensive care. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also announced 1,006 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday and four more deaths due to the disease. "The pressure on our health-care system is immense right now," Henry said. She urged people to follow public health guidelines and orders to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and reduce that pressure. alta Alberta confirms first COVID-19 case linked to variant fuelling case surge in India Case was confirmed in a returning inter-provincial traveller to Alberta, Dr. Hinshaw says Alberta has confirmed its first case of COVID-19 linked to the highly contagious B1617 variant fuelling a massive surge of cases in India. The province reported 1,857 new cases on Thursday and confirmed another 1,326 infections linked to variants of concern. The B1617 variant, first identified in India, has also been found in California and is "a key driver" in rapidly spreading cases that are now sweeping through India, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said Thursday at a news conference. "This variant was in a returning inter-provincial traveller to Alberta, and no additional cases of this variant have been detected to date," Hinshaw said. "As with all new variants, research is underway to understand what may be different about the B1617 variant, how it spreads, and if it creates more severe illness. So far we are calling this a variant of interest as we work with colleagues across the country, to monitor the latest findings on this variant as evidence emerges from around the world."

ns Halifax area to enter 4-week lockdown to contain surge in COVID-19 cases Restrictions introduced as province records highest number of new cases in almost a year. Strict restrictions are returning to the Halifax Regional Municipality and some surrounding communities as the region grapples with high numbers of daily new cases of COVID-19. The province reported 38 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the highest daily case count in the province in a year, and a number only surpassed during the worst early days of the pandemic. In response, Premier Iain Rankin announced a four-week lockdown for the Halifax Regional Municipality and communities of Hubbards, Milford, Lantz, Elmsdale, Enfield, South Uniacke, Ecum Secum and Trafalgar. Several schools in the Dartmouth area will be closed for two weeks and students will learn remotely. "Our case numbers are rising too rapidly and there's now community spread within the Halifax municipality," Rankin said.