COVID-19 Blog Posts
Check out our blog posts below on a variety of topics related to COVID-19 and the pandemic. This page is updated regularly.
Monitoring the Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in British Columbia: We’re pleased to be funding groundbreaking COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness research coming out of the BC Centre for Disease Control. In this blog post, read about this novel research that informs changes to vaccine programming and evidence-based decision-making, especially in relation to variations in pandemic waves and variants of concern in British Columbia.
Vaccination: Our Strongest Tool in Our COVID-19 Toolkit: One of the clearest Activate Health messages we’ve had since COVID-19 vaccines became available, and one of the clearest ways we can each, as individuals, protect the health and safety of the population, is through vaccination—our strongest tool in our toolkit—true before COVID-19, and will remain true after COVID-19.
Providing Evidence to Guide COVID-19 Response: BC COVID-19 SPEAK 2 Survey and Interactive Dashboard: The BCCDC Foundation is proud to have funded the BC COVID-19 SPEAK 2 Survey that has been informing BC’s COVID-19 decision-making and policies. In our blog post, you can learn more and view the dashboard to see how these data are critical for response and recovery in BC.
Project Update: BCCDC’s COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance in Metro Vancouver Communities: With the help of some funding from the BCCDC Foundation, Dr Melissa Glier and Dr Natalie Prystajecky provide an update on their research progress on how wastewater data continues to be used in the pandemic response.
Our Role in Helping to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic: As a small public health organization during a global pandemic, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past 19 months. We invite you to come along this reflective journey with us.
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults in British Columbia: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us, though, some more than others. The BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey we funded last year showed one key group that was experiencing significant unintended consequences of the pandemic: young adults.
A New Partnership to Fund Priority Research on COVID-19 Vaccination in BC: In a new and unique partnership with Genome BC and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, we’re proud to announce that we’re funding 9 new rapid-response vaccine research projects addressing COVID-19 vaccine research priorities and knowledge gaps in real-time.
Happy Campers: 3rd BC Stay-at-Home Campout Still a Hit!: On May 1st, the Tarry family of Surrey, BC, held their third BC Stay-at-Home Campout fundraiser for the Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund. Read more, including the total raised over the three campouts!
Cats Needed for COVID-19 and Cats Study: Cats needed for BC Centre for Disease Control study! This study will help fill important information gaps on companion animals and COVID-19. Click below to learn more.
2021 BC Stay-at-Home Campout: The Tarry family from Surrey, BC is at it again and inviting everyone to participate in the BC Stay-at-Home Campout on May 1st. Click below to learn how to participate and support the BCCDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund.
Vaccine Hesitancy: Foe of Healthy Communities: In this blog post, learn what drives vaccine hesitancy, how to beware of misinformation, how to strengthen vaccine confidence, and more.
BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey, Round 2!: The BCCDC Foundation for Public Health is excited to announce that we’ve funded Round 2 of the BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey! Read the four key areas the survey addresses to inform our public health experts how to best plan for adaptation and recovery in BC.
Uncovering SARS-CoV-2 Behind Bars: Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Correctional Settings: In this guest blog post by Dr Sofia Bartlett, public health researcher at the BC Centre for Disease Control, learn about the COVID-19 research she conducted at BC correctional facilities.
Why We Must Continue to Follow Public Health Guidelines During the Vaccine Rollout: As more and more British Columbians get vaccinated every day, it’s important that we continue to follow public health orders. In this blog post, we share three big reasons why.
Dr Henry Whisky Sauce Creator Donates Net Proceeds to Emergency Response Fund: “Until every British Columbian is vaccinated.” Read about Chef Ann, creator of the Dr Henry Whisky Sauce, who is donating net profits to the Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund.
Looking Forward: How You Can Activate Health in 2021: While much is still out of our control, this year, let’s focus on what we can control–our individual actions. This is how positive change happens—one person, one decision, one action at a time–leading to collective impact.
Why We Need to Support Vaccine Effectiveness Research, Right Now: As a public health foundation, it was our responsibility in early 2020 to rapidly pivot our work to support COVID-19 response, and to ensure that evidence-based information is being shared. It is now our duty to support the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out—a critical part of our efforts to address the pandemic.
Introducing: BC COVID-19 SPEAK Survey Dashboard: We are proud and excited to be able to introduce a new, interactive dashboard of the SPEAK survey results that puts the data in the hands of all British Columbians!
2020: Looking Back at the Value and Impact of Activate Health: From staying up-to-date with your vaccination schedule, to washing your hands and using evidence-based information, we’ve all seen first-hand why these actions are so important. Join us as we look back at 2020 and look ahead to 2021 with an Activate Health lens.
From Epidemic to Infodemic: COVID-19 and Misinformation in BC: Check out this interview with the Principal Investigators for a BC Centre for Disease Control study that assess the equity of misinformation and communication on COVID-19 in BC—how and where British Columbians are looking for and finding public health information.
Interventions for People Who Use Drugs are more than just COVID-19 Prevention: In this guest blog post, brought to you by the harm reduction team at the BC Centre for Disease Control, learn what overdose response interventions have been put in place, including the vital role peers (people with lived/living experience) play in keeping people alive.
Addressing the Infodemic: Everyone Must Play a Role in Stopping Mis- and Disinformation: In the middle of a global pandemic, we’re also in the middle of a global infodemic. In this blog post, we outline steps to stop the spread of mis- and disinformation.
COVID-19 may not be new, but it’s time for a renewed commitment: COVID-19 isn’t new. But, it’s time for a renewal. This is our call to action to make a commitment, to renew together our drive to prevent COVID-19 and to protect our loved ones.
Interview with Dr Jat Sandhu: BCCDC’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response Research: We spoke with Dr. Sandhu to learn more about the importance of his research (a three-phased approach that includes a population health survey, serological testing, and sentinel surveillance) and what it will mean for BC’s population.
Testing COVID-19 in Wastewater: a tool to help track COVID-19 spread and mitigate second wave in BC: BC Centre for Disease Control researchers have rapidly developed and validated a series of methods to test wastewater for SARS-CoV-2.
Pandemics: The Terminology: When we’re talking about pandemics, there’s a lot of jargon. Here’s some of the most common terms, explained.
Pandemics & How to Flatten the Curve: Pandemics are serious, but there’s simple things you can do to help stop the spread, and flatten the curve.
When Two Public Health Emergencies Collide: BC is facing two concurrent public health emergencies: the overdose crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. How do we protect all British Columbians, especially vulnerable populations, in this context?
Decoding Public Health: Racism, Xenophobia, & Epidemics: This epidemic may be new, but the racism and xenophobia that has come with it isn’t.
Reflections: COVID-19, Together, Apart: Reflections from Kristy Kerr, Executive Director, on community coming together during COVID-19.
First Novel Coronavirus Case in BC: The first case of novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV has been identified in British Columbia.
