Nova Scotia has hit its minimum target of 75 per cent of the population with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, a milestone reached with new data from the military.
Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, said Wednesday officials are finalizing the addition of 8,000 fully vaccinated Armed Forces members to the provincial database.
The military ran its own vaccine program, Strang said, but those members are Nova Scotians who contribute to the province’s overall immunization capacity.
Strang also said he’s happy to see that hundreds of people are still lining up to get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. About 1,400 people rolled up their sleeves for a first dose on Tuesday.
Younger Nova Scotians getting vaccinated
He said younger residents have been stepping up to get the vaccine, though more work needs to be done to match the vaccination rates among older Nova Scotians.
“Those young people are by and large the ones coming forward now for their first dose vaccine, so I thank them for that,” Strang said during the COVID-19 briefing alongside Premier Iain Rankin.
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1 new case reported Wednesday
The province reported one new case of COVID-19 on Wednesday and six recoveries for a total active caseload of 39.
The new case is in the central zone and is related to travel.
One person is in intensive care in a COVID-19 unit. Nova Scotia health authority labs completed 3,891 tests on Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, 1,035,587 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered. Of those, 322,733 were second doses.
Strang said the province’s vaccine booking system has finished inviting all age groups who’ve already received one dose of the vaccine to move up their appointments for a second shot.
Those who received a first dose on or after July 6 will automatically receive an email to choose a date for their second dose. It can be scheduled a minimum of 28 days after the first dose.
Nova Scotians are also able to select a different vaccine for their second dose if they want. The province expects more Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to become available July 25.
Drive-thru clinics in Dartmouth, Truro, New Glasgow and Wolfville can accommodate up to four people in a vehicle for a single booking.
Most recent cases connected to 2 clusters
Strang also addressed concerns of potential community spread after the province announced seven new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Most recently reported cases have been limited to two clusters, one located in Halifax and the other in Glace Bay, Strang said Wednesday.
However, he said there has been no community spread outside of these clusters, and there is no longer any sign of community spread in the Halifax area.
“That’s good news, but we still have COVID around us,” Strang said. “We still have some COVID activity in Nova Scotia, we have more people coming in with COVID, so we still need to remain cautious.”
Several drop-in testing sites have been scheduled in various parts of the province. You can find that information here. These drop-ins are scheduled from July 6 until July 11.
Atlantic Canada case numbers
New Brunswick reported no new cases Tuesday and has 15 active cases.
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
