REGINA —
Saskatchewan’s first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be sent to northern Saskatchewan, the province announced Wednesday.
Health Minister Paul Merriman said the vaccine will be administered to long-term care home residents and staff and other priority health care workers.
The Moderna vaccine is easier to transport and ship, making it an easier option for northern Saskatchewan.
The province said 4,900 doses of the the vaccine arrived in Saskatchewan on Wednesday.
“Initially this will be going to the far north central and far northwest parts of the province,” Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer, said. “This is where we have had high numbers of cases and high test positive rate.”
Dr. Shahab said the prioritization for the Moderna vaccine includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous remote communities in the north.
“There’s ongoing communications with local leadership to facilitate notification of clinic dates, locations at the community level and information about vaccine safety and efficacy, as well as radio spots in English, Cree, Dene and Michif,” Shahab said.
The government anticipates the Moderna vaccine will begin being administered in the weeks of Jan. 4 and 11.
PFIZER VACCINATIONS
As of Dec. 29, Saskatchewan has administered 2,942 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Of the initial 1,950 doses delivered to Regina, 1,834 have been administered. The province said the remaining vaccines will be given to long-term care staff at Regina Pioneer Village and Santa Maria care homes.
A COVID-19 outbreak was declared at the Santa Maria care home on Dec. 29. There are four positive cases between staff and residents.
In Saskatoon, 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were received on Dec. 21, along with an additional 975 this week. A total of 1,108 doses have been administered to date.
Prince Albert will be receiving its first doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Jan. 4.
The province said priority health care workers will start to receive the vaccine upon delivery of the doses.
Further deliveries of the Pfizer vaccine will begin in Saskatchewan in January, with 6,825 doses expected to be delivered during the weeks of Jan. 11, 18 and 25.
Merriman said the province is looking for clarity from the federal government on how many vaccines Saskatchewan will be receiving moving forward.
“We expect the federal government to begin receiving and distributing much larger numbers of the vaccines early in the new year,” Merriman said. “We are trying to get a clear indication from the federal government of the number of vaccines they will be sending us each week so we can better plan for the next steps in the distribution process.”
The province said there are currently five ultra-low temperature freezers in place in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert, which are used to store the Pfizer vaccine. Another four freezers are expected to be delivered.
VACCINATIONS FOR GENERAL PUBLIC
With an expected limited supply of vaccine doses available in early 2021, Dr. Shahab said the general public will likely not have access to the vaccine until at least the midpoint of the year.
“Supplies are very limited in January, February and March, and they are being directed to the persons who are most vulnerable,” he said.
Shahab however said he is hopeful there will be more supplies of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines starting in April and May. He added that additional options, such as the AstraZeneca vaccine that was approved in the U.K. on Wednesday, would also bring Saskatchewan closer to a wide-spread rollout of vaccines.
“We hope to see that vaccine available – as well as potentially other products available – especially starting in April, and that’s when I think there’ll be broader supply,” Shahab said.
“That’s when the vaccine will be opened up to younger age groups with underlying health conditions, and then to the general population. I would estimate June, July onward.”
TORONTO – Cineplex Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year ago as it was hit by a fine for deceptive marketing practices imposed by the Competition Tribunal.
The movie theatre company says it lost $24.7 million or 39 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $29.7 million or 40 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
The results in the most recent quarter included a $39.2-million provision related to the Competition Tribunal decision, which Cineplex is appealing.
The Competition Bureau accused the company of misleading theatregoers by not immediately presenting them with the full price of a movie ticket when they purchased seats online, a view the company has rejected.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $395.6 million, down from $414.5 million in the same quarter last year, while theatre attendance totalled 13.3 million for the quarter compared with nearly 15.7 million a year earlier.
Box office revenue per patron in the quarter climbed to $13.19 compared with $12 in the same quarter last year, while concession revenue per patron amounted to $9.85, up from $8.44 a year ago.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
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.
