Provinces continued to expand their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts on Sunday, amid what Canada’s chief public health officer described as a recent increase in the number of new cases across the country.
Dr. Theresa Tam said health officials are observing a rise in new infections after several weeks of levelling off. The province reported a seven-day average of 3,052 new cases daily between March 5 and March 11.
In a statement, Tam expressed concern over an increase in cases linked to more contagious virus variants, as well as a higher infection rate in Canadians aged 20 to 39.
“Circulation of COVID-19 in younger, more mobile and socially connected adults can increase the risk of spread into high-risk populations and settings,” she wrote.
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Despite the rise in cases, Tam said severe outcomes such as hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline.
Her statement adds urgency to the vaccine effort, which is ramping up in several provinces as more doses arrive.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province’s COVID-19 vaccine booking system is ready to start taking appointments for those 80 and older as of Monday morning, following recent pilot projects allowing some pharmacies and family doctors to deliver the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to people ages 60 to 64.
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Saskatchewan also expanded its rollout, announcing that anyone who is 70 or older can book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday.
In Saskatchewan’s Northern Administrative District, the cutoff age is 50 and over.
Quebec, which is already vaccinating people ages 70 and up across the province or 65 and up in Montreal, will expand its booking system as of Monday to add some 350 pharmacies to the list of places where people can get shots.
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Health Minister Christian Dube noted that the province administered more than 30,000 doses on Saturday, and said Quebec would continue to increase the pace of vaccines.
Unlike many other provinces, Quebec has authorized using the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65, despite the national immunization committee warning of a lack of data on efficacy in that age group.
Dube took to his Twitter account to reassure the population that the vaccine is safe, after several European countries temporarily suspended use of AstraZeneca over concerns surrounding blood clots.
“Vaccination is the solution, regardless of which one,” Dube said.
Both the World Health Organization and Health Canada’s chief medical adviser have said there is no scientific explanation to suggest a link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.
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Alberta, meanwhile, has been running out of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it has been offering to younger people.
Albertans who were born between 1957 and 1961, and First Nations, Metis and Inuit people born between 1972 and 1976, are eligible for the AstraZeneca shots.
While Tam warned that the average number of new COVID-19 cases was rebounding slightly across the country, that wasn’t the case across the board.
There was good news in Atlantic Canada, where Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases of COVID-19, while New Brunswick added five cases to its tally and Nova Scotia reported just one.
Manitoba reported 44 new cases and one death, while Saskatchewan reported 98 new cases and two lost lives.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
