The B.C. government has announced that people aged 55 to 65 who are living in the Lower Mainland can register on Wednesday to receive a dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.
The announcement on Tuesday came as provincial health officials reported 840 new cases of COVID-19 but no additional deaths.
In a statement, Health Minister Adrian Dix said anyone in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions within that age range can call their local pharmacy to book a vaccination appointment.
Drop-in service may also be an option at more than 150 participating pharmacies. People must bring their personal health number with them.
The announcement comes one day after British Columbia health officials paused the use of AstraZeneca vaccines in people under the age of 55 in response to European reports of rare but potentially fatal blood clots.
Similar measures are being taken across Canada in response to recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
Health officials said that pause presents an opportunity to use those doses to protect people with higher COVID-19 risks sooner.
Health-care workers provide COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines at a drive-thru clinic in Central Park in Burnaby. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“We know from the millions of doses used worldwide, and especially in the U.K., it is highly effective and the benefits to those over age 55 far outweigh the very real risks of getting COVID-19,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a statement.
“I encourage everyone in the Lower Mainland who is between 55 and 65 years of age to receive their safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine today.”
Active cases remain high
Henry and Dix also updated the province’s COVID-19 numbers on Tuesday, putting the number of hospitalized patients at 312, 78 of whom are in intensive care.
There are currently 7,062 active cases of coronavirus in the province — the highest number since Jan. 3 — with public health officials monitoring 11,164 people across B.C. who are in self-isolation due to COVID-19 exposure.
A total of 90,401 people who have tested positive for the virus have recovered, while 1,455 people in B.C. have died due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began early last year.
So far, 724,193 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province, with 87,319 of those being second doses.
B.C. recorded 320 new cases associated with variants of concern on Tuesday, bringing the total number of variant cases in the province to 2,553. Of those, 313 are active cases.
New restrictions in effect
On Monday, the province recorded 2,518 new cases of COVID-19 from over the weekend, with a record high 936 on Saturday.
To interrupt the escalating transmission, Henry announced new restrictions that are in effect until at least April 19.
They include the closure of all indoor dining establishments, the suspension of indoor adult group fitness classes and the temporary closure of the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort.
Henry also outlined new school mask guidelines on Monday for children in elementary school to help curb the rise in cases. The new guidelines now recommend masks for all students down to Grade 4 in schools across the province.
Henry was joined by Premier John Horgan, who singled out British Columbians aged 20 to 39 as the cohort not paying enough attention to COVID-19 public health orders.
Whistler case count grows
Vancouver Coastal Health reported continued case growth in Whistler on Tuesday.
In a statement, VCH said that from March 22 to 28, 218 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Whistler.
Between Jan. 1 and March 28, 1,120 cases were recorded in the Whistler community, the health authority said, 83 per cent of which occurred among people age 20 to 39 years.
VCH said the most common transmission locations in Whistler are household settings and social gatherings.
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.
