Ontario hospitals on Tuesday prepared to pause all non-urgent surgeries as provinces across Canada continued to battle a wave of virus-related hospitalizations that are putting health networks under yet more strain.
Health officials said the province would delay all surgeries deemed non-urgent starting Wednesday as Ontario deals with the dual pressures of rising admissions and increased staff absences.
Chris Simpson of Ontario Health, the agency overseeing the health system, said staff need to be redeployed to hospital wards dealing with shortages or to help admit people who are sick with COVID-19.
While fewer people are experiencing COVID pneumonia during the Omicron wave, many are being hospitalized for short stays or with chronic illnesses worsened by a COVID-19 infection, Simpson said.
Quebec on Tuesday announced it was limiting access to PCR tests to “high risk” individuals, and was asking the general public to stay home and isolate if they have symptoms instead of seeking a test.
The decision is intended to ensure there are enough tests for vulnerable people such as hospital patients and care home residents amid unprecedented demand and expected supply shortages, a health official said.
The province also became the latest to reduce the recommended minimum isolation time for vaccinated individuals to five days, down from 10. Health-care workers in direct contact with patients must stay home for seven days before returning to work.
Quebec has reduced the recommended minimum isolation time for vaccinated individuals to five days, down from 10. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
Many provinces have also chosen to delay the beginning of in-person schooling in the new year in an effort to limit the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Ontario on Monday joined the list of provinces doing so, following the lead of Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Manitoba.
-From The Canadian Press, last updated at 2:45 p.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
WATCH | COVID-19: What are the new symptoms?
COVID-19: What are the new symptoms?
21 hours ago
Duration 5:41
Infectious diseases specialists Dr. Danielle Martin and Dr. Zain Chagla answer questions about COVID-19, including how to recognize and respond to new and evolving symptoms. 5:41
With testing capacity strained, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will begin to report more precise data that separates the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also happen to test positive for COVID-19. For more detail on what is happening in your community, click through to the regional coverage below.
In Atlantic Canada, Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King said on Tuesday that students would not be back inside classrooms until at least Jan. 17, as his province became the latest to shift to remote learning.
The update came as provincial health officials reported 198 new cases of COVID-19. Dr. Heather Morrison said there were three patients in hospital being treated for COVID-19.
There will be increased safety in schools when kids do go back to the classroom:<br>- Masks for all students / teachers etc.<br>- Access to 3 layer mask<br>- Frequent Testing in first few weeks<br>- Schools implement cohorting of students and staff<br>(not in grade 10-12_<br>- Portable filters
Newfoundland and Labrador reported 493 new cases on Tuesday. The province is in “Alert Level 4,” with Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald noting active cases in the province have increased from 30 to nearly 3,000 in the last two weeks. New restrictions, which include further capacity restrictions at gyms and restaurants, will be re-assessed on Jan. 17.
Health officials in New Brunswick reported 746 new cases and three additional deaths Tuesday. The province’s Public Health department said in a release that 16 people are in intensive care and another 40 are in hospital for a total of 56 people hospitalized. Of those in hospital, 37 are over the age of 60, with 11 people on a ventilator. New PCR testing restrictions come into effect tomorrow.
Nova Scotia reported 1,020 new cases Tuesday, matching the number reported the day before.
Quebec is reporting another jump in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, as well as 21 more deaths linked to the pandemic. Health authorities say 1,592 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19, an increase of 196 from the previous day. The number of people in intensive care rose by four to 185, according to details posted by the provincial health ministry on Twitter.
Quebec reported 14,494 new cases of COVID-19 today, with 28.1 per cent of tests analyzed in the previous 24 hours coming back positive.
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford announced a shift to remote learning on Monday — less than a week after his government insisted in-person classes would resume after only a two-day delay. The update came as the province announced thousands of hospital procedures would be delayed as the province tightened restrictions in the face of a wave of Omicron cases.
The province on Tuesday reported 11,352 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 additional deaths.
1,290 people are hospitalized with <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> and 266 people are in ICU with COVID-19.<br><br>The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 related patients in ICU is 221.<br><br>There are 11,352 new cases of <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a>.<br><br>Today’s numbers will be available at 10:30 a.m. at <a href=”https://t.co/ypmgZbVRvn”>https://t.co/ypmgZbVRvn</a>.
Across the North, health officials in the Northwest Territories reported there have been at least 200 new cases diagnosed since New Year’s Eve, with exact numbers expected later in the day.
“COVID-19 infections are now in multiple communities, and for the first time, there are COVID-19 infections in every region of the territory,” Dr. Kami Kandola, chief public health officer for the territory, said during a briefing Tuesday.
The mayor of the small community of Arviat, in Nunavut, says resources are “stretched right to the limit” by contact tracing as officials try to stay on top of COVID-19 cases. The territory reported nine new cases Tuesday, while Yukon reported 31. The total case count in Yukon is now 269, with results pending for more than 200 tests.
In the Prairies, Manitoba’s number of active COVID-19 infections has swelled by thousands since the last update on New Year’s Eve. The province reported 1,757 new cases on Tuesday and two additional deaths. A total of 251 people are in Manitoba hospitals with COVID-19, up from 228 on Monday, with 32 of them in intensive care units.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported Tuesday a total of 12,965 new COVID-19 cases since New Year’s Eve. The breakdown was 4,570 on Dec. 31, 3,323 on Jan 1, 2,059 on Jan. 2, and 3,013 for Jan. 3. There were also 12 additional deaths, including a child.
Hinshaw said the positivity rate over the four days was 28-36 per cent — the highest it’s been since the pandemic began.
In British Columbia, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that the province is in a “a different race” with the pandemic, given the ongoing surge of the Omicron variant, which has become the dominant strain in the province.
“A lot of people will get sick, and we are seeing that now. But your vaccine will protect most people from serious illnesses and from hospitalizations,” she said during a briefing. “All of us have to be proactive in how we prevent ourselves from getting sick and how we prevent transmission to others.”
Case and hospitalization numbers were expected later in the afternoon.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 6 p.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
As of Tuesday afternoon, roughly 293.2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.4 million.
In the Americas, the United States set a global record of almost one million new coronavirus infections reported on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, nearly double the country’s peak of 505,109 hit just a week ago as the highly contagious Omicron variant shows no sign of slowing.
The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50 per cent in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, a Reuters analysis showed, the first time that threshold has been reached since the winter surge a year ago.
Thousands of U.S. schools delayed scheduled return to classrooms, while the U.S. Congress experienced an unprecedented jump in infections as the seven-day positivity rate at a congressional test site surged to 13 per cent from just one per cent in late November.
COVID-19 infections are rising across Mexico, especially in two states that are major tourism destinations on the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Quintana Roo, where tourists flock to Cancun, Tulum and other spots along the Mayan Riviera, and Baja California Sur, which draws beachgoers to the twin Pacific resorts that make up Los Cabos, are both experiencing some of their highest infection totals since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the federal government.
A nurse prepares a COVID-19 booster vaccine during a vaccination campaign for people 60 and over in Mexico City on Tuesday. (Fernando Llano/The Associated Press)
In the Asia-Pacific region, authorities in India’s capital have imposed a weekend stay-at-home order because of a surge in coronavirus infections triggered by the Omicron variant.
Residents must remain at home this Saturday and Sunday except to obtain essentials such as food or medicine, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said. All government workers except for those providing essential services will work from home. He emphasized, however, that very few people were extremely sick, with 124 people requiring oxygen support and seven on ventilators.
The capital recorded over 4,000 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and its test positivity rate surged to 6.5 per cent. A week earlier, the capital detected 300 infections and the test positivity rate was less than one per cent.
The reported number of infections does not accurately reflect the true spread of the virus because it only includes recorded cases.
A health worker administers a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination drive for people in the 15 to 18 age group in New Delhi on Monday. (Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images)
In the Middle East, Israel’s prime minister says preliminary data on the fourth vaccine dose shows that it safely brings about a five-fold increase in antibodies that battle the coronavirus.
Naftali Bennett spoke Tuesday during a visit to the Sheba Medical Center, where Israel launched a trial of a second booster early last week. It is now offering fourth doses of the Pfizer vaccine to people over 60 years old and those with weakened immune systems — becoming the first country to do so.
Israel will admit foreigners with presumed COVID-19 immunity from countries deemed medium-risk next week, partially reversing a ban imposed in late-November in response to the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
In Africa, Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi and his wife, Isaura, have tested positive for COVID-19 and are isolating, the president’s office said on Monday.
Meanwhile, South Africa on Monday reported 3,232 new cases of COVID-19 and 87 additional deaths.
As of today the cumulative number of <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> cases identified in SA is 3 475 512 with 3 232 new cases reported. Today 87 deaths have been reported bringing the total to 91 312 deaths. The cumulative number of recoveries now stand at 3 224 152 with a recovery rate of 92.8% <a href=”https://t.co/IcqwGXERkS”>pic.twitter.com/IcqwGXERkS</a>
In Europe, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have tested positive for COVID-19, the palace said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The King and Queen, who are fully vaccinated with three injections, have mild symptoms and are feeling well, given the circumstances,” the palace said in a statement.
Meanwhile, France reported 271,686 daily COVID-19 infections Tuesday, the highest recorded tally, confirming France’s position as Europe’s most-hit country as the Omicron wave is sweeping across the continent.
-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated at 2:15 p.m. ET
HAMILTON – It remains faint but Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats still have a playoff pulse.
Mitchell threw two touchdown passes as Hamilton defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 37-21 in the CFL’s annual Hall of Fame game Saturday afternoon. The Ticats (4-9) earned a second straight win to move to within six points of the third-place Toronto Argonauts (7-6) in the East Division.
Hamilton visits Toronto on Friday night.
“Obviously they’re (wins) huge now,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t do ourselves any favours by getting into this position and not being able to really control our own destiny.
“But right now, we need certain people to win at certain times. Our job is to go out there and try to win the next five, then the next three after that.”
Mitchell finished 20-of-27 passing for 299 yards and an interception. He entered weekend action leading the CFL in passing yards (3,383) and TD strikes (21).
Greg Bell’s 15-yard TD run at 11:30 of the fourth and two-point convert put Hamilton up 36-21 after backup Jeremiah Masoli led Ottawa on two scoring drives. Following a 13-yard TD strike to Andre Miller at 2:53, Masoli found Dominique Rhymes on a 10-yard touchdown pass at 7:43 before Khalan Laborn’s two-point convert cut Hamilton’s lead to 29-21.
“When you’re scoring from (15) yards out on a run play, that makes offence easy,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of those things when you get down there as a quarterback, it takes you sometimes five, eight, 10 plays and now it’s ‘OK, now we have to create some stuff and find something.’
“When you hand the ball off and you’re scoring from (15) yards, it makes the offence really easy.”
Ottawa (8-4-1) would have clinched a playoff spot with a victory.
Ottawa committed six turnovers (three interceptions, two fumbles, once on downs) before an announced Tim Hortons Field gathering of 22,119. Lawrence Woods III also returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown at 11:51 of the first quarter that put Hamilton ahead 10-3.
“You’ve got to bring your best every single week and this wasn’t our best, all of us, from coaches to the players,” said Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce. “If you don’t play great for four quarters, I don’t care who you’re playing you’re not going to have a successful day.
“We should’ve made the tackle (on Woods), we had him wrapped up it’s that simple. Even though we didn’t make the play on that, there should’ve been extra bodies there to clean it up when he did break the tackle.”
Hamilton also tied the season series with Ottawa 1-1. The teams meet again at TD Place on Oct. 25.
“If we didn’t turn it over today I would’ve said we played really well offensively and that to me is what the biggest difference is,” said Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich. “Even the turnovers today (interception, fumble), at least they were in their end and we weren’t giving them a short field.
“The biggest play of the game was Woodsie’s return. It got us jump-started, gave us the lead and we were kind of off after that.”
Ottawa starter Dru Brown was 17-of-27 passing for 164 yards and an interception. Masoli entered late in the third and finished 13-of-19 passing for 183 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, but Dyce said Brown will start next weekend against Montreal (10-2-1), which earned a 19-19 tie Saturday night with Calgary (4-8-1).
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s ’24 class of S.J. Green, Chad Owens, Weston Dressler, Vince Goldsmith and Vince Coleman, along with builders Ray Jauch and Ed Laverty (posthumously), was honoured at halftime. All were enshrined Friday night.
Steven Dunbar Jr. and Ante Litre had Hamilton’s other touchdowns. Marc Liegghio kicked two field goals, three converts and two singles.
Ottawa’s Lewis Ward booted two field goals and a convert.
Mitchell culminated a five-play, 96-yard march with a 20-yard TD pass to Litre at 13:34 of the third. It followed Jonathan Moxey’s interception.
Liegghio’s single at 7:05 of the third put Hamilton up 22-6.
Mitchell’s 54-yard TD strike to Dunbar at 14:18 of the second staked Hamilton to its 21-6 halftime lead. The advantage was well-deserved as the Ticats had more first downs (12-six), net offensive yards (260-144) and scored on both offence and special teams.
Mitchell was 14-of-20 passing for 210 yards and a TD, but his interception cost Hamilton at least a field-goal attempt. Dunbar had five receptions for 113 yards and the touchdown.
Brown completed 13-of-21 passes for 127 yards.
Liegghio’s missed 47-yard attempt went for the single at 12:45 to put Hamilton ahead 14-6. It followed a Kiondre Smith catch that was ruled incomplete and at the very least cost the Ticats a first down that would’ve kept the drive alive.
Ward’s 30-yard kick at 9:15 had pulled Ottawa to within 13-6.
Liegghio’s 19-yard field goal at 5:13 pushed Hamilton’s lead to 13-3. It followed the defence stopping Ottawa’s Dustin Crum on third-and-one, giving the Ticats possession at the Redblacks 40.
Liegghio’s 47-yard field goal opened the scoring at 2:42 before Ward tied in with a 24-yard boot at 8:44.
UP NEXT
Redblacks: Host the Montreal Alouettes (10-2-1) next Saturday, Sept. 21.
Tiger-Cats: Visit the Toronto Argonauts (7-6) on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – Needing three points to keep their playoff push alive, Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr stepped up with first-half goals against Austin FC on Saturday with goalkeeper Sean Johnson doing his bit at the other end.
A 76th-minute goal by Austin’s Owen Wolff made for a nervy ending but TFC hung on for a 2-1 win.
While Toronto (11-15-3) remains on the Major League Soccer playoff bubble in eighth place in the Eastern Conference (the eighth- and ninth-place teams in each conference square off in a wild-card playoff with the winner facing the top seed in the conference), other results went their way.
Seventh-place Charlotte, 10th-place Atlanta and 11th-place Philadelphia all lost while ninth-place D.C. United tied.
Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello called it “a game we had to win.”
“It’s a big win … To see that fight tonight was important,” added coach John Herdman.
Austin (9-12-7) came into the game in 11th place in the West, two points below ninth-place Minnesota. The Texas side has won just one of its last six league games (1-4-1).
Austin outshot Toronto 7-6 (6-2 edge in shots on target) in the first half but found itself trailing 2-0 at the break as Toronto took advantage of its chances and the visitors didn’t in their first-ever visit to BMO Field, before an announced crowd of 25,538.
Toronto had a dream start, catching Austin on the counterattack in the seventh minute. A sliding Austin player dispossessed an onrushing Kerr, who had been set free by a long ball from Coello, but the ball bounced to Osorio, who beat goalkeeper Brad Stuver with a rising shot.
It was the Toronto captain’s second goal of the season in league play and his 65th for TFC in all competitions. Only Sebastian Giovinco (83) and Jozy Altidore (79) scored more in Toronto colours.
TFC went ahead on another counterattack in the 30th minute after an Austin giveaway. Osorio found Richie Laryea outpacing his marker and the wingback unselfishly sent a perfect low cross across goal for Kerr to knock home for his third of the season.
Wolff, the son of Austin head coach Josh Wolff, made it interesting with his late strike. The 19-year-old U.S. youth international, controlling a long ball, beat defender Raoul Petretta and then waited out Johnson before slotting it home for his first of the season.
Toronto survived a nervy six minutes of stoppage time as Austin pressed for the equalizer. Austin outshot Toronto 14-9 (8-3 in shots on target) and had 52.5 per cent possession.
The win evened Toronto’s home record at 7-7-0, while Austin slipped to 3-8-3 on the road.
It was a costly evening for Austin with defender Brendan Hines-Ike, midfielder Jhojan Valencia and star attacker Sebastian Driussi allpicking up cautions to miss Wednesday’s game with Los Angeles FC due to yellow-card accumulation.
Toronto defender Shane O’Neill will miss Wednesday’s game against visiting Columbus for the same reason. Toronto could be short mid-week, too. The hope is veteran centre back Kevin Long, who missed Saturday’s game after tweaking his hamstring in training, will be good to go.
Toronto has five games remaining, including three more at home as it looks to return to the post-season for the first time since 2020 when it lost to Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.
It is a challenging road.
TFC hosts Columbus, the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami while playing away at the Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire. All but Chicago are in playoff positions.
The only previous meeting between Toronto and Austin was in May 2023, when Zardes scored a 91st-minute winner to give Austin a 1-0 win over visiting Toronto, which was then mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That loss prompted a post-game outburst from Italian star Federico Bernardeschi about TFC’s drab play.
Then-coach Bob Bradley benched Bernardeschi for the next game.
Current coach John Herdman made four changes to his starting 11 with Bernardeschi and Osorio returning from suspension and Coello and Kerr also slotting in. Coello, who had missed the last eight league games with a hamstring injury, was impressive in his 59-minute return.
Both Toronto and Austin suffered home losses last time out going into the international break. Toronto was beaten 3-1 by D.C. United while Austin lost 1-0 to Vancouver.
—
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MONTREAL – CF Montreal is back in the win column after securing a 2-1 Major League Soccer win over Charlotte FC on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.
Montreal’s form had suffered of late, with just one win in MLS since July, but Laurent Courtois’ squad showed a level of poise and control over the tempo of the game that had not been seen since the beginning of the season.
“What we’ve changed in the last few weeks or months in terms of our methodology or coaching, is nothing. We did the exact thing, We had the exact same words, and we expressed them the exact same way,” said Courtois. “Today, everything just clicked.”
Caden Clark scored for the first time as a Montreal (7-12-9) player in the 23rd minute, in addition to Bryce Duke’s goal three minutes later that ended up being the winner, while Tim Ream found the back of the net for Charlotte (10-10-8).
Montreal had the first major scoring chance of the match after 15 minutes of play. With a free kick roughly 25 metres away from goal, Gabriele Corbo sent a near-perfect shot smashing off the crossbar.
Montreal would continue to dictate the tempo in the opening phase, finding first blood just seven minutes later.
Following a phenomenal triple-save from Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, the ball fell to Clark who volleyed the ball into the wide-open net, picking up his first goal for the club.
“I think you don’t lose the feeling (of scoring), everything happens for a reason, you just can’t lose yourself in the chaos,” said Clark, who had missed a full season due to injury and was briefly without a club, but was grateful for Courtois’ confidence in him.
“(To have a coach’s confidence) is huge and is something I’ve had both ends of so you just can’t take advantage of that in the wrong way. I’m going to keep my discipline with the game plan and keep my head right.”
With momentum completely on their side, the home side doubled the lead just three minutes later. Montreal continued to build up play on the left flank and found a streaking Raheem Edwards in behind the defence who cut the ball back to Duke, sending the Stade Saputo crowd into a frenzy.
Just after the half-hour mark, Charlotte pulled one back through a set piece — something Montreal has struggled defending all season — as Ream rose above everyone at the back post to score his first with his new club.
The second half began in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Charlotte pressing high up the pitch and forcing several turnovers in dangerous areas. After surviving the pressure, Montreal began to regain control of the game near the hour mark, enjoying the lion’s share of the possession while Charlotte looked to hit back on the counterattack.
“I think when we conceded that goal we were like ‘here we go again.’ 2-1 is a tough lead before halftime … and at the beginning of the half we kind of shot ourselves in the foot and they pressed a bit more, they moved a bit more forward and that opened some gaps,” said captain Samuel Piette.
“I was happy with that, it shows character. At the end of the day, we just wanted the three points and that’s what we got.”
As the game progressed, Charlotte pushed harder to find an equalizer but to no avail. With only one shot on target conceded, the second-worst defence in the league put up an impressive front and confidently rebuffed every single Charlotte attack.
“I’m a big fan of the back five’s performance in their discipline, competitiveness, and synchronization with balls in behind,” said Courtois.
“We can’t explain sometimes in a game it’s not there, they’re capable and today they showed it. Let’s see tomorrow.”
UP NEXT
Both teams are back in action on Sept. 18 away from home as Montreal will look to avenge a 5-0 rout against the New England Revolution while Charlotte visits Orlando City SC.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
