Vaccination rates for five- to 11-year-olds in Surrey have increased by about five per cent, hitting 41 per cent, according to the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The BCCDC breaks Surrey into nine communities: North Surrey, Whalley, Guildford, West Newton, East Newton, Fleetwood, Cloverdale, Panorama and South Surrey.
Rates for first doses for the five-to-11 age group as of Jan. 20 are: North Surrey (35 per cent), Whalley (34 per cent), Guildford (41 per cent), West Newton (31 per cent), East Newton (33 per cent), Fleetwood (43 per cent), Cloverdale (50 per cent), Panorama (46 per cent) and South Surrey (56 per cent).
That’s 41 per cent receiving their first dose, which is up a little more than six per cent (35.4 per cent) from Jan. 10 Vaccine rollout for the five-to-11 age group started Nov. 29.
Since Jan. 10, vaccination rates for Surrey’s five-to-11 age group have nearly caught up to the rest of B.C. and the Fraser Health region. The provincial average is 49 per cent, while 45 per cent in the Fraser Health region have had their first dose.
Meanwhile, rates for fully vaccinated Surrey residents (aged 12 and up) have started to slow down, with only North Surrey, Fleetwood and South Surrey reporting increases.
Rates for second doses for 12-plus as of Jan. 10 are: North Surrey (93 per cent), Whalley (95 per cent), Guildford (89 per cent), West Newton (97 per cent), East Newton (96 per cent), Fleetwood (94 per cent), Cloverdale (91 per cent), Panorama (95 per cent) and South Surrey (91 per cent).
That’s 93.4 per cent of those aged 12 and up who are fully vaccinated, which is up 0.3 (93.1 per cent) from Jan. 10. First doses are at 96.3 per cent, which is 0.1 per cent (95.9 per cent) from Jan. 3. West Newton is the first community in this age category to hit 100 per cent for first doses.
Provincewide as of Jan. 20, it was slightly lower with 89.8 per cent of those aged 12 and up having received both doses, while 92.5 per cent have received one dose.
However, in the 12-17 age group by Jan. 20, 86.8 per cent have received both doses (up from 86.1 per cent Jan. 10) and 91.2 per cent have had a single dose (up from 90.6 per cent).
For second doses for those 18-plus, only North Surrey and Cloverdale reported an increase.
Rates for those fully vaccinated for 18-plus as of Jan. 20 are: North Surrey (94 per cent), Whalley (96 per cent), Guildford (89 per cent), West Newton (98 per cent), East Newton (97 per cent), Fleetwood (94 per cent), Cloverdale (92 per cent), Panorama (96 per cent) and South Surrey (91 per cent).
That’s 94.1 per cent of those who are 18-plus who are fully vaccinated, which is up 0.2 per cent (93.9 per cent) from Jan. 10. Meantime, 96.7 per cent of people aged 18 and over have had one dose, which is up about 0.3 per cent (96.4 per cent).
Both West and East Newton have hit 100 per cent, while Whalley isn’t far behind with 99 per cent.
Provincewide, second doses for adults were slightly lower at 90.2 per cent by Jan. 10, and first doses are at 92.8 per cent.
For those aged 18-49, 97.1 per cent have had one dose (up from 96.9 per cent) – with Whalley, North Surrey and West and East Newton hitting 100 per cent – and 94.7 have received both doses (up from 94.3 per cent). West Newton is the first community to hit a 100-per-cent vaccination rate.
The 50-plus age group, as of Jan. 20, saw a slight increase overall, but only Whalley, Guildford and Panorama recorded individual increases.
When it comes to those who are aged 50-plus and fully vaccinated, the rates are: North Surrey (88 per cent), Whalley (93 per cent), Guildford (90 per cent), West Newton (95 per cent) East Newton (95 per cent), Fleetwood (93 per cent), Cloverdale (93 per cent), Panorama (96 percent) and South Surrey (92 per cent).
That’s about 92.8 per cent of those aged 50 and older who are fully vaccinated, which is up 0.4 per cent (92.4 per cent) from Jan. 10. First doses are at 94.4 per cent, which is the same as the previous reporting period.
The BCCDC currently only shows third-dose vaccination rates by community for the 70-plus age group, broken down between the nine communities, for third doses for 70-plus it’s: North Surrey (63 per cent), Whalley (62 per cent), Guildford (69 per cent), West Newton (61 per cent), East Newton (66 per cent), Fleetwood (71 per cent), Cloverdale (77 per cent), Panorama (71 per cent) and South Surrey (82 per cent).
That’s about 669.1 per cent of Surrey’s over-70 population receiving a booster dose (up from 65.1 as of Jan. 10).
Meanwhile, 25 per cent (up from 18 per cent) of those aged 12 and over in Surrey have had their third dose as of Jan. 18, compared to 38 per cent provincewide.
Meantime, 42 per cent of those aged 12 and over in South Surrey/White Rock have had their booster.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology group SoftBank swung back to profitability in the July-September quarter, boosted by positive results in its Vision Fund investments.
Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. reported Tuesday a fiscal second quarter profit of nearly 1.18 trillion yen ($7.7 billion), compared with a 931 billion yen loss in the year-earlier period.
Quarterly sales edged up about 6% to nearly 1.77 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).
SoftBank credited income from royalties and licensing related to its holdings in Arm, a computer chip-designing company, whose business spans smartphones, data centers, networking equipment, automotive, consumer electronic devices, and AI applications.
The results were also helped by the absence of losses related to SoftBank’s investment in office-space sharing venture WeWork, which hit the previous fiscal year.
WeWork, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, emerged from Chapter 11 in June.
SoftBank has benefitted in recent months from rising share prices in some investment, such as U.S.-based e-commerce company Coupang, Chinese mobility provider DiDi Global and Bytedance, the Chinese developer of TikTok.
SoftBank’s financial results tend to swing wildly, partly because of its sprawling investment portfolio that includes search engine Yahoo, Chinese retailer Alibaba, and artificial intelligence company Nvidia.
SoftBank makes investments in a variety of companies that it groups together in a series of Vision Funds.
The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, is a pioneer in technology investment in Japan. SoftBank Group does not give earnings forecasts.
Shopify Inc. executives brushed off concerns that incoming U.S. President Donald Trump will be a major detriment to many of the company’s merchants.
“There’s nothing in what we’ve heard from Trump, nor would there have been anything from (Democratic candidate) Kamala (Harris), which we think impacts the overall state of new business formation and entrepreneurship,” Shopify’s chief financial officer Jeff Hoffmeister told analysts on a call Tuesday.
“We still feel really good about all the merchants out there, all the entrepreneurs that want to start new businesses and that’s obviously not going to change with the administration.”
Hoffmeister’s comments come a week after Trump, a Republican businessman, trounced Harris in an election that will soon return him to the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he threatened to impose tariffs of 60 per cent on imports from China and roughly 10 per cent to 20 per cent on goods from all other countries.
If the president-elect makes good on the promise, many worry the cost of operating will soar for companies, including customers of Shopify, which sells e-commerce software to small businesses but also brands as big as Kylie Cosmetics and Victoria’s Secret.
These merchants may feel they have no choice but to pass on the increases to customers, perhaps sparking more inflation.
If Trump’s tariffs do come to fruition, Shopify’s president Harley Finkelstein pointed out China is “not a huge area” for Shopify.
However, “we can’t anticipate what every presidential administration is going to do,” he cautioned.
He likened the uncertainty facing the business community to the COVID-19 pandemic where Shopify had to help companies migrate online.
“Our job is no matter what comes the way of our merchants, we provide them with tools and service and support for them to navigate it really well,” he said.
Finkelstein was questioned about the forthcoming U.S. leadership change on a call meant to delve into Shopify’s latest earnings, which sent shares soaring 27 per cent to $158.63 shortly after Tuesday’s market open.
The Ottawa-based company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, reported US$828 million in net income for its third quarter, up from US$718 million in the same quarter last year, as its revenue rose 26 per cent.
Revenue for the period ended Sept. 30 totalled US$2.16 billion, up from US$1.71 billion a year earlier.
Subscription solutions revenue reached US$610 million, up from US$486 million in the same quarter last year.
Merchant solutions revenue amounted to US$1.55 billion, up from US$1.23 billion.
Shopify’s net income excluding the impact of equity investments totalled US$344 million for the quarter, up from US$173 million in the same quarter last year.
Daniel Chan, a TD Cowen analyst, said the results show Shopify has a leadership position in the e-commerce world and “a continued ability to gain market share.”
In its outlook for its fourth quarter of 2024, the company said it expects revenue to grow at a mid-to-high-twenties percentage rate on a year-over-year basis.
“Q4 guidance suggests Shopify will finish the year strong, with better-than-expected revenue growth and operating margin,” Chan pointed out in a note to investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
TORONTO – RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust says it has cut almost 10 per cent of its staff as it deals with a slowdown in the condo market and overall pushes for greater efficiency.
The company says the cuts, which amount to around 60 employees based on its last annual filing, will mean about $9 million in restructuring charges and should translate to about $8 million in annualized cash savings.
The job cuts come as RioCan and others scale back condo development plans as the market softens, but chief executive Jonathan Gitlin says the reductions were from a companywide efficiency effort.
RioCan says it doesn’t plan to start any new construction of mixed-use properties this year and well into 2025 as it adjusts to the shifting market demand.
The company reported a net income of $96.9 million in the third quarter, up from a loss of $73.5 million last year, as it saw a $159 million boost from a favourable change in the fair value of investment properties.
RioCan reported what it says is a record-breaking 97.8 per cent occupancy rate in the quarter including retail committed occupancy of 98.6 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
