The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020.
There are 448,841 confirmed cases in Canada.
_ Canada: 448,841 confirmed cases (73,297 active, 362,293 resolved, 13,251 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.
There were 6,772 new cases Friday from 81,481 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 8.3 per cent. The rate of active cases is 194.99 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 46,272 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 6,610.
There were 142 new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 755 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 108. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.29 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 35.25 per 100,000 people.
There have been 12,399,310 tests completed.
_ Newfoundland and Labrador: 355 confirmed cases (20 active, 331 resolved, four deaths).
There was one new case Friday from 308 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.32 per cent. The rate of active cases is 3.83 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there has been 12 new case. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is two.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 0.77 per 100,000 people.
There have been 66,148 tests completed.
_ Prince Edward Island: 84 confirmed cases (12 active, 72 resolved, zero deaths).
There were zero new cases Friday from 1,405 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.0 per cent. The rate of active cases is 7.65 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 11 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is two.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people.
There were nine new cases Friday from 1,505 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.60 per cent. The rate of active cases is 6.69 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 44 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is six.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 6.69 per 100,000 people.
There were eight new cases Friday from 567 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 1.4 per cent. The rate of active cases is 10.04 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 26 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is four.
There was one new reported death Friday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.02 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 1.03 per 100,000 people.
There were 1,713 new cases Friday from 11,902 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 14 per cent. The rate of active cases is 187.89 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 12,146 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,735.
There were 53 new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 252 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 36. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.42 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 87.63 per 100,000 people.
There were 1,848 new cases Friday from 60,989 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 3.0 per cent. The rate of active cases is 111.78 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 13,105 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,872.
There were 45 new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 179 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 26. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.18 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 26.88 per 100,000 people.
There were 445 new cases Friday from 2,681 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 17 per cent. The rate of active cases is 402.86 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 2,323 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 332.
There were 14 new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 103 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 15. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 1.07 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 33.95 per 100,000 people.
There were 252 new cases Friday from 1,804 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 14 per cent. The rate of active cases is 387.16 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,948 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 278.
There were zero new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 20 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.24 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 6.39 per 100,000 people.
There were 1,738 new cases Friday. The rate of active cases is 461.21 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 11,941 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,706.
There were 18 new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 94 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 13. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.31 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 15.65 per 100,000 people.
There were 737 new cases Friday. The rate of active cases is 209.04 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 4,665 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 666.
There were 11 new reported deaths Friday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 106 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 15. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.3 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 11.79 per 100,000 people.
There were zero new cases Friday from 22 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 0.0 per cent. The rate of active cases is 24.48 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of seven new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 2.45 per 100,000 people.
There were five new cases Friday from 250 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 2.0 per cent. The rate of active cases is 11.15 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of five new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people.
There were 16 new cases Friday from 48 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 33 per cent. The rate of active cases is 144.4 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 39 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is six.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people.
There have been 4,804 tests completed.
This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published Dec. 12, 2020.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
