British Columbia’s top doctor says the province has updated its approach to testing and is calling for people with specific COVID-19 symptoms to get tested right away.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the comments at her Thursday briefing, adding that testing remains available for anyone who needs it, but that officials wanted to prioritize certain cases.
“There are four symptoms that have shown — when we look at the data of people who’ve been tested — that are very much associated with COVID,” Henry said.
“These include having fever, chills, a cough loss of sense of smell or taste and difficulty breathing. If you have any of these symptoms, if you’re feeling short of breath, if you’ve lost your your sense of smell, then you need to get a COVID test right away. That’s a priority.”
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Henry said the majority of new cases in B.C. remain linked to confirmed exposures, clusters and outbreaks.
The updated guidance came as more people are experiencing symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 during respiratory illness season, Henry said.
People showing other symptoms may still be tested if they wish, but Henry added that if they were not in contact with a COVID-19 case, it was OK to wait and see if they improved.
“Those are things that are fairly common this time of year, like sore throat, loss of appetite, fatigue, headache, body aches, nausea and diarrhea,” she said.
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“In that case, if you have two or more of these symptoms, you can wait and see, but you can also go for a test. And if you feel the same or worse after 24 hours, then you can get tested.”
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.
