Alberta Health reported the largest number of COVID-19-related deaths announced in a 24-hour period since the pandemic hit the province.
There were a total of 22 deaths related to the virus, as well as 1,717 new cases.
Here is a summary of today’s #COVID19AB update. There are 1,717 new cases with 20,562 active cases. Sadly, I must also report an additional 22 deaths. My heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of these individuals and to all Albertans mourning a loved one today. (1/4)
The new daily high brought the total number of COVID-related deaths in Alberta to 719 since the start of the pandemic.
There are now 20,562 active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, the majority of which remain in Calgary and Edmonton zones. There were 9,778 cases in the Edmonton zone and 7,268 cases in the Calgary zone.
There were 681 people in hospital across the province with 136 people in ICU.
There were 21,725 COVID-19 tests completed on Dec. 12, giving a positivity rate at just under eight per cent over the 24-hour period. There have now been a total of 2,507,588 completed tests in Alberta since the pandemic began.
Twenty of the 22 reported deaths Sunday involved senior citizens.
Six of the deaths were linked to the outbreak at the Capital Care Lynwood in Edmonton: two men in their 80s, a man in his 60s, a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 80s, and a woman in her 70s. Alberta Health said all of the deaths related to that centre included comorbidities.
There were three deaths linked to the outbreak in Salem Manor in Leduc: a woman in her 100s, a man in his 90s and a man in his 80s. All three of those deaths included comorbidities, according to Alberta Health.
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There were six other deaths in the Edmonton Zone: a woman in her 90s linked to the outbreak at Edmonton’s Chinatown Care Centre whose case included comorbidities, a man in his 50s with no known comorbidities, a man in his 40s linked to the outbreak at Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre whose case included comorbidities, a woman in her 70s whose case included comorbidities and two men in their 70s — one case included comorbidities while the other had unknown comorbidities.
1:30 Officer at Fort Saskatchewan jail dies after contracting COVID-19
Officer at Fort Saskatchewan jail dies after contracting COVID-19
There were three deaths in the Calgary Zone: a man in his 80s linked to the outbreak at Bethany and two women in their 80s linked to the outbreak at Agecare Skypointe. All three deaths included comorbidities.
There were two deaths linked to the outbreak at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Central Zone: a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s. The woman’s death included comorbidities, while it is unknown at this time if the man’s death included comorbidities.
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There was also one death reported involving a man where the details, including age and zone, have yet to be confirmed.
The new daily record for COVID-19-related deaths came on the same day as new restrictions began across the province.
As part of the new restrictions, dine-in service at restaurants and bars is no longer permitted and all personal service businesses like hair salons and gyms must close.
1:44 While Alberta’s new mandatory restrictions take effect, more online support is coming for Edmonton small businesses
While Alberta’s new mandatory restrictions take effect, more online support is coming for Edmonton small businesses
All social gatherings are also banned — not just indoor, but now outdoor as well. The province is also imposing mandatory work-from-home measures and an Alberta-wide mask mandate.
While retail businesses in Alberta may remain open, they must do so at a lower fire code capacity limit of 15 per cent. Worship centres will also stay open under those same limits.
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Business restrictions have now come into effect across Alberta. Some businesses are required to close while others must reduce their capacity or limit their access to the public. (3/4)
Some Alberta health-care workers prepare for vaccination
The first 30,000 initial doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Canada Sunday evening, ahead of Alberta’s vaccination rollout Wednesday.
Health officials have said the vaccination program in Alberta will begin with 3,900 doses of the vaccine for 3,900 healthcare workers, including ICU doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and long-term care workers in the province.
1:45 COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Alberta Wednesday
COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Alberta Wednesday
Lisa Vallee is a critical care nurse in the Edmonton area and has been selected as one of the first recipients.
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“I was kinda in disbelief,” Vallee said. “I heard they were bringing a small amount of vaccines to Alberta — and there was talk on my unit as well that we were likely going to be the first group, because they did specifically say they’d start with critical care nurses”
“It wasn’t real until that moment I was actually picking an appointment time – I was so excited.”
Vallee said receiving the vaccination will relieve some of her anxiety on working directly with COVID-19 patients.
“It’s been a long nine months working in health care,” she said. “I know it will take months — even up to a year — to get to a point where we can have a lot of people vaccinated, but a start is nice.
“It’s been a long time coming.”
She added that she has no hesitation on her decision to sign up and trusts the experts along with Health Canada officials who approved the vaccine.
“For me, the amount of times I’ve put myself at risk at the bedside for COVID patients, it’s a relief, and I will happily take this vaccine if it’s a step forward to some sort of normal life again.”
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.
