Big drop in new COVID-19 cases reported in Waterloo region Tuesday - CBC.ca | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Big drop in new COVID-19 cases reported in Waterloo region Tuesday – CBC.ca

Published

 on


Waterloo region saw a significant drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday.

Region of Waterloo Public Health reported just 12 cases, which was well below numbers for the past month when daily case numbers have fluctuated between 35 and 70.

The region reported 318 active cases. There were no new deaths reported Tuesday.

The number of people in the region’s three hospitals rose by two to 48 with half of those people in the intensive care unit.

The number of active outbreaks also rose by three to 21.

The region remains in Step One of the province’s three-step reopening. Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s medical officer of health, is expected to discuss whether the region should move into Step Two on Tuesday afternoon during a board of health meeting.

Hockey hub to open Thursday

The region is prepping a new “hockey hub” vaccination clinic and officials say there will be 20,000 additional appointments for people who need their first and second dose of the vaccine in the coming weeks.

The hockey hub vaccination clinic was developed by Grey Bruce Public Health in partnership with Bruce Power and sees a person walk in and sit in a seat right away, staff come to the person to give the vaccine, and then the person waits in that seat until it’s time to leave.

The Region of Waterloo will work with Bruce Power to set up the clinic at Bingemans in Kitchener. It’s anticipated the clinic will open on Thursday and the first two days will be a trial run, administering shots to people 18 years of age and up with Moderna being offered. First dose walk-ins are permitted.

Starting on the weekend, people 12 years of age and up will be allowed to book appointments at the site or walk-in for first doses.

The hockey hub comes after 1,200 doses were given at a drive-thru clinic at Bingemans on Sunday.

Regional Chair Karen Redman says she attended the drive-thru clinic and spoke to some people getting their first doses. She heard from one new mother who said the other clinics just weren’t as convenient as the drive-thru and Redman says that’s why it’s important the region diversifies how it distributes doses.

“We’ve tried to do everything we can to increase capacity now that we have vaccine and the roll out is working,” Redman said in an interview. 

“Everybody is looking forward to Step 2 and I think Step 3 after that,” she said. “The community is stepping up as we asked them to and all that bodes well for moving forward to a more open economy and a summer that we all deserve.”

Young people getting shots

Numbers on the regional vaccination dashboard shows young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are stepping up to get the first dose.

The numbers show 79 per cent of people in that age range have received their first dose of the vaccine, surpassing people aged 30 to 39, 40 to 49 and 50 to 59, despite having access to the vaccine later than those other age ranges.

The dashboard shows 63 per cent of youth between the ages of 12 and 18 have received their first dose.

The region’s vaccination dashboard shows the percentages of people per age group who have received first (light blue bar) and second (dark blue bar) doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This is the graph as of July 6. (Region of Waterloo)

In total, 79.5 per cent of people 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 43 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The region says it anticipates reaching the milestone of 80 per cent of people having received a first dose later this week.

Long-term care and retirement homes in outbreak

There are two long-term care homes and three retirement homes in outbreak in Waterloo region.

The two local long-term care homes in outbreak are:

  • Columbia Forest in Waterloo, operated by Revera Living, with a total of two cases in people living there.
  • The Village at Winston Park in Kitchener, operated by Schlegel Villages, with a total of 21 cases: 14 in people living there and seven in staff. One death has been associated with this outbreak.

In an update on its website Monday, Schlegel Villages said staff at Winston Park “continues to monitor everyone closely and all testing results conducted [Sunday] have returned negative.”

As of Tuesday, the province listed three long-term care homes in outbreak: One in Sarnia, one in Burlington and Winston Park in Kitchener. Columbia Forest in Waterloo was not yet on the provincial website.

The three retirement homes in outbreak in Waterloo region are:

  • Zora Srpski Dom Retirement Home in Kitchener with 11 cases: Eight in residents, three in staff.
  • Marian Residence Retirement Home in Cambridge with six cases: two in residents, four in staff. There is one death association with this outbreak.
  • Highland Place Retirement Home in Kitchener with two cases: one each in a resident and staff member.

Other outbreaks

There were 21 active outbreaks. Along with the five in long-term care and retirement homes, the other outbreaks were:

  • Workplaces: Eight.
  • Hospitals: Five.
  • Congregate settings: Two.
  • Independent living facility: One.

Adblock test (Why?)



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

Published

 on

 

Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

Published

 on

 

CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

Published

 on

 

BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version