Canada’s top doctor says there’s concern that an increase in more transmissible variants of the COVID-19 virus may be threatening the country’s progress in containing the spread of infections.
And while Canada’s vaccine rollout has been gaining speed over the past few weeks, Dr. Theresa Tam says the country is in a “crucial moment” in the battle between vaccines and variants.
“If we don’t slow down the spread of the variants, Team Vaccine is at risk of falling behind,” Tam said in a press conference Friday.
“But if we can hold on and give it that last push, by keeping up with personal protective measures and limiting our contacts to the extent possible, we will clear the path for Team Vaccine to cross the finish line.”
Tam’s comments come amid another 4,216 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, which pushed the national caseload to 927,069. Canada also added 27 more deaths linked to COVID-19, with the death toll from the virus now standing at 22,617.
The daily case count was the first since the start of this year that surpassed 4,000, which itself came after a late-winter peak of over 8,000 cases per day.
To date, a over 871,000 patients diagnosed with the virus have since recovered however, while over 26.87 million tests and 3.72 million vaccine doses have since been administered. The number of patients hospitalized due to the virus increased over the last 24 hours, with 2,024 currently in hospital as of Friday night.
There have been nearly 4,500 variant cases of COVID-19 in Canada, with 90 per cent of those related to the variant first detected in the U.K., Tam said, adding that in parts of Canada, variants of concern are making up a higher proportion of all new cases.
The country’s vaccination rollout, while still reaching only a small minority of Canadians, has been having some positive effects, she added.
Ontario expanded vaccine rollout plans Friday, broadening the age groups that will be eligible for their first vaccine doses starting next week, while Quebec opened up vaccinations to anyone 65 and older.
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Tam said rates of COVID-19 are dropping in people 80 years of age or older, and there is a “downward trend” in outbreaks at long-term care homes.
“Each week a new high is being set for the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered with over 670,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered this past week alone, and more than 3.5 million doses administered to date across Canada,” she said.
Still, less than 10 per cent of Canadians have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, Tam noted.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday a million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be delivered every week through the end of May. Canada is also finalizing a deal with the United States to get 1.5 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca from its southern neighbour by the end of March. The doses will have a minimum shelf life of 60 days, said Procurement Minister Anita Anand.
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its recommendations for AstraZeneca this week, saying the vaccine could be administered to those over 65.
In light of the change in recommendations, starting Monday Ontario pharmacies in certain regions will offer the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot by appointment to those 60 and older. They previously only offered that shot to residents aged 60-64.
Ontario residents aged 75 and older will also be able to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial booking portal.
The province said more than 50 per cent of Ontario residents aged 80 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. Ontario
Quebec, meanwhile, says it intends to vaccinate five million people with a first dose in the next 100 days. The province is looking to enlist up to 50 companies to operate vaccination hubs once its immunization campaign extends to people under 60, Health Minister Christian Dube said.
Quebec administered a daily record 38,459 vaccine doses on Thursday. Roughly 9.8 per cent of the province’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.
Vaccine eligibility in Manitoba is expanding to people 69 and older and First Nation people 49 and older. Trudeau said the federal government will be deploying the Canadian Armed Forces to Northern Manitoba to help roll out vaccines in First Nations communities that are otherwise hard to reach.
Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba’s acting deputy chief public health officer, says health officials are now strongly recommending people get tested for COVID-19 before travelling to First Nations communities.
While progress continues on Canada’s vaccine front, Tam noted now is not the time to relax public health guidelines.
Timing of upcoming holidays such as Easter, which is two weeks away, will be cause for caution, Tam said, urging people to “hold on a bit longer” to public health restrictions.
“There is a sense … that this has been going on for so long that many people are having some difficulties keeping things up. So I do think this is absolutely not the time to let go of those measures.”
But as more people become vaccinated, Tam noted public health measures will need to adjust to the changing epidemiological trends.
In addition to the protection offered by vaccines, Tam said the approaching warmer weather will be another welcome barrier to spread. She encouraged people to get outside and avoid the enclosed, crowded spaces with poor ventilation that remain high-risk settings for transmission.
“We got to really give people some of these kind of activities to look forward to,” she said.
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo said Friday that while the number of older patients requiring hospitalization and ICU admission for COVID illness is decreasing, serious conditions are still being seen in some younger individuals.
He said some parts of the country may need to implement stricter measures to deal with any surges of COVID cases.
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“There really is, I think, a caution and a warning that everyone is still at risk, with respect to either coming down with it or transmitting COVID-19 to others,” he said. “And so I think we really can’t let go.”
Alberta is dealing with a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Officials reported 696 new cases on Friday, including 130 variants of concern.
The number of new daily cases has not been that high since the middle of January. The daily case number had fallen to as low as 224 on Feb. 8 but has been above 500 on each of the last three days.
Worldwide, COVID-19 infections continue to increase with over 122.2 million cases being identified to date, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over 2.7 million people have since died from COVID-19, with the U.S., India, Brazil and Mexico leading in cases or deaths.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
