Canada reported 147 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and two new deaths as the country celebrated the Civic Holiday amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, only a handful of provinces released new numbers on Monday, with many opting to wait until after the holiday to do so.
Ontario did not release any new COVID-19-related data on Monday, saying the province would provide an update on Tuesday after the long weekend.
But the latest data released by the province on Sunday said Ontario has seen a total of 39,449 cases of the virus.
And a total of 2,778 people in the province have died as a result of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
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On Sunday Ontario recorded 116 new cases of the novel coronavirus and one new death.
Meanwhile, health officials in Quebec — the province hit hardest by the pandemic — said 123 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Monday.
Health authorities said another two people had died as a result of the virus.
So far, 50,866 people have recovered from COVID-19 infections in Quebec.
1:46 Coronavirus: Toronto establishments begin collecting customer information for contact tracing
Coronavirus: Toronto establishments begin collecting customer information for contact tracing
Prince Edward Island did not release any new coronavirus data on Monday.
The latest data released by the province on July 28th said the Island has seen a total of 36 cases and has conducted 19,160 tests for the virus.
Nova Scotia health officials did not report any new cases of the virus on Monday, and said no new deaths had occurred.
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So far, the province has tested 65,483 people for the virus and 1005 people have recovered from infections.
New Brunswick reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus and health officials said no additional deaths had occurred on Monday.
The province has conducted a total of 53,243 tests for COVID-19 and health officials said 168 people have recovered after becoming infected with the virus.
Health authorities in Newfoundland and Labrador said no new COVID-19 cases were identified on Monday, and the province had not seen any more deaths associated with the virus.
In a tweet on Monday, Manitoba health authorities said seven new cases of the novel coronavirus were identified on Monday.
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The new cases bring the province’s total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable infections to 442.
Public health officials advise 7 new cases of #Covid19MB have been identified as of 9:30 a.m. today. The total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive cases in Manitoba is 442. The online data will be updated on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. https://t.co/QHUWf1HR4dpic.twitter.com/UFznUBW6xV
Health officials did not release any other details on the seven latest cases — instead, the province said it will release more information Tuesday, after the long weekend.
Alberta did not release any new COVID-19 data on the Civic Holiday.
However, the latest numbers released on Friday said the province has seen a total of 10,843 cases and 196 deaths.
By Friday 9,621 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Alberta, and 685,297 tests had been conducted.
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July 31 COVID-19 case numbers: ☑️ Increase of 127 cases, now 196 deaths to date ☑️ There are 1,386 active cases ☑️ 9,261 recovered cases ☑️ 685,297 tests performed by the lab (8,384 in the past 24 hours) Here’s more information: https://t.co/KU1VcHZ4Yypic.twitter.com/gGfe17MHmD
Yukon health officials also did not release any new data on Monday.
As of Friday the territory had seen a total of 14 cases of the virus.
Health officials in the Yukon have conducted 1,612 tests for the virus, and 11 people have recovered from infections.
According to the latest data from Nunavut — released on July 29 — the territory had still not seen its first confirmed case of the virus.
Global cases top 18 million
Meanwhile, the novel coronavirus pandemic passed another grim milestone on Monday, with the number of cases worldwide topping 18 million.
According to a tally from John’s Hopkins University, as of 8 p.m. ET, there were a total of 18,178,736 cases of the virus around the world.
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1:08 Coronavirus: Trump claims vaccine could be available “far in advance of the end of the year”
Coronavirus: Trump claims vaccine could be available “far in advance of the end of the year” Since the virus was first detected late last year, it has claimed 691,111 lives.
The United States remained the epicentre of the virus on Monday with 4,710,282 cases.
A total of 155,331 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S.
TORONTO – Unifor says workers at a Walmart warehouse in Mississauga, Ont., have voted to join the union.
The union says it’s Walmart’s first warehouse to unionize in Canada.
Unifor national president Lana Payne says the employees stood up for their rights and the union is excited to get to work on their first collective agreement.
Unifor’s campaign at Walmart’s facility began in December 2023.
The vote was held from Sept. 10 to 12.
Unifor represents 315,000 workers across the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
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.
MONTREAL – A 20-year-old man arrested over an alleged Islamic State terror plot to kill Jews in New York City will return to court in December in Montreal.
Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani national living in Ontario, was arrested last week in Ormstown, Que., allegedly on his way across the border into New York state.
Khan has been charged in the United States with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to a terrorist organization, and officials are seeking to have him extradited to stand trial.
He was not present for a hearing today in Quebec Superior Court, where lawyers said they are waiting for extradition documents and for authorization from Canadian officials before proceeding in the case, which will return before a judge on Dec. 6.
U.S. authorities allege that Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, intended to use “automatic and semi-automatic weapons” in a mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn around Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Authorities allege he began planning his attack in November 2023.
Earlier this week, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Khan arrived in Canada in June 2023 on a student visa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
