TORONTO —
A “limited amount” of Canadian crew onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship have tested positive for COVID-19, foreign minister Champagne has confirmed.
A plane carrying 228 Canadian passengers from the coronavirus-hit vessel has landed at CFB Trenton for quarantine after they were repatriated from the U.S.
Ottawa chartered a jet to evacuate 237 Canadians from the ship in California, where the ship carrying 3,500 passengers docked on Monday. A number of Canadian passengers stayed behind in the U.S. with medical conditions not linked to the coronavirus.
The infected Canadian crew will remain on the ship, foreign affairs minister Francoise-Philippe Champagne said, but would provide the number of people affected.
About 1,100 Princess crew members, 19 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19, will be quarantined and treated aboard the ship, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
“We have certain crew members, a very limited amount of crew members, which tested positive, which are Canadian on the ship and will remain on the ship in accordance with the protocol that has been agreed by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and local and state authorities in the U.S.,” minister Champagne said.
The Grand Princess had been held off the California coast since March 4 because of evidence that it was the breeding ground for more than 20 infections tied to a previous voyage, according to The Associated Press.
The Canadian government said in a statement that passengers would be screened for symptoms before boarding the chartered plane to Trenton.
“If they exhibit symptoms, they will not be permitted to board and will instead be further assessed to determine next steps,” the statement read.
The Canadian passengers now in Trenton face a 14-day quarantine before they can return home.
“Upon landing, the returning passengers were screened at CFB Trenton by quarantine officers and then met by officers from the Canada Border Services Agency,” a government statement read.
“They will be subject to a 14-day quarantine period and undergo the same medical assessment and observation as those Canadians who were previously repatriated from Wuhan, China, and Japan.”
Another Princess Cruises ship, the Diamond Princess, was quarantined for two weeks in Japan last month because of the virus.
The Diamond Princess, carrying around 3,700 people, became the site of the largest COVID-19 outbreak outside of China with more than 600 confirmed cases of the virus. Passengers were under quarantine on the vessel in Yokohama since early February.
Of the 256 Canadian passengers on board that ship, 48 tested positive for COVID-19 and were taken to local hospitals in Japan for further treatment.
The 129 Canadian passengers evacuated by the government were transported by bus to Cornwall’s NAV Centre, a large hotel and conference centre, for a second 14-day quarantine.
MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson is warning that public services are becoming “dehumanized” in the province amid a rise in demand for them.
Marc-André Dowd released his annual report today, which highlights several examples of people receiving inadequate care across the health network in the 12 months leading to March 31.
One dying man who lived alone was denied help cleaning his cat’s litter box by his local health clinic, a service Dowd says should have been given for “humanitarian reasons.”
Dowd also describes staff at a long-term care home feeding residents “mechanically” and talking among each other — despite health ministry guidelines directing staff to maintain eye contact with residents.
The ombudsperson says his office received a record number of problems to investigate across the province’s public services — 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year.
He says his office investigated 13,358 cases between April 2023 and March of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Canada next week after a planned trip in July was cancelled amid political turmoil in France.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a statement today that Macron will be in Canada Wednesday and Thursday after the leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Trudeau will welcome Macron in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they are expected to discuss collaboration on geopolitical issues including their ongoing support for Ukraine.
They are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen the response to emerging threats, such as disinformation.
In Montreal, Trudeau intends to show off the city’s artificial intelligence sector, while both countries reaffirm their commitment to work with counterparts on responsible use of AI.
The leaders will also discuss promoting the French language ahead of the Francophonie summit being held in France next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
