Canada’s top doctor said 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.
In an update published Thursday night, federal health officials reported a total of 4,499 variant of concern cases, including:
4,169 cases of the B117 variant, which was first reported in the U.K.
241 cases of the B1351 variant, which was first reported in South Africa.
89 cases of the P1 variant, which was first reported in travellers from Brazil.
While Canada’s vaccine rollout has been gaining speed over the past few weeks, Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that 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 at a news conference.
“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.”
WATCH | Dr. Tam Tam says COVID-19 in younger adults ‘a tricky situation’:
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam explains that the one-dose strategy is all about getting younger age groups vaccinated faster. 1:22
The province said Toronto and Peel will remain in the strictest “grey lockdown” category of Ontario’s pandemic framework but restaurants can offer services outdoors, as requested by the region’s top doctors.
Restaurants in regions in the second-strictest “red” category will be able to increase capacity to a maximum of 50 people indoors, up from the previous limit of 10.
Restaurants operating in “orange” zones will be able to have 100 people indoors, from a previous limit of 50.
The new rules take effect Saturday at 12:01 a.m. ET and come as the province reported 1,745 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 related deaths.
Earlier, Premier Doug Ford offered an update on the province’s vaccine rollout, saying that as of Monday, people aged 75 and older can start scheduling appointments through the province’s booking portal.
WATCH | Ontario expands vaccination rollout:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says vaccinations of those 80 years and older are ahead of schedule, so 75-year-olds will be able to book appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. Inoculations in pharmacies are also expanding. 1:36
What’s happening across Canada
As of 7:20 p.m. ET on Friday, Canada had reported 927,069 cases of COVID-19, with 33,399 cases considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 22,617.
Nova Scotia announced that New Brunswickers coming into the province will no longer have to self-isolate after entering. The change will take effect at 8 a.m. AT on Saturday; the province also reported three new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
Nova Scotians going to New Brunswick — which reported two new cases on Friday — will still have to self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival, and it remains unclear if New Brunswick plans to lift its border restrictions for Nova Scotians.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases and just one remaining case in hospital, while Prince Edward Island announced four new COVID-19 cases on Friday.
In Quebec, health officials reported 764 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and 11 additional deaths. Hospitalizations in the province stood at 504, with 99 in intensive care.
The update comes after the province announced it is allowing everyone 65 and older in Quebec to sign up for a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Late Thursday, the province’s appointment portal opened up vaccinations in all 15 health regions, after opening it to Montrealers in that age bracket one week ago and to Abitibi-Temiscamingue and Côte-Nord residents earlier this week.
The Quebec government intends to vaccinate five million people with a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the next 100 days.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, said on Friday that the Canadian Armed Forces are working on the details of a plan to assist remote First Nations communities in northern Manitoba with vaccination efforts.The province reported 93 new COVID-19 cases and one related death on Friday.
Saskatchewan reported 174 new cases of COVID-19 and three related deaths on Friday. Regina’s largest school division, meanwhile, said students will move to remote learning over concerns about the city’s spread of COVID-19 variants.
Regina Public Schools said students will return to class after spring break on April 12.
Friday also marked a five-day stretch with no new cases of COVID-19 announced for the territory.
WATCH | Why it’s important to have a ‘COVID safety plan’ — even after getting a dose of vaccine:
B.C.’s provincial health officer says those who get vaccinated against COVID-19 must still maintain physical distance and wear masks. 0:59
What’s happening around the world
As of Friday evening, more than 122 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to a tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll stood at well over 2.6 million.
WATCH | Mayors in developing countries fear economic exclusion without vaccine:
Big-city mayors in countries with emerging economies say they need more COVID-19 vaccines so that tourists will see their cities as safe places to visit. 1:18
The World Health Organization’s vaccine safety panel said on Friday that data from AstraZeneca-Oxford’s COVID-19 shot does not point to any overall increase in clotting conditions but that it would continue to monitor effects.
“The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine [including Covishield] continues to have a positive benefit-risk profile, with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths across the world,” the WHO’s global advisory committee on vaccine safety said in a statement, issued after its independent experts met on Tuesday and Thursday to review data.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines recorded 7,103 new coronavirus cases on Friday, a record daily increase in infections, as authorities tightened coronavirus curbs in the capital and approved Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. The previous record was 6,958 cases on Aug. 10.
A new wave of cases in the Philippines, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, is threatening hopes of a strong economic rebound after a record contraction last year and the loss of millions of jobs.
The Health Ministry said there were now 648,066 confirmed coronavirus cases and 12,900 deaths, including 13 more fatalities on Friday.
“The ministry continues to appeal for us to stay home and avoid going out if not necessary,” it said.
WATCH | WHO finds AstraZeneca vaccine safe and effective:
The World Organization’s advisory committee on vaccine saftey says the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine’s benefits outweigh the risks and the shot saves lives. 1:09
The latest outbreak is again concentrated in the congested Manila region and includes the more transmissible variants.
The coronavirus task force on Friday reduced the number allowed at religious gatherings and conferences to 30 per cent of capacity from the previous 50 per cent until April 4. It also ordered cinemas, driving schools, libraries, museums and cockfighting arenas to close.
The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved the Sputnik V vaccine developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute. It is the fourth to get emergency use authorization after Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac.
“The known and potential benefits of the Gamaleya Sputnik V vaccine … outweigh the known and potential risks,” FDA chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said, noting that interim data showed the vaccine had an efficacy of 91.6 per cent in age groups 18 and older.
U.S. vaccine-makers Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have made inquiries about the documents needed for emergency-use approval but have yet to file applications, Domingo said.
The Philippines launched its inoculation drive on March 1 and has received delivery of 1.125 million donated doses of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. The government plans to roll out 140.5 million shots by December, to inoculate 70 million adults in a bid to achieve herd immunity.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is working with U.S., Indian and Japanese partners to provide emergency coronavirus vaccine to Papua New Guinea. Australia has provided 8,000 AstraZeneca doses from its own stockpile to its nearest neighbour after an explosion of infections in the South Pacific island nation in recent weeks.
In Africa, the ability to produce COVID-19 vaccines got a boost Thursday with the announcement that Biovac has signed a full manufacturing partnership with U.S.-based ImmunityBio.
Biovac is a laboratory partly owned by the South African state. It has an agreement with ImmunityBio, which has a COVID-19 vaccine in clinical trials, to produce the vaccine sometime next year. Biovac, based in Cape Town, has the capacity to produce between 20 million and 30 million vaccines in a year.
Africa’s 54 countries have limited capacity to make vaccines, with only two laboratories on the continent able to fully manufacture vaccines. Those are Biovac and the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, which produces yellow fever vaccines. Three other African countries can partially manufacture vaccines.
South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare is awaiting approval to assemble the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a process of blending the ingredients sent in large batches and putting the vaccine into vials — the filling and finishing. Aspen said it has the capacity to produce 300 million doses annually of the J&J vaccine.
Tanzania’s new president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, said the country should unite and avoid pointing fingers after the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, a COVID-19 skeptic.
A police officer sets up tape to stop people from entering an area placed under lockdown to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Manila, Philippines, on Friday. (Aaron Favila/The Associated Press)
In Europe, French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced new restrictions to combat the resurgent coronavirus epidemic in Paris, where gravely ill patients are filling ICUs. Hospital workers are hoping the measures will help relieve the pressure, but some say they don’t go far enough.
Castex announced a mishmash of measures, including closures of nonessential shops, that are mostly limited to Paris and northern France and don’t oblige people to spend most of the day indoors. They take effect on Friday night. Meanwhile, a countrywide nightly curfew is being shortened slightly.
Authorities in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo have implemented lockdown measures to counter soaring coronavirus infections.
The Sarajevo government said a nighttime curfew will start on Friday, from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. All bars and restaurants will shut down starting Saturday, except for food deliveries. Authorities say the measures are necessary because of a “drastically worsened” epidemiological situation in the city.
With infection and death rates remaining at high levels, the Czech government has extended the country’s tight lockdown until after Easter. Health Minister Jan Blatny says his country is still not in a position to relax the measures.
In the Americas, Mexico’s president thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for agreeing to provide 2.7 million vaccines to help offset a shortfall in its inoculation drive.
The beaches of Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro will be closed this weekend, as the local government seeks to stem the spread of the virus.
In the Middle East, Syria will take delivery within weeks of its first COVID-19 vaccines from the global vaccine-sharing platform COVAX, allowing it to kick off an inoculation program as early as next month.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Hearing the familiar sounds of clacking sticks and pucks banging off the boards and glass while watching Columbus Blue Jackets prospects from the stands of a cold rink on a warm late-summer afternoon was not enough to wash away the lingering residuals of grief for Don Waddell on Saturday.
That, the Blue Jackets’ general manager acknowledged, will take more time than anyone can guess — weeks, months, perhaps an entire season and beyond.
What mattered is how spending the weekend attending the Sabres Prospects Challenge represented a start to what Waddell called among the first steps in refocusing on hockey and the future in the aftermath of the deaths of Columbus star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were struck by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles on Aug 29.
“We got to play hockey,” Waddell said. “We’re not going to forget about Johnny and his family, the Gaudreau family.”
“Everybody knows that Johnny wants them to play hockey,” Waddell said. “And everybody’s rallying around that.”
The resumption of hockey in Columbus began last week, when most Blue Jackets players returned to their facility to be together and lean on each other at the urging of Waddell and team captain Boone Jenner. And it will continue on Thursday, when the team opens training camp, exactly three weeks since the Gaudreaus were killed.
“Tragic. Senseless. But now we got to focus on trying to get our team ready to play hockey this year,” Waddell said. “We all mourn and heal differently, but I think as a team being together like that is going to be critical for them to get moving forward.”
Waddell was general manager of the then-Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 when Dany Heatley lost control of his car and struck a wall, with the crash killing passenger and teammate Dan Snyder. In 2021, Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks died during a July Fourth fireworks accident.
Waddell placed the emphasis on himself and coach Dean Evason — both newcomers to Columbus this offseason — to guide the team through what will be an emotional season.
“Now, do I think there’s going to be some dark days? I won’t be surprised,” Waddell said.
Reminders of the Gaudreaus’ deaths remain apparent, and reflected in Buffalo on Friday night. A moment of silence was held in tribute to the brothers before the opening faceoff of a game between the Blue Jackets and Sabres.
Afterward, Columbus prospect Gavin Brindley recalled the times he spent with Johnny Gaudreau in Columbus and as teammates representing the United States at the world hockey championships in the Czech Republic in May.
“He was one of the biggest mentors for me at the world championships,” Brindley said. “I couldn’t tell you how many times we hung out with Meredith, pictures on my phone. It’s just so hard to look back and see that kind of stuff.”
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are providing the Blue Jackets help in the form of grief counseling, crowd security at vigils and addressing hockey issues, such as potentially altering the league’s salary cap rules to provide Columbus relief from having to reach the NHL minimum payroll because of the void left by Gaudreau’s contract.
“The Blue Jackets, I don’t think anybody’s focused from an organizational standpoint, from a hockey standpoint as to what comes next, because I think everybody’s still in shock,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told The Associated Press last week. “I don’t think anybody’s focused right now other than on the grieving part, which is understandable.”
Much of the burden has fallen to Waddell, who has been in discussions with the NHL and the NHLPA and dealing with outreach programs with the Blue Jackets’ partner OhioHealth, while also overseeing preparations for training camp and gauging his prospects in Buffalo.
There’s also his roster to attend to, which he said has two openings at forward, one involving Justin Danforth, who may miss the start of the season because of a wrist injury. Waddell didn’t have to mention the second opening.
Tiring and emotional as it’s been, Waddell found comfort being in his element, a rink, and looking ahead to the start of training camp.
“The guys are in really good shape. We’ve done a lot of testing already and they’re eager to get going,” Waddell said. “We have a reason to play for. And we’ll make the best of it.”
The Blue Jackets later Sunday signed veteran winger James van Riemsdyk to a one-year contract worth $900,000.
“James van Riemsdyk has been a very consistent, productive player throughout his career,” Waddell said. “Bringing him to Columbus will not only provide depth to our group up front, but also valuable leadership and another veteran presence in our dressing room.”
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes was the target of abusive and racist comments on social media after a French league game.
The club condemned the abuse and expressed its “full support” Sunday for the Portugal left back, who was targeted following PSG’s 3-1 win against Brest on Saturday.
Mendes, who is Black, shared on his Instagram account a racist message he received.
During the match, Mendes brought down Ludovic Ajorque in the box for a penalty that Romain Del Castillo converted to give Brest the lead.
“Paris Saint-Germain doesn’t tolerate racism, antisemitism or any other form of discrimination,” the club said. “The racial insults directed at Nuno Mendes are totally unacceptable … we are working with the relevant authorities and associations to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.”
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
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