Canada’s chief public health officer said Sunday that the country is seeing more infections from coronavirus variants of concern, adding that now is a “crucial moment” to tamp down on the spread of COVID-19.
“In parts of Canada, variants of concern represent an increasingly high proportion of cases and are being associated with a greater number of outbreaks,” Dr. Theresa Tam said in a statement.
“If we can keep up with personal protective measures and limit our contacts for a final push to keep COVID-19 infection rates down as vaccine programs scale up, we can keep the path clear for vaccines to do their part.”
Tam said there have been 4,499 cases of coronavirus variants confirmed in Canada as of Thursday. Variants of concern are taking a particularly strong hold in Western Canada, with Regina seeing nearly all of its cases from the variants, prompting health officials to urge caution and warn that lockdowns may return.
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1/2 <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#COVID19</a> key concerns in ????????: With vaccine programs expanding, infection rates are dropping in adults >80 years & fewer outbreaks in long term care reassure us that vaccines will bring more & greater benefits in the weeks to come. <a href=”https://t.co/6ijCCnrMeG”>https://t.co/6ijCCnrMeG</a>
However, Tam noted that cases are down nationally and said she is encouraged by Canada’s vaccine numbers. More than 670,000 doses were administered in the past week, she said, out of more than 3.68 million overall.
“Each week, a new high is being set for the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, and we can expect more and greater benefits to come,” Tam said.
What’s happening across Canada
As of 6 p.m. on Sunday, Canada had reported 933,790 cases of COVID-19, with 35,009 cases considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 22,679.
The province says there is an elevated risk of COVID-19 in Regina due to community transmission of coronavirus variants. It recommends that Regina and area residents, particularly those over age 50, not increase their household bubbles to include the two to three households up to 10 people allowed under current regulations. They should consider remaining with their current household only, the province says.
WATCH | Officials urge caution as variants take hold in Western Canada:
The COVID-19 variants are taking hold in much of Western Canada with confirmed cases doubling in some provinces and Regina seeing nearly all its cases from the variants, prompting health officials to urge caution and warn that lockdowns may return. 1:32
Health Minister Christine Elliott says residents aged 75 and older will be able to book vaccination appointments online starting on Monday.
Starting March 22, Ontarians aged 75+ will be able to book vaccination appointments online at <a href=”https://t.co/pxlgLpkLxR”>https://t.co/pxlgLpkLxR</a> or call the Provincial Vaccine Information Line at 1-888-999-6488. Please only access the booking tool or call for support if you’re eligible for an appointment. <a href=”https://t.co/aesDfsEj5a”>pic.twitter.com/aesDfsEj5a</a>
Starting on March 26, three of the province’s regions are set to move to the yellow alert level.
That means restrictions will loosen, bars can reopen and curfews will be cancelled in the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands, the North Shore and Northern Quebec.
Nova Scotia reported six new cases, the highest daily number in two weeks. The province now has 21 known active cases.
In a news release, Premier Iain Rankin noted that Sunday is the last day of March break, and he urged teachers and children to remain vigilant.
“Please remember to keep doing what we have been doing so well all along,” he said. “Keep our social circles small, follow public health measures and get tested.”
WATCH | Atlantic bubble set for April reopening:
Four premiers have planned to reopen the Atlantic bubble in mid-April, allowing people to travel between Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, P.E.I. and New Brunswick without isolating. 1:56
New Brunswick added one new case on Sunday as the province announced a program to vaccinate high school teachers.
It’s expected that this week, 4,500 staff from high schools province-wide will receive a first dose at a clinic in one of 16 locations. Schools will be closed to students on the days that local clinics are being held to allow for high school staff to be vaccinated and plan for the full return to school.
Newfoundland and Labrador‘s active caseload remains at five after the province again saw no new infections on Sunday.
N.L. is moving into Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout, meaning those who are 70 and older can pre-register for their shot. The Department of Health said registration can be done online, but people will not receive a separate email confirmation after pre-registering.
What’s happening around the world
As of Sunday, more than 122.9 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide with 69.3 million cases listed as recovered, according to a tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll stood at more than 2.7 million.
In Asia, India reported 43,846 new cases — its highest number of new infections in four months — amid a worrying surge that has prompted multiple states to return to some form of restrictions on public gathering.
A person is tested for COVID-19 at a long distance train station in Mumbai on Sunday. (Rafiq Maqbool/The Associated Press)
In Europe, Romania on Sunday recorded 1,334 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units — its highest number since the pandemic began.
In the Americas, Colombia became the first country in the region to receive a shipment of vaccines from the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative after more than a million doses of Chinese-developed Sinovac and AstraZeneca shots touched down in Bogota late Saturday.
In Africa, Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas, the leading opposition presidential candidate in Republic of Congo, was receiving oxygen at a private hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, a family member said, casting Sunday’s election into doubt.
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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
