The latest:

New Brunswick is moving to the more restrictive Level 3 on Friday at 11:59 p.m., as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the province.

Premier Blaine Higgs, who himself tested positive on New Year’s Eve, made the announcement Thursday.

Under Level 3, social gatherings will be limited to single household bubbles; no public gatherings will be permitted; restaurants will be takeout only; non-essential retail will be reduced to contactless pickup or delivery only; gyms, salons and entertainment centres will be closed; and faith services will only be allowed outdoors or virtually.

WATCH | New Brunswick’s new restrictions: 

New Brunswick lays out new restrictions to combat Omicron variant

3 hours ago

Duration 2:27

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs announced Thursday that the province is set to move to ‘Level 3,’ the most restrictive level of its COVID-19 winter plan, for 16 days beginning Friday at midnight. 2:27

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he has also tested positive for COVID-19. Moe posted his test result on Twitter Thursday morning.

The premier’s press secretary, Julie Leggott, said in an email to CBC News that Moe has been routinely using rapid antigen testing to monitor for COVID-19. She said he isn’t experiencing any symptoms. 

Moe appeared in person at a news conference on Wednesday and took his mask off while answering questions.

Leggott’s email went on to advise that anyone who was present at the news conference “should self-monitor and rapid test,” and that all Moe’s close contacts from the past 48 hours have been notified in accordance with public health guidance.

Some provinces are pushing back the start of in-school learning again. Prince Edward Island announced students will not be back in class until at least Jan. 24 as provincial COVID-19 cases have been increasing steadily over the past week.

“Despite our best efforts and preparations, there will be cases of COVID-19 in the schools,” said Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison. “Our aim will be to minimize disruption in learning for students and for P.E.I. families in general.”

Newfoundland and Labrador is also aiming to get students back in class Jan. 24. They will continue with online learning for the next week.

Prior to returning to class, all students, teachers and school staff across the province will be required to take two rapid COVID-19 tests at home, about 72 hours apart. For example, if classes resume on Jan. 24, tests would be taken on Jan. 21 and the morning of Jan. 24.

Quebec, however, is sending kids back to school on Monday, and is removing the curfew that has been in effect since Dec. 31. Premier François Legault says he believes case numbers in the province are beginning to stabilize. 

In a briefing Thursday, Legault also said vaccination will now be mandatory for big box stores, with the exclusion of grocery stores and pharmacies. 

The 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew drew criticism as Legault provided little evidence that curfews are effective at slowing transmission of the virus. Legault said Thursday that he hopes the province will return to where it was before Christmas soon — with everything from movie theatres to gyms and restaurants fully reopened. 

WATCH | Quebec on the right track, says premier: 

Quebec premier says pandemic projections improving enough to end curfew and reopen schools

2 hours ago

Duration 1:57

François Legault says COVID-19 hospitalizations could begin to drop next week, news that has led to a decision to end the curfew and reopen of schools on Monday. 1:57

Manitoba students will also return to in-school learning Monday, but with the news that schools will no longer notify close contacts of individual cases and will instead provide reports on absenteeism through their regular channels.

-From CBC News, and The Canadian Press last updated at 4:30 p.m. ET

What’s happening across Canada

WATCH | Proposed unvaccinated tax raises many concerns: 

Quebec’s proposed unvaccinated tax raises legal, ethical, political concerns

21 hours ago

Duration 2:43

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is among the chorus of voices saying they need more details before they can support Quebec’s plan to implement a tax on residents unvaccinated against COVID-19. 2:43

With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.

For more information on what is happening in your community — including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions — click through to the regional coverage below.

You can also read more from the Public Health Agency of Canada, which provides a detailed look at every region — including seven-day average test positivity rates — in its daily epidemiological updates.

In Central Canada, health officials in Quebec on Thursday said COVID-19 hospitalizations had risen to 2,994, an increase of 117. The number of people in intensive care, the province’s health ministry said, stood at 272.

The province also reported 45 additional deaths, as well as 8,793 new lab-confirmed cases.

Health officials in Ontario on Thursday reported 35 additional deaths linked to COVID-19. Total hospitalizations stood at 3,630 — an increase of 182 — with 500 people in intensive care units, according to data from the province’s public health dashboard. The province, which has limited access to PCR testing, reported an additional 9,909 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

In a briefing Thursday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said he anticipates the spread of Omicron could peak in the next few weeks. That peak is likely to be followed by subsequent increases in hospitalizations and ICU admissions.

“It will be a difficult January, but the sacrifices you are making now means a better February and a better March for all of us,” Moore said.

Moore stressed Ontarians need to continue getting their booster shots to keep hospitalization numbers at bay.

Individuals in Ontario who are immunocompromised are eligible for a fourth dose of vaccine as of Friday, providing they are 84 days out from their third dose. 

In Atlantic Canada, officials in Prince Edward Island on Thursday announced that students will be learning remotely for at least another week.

Newfoundland and Labrador will keep kids learning from home until at least Jan. 24. 

“While I know it’s not perfect, it has allowed us to minimize learning loss during these difficult times,” Education Minister Tom Osborne said in a news release.

The province, which did not report any additional deaths on Thursday, has eight people in hospital with COVID-19, including three in the ICU. There were 520 new lab-confirmed cases.

In New Brunswick, hospitalizations increased by six to 94, health officials said Wednesday, with 10 people in intensive care units. The province also saw one additional death and 359 additional lab-confirmed cases. 

“The rate of people hospitalized and in ICU continues to most greatly impact people who are unvaccinated,” a statement from the province said. 

Nova Scotia health officials on Wednesday reported one additional death and cautioned that the health system in the province is facing extreme strain.

“There are 60 people in hospital who were admitted due to COVID-19 and are receiving specialized care in a COVID-19 designated unit,” a statement from the province said. “That includes five people in ICU.”

Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, cautioned that the situation in Nova Scotia is as serious as it’s ever been.

“If I sound concerned, it’s because I am, deeply,” he said.

Across the North, Nunavut‘s top public health doctor said in a statement Thursday that the territory will lift some COVID-19 restrictions as of next Monday.

“The strict public health restrictions since the end of December have been effective in controlling the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut’s chief public health officer, as the territory reported 12 additional cases.

Health officials in Yukon reported that there are still two patients in hospital, with 56 new confirmed cases. 

The Northwest Territories had not yet provided updated information for the day.

In the Prairie provinces, hospitalizations in Manitoba hit another pandemic high Thursday, with 499 COVID-19-related cases in hospital — up 45 in one day. The number of people in ICU rose to 47, and there were nine additional deaths. The province also reported 1,228 additional lab-confirmed cases. 

In Saskatchewan, health officials on Thursday said hospitalizations rose slightly for a total of 123, with 11 people in ICU. The province, which had no additional deaths to report, saw 945 additional lab-confirmed cases.

Alberta on Wednesday said COVID-19 hospitalizations rose by 40 to reach 748, with 82 people in the province’s intensive care units. The province, which reported 15 additional deaths from Jan. 7 to Jan. 12, also recorded 6,789 additional lab-confirmed cases.

In British Columbia, health officials on Wednesday reported six COVID-19 deaths. The province also said there were 500 people in hospital — an increase of 31 — including 102 in intensive care. The province reported an additional 2,859 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 3:30 p.m. ET

What’s happening around the world

As of early Thursday afternoon, roughly 319 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus-tracking database. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.5 million.

In Africa, the continent’s top public health body said it was in talks with Pfizer about securing supplies of its antiviral COVID-19 pills for the continent, the latest to join the race for a drug seen as a potential game changer.

“We are in really close discussions with Pfizer to see what can be done to make the drugs available on the continent and accessible on the continent, that is, the Paxlovid drugs,” said John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the Asia-Pacific region, new infections in Indian cities could peak next week after rising rapidly, experts said, as the country reported the highest number of daily cases since late May and Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India had adequate stocks of vaccines across states.

Meanwhile, Tokyo recorded a new four-month high in infections, and experts forecast the spread of the Omicron variant would cause the daily count to triple by month’s end.

South Korea will begin treating coronavirus patients with Pfizer’s antiviral pills on Friday, health officials said, as concern mounts over the spread of Omicron. At least 21,000 of the pills arrived on Thursday to be distributed to some 280 pharmacies and 90 residential treatment centres, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

In the Americas, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said he was deploying more military health workers to hospitals in six U.S. states, and would give Americans free masks and more free tests to tackle Omicron around the country.

In Europe, French teachers walked off the job on Thursday over what they say is the government’s failure to adopt a coherent policy for schools to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and protect pupils and staff against infection.

Germany’s vaccine committee recommended on Thursday that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 booster as the country reported a new daily record of more than 81,000 coronavirus infections.

Meanwhile, British officials said Thursday the self-isolation period for people in England who test positive for COVID-19 will be reduced from next week to five full days, instead of seven.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said that early signs indicate that the rate of hospitalization from the coronavirus in the country is starting to slow. Currently, those infected can be released from self-isolation after seven days if they test negative on both days six and seven.

Javid urged people to continue to self-test for the virus, so that “we can restore the freedoms to this country while we’re keeping everyone safe.”

The U.K. saw record numbers of daily confirmed infections over Christmas and into the new year, topping 200,000 cases on some days, as the Omicron variant spread rapidly. Industries from retail to education, and infrastructure like public transport and postal services, have been severely disrupted because scores of workers had to isolate and could not go to work.

Javid told lawmakers that although hospitals will “remain under significant pressure” over the coming weeks — with almost 17,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in England — the current wave of the pandemic has not seen an increase in intensive care patients. Official data showed “encouraging signs” that cases were falling in London and eastern England, he said, but infections were rising elsewhere in the country.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday reported two additional deaths and 5,362 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated at 10:50 a.m. ET

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