Greece, Italy and a handful of other European Union nations began vaccinating children aged 5-11 against COVID-19 on Wednesday as EU governments braced both for a holiday season of gatherings and the quickly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant.
Acrobats dressed as superheroes rappelled down the walls of a hospital in Milan, Italy, as the city prepared to join the new vaccine rollout. Wearing capes and bodysuits, they stopped to greet patients through the windows at a pandemic ward and other children at a pediatric wing.
Youngsters getting their first shot in Greece were given stickers and the day off from school. Greece administered its first shots to younger children hours after authorities announced the country’s highest daily death toll of the pandemic: 130 people. Among the first to respond was Greek Education Minister Niki Kerameus.
“I won’t hide the fact that on a personal level, after having talked with doctors and receiving scientific data, our family decided to vaccinate our son, who is 5½ years old,” Kerameus said before taking her son, Loukas, to get his shot at an Athens hospital.
Dr. Franco Locatelli, the head of Italy’s Superior Health Council who guided the country through the first wave of the pandemic, urged Italian families to take part in the new vaccine program, hoping to boost the country’s already high vaccination rate amid a new spike in infections.
“Consider this an appeal to all families,” Locatelli said. “Take advantage of this opportunity. Talk to your pediatrician. Vaccinate your children. Do it for them. Show them how much you love your children by giving them the maximum protection possible.”
Spain and Hungary also expanded their vaccination programs to younger children. EU regulators last month approved a reduced-dose vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech for use in the 5-11 age group.
A two-month surge in infections across Europe eased slightly in early December, but the appearance of the Omicron variant has created uncertainty. According to an early analysis Tuesday of data from South Africa, where Omicron is driving a surge in infections, the variant seems to be more easily spread from person to person and better at evading vaccines, but also milder. WHO officials have cautioned that much more needs to be understood about the new variant, and officials have urged caution.
A top EU official said Wednesday that the bloc expects Omicron to dominate infections in the EU by mid-January. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control suggested that governments consider travel-related restrictions and press ahead with vaccination campaigns and booster shots.
Vaccines for children are voluntary in all EU countries and require parental approval.
Authorities in Spain have set an ambitious target for vaccinating younger children before the customary family gatherings at Christmas. Nearly 90 per cent of the country’s residents 12 and older have received two vaccine doses.
Poland, Portugal, Croatia and Slovenia plan to lower their vaccine eligibility age later this week.
Several hundred people protested Wednesday in front of the government headquarters in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The protesters chanted, “Don’t kill our kids!” and, “We won’t give you our children!”
The World Health Organization says more evidence is needed on COVID-19 vaccines in children for it to make general recommendations about their use in kids. It has also advocated to ensure people most vulnerable to severe COVID-19 — which includes the elderly, people with weaker immune systems and health-care workers — have access to vaccines around the world.
A health-care worker of Castilla La Mancha Health Care administers a vaccine to a child at a walk-in clinic at a school in Toledo, Spain. (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
Some EU nations are taking a different approach to vaccinating younger children. Germany has started a region-based rollout, the Netherlands is waiting until after the holidays, and France is prioritizing children who suffer from heart and respiratory problems, obesity and diabetes.
Britain was slower than many European countries to start vaccinating children ages 12-15, and it has not yet approved vaccines for younger children. Wei Shen Lim, a member of the U.K.’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, said the group expected to make a decision before Christmas but was awaiting a recommendation from British regulators.
Conservative lawmaker Jeremy Hunt, a former health minister, criticized the delay on approving vaccines for younger children.
“Our regulators, having been the nimblest in the world, are now taking too long,” he said.
-From The Associated Press, last updated at 10:55 a.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
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What’s happening around the world
A medical worker takes a nasal swab from a visitor as part of a test for COVID-19 in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)
As of early Wednesday morning, more than 271.5 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.3 million.
In the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea warned it may reinstate stricter physical distancing curbs as it posted a record daily tally due to a persistent spike in breakthrough infections among those vaccinated and serious cases.
In the Americas, the Biden administration may request additional funds from Congress for COVID-19 testing, depending on the severity of the Omicron variant, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said.
The reported pandemic death toll in the U.S. surpassed 800,000 this week, as hospitals in several states feel the strain of surging COVID-19 case loads.
A staff member places electronic candles in front of the steps to the U.S. Capitol building before lawmakers participate in a moment of silence for the 800,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In Africa, health officials across the continent reported more than 167,000 new cases of COVID-19 last week, an increase of 111 per cent from the previous week, according to a weekly epidemiological summary published by the World Health Organization.
According to the report, the highest number of cases in Africa were reported in:
South Africa, with 109,053 new cases.
Zimbabwe, with 26,479 new cases.
Mauritius, with 6,415 new cases.
There were “just under 500 new deaths, a number similar to the number reported in the previous week,” according to the report, with the highest number of deaths in South Africa, Mauritius and Algeria.
In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday reported 148 new cases of COVID-19 and no additional deaths.
-From Reuters, CBC News and The Associated Press, last updated at 7:20 a.m. ET
TORONTO – Police say a man is dead after an industrial accident at Ontario Place.
Toronto police say officers responded shortly after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to reports that a person was injured by construction equipment at the waterfront
Police say he died at the scene.
Ontario Place is set to be redeveloped under a controversial provincial plan that includes a new privately owned spa and a relocated Ontario Science Centre.
Police say the Ministry of Labour has been notified.
The ministry investigates all workplace deaths.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was higher in late-morning trading, helped by strength in energy stocks, while U.S. stock markets also moved up.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 34.91 points at 23,736.98.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 178.05 points at 41,800.13. The S&P 500 index was up 28.38 points at 5,661.47, while the Nasdaq composite was up 133.17 points at 17,725.30.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.56 cents US compared with 73.57 cents US on Monday.
The November crude oil contract was up 68 cents at US$69.70 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up three cents at US$2.40 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$7.80 at US$2,601.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.28 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
HALIFAX – Police investigating the 2022 disappearance of a Halifax teen have charged two men following the discovery of human remains.
Halifax Regional Police say 26-year-old Treyton Alexander Marsman was arrested Monday and later charged with second-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Devon Sinclair Marsman.
Police say a 20-year-old man who was a youth at the time of the crime has been charged with being an accessory after the fact and obstructing justice.
Investigators did not say where or when the remains were found, but they confirmed the province’s medical examiner has been called in to identify the remains.
As well, police did not indicate the relationship between Treyton Marsman and the victim, but they said the accused had also been charged with causing an indignity to human remains and obstructing justice.
Devon Marsman was last seen on Feb. 24, 2022 and he was reported missing from the Spryfield area of Halifax the following month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
