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Everyone 60 and older eligible for vaccine starting Monday – Windsor Star

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Everyone in Windsor and Essex County who is at least 60 years old will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting next week.

But which vaccine you get and where you get it will depend on your age.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit expects to begin vaccinating people ages 75 and up at mass clinics starting next week. There are about 15,000 people between the ages of 75 and 80 in the region.

“If all of those people book, it will be easy to get them all vaccinated based on the various sites we have and the vaccine,” health unit CEO Theresa Marentette said Friday.

Windsor-Essex is expecting almost 17,000 doses of mostly Pfizer-BioNTech and some Moderna vaccine next week. There are two mass vaccination clinics now, at the WFCU Centre in Windsor and Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington.

Two more will open — at St. Clair College, which has already been used to vaccinate health-care workers, and the university’s Windsor Hall in the former Windsor Star building. The city is offering free parking on the street and in nearby lots for those getting vaccinated at downtown’s Windsor Hall.

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The Ontario government is also opening it’s booking system to those age 75 and older starting Monday.

In addition, starting Monday, people ages 60 and older will be eligible to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at pharmacies in three regions of Ontario, including 57 pharmacies here. That vaccine was originally limited to those ages 60 to 64, but Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization now recommends its use in seniors, too.

Tents have been set up outside the COVID-19 vaccination centre at the University of Windsor’s Windsor Hall, shown Friday. The new clinic opens Monday.
Tents have been set up outside the COVID-19 vaccination centre at the University of Windsor’s Windsor Hall, shown Friday. The new clinic opens Monday. Photo by Dax Melmer /Windsor Star

The Downtown Windsor Pharmacy was administering shots to people ages 50 and up but was told by the heath unit to stop.

“We were aware of the rules,” the owner, who declined to give his name, said Friday. “There weren’t enough people. We didn’t want to waste it.”

The pharmacy began receiving more calls when AstraZeneca was recommended for seniors. It received 500 doses that expire April 2.

Eight or nine family health teams also began vaccinating eligible patients this week.

The health unit’s existing online booking system for vaccination clinics will close Saturday at 4 p.m., leaving a short “blackout period” when there will be no online booking. A new system is expected to be completed this weekend.

People ages 80 and older who have already pre-registered for their shots will still be called to arrange appointments. They can also continue calling 519-251-4702 to book appointments.

The health unit is continuing to use its own booking system, not the Ontario government’s.

To book an appointment at a pharmacy, call the pharmacy. A list of participating pharmacies is on the health unit’s website.

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Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj gave a tour on Friday of the COVID-19 vaccination centre at the University of Windsor’s Windsor Hall at Pitt and Ferry streets.
Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj gave a tour on Friday of the COVID-19 vaccination centre at the University of Windsor’s Windsor Hall at Pitt and Ferry streets. Photo by Dax Melmer /Windsor Star

About 16,000 people ages 80 and older who don’t live in long-term care homes have pre-registered for the vaccine. All are expected to get their shots by next week.

“I think it’s great progress, great vaccine coverage in our community,” Marentette said.

A total of 57,234 vaccine doses had been administered as of Friday morning, including 11,921 people who have received both shots.

Twenty-nine new infections were reported Friday. Six are close contacts of confirmed cases, and three are related to outbreaks. Two were acquired in the community, and 18 are still being investigated.

There are 11 outbreaks — five in workplaces, four in the community and two in long-term care and retirement homes.

Twenty-one people with COVID-19 were in hospital, four in intensive care.

Forty-one cases have been identified as one of the more contagious, potentially more lethal, virus variants.

There have been 401 deaths in the region due to COVID-19. No new deaths were reported Friday.

There have been a total of 13,534 COVID-19 cases in Windsor-Essex since the first case a year ago Saturday. As of Friday, 279 cases are active.

Mario Poirer erects vaccination centre signs outside the University of Windsor’s downtown Windsor Hall (the former Windsor Star building) on Friday.
Mario Poirer erects vaccination centre signs outside the University of Windsor’s downtown Windsor Hall (the former Windsor Star building) on Friday. Photo by Dax Melmer /Windsor Star

Cases and hospital admissions in Ontario overall have been rising, evidence that a third wave is starting.

But cases in Windsor-Essex are steady, though high, and hospital admissions are decreasing.

“Our numbers have plateaued but still remain high, similar to what we’ve seen in the first wave,” health unit epidemiologist Ramsey D’Souza said during the weekly case summary.

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  1. Visitors to the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the WFCU Centre in Windsor are seen on March 9, 2021.

    Health Unit hoping to move to Phase II of vaccinations by end of next week

  2. The sign in front of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit on Ouellette Avenue.

    Windsor-Essex on precipice of third wave: Health unit

There are about 30 cases a day, he said. Fewer people ages 80 and older are being infected.

“This can potentially be attributed to the vaccine rollout,” D’Souza said.

The number of deaths has decreased “dramatically,” he said. Friday was the third straight day with no deaths reported.

The most recent seven-day case rate is 46.5 cases per 100,000 population. The percentage of tests that are positive is 2.7 per cent, up from 2.4 per cent last week. And the reproduction number or average number of people who will contract the virus from an infected person, is 0.9, down from last week, though it fluctuates.

Most new cases are close contacts of confirmed cases or were acquired in the community.

The region will remain in the red zone of Ontario’s colour-coded system of public health restrictions.

ajarvis@postmedia.com

Shown empty on Friday, these chairs in the recovery room at the COVID-19 vaccination centre at the university’s Windsor Hall start filling up on Monday.
Shown empty on Friday, these chairs in the recovery room at the COVID-19 vaccination centre at the university’s Windsor Hall start filling up on Monday. Photo by Dax Melmer /Windsor Star

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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