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In Surrey, 25% of those aged 12 and up have had their COVID booster shot – Surrey Now-Leader – Surrey Now Leader
Vaccination rates for five- to 11-year-olds in Surrey have increased by about five per cent, hitting 41 per cent, according to the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The BCCDC breaks Surrey into nine communities: North Surrey, Whalley, Guildford, West Newton, East Newton, Fleetwood, Cloverdale, Panorama and South Surrey.
Rates for first doses for the five-to-11 age group as of Jan. 20 are: North Surrey (35 per cent), Whalley (34 per cent), Guildford (41 per cent), West Newton (31 per cent), East Newton (33 per cent), Fleetwood (43 per cent), Cloverdale (50 per cent), Panorama (46 per cent) and South Surrey (56 per cent).
That’s 41 per cent receiving their first dose, which is up a little more than six per cent (35.4 per cent) from Jan. 10 Vaccine rollout for the five-to-11 age group started Nov. 29.
Since Jan. 10, vaccination rates for Surrey’s five-to-11 age group have nearly caught up to the rest of B.C. and the Fraser Health region. The provincial average is 49 per cent, while 45 per cent in the Fraser Health region have had their first dose.
Meanwhile, rates for fully vaccinated Surrey residents (aged 12 and up) have started to slow down, with only North Surrey, Fleetwood and South Surrey reporting increases.
Rates for second doses for 12-plus as of Jan. 10 are: North Surrey (93 per cent), Whalley (95 per cent), Guildford (89 per cent), West Newton (97 per cent), East Newton (96 per cent), Fleetwood (94 per cent), Cloverdale (91 per cent), Panorama (95 per cent) and South Surrey (91 per cent).
That’s 93.4 per cent of those aged 12 and up who are fully vaccinated, which is up 0.3 (93.1 per cent) from Jan. 10. First doses are at 96.3 per cent, which is 0.1 per cent (95.9 per cent) from Jan. 3. West Newton is the first community in this age category to hit 100 per cent for first doses.
Provincewide as of Jan. 20, it was slightly lower with 89.8 per cent of those aged 12 and up having received both doses, while 92.5 per cent have received one dose.
However, in the 12-17 age group by Jan. 20, 86.8 per cent have received both doses (up from 86.1 per cent Jan. 10) and 91.2 per cent have had a single dose (up from 90.6 per cent).
For second doses for those 18-plus, only North Surrey and Cloverdale reported an increase.
Rates for those fully vaccinated for 18-plus as of Jan. 20 are: North Surrey (94 per cent), Whalley (96 per cent), Guildford (89 per cent), West Newton (98 per cent), East Newton (97 per cent), Fleetwood (94 per cent), Cloverdale (92 per cent), Panorama (96 per cent) and South Surrey (91 per cent).
That’s 94.1 per cent of those who are 18-plus who are fully vaccinated, which is up 0.2 per cent (93.9 per cent) from Jan. 10. Meantime, 96.7 per cent of people aged 18 and over have had one dose, which is up about 0.3 per cent (96.4 per cent).
Both West and East Newton have hit 100 per cent, while Whalley isn’t far behind with 99 per cent.
Provincewide, second doses for adults were slightly lower at 90.2 per cent by Jan. 10, and first doses are at 92.8 per cent.
For those aged 18-49, 97.1 per cent have had one dose (up from 96.9 per cent) – with Whalley, North Surrey and West and East Newton hitting 100 per cent – and 94.7 have received both doses (up from 94.3 per cent). West Newton is the first community to hit a 100-per-cent vaccination rate.
The 50-plus age group, as of Jan. 20, saw a slight increase overall, but only Whalley, Guildford and Panorama recorded individual increases.
When it comes to those who are aged 50-plus and fully vaccinated, the rates are: North Surrey (88 per cent), Whalley (93 per cent), Guildford (90 per cent), West Newton (95 per cent) East Newton (95 per cent), Fleetwood (93 per cent), Cloverdale (93 per cent), Panorama (96 percent) and South Surrey (92 per cent).
That’s about 92.8 per cent of those aged 50 and older who are fully vaccinated, which is up 0.4 per cent (92.4 per cent) from Jan. 10. First doses are at 94.4 per cent, which is the same as the previous reporting period.
The BCCDC currently only shows third-dose vaccination rates by community for the 70-plus age group, broken down between the nine communities, for third doses for 70-plus it’s: North Surrey (63 per cent), Whalley (62 per cent), Guildford (69 per cent), West Newton (61 per cent), East Newton (66 per cent), Fleetwood (71 per cent), Cloverdale (77 per cent), Panorama (71 per cent) and South Surrey (82 per cent).
That’s about 669.1 per cent of Surrey’s over-70 population receiving a booster dose (up from 65.1 as of Jan. 10).
Meanwhile, 25 per cent (up from 18 per cent) of those aged 12 and over in Surrey have had their third dose as of Jan. 18, compared to 38 per cent provincewide.
Meantime, 42 per cent of those aged 12 and over in South Surrey/White Rock have had their booster.
lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com
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Business
Oil Firms Doubtful Trans Mountain Pipeline Will Start Full Service by May 1st
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Oil companies planning to ship crude on the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline in Canada are concerned that the project may not begin full service on May 1 but they would be nevertheless obligated to pay tolls from that date.
In a letter to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), Suncor Energy and other shippers including BP and Marathon Petroleum have expressed doubts that Trans Mountain will start full service on May 1, as previously communicated, Reuters reports.
Trans Mountain Corporation, the government-owned entity that completed the pipeline construction, told Reuters in an email that line fill on the expanded pipeline would be completed in early May.
After a series of delays, cost overruns, and legal challenges, the expanded Trans Mountain oil pipeline will open for business on May 1, the company said early this month.
“The Commencement Date for commercial operation of the expanded system will be May 1, 2024. Trans Mountain anticipates providing service for all contracted volumes in the month of May,” Trans Mountain Corporation said in early April.
The expanded pipeline will triple the capacity of the original pipeline to 890,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 300,000 bpd to carry crude from Alberta’s oil sands to British Columbia on the Pacific Coast.
The Federal Government of Canada bought the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) from Kinder Morgan back in 2018, together with related pipeline and terminal assets. That cost the federal government $3.3 billion (C$4.5 billion) at the time. Since then, the costs for the expansion of the pipeline have quadrupled to nearly $23 billion (C$30.9 billion).
The expansion project has faced continuous delays over the years. In one of the latest roadblocks in December, the Canadian regulator denied a variance request from the project developer to move a small section of the pipeline due to challenging drilling conditions.
The company asked the regulator to reconsider its decision, and received on January 12 a conditional approval, avoiding what could have been another two-year delay to start-up.
Business
Tesla profits cut in half as demand falls
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Tesla profits slump by more than a half
Tesla has announced its profits fell sharply in the first three months of the year to $1.13bn (£910m), compared with $2.51bn in 2023.
It caps a difficult period for the electric vehicle (EV) maker, which – faced with falling sales – has announced thousands of job cuts.
Boss Elon Musk remains bullish about its prospects, telling investors the launch of new models would be brought forward.
Its share price has risen but analysts say it continues to face significant challenges, including from lower-cost rivals.
The company has suffered from falling demand and competition from cheaper Chinese imports which has led its stock price to collapse by 43% over 2024.
Figures for the first quarter of 2024 revealed revenues of $21.3bn, down on analysts’ predictions of just over $22bn.
But the decision by Tesla to bring forward the launch of new models from the second half of 2025 boosted its shares by nearly 12.5% in after-hours trading.
It did not reveal pricing details for the new vehicles.
However Mr Musk made clear he also grander ambitions, touting Tesla’s AI credentials and plans for self-driving vehicles – even going as far as to say considering it to be just a car company was the “wrong framework.”
“If somebody doesn’t believe Tesla is going to solve autonomy I think they should not be an investor,” he said.
Such sentiments have been questioned by analysts though, with Deutsche Bank saying driverless cars face “technological, regulatory and operational challenges.”
Some investors have called for the company to instead focus on releasing a lower price, mass-market EV.
However, Tesla has already been on a charm offensive, trying to win over new customers by dropping its prices in a series of markets in the face of falling sales.
It also said its situation was not unique.
“Global EV sales continue to be under pressure as many carmakers prioritize hybrids over EVs,” it said.
Despite plans to bring forward new models originally planned for next year the firm is cutting its workforce.
Tesla said it would lose 3,332 jobs in California and 2,688 positions in Texas, starting mid-June.
The cuts in Texas represent 12% of Tesla’s total workforce of almost 23,000 in the area where its gigafactory and headquarters are located.
However, Mr Musk sought to downplay the move.
“Tesla has now created over 30,000 manufacturing jobs in California!” he said in a post on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
Another 285 jobs will be lost in New York.
Tesla’s total workforce stood at more than 140,000 late last year, up from around 100,000 at the end of 2021, according to the company’s filings with US regulators.
Musk’s salary
The car firm is also facing other issues, with a struggle over Mr Musk’s compensation still raging on.
On Wednesday, Tesla asked shareholders to vote for a proposal to accept Mr Musk’s compensation package – once valued at $56bn – which had been rejected by a Delaware judge.
The judge found Tesla’s directors had breached their fiduciary duty to the firm by awarding Mr Musk the pay-out.
Due to the fall in Tesla’s stock value, the compensation package is now estimated to be around $10bn less – but still greater than the GDP of many countries.
In addition, Tesla wants its shareholders to agree to the firm being moved from Delaware to Texas – which Mr Musk called for after the judge rejected his payday.
Business
Stock market today: Nasdaq futures pop, Tesla surges after earnings with more heavyweights on deck
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Tech stocks rose on Wednesday, outstripping the broader market as investors welcomed Tesla’s (TSLA) cheaper car pledge and waited for the next rush of corporate earnings.
The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) rose roughly 0.6%, coming off a sharp closing gain. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up 0.2%, continuing a rebound from its longest losing streak of 2024, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell 0.1%.
Tesla shares jumped nearly 12% after the EV maker’s vow to speed up the launch of more affordable models eclipsed its quarterly earnings and revenue miss. That cheered up investors worried about growth amid a strategy shift to robotaxis and the planned cancellation of a cheaper model.
The results from the first “Magnificent Seven” to report have intensified the already high hopes for Big Tech earnings, that the megacaps can revive the rally in stocks they powered. The spotlight is now on Meta’s (META) report due after the market close, as the Facebook owner’s shares rose after the Senate voted for a potential ban on rival TikTok. Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG) next up on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Boeing (BA) reported better than expected first quarter results before the opening bell with a loss per share of $1.13, narrower than the $1.72 estimated by Wall Street. Shares rose about 2% in morning trade.
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