The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern):
8:45 p.m.
Alberta reported 465 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths.
The province identified 197 new variant cases, bringing the province’s total to 1,908.
There were 290 people in hospital, including 53 in intensive care.
Altogether there are 6,231 active cases in Alberta.
The province says so far 497,280 vaccine doses have been administered.
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7:30 p.m.
B.C. is reporting 682 new cases of COVID-19 and 144 of those involve variants of concern.
A joint statement from Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says almost 560,000 doses of the vaccines have been administered and bookings are now open for people 77 years and older.
There’s been one more death for a total of 1,438 fatalities since the pandemic began.
The province says letters are going out now to about 200,000 clinically vulnerable people with cancers and other illnesses telling them they can start booking a vaccine appointment on Monday.
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6 p.m.
British Columbia health officials are prioritizing medically vulnerable people for COVID-19 vaccine.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says in a news release that people with conditions such as cancer, transplant recipients and those with severe respiratory conditions will be able to register for a shot starting next Monday.
Dix says the province has made progress on its age-based program and that allows the expansion to those who are at increased risk from COVID-19.
The government says those people identified as vulnerable will get a letter in the mail telling them how to book an appointment.
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5 p.m.
Regina is heading back to some of the toughest public-health restrictions seen during the pandemic because of a concerning spread of COVID-19 variants.
Effective immediately, a ban on household guests lifted two weeks ago is back on for households in the city.
Starting Sunday, restaurants and bars in Regina will only be allowed to offer takeout or delivery.
Indoor event venues like movie theatres, museums and community halls are not allowed to have customers starting that day.
The province says these rules will be in effect until at least April 5.
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4:10 p.m.
Saskatchewan health officials are reporting 151 new cases of COVID-19.
The province says 91 of them are from the Regina area.
The capital city is home to most of Saskatchewan’s cases of more infectious COVID-19 variants and is driving the province’s spread.
The Ministry of Health says 763 of the 891 variant cases identified are from the Regina area.
It has confirmed 352 cases are from the mutation first detected in the United Kingdom, known as B.1.1.7.
There are 152 people in hospital, with 26 patients receiving intensive care.
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2:55 p.m.
After a prolonged outbreak in one community, there are now no active cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut.
Premier Joe Savikataaq says Nunavut’s case count dropped to zero on Saturday, March 20.
There have been 383 cases in the territory since the start of the pandemic.
Four Nunavut residents have also died from COVID-19, three of them outside the territory.
To date, 12,142 Nunavut residents have received one dose of the Moderna vaccine, while 6,577 have had two jabs.
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2:10 p.m.
New Brunswick is reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 today.
Health officials say three cases are in the Moncton region and four cases are in the Edmundston area.
Officials say the case that was identified at Moncton High School on Sunday is presumed to involve the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant.
New Brunswick has 56 active reported cases and one patient in hospital with the disease.
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1:30 p.m.
The Manitoba government is increasing the number of people allowed to gather outdoors to 25 from 10.
It’s one of a small number of COVID-19 restrictions being eased starting Friday.
The limit on people allowed to attend weddings and funerals will also rise to 25 people from 10.
The 50 per cent capacity rule for retail outlets will change to a maximum of 500 people from 250.
Manitoba is reporting one COVID-19 death and 98 new cases.
However, five cases have been removed due to data correction, for a net increase of 93.
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1:30 p.m.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is asking residents in two regions to reduce their contacts after a recent rise in cases.
Legault says residents of Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean and Outaouais need to be careful if they want their regions to remain orange zones.
The premier says the province is stable but the next few weeks will be crucial in the fight against a third wave of COVID-19 driven by a rise in variants.
He’s urging everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated, adding that he will be getting his own shot Friday in Montreal.
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1 p.m.
Canada’s top doctor says a rise in new strains of COVID-19 in Canada, including the B.1.1.7 variant, is leading to higher average hospitalization rates and more severe outcome trends among younger people across the country.
Dr. Theresa Tam says stronger evidence coming from the United Kingdom, where the B.1.1.7 variant originated, shows this new strain can cause more severe illness in the elderly and in younger age groups.
She says if these numbers increase in the younger population, hospitalizations and visits to intensive care units are likely to increase.
Over the past week, there has been a further 15 per cent increase in COVID-19 daily cases, with an average of over 3,600 new cases daily.
Tam continues to urge Canadians to follow public health guidelines, as the countrywide vaccination program continues to roll out.
Canada has seen a total of 938,000 cases to date, including more than 22,700 deaths.
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12:20 p.m.
The federal government is rolling out extra funding in key regions of Ontario to add more options for residents to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
Ottawa will spend $23.7 million to operate self-isolation sites in Toronto, and the regions of Peel, York and Durham.
More sites are in the works for Thunder Bay, Windsor and other regions.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the federal government recognizes many barriers exist in places of overcrowded housing and in areas where housing costs are unaffordable.
That’s why the government will fund an added 1,600 COVID-19 isolation rooms, bringing the total of rooms being paid for by Ottawa to 2,000.
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12 p.m.
Ontario family doctors say they want to be more involved in the province’s COVID-19 vaccination effort.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians says a survey found 60 per cent of vaccine-hesitant respondents were more likely to get immunized if a family doctor endorsed and administered their shot.
Dr. Liz Muggah, president of the group, says it’s in the public interest to have family doctors more involved in giving out the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines.
Some family physicians in six regions are offering Oxford-AstraZeneca shots to patients aged 60 and older as part of a pilot project.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says more vaccine supply will be sent to primary care physicians in the future, though she did not provide specifics.
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11:55 a.m.
The first of two expected shipments of Moderna vaccines this week is being delayed by 24 hours.
Canada is receiving 846,000 doses of the vaccine from Moderna this week, split between two shipments.
The first shipment was to arrive this morning in Canada, but is now set to arrive Wednesday, according to federal officials.
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11:15 a.m.
Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today.
Health officials say the case involves a person in the eastern health region and is related to travel outside Atlantic Canada.
Officials say more than 66,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, more than 20,000 of which have been booster shots.
The province has 21 active reported infections.
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11:10 a.m.
Quebec is reporting 656 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including one in the past 24 hours.
Health officials said today hospitalizations rose by six, to 519, and 113 people were in intensive care, a drop of one.
The province says it administered 26,040 does of vaccine Monday, for a total of 993, 102.
Quebec has reported a total of 303,707 COVID-19 infections and 10,618 deaths linked to the virus; it has 6,742 active reported infections.
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10:50 a.m.
Prince Edward Island is reporting two new cases of COVID-19 today.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Heather Morrison says one case involves a female under the age of 19 who is a close contact of a previously reported infection.
She says the other case involves a male under 19 and may be related to regional travel.
There are now eight active reported cases on the Island.
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10:40 a.m.
Ontario reports 1,546 new cases of COVID-19 and nine more deaths linked to the virus.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says that 465 of those new cases are in Toronto, 329 are in Peel Region, and 161 are in York Region.
More than 50,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Monday’s report.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2021.
HOUSTON (AP) — Brian White scored in the second half to rally the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.
Houston (12-9-8) took a 1-0 lead into halftime after Ezequiel Ponce scored on a penalty kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Ponce’s third goal this season came after Amine Bassi drew a foul on Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Vite following a video review. It was Ponce’s sixth career appearance, all starts.
Vancouver (13-8-7) scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute when White, who entered in the 60th, used assists from Fafá Picault and Ryan Gauld to find the net for the 13th time this season. Picault’s assist was his fifth, matching his career high for a single season. Gauld’s assist gives him a career-best 13 on the season.
Yohei Takaoka, who had clean sheets in his last three starts, finished with one save in goal for the Whitecaps.
Steve Clark saved three shots for the Dynamo, who remain one point behind Vancouver in the Western Conference standings.
Houston, which was coming off a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, has allowed just 33 goals this season.
Vancouver — 6-2-2 in its last 10 matches overall — leads the all-time series 10-9-6.
The Whitecaps remain on the road to play the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday. The Dynamo travel to play Austin FC on Saturday.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Pearce and Nathan Saliba scored in the second half — the first goals of their careers — and CF Montreal rallied for a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Wednesday night.
“In the second half, the guys came out a little more ambitious and above all, more connected,” Montreal head coach Laurent Courtois said. “It was a great second half of resilience and fighting spirit. Nathan and Sam were impressive.
“Impressive in covering the gaps and compensating for the teammates, and the individual defending – yes it’s true, it is a lot of weight on their shoulders, but that’s the job.”
New England (8-16-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute on Bobby Wood’s third goal of the season. Teenage defender Peyton Miller notched his first assist in his fourth career start and sixth appearance and Carles Gil picked up his ninth of the season. Peyton, at 16 years, 315 days old, is the eighth youngest player in league history to record his first assist.
The Revolution took a two-goal lead in the 35th minute and held it through halftime when 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic took a pass from Gil and scored his third goal of the season and career in his first full season in the league. It was the 73rd regular-season assist in Gil’s career, tying him with Steve Ralston for the most in club history.
Montreal (7-12-10) pulled within a goal in the 54th minute when Pearce scored off a free kick after defender George Campbell drew a foul on New England’s Mark-Anthony Kaye. It was the first goal for Pearce in his third career start and fourth appearance.
“Playoffs are the goal. Maybe it wasn’t in the best form, but in the end, we are picking up a point,” Pearce said. “We came into this game confident, ready to play our own game. Everyone tries their best, whenever the players are called on, we are always ready, and we are always giving it our best.”
Montreal scored the equalizer in the 68th minute on the first career goal by Saliba, a 20-year-old midfielder. Saliba has made 34 starts and 48 appearances with Montreal in his two seasons in the league. Campbell snagged his second assist of the season and the third of his career.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s a goal I’ve been waiting for a long time. I’m extremely happy that I was able to score it and that it can help the team take this important point on the road,” Saliba said. “Pearce’s first goal gave us really good momentum and we kept up the pressure to go for a second goal. We got more solid defensively, and we came back ready after halftime, to push for these 3 points.”
Aljaz Ivacic finished with four saves in goal for the Revolution.
Jonathan Sirois stopped four shots for Montreal.
New England beat Montreal 5-0 on the road on Aug. 24.
New England leads the all-time series 16-13-4. Montreal improves to 5-8-2 on the road against the Revs.
The Revolution travel to take on Charlotte FC on Saturday. Montreal returns home to host the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Cody Bradford pitched seven strong innings after the worst start of his career, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The win kept the defending World Series-champion Rangers alive in the AL West race, trailing first-place Houston by 10 games with 10 to play.
García launched an inside sinker over the left-field wall off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (8-5) after Wyatt Langford singled.
“He swings hard, he swings a lot,” Francis said of García. “I guess the velo was dropping during that time.”
Bradford (6-3) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six.
The seven shutout innings are the most in a game during his two-year career. He was knocked out of his previous start after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and homers (three) in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-4 loss at Arizona.
“Throughout the week, you’ve got to try and digest what happened, see where I can make adjustments, whether it was just game plan went wrong or just poor execution, or a little bit of both,” Bradford said. “Then you flush it.”
Bradford was perfect through four innings before Alejandro Kirk opened the fifth with a smash back to the mound that caromed off Bradford’s left foot and rolled into right field for a single. It extended Kirk’s hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.
Spencer Horwitz’s double to left-center put runners on second and third with no outs before Bradford retired the next three batters.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Bradford’s “deceptive fastball.”
“When you’re throwing 89, 92, you’ve got to have pretty good deception with that at this level,” Schneider said. “Kept us off balance.”
Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save in 32 opportunities.
Francis, who took no-hitters into the ninth inning in two of his previous four starts, allowed a double to Marcus Semien, the Rangers’ first hitter of the game. He gave up five hits and one walk in six innings.
Francis has a 1.96 ERA in nine starts with 54 strikeouts and seven walks since being moved back into the starting rotation in late July.
“I don’t even want to get complacent, on cruise control,” Francis said. “Just keep attacking.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was a late scratch with a right middle finger contusion suffered during infield practice. Schneider said the team will get back x-rays on Thursday. Bichette was activated Tuesday following a calf injury and played for the first time in two months, going 2 for 5 with one RBI at the plate. … INF Will Wagner (left knee inflammation) will have the knee scoped on Thursday. Schneider said Wagner should be ready to start spring training. Wagner, son of former major leaguer Billy Wagner, was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline.
UP NEXT
Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his home debut against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) in the series finale. Rocker allowed one run in four innings at Seattle last Thursday in his major league debut.
