The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):
6:20 p.m.
Alberta is reporting 351 new COVID-19 cases and four new deaths associated with the virus.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical health officer, encouraged people in a tweet to “continue to make safe, responsible choices” as Alberta relaxes some restrictions that were imposed in December.
Starting tomorrow, in-person dining can resume in restaurants, one-on-one fitness training with an instructor can take place, and some sports activities can resume for youth.
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5 p.m.
Ontario is logging its first case of the COVID-19 variant that originated in Brazil.
Toronto Public Health identified the case today, along with an instance of the virus variant first found in South Africa.
The city says the patient identified with the variant from Brazil recently returned from travelling to that country and is now in hospital.
It says the diagnosis of the variant originating in South Africa involves a patient with no recent history of travel.
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4:10 p.m.
Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting one new confirmed case of COVID-19.
The latest diagnosis involves a female in the Eastern Health region under 19 years of age.
The source of the infection is under investigation, with health officials saying there will be an update.
The province also noted that risks of exposure at the Bigs Restaurant in Mount Pearl, N.L. — which earlier had an exposure warning for January 21st to February 4th — is now deemed “very low.”
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3 p.m.
Saskatchewan has recorded three new deaths among COVID-19 patients, as well as 194 new cases of the virus.
The province says in its daily COVID-19 update that due to weather issues, the number of vaccines it has administered this weekend is lower than planned.
The entire province is now under an extreme cold warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Saskatchewan reports that 774 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, and that 95per cent of the doses it has received have been administered to date.
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2 p.m.
Manitoba has 80 new cases of COVID-19 as of this morning and four new deaths.
Provincial officials report that all four of the people who died were in the Winnipeg health region and were over 70.
The province says there are now 3,256 active COVID-19 cases in Manitoba.
There are 263 people in hospital, 38 of whom are in intensive care.
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 6.1 per cent provincially and 3.8 per cent in Winnipeg.
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12:30 p.m.
Nova Scotia has dropped to just eight active cases of COVID-19, with just one new infection being reported today.
The case is in the province’s central zone and is related to travel outside of Atlantic Canada, with the patient currently self-isolating.
Premier Stephen McNeil says it’s good to see the low number, but he cautioned people to keep Super Bowl gatherings small.
Nova Scotians are also being strongly encouraged to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have had several social interactions even within their own circles.
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12:20 p.m.
Public Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 today, with the total number of active cases falling to 203 across the province.
They also say an outbreak of COVID-19 at an Edmundston seniors home has been brought under control.
The provincial officials say in a news release the outbreak began on Jan. 20 at Le Pavillon Le Royer, following a confirmed COVID-19 case at the facility.
In total, the outbreak consisted of only one case, and the release says all staff and residents of the facility were re-tested several times to confirm the end of the spread.
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—11:15 a.m.
More than 10,000 Quebecers have now died from COVID-19.
The province reached the sobering figure today as it reported 32 additional deaths due to the pandemic, for a total of 10,031.
Quebec also passed the 270,000-case mark with the addition of 1,081 new infections.
Hospitalizations declined by 19 to 963, with 158 people in intensive care, which is one less than the day before.
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11 a.m.
Ontario is reporting 1,489 new COVID-19 infections today along with 22 new deaths linked to the virus.
Hospitalizations in the province fell below 1,000, with 926 people receiving treatment for COVID-19.
Provincial data shows 335 of those patients are in intensive care and 233 are on ventilators.
The latest figures come a day before schools are set to reopen across much of the province and the government prepares to formally unveil plans for gradually easing restrictions on businesses.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2021.
MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson is warning that public services are becoming “dehumanized” in the province amid a rise in demand for them.
Marc-André Dowd released his annual report today, which highlights several examples of people receiving inadequate care across the health network in the 12 months leading to March 31.
One dying man who lived alone was denied help cleaning his cat’s litter box by his local health clinic, a service Dowd says should have been given for “humanitarian reasons.”
Dowd also describes staff at a long-term care home feeding residents “mechanically” and talking among each other — despite health ministry guidelines directing staff to maintain eye contact with residents.
The ombudsperson says his office received a record number of problems to investigate across the province’s public services — 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year.
He says his office investigated 13,358 cases between April 2023 and March of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Canada next week after a planned trip in July was cancelled amid political turmoil in France.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a statement today that Macron will be in Canada Wednesday and Thursday after the leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Trudeau will welcome Macron in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they are expected to discuss collaboration on geopolitical issues including their ongoing support for Ukraine.
They are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen the response to emerging threats, such as disinformation.
In Montreal, Trudeau intends to show off the city’s artificial intelligence sector, while both countries reaffirm their commitment to work with counterparts on responsible use of AI.
The leaders will also discuss promoting the French language ahead of the Francophonie summit being held in France next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
