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.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
EDMONTON – The NHL’s Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that assistant general manager Brad Holland is leaving the club.
The move comes almost three months after the departure of former Oilers general manager Ken Holland, Brad’s father.
Oilers chief executive officer and president of hockey operations Jeff Jackson said in a statement that Brad Holland and the team parted ways so Holland could “explore other opportunities.”
Holland, 43, joined the Oilers as a scout in 2019. He was promoted to assistant GM in July 2022.
He had a hand in building the team that advanced to Game 7 of the 2023-24 Stanley Cup final before losing to the Florida Panthers.
The Oilers hired former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman to replace Ken Holland on July 1.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are placing Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the move. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games with the designation.
He was hurt in the third quarter of a Thursday night game against the Buffalo Bills on a play where he collided with Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. He ran for a first down and then initiated the contact by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding.
Players from both teams immediately motioned that Tagovailoa was hurt, and as he lay on the turf the quarterback exhibited some signs typically associated with a traumatic brain injury. He remained down on the field for a couple of minutes, got to his feet and walked to the sideline.
Tagovailoa this week began the process of consulting neurologists about his health. He was diagnosed with two concussions in 2022 and one while in college at Alabama.
