Canada is facing a variant-fuelled new wave of COVID-19 cases as the country is beginning to ramp up inoculation efforts following a slow start.
Meanwhile, countries such as the United Kingdom, Israel and the United States have far surpassed Canada’s vaccine rollout. And as the third wave is hitting many parts of the world, these countries are starting to see a huge drop in coronavirus-related cases and deaths since the start of their aggressive inoculation campaigns.
United Kingdom
How many people vaccinated?
With a population of 66.65 million, more than 50 per cent of people in the U.K. have received at least one vaccine shot.
Around 30.4 million people in the country have received their first COVID-19 shots in the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, with the aim of offering shots to all adults by the end of July. More than 3.6 million people have had both doses of a vaccine, according to the U.K.’s health database.
The BBC reported that the number of first doses administered each day now averages around 350,000 — a drop from an average of about 500,000 a week ago as the schedule of second doses started to kick in.
On March 20, the country had the highest number of vaccinations given in a single day — more than 844,000.
U.K. health officials said the country is on track to offer the first dose to everyone aged 50 and over by the end of April, and to all adults by the end of July.
2:52 U.K. study examines safety of mixing COVID-19 vaccines
U.K. study examines safety of mixing COVID-19 vaccines
How many COVID-19 vaccine types?
The U.K. is currently receiving doses of two approved vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNTech is imported from Belgium. The second vaccine, from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, is made in Britain.
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Supplies of a third vaccine to be approved, made by U.S. company Moderna, is expected in the next few weeks, according to the BBC.
COVID-19 infection and death rates?
The daily release of COVID-19 data in the United Kingdom showed that 56 new deaths were recorded on Tuesday. This is substantially lower than the peak of the second-wave in January, which recorded more than 1,000 deaths per day.
But new infection numbers are also substantially down, with 4,040 cases reported Tuesday and a seven-day total of 35,460, down by 7.9 per cent from the previous seven days.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 149,168 people have died in the U.K, the highest official death toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world. There have been more than 4.3 million confirmed cases as well.
Israel
How many people vaccinated?
With a population of 9.053 million people, well over half of Israel’s population have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
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Israel is one of the top nations leading the world in vaccination rollouts, which began Dec. 19, 2020 — just 10 days after the first Pfizer doses arrived in the country.
2:52 The benefits and challenges of a vaccine certificate system
The benefits and challenges of a vaccine certificate system – Feb 28, 2021
The country was well ahead of most countries in signing a purchase agreement for Moderna’s vaccine in June 2020. Later in 2020, it made another deal with Pfizer.
As of Wednesday, more than 5.23 million people have been given the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to an Israel health database. And more than 4.76 million people have received a second dose.
Israel has approved two COVID-19 vaccines: Pfizer, imported from Belgium, and Moderna, imported from the U.S.
COVID-19 infection and death rates?
On Jan. 27, 2021, during the height of the second wave, the nation recorded 11,934 new cases of the virus, according to Our World in Data. On Jan. 20, the country recorded its highest COVID-19 related death number at 101 cases.
These numbers have plummeted since the country’s aggressive vaccine rollout. On March 29, Israel recorded 201 new cases and 12 recorded deaths.
United States
How many people vaccinated?
With a population of 328.2 million people, 28.9 per cent of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine shot.
As of Tuesday, around 96 million people in the United States have been given a first vaccine shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 53 million Americans have been given a second dose, which is 15.8 per cent of the population.
Seventy-three per cent of the population over the age of 65 have been given at least one dose of the vaccine.
1:39 Biden doubles U.S. COVID-19 inoculation target
Biden doubles U.S. COVID-19 inoculation target
How many COVID-19 vaccine types?
The U.S. has approved three vaccines: Pfizer, imported from Belgium, Moderna, made in the U.S., and Johnson & Johnson, which is also made on national soil.
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COVID-19 infection and death rates?
On Jan. 8, during the height of the second wave, the U.S. recorded 315,119 new cases. On Jan. 12, the U.S. recorded its highest day of COVID-related deaths with 4,447 cases.
The cases and death count have gone down substantially since January. On March 29, the U.S. recorded 47,464 new COVID-19 cases and 560 deaths, according to the CDC.
Canada
How many people vaccinated?
Canada has a population of about 37.7 million people, approximately 31.5 million of whom are over the age of 16 and eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
So far, more than 5.5 million vaccine doses have been administered in Canada; that number includes both first and second doses. On March 25, deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said that more than 10 per cent of Canadians had received at least one vaccine jab.
Around 59 per cent of adults aged 80 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
2:40 Millions of more doses could accelerate Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Millions of more doses could accelerate Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Over the past few weeks, Canada has administered more than 100,000 doses per day. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously said the government plans to have most Canadian adults vaccinated by September.
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Although the country has ramped up its vaccination efforts, Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, previously told Global News, “it’s not even remotely fast enough.”
Furness said at the rate of vaccinating 100,000 Canadians per day, it could take Canada 10 months to achieve herd immunity levels.
Based on those numbers, if the federal government expects to achieve its vaccine targets by September, Furness said it would need to administer around 400,000 shots per day.
How many COVID-19 vaccine types?
Canada has approved four vaccines: Pfizer, imported from Belgium, Moderna, imported from the U.S., Johnson & Johnson, imported from the U.S. (though doses are not expected to arrive until late April), and AstraZeneca, imported from the U.K.
COVID-19 infection and death rates?
Daily case counts have dropped since a peak of 8,883 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 9. Although numbers started falling in February, in recent weeks COVID-19 cases have again been on the rise with public health officials warning that Canada is losing the fight against variants and that more restrictions could be in our future.
On Tuesday, the country recorded 26 deaths and 4,879 new cases of the virus.
While Canada has seen a dramatic decline in COVID-19 among seniors, more transmissible — and possibly more deadly — variants are dramatically increasing infections among younger people.
New national public health modelling, released last week, acknowledges the progress Canada has made in getting older, more vulnerable populations vaccinated, but yet again emphasizes the threat virus variants, like the B.1.1.7 variant, bring to Canadians who aren’t yet up for vaccination.
In British Columbia and Saskatchewan, public health officials have warned that variants appear to be impacting young people and that otherwise healthy young people are ending up in hospital.
The changing patterns come up against a slowly burning vaccination effort — so far only focused on the elderly or, in some cases, those between 60 and 65.
3:47 Ontario’s hospitals buckling as Canada’s third wave grows dire
Ontario’s hospitals buckling as Canada’s third wave grows dire
But Canada is banking on a large influx of vaccines in the coming months.
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On Tuesday, federal officials announced that Canada’s total tally of vaccines should reach 44 million doses by the end of June, and that the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine is set to begin arriving in late April, adding to that number.
— with files from Global News’ Emerald Bensadoun, Rachael D’Amore and Reuters
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
