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The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world on Wednesday. The file will be updated throughout the day. If available, a web link to a longer story.
10:20pm: An expert said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine now available is a welcome addition to the Canadian COVID-19 vaccine library. If it were available earlier, it could have helped the country achieve better vaccination rates. .
Dr. Nazeem Muhajarine, professor of community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, said that if a one-time viral vector vaccine is selected earlier, there may be a wider range of comprehensive vaccination.
"I do think this is an advantage," Muhajarine said. "Too bad, this didn't happen earlier than the later stages of the vaccine launch."
Ontario has newly joined the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia to distribute Johnson & Johnson vaccines under certain circumstances.
Read the full article here: A single shot of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is too late for some people. Did Canada miss the opportunity?
10:10pm: British Columbia has reported 324 new cases of COVID-19, and another 7 deaths from the virus.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement on Wednesday that there were 3,380 active COVID-19 cases and 379 people were hospitalized, of which 109 were in the intensive care unit.
The Fraser Health District had the largest number of new cases with 108 cases, followed by the Northern Department of Health with 73 cases.
The statement said that 90.7% of eligible people 12 years of age and older had received the first dose of vaccine, and 86.9% had received the second dose of vaccine.
During the week ending Monday, it stated that 71.9% of COVID-19 hospitalized patients were not fully vaccinated.
To date, the province has a total of 213,682 COVID-19 cases and 2,281 deaths.
7:20pm: The Star is informed that Ottawa plans to remove the requirement that travelers who have left the country less than 72 hours test negative for COVID-19.
According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, the revised policy will be rolled out in phases-first Canadians, then Americans, and finally citizens of other countries.
In a speech in Washington on Wednesday night, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not confirm the news, but said that his government “is considering measures to relax the requirements while ensuring the safety of Canadians. We will do so in the future. An announcement will be made in a few days."
Read the full article here: Canada relaxes COVID-19 border regulations for short overseas trips
7:15pm: Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador today reported four new cases of COVID-19.
The chief medical officer of the province’s health told reporters that there were 22 cases of active infections in the province and no one was hospitalized for the disease.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said that after the province’s healthcare IT network was attacked on October 30, detection data was still unavailable.
However, she said that many other pandemic-related services have been restored, including the province's online COVID-19 test booking and results portal.
Health Minister John Haji reminded residents today that the province’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination rules will take effect in one month.
All provincial government employees and staff in restaurants, gyms, yoga studios, and bingo halls must be fully vaccinated before December 17, or obtain an authorized medical exemption before that date.
7:00 pm: According to multiple sources without authorization, a step forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Canada will announce on Friday the public approval of Pfizer vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years Speak.
It is expected that approximately 3 million doses of vaccine will be delivered in the next few days, enough to give each eligible Canadian child the first dose. It is difficult to determine the exact timetable, but public officials said that the needle may be put into use before the end of this month.
Read the full article here: Sources say Health Canada will approve Pfizer's childhood vaccine on Friday
5:57 pm: Health officials from Prince Edward Island today reported seven new cases of COVID-19.
One of the cases involved a child under 12 years of age.
They said one of the cases was in close contact with a previously announced case, while the other six cases were related to a person with a history of travel outside the province.
Contact tracing is underway, and it is expected that more cases and public exposure notices may follow in the coming days.
Anyone with mild symptoms of COVID-19 should visit a temporary testing site immediately.
There are currently 9 active COVID-19 cases in Prince Edward Island.
5:34pm: Quebec health officials reported 718 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. No more deaths were attributed to the new coronavirus and hospitalizations declined.
Officials said that after 15 new patients were admitted and 20 were discharged, the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations dropped by 5 from the day before, to 195. The number of intensive care patients has stabilized at 47.
Among the new cases reported on Wednesday, 431 involved people who had not been vaccinated or had received the first dose of the vaccine in the past two weeks.
The Provincial Institute of Public Health stated that approximately 90.9% of Quebecers aged 12 years and older received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 88.5% were considered adequately vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health stated that 8,413 doses of vaccine had been vaccinated in the past 24 hours.
There are 5,897 active reported cases of COVID-19 in Quebec. A total of 436,084 COVID-19 infection cases and 11,548 deaths related to the virus have been reported in the province.
5:04 pm: The White House stated that since Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in this age group two weeks ago, approximately 10% of eligible children aged 5 to 11 have received a dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday that at least 2.6 million children had been vaccinated, and 1.7 million doses had been injected in the last week alone, roughly double the number in the first week after approval. This is more than three times faster than the rate at which adults were vaccinated when the US vaccination campaign began 11 months ago.
Zients said there are now 30,000 places where children can get injections, compared with 20,000 last week, and the government expects that the pace of pediatric injections will increase in the next few days.
Assuming they get the second shot three weeks after the first injection, the child who received the first dose before this weekend will be fully vaccinated before Christmas.
The White House or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet released the breakdown of doses by state for age groups, but the data shared by states shows that the speed varies. In Colorado, Utah, and Illinois, approximately 11-12% of children in this age group received the first dose of vaccine, but in Idaho (5%), Tennessee (5%), and Wyoming ( 4%) and other places, this rate is much slower, and the three states have the lowest vaccination rates for the elderly.
The White House is stepping up its efforts to promote vaccination of children. First lady Jill Biden and singer Ciara recorded a video on Wednesday encouraging children to be vaccinated.
The first lady also visited the pediatric nursing facility in Washington with surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy, Alysha Clark of the Washington Mystery
"You are the real heroes," Biden told the newly vaccinated children. "You have superpowers, and now you can resist the new crown virus."
Biden also warned parents against misinformation about the vaccine and emphasized their safety.
"I hope you remember and share with other parents: the vaccine can protect your child from COVID-19," she said. "It has been thoroughly reviewed and rigorously tested. It is safe. It is free and can be used by every child 5 years and older in this country."
5:01 pm: The Manitoba government stated that once the federal government approves the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, it will act quickly.
The province said it will distribute the doses in a variety of ways, including in schools, pharmacies, doctors’ offices and district clinics.
Health Minister Audrey Gordon (Audrey Gordon) said that a recent survey of parents found that 75% of respondents plan to vaccinate their children; 15% are not sure.
Health Canada is reviewing Pfizer-BioNTech's application to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for use in young children, and there are signs that a decision may be made by the end of this month.
The Chief Public Health Officer of Manitoba, Dr. Brent Roussin, said that there is currently no plan to require children under the age of 12 to be vaccinated when entering public places in the province. The vaccine proved different. , Concerts and major sporting events.
The province announced 162 new cases of COVID-19 infection, with a five-day positive rate of 5.7%.
"Our development trajectory is not in the right direction now. We know that our healthcare system is constantly facing overwhelming risks," Russin said on Wednesday.
The opposition New Democratic Party urged the Progressive Conservative government to investigate its response to the pandemic. Manitoba has the second highest mortality rate among all provinces, second only to Quebec. Last spring, 57 intensive care patients had to be transported to other provinces.
"We need to conduct an independent investigation, which will be willing to ask some difficult questions... but most importantly, to bring some suggestions for the future," said New Democratic Party leader Wab Kinew.
He said that if the Conservative Party does not conduct an investigation, if the New Democratic Party wins the next election scheduled for 2023, it will conduct an investigation.
3:58 pm: Although medical staff have been hailed by many as heroes for facing the deadly COVID-19 pandemic on the front lines, many have also become targets of online hatred, racism and xenophobia. Digital harassment has penetrated into real life because of anti-vaccination protests outside the hospital, where there are reports of violence and abuse.
Dr. Naheed Dosani joins "This Matter" to talk about the nightmares of the past 18 months and what steps need to be taken next to protect them.
Listen to the full episode here: First-line doctors are fighting on two fronts: deadly epidemics and digital harassment
3:45 pm: The acting top doctor in the Yukon said that COVID-19 cases appeared to be leveling off after a surge earlier this month.
The Acting Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health, Dr. André Corriveau, said on Wednesday that with new cases hovering around 30 a day, the number of cases is still high, but the infection curve seems to be leveling off.
"It's still high, but we think we are heading in the right direction," he said at a press conference.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 157 active cases and 6 people have been treated in hospitals. So far, 1,322 cases have been confirmed and 11 people have died.
The new cases are concentrated in Whitehorse. Corriveau said that he anticipates more clusters related to the recent large hockey game in Teslin and encourages anyone who participates in self-monitoring of symptoms.
Due to the surge in cases, the territory declared a state of emergency last week and introduced new measures that took effect on Saturday. They include vaccination certification requirements in certain places, restrictions on the size of gatherings, and requirements for masks in public indoor environments.
Governor Sandy Silver said that the "circuit breaker" measures will continue until at least December 3.
"These are temporary measures and we are not in a lockdown state. These measures, including restrictions on the scale of gatherings, are meant to disrupt the rampant spread we are seeing," Silver said.
Corriveau said that it is too early to judge the effectiveness of short-term restrictions, but their full impact should be apparent within two to three weeks.
He said that the strongest long-term strategy in the region remains to increase vaccination rates.
The incidence of COVID-19 among young people in the Yukon remains high, with approximately 30% of cases recorded in people under 12 years of age. The survey showed that most of the transmission did not occur in the school environment, but occurred in the family and community parties through events such as birthdays, Korivo said.
However, he added that vaccination has proven to be very effective among those who are old enough to get the vaccine, and only 4% of cases are recorded in the high school population.
2:50 pm: The new parliament will start next week, and a reminder sounds in the inbox of members of Congress: If you want to enter the House of Commons on November 22, your last chance to provide a vaccination certificate is at the door.
The executives of the House of Commons will verify vaccination documents at the west gate of the West Block, which will now serve as a dedicated entry and exit point for members of Congress. Later on Tuesday, Sheriff Patrick McDonell (Patrick McDonell) sent a memo to members of Congress and staff, stating that no one else should use the entrance.
Anyone who takes the oath of office remotely or takes the oath of office before that date has been contacted by the staff and asked to hand in the proof at a special information kiosk in the parliamentary area, either in a virtual way or in person.
"Given the high level of activity at the entrance of the building, delays are expected," a previous memo warned.
Read the full story of Raisa Patel here
2:22 pm: New Brunswick reported 82 new cases of COVID-19 today.
The province has reported 565 cases of active infection.
Thirty people were hospitalized for the disease, 16 of whom were in the intensive care unit.
The cities of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe, as well as most areas of the Miramichi area are still under circuit breaker restrictions, private indoor gatherings are restricted, and travel in and out of these areas is restricted.
Approximately 87% of eligible New Brunswick people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and 93.2% have received at least one dose.
2 pm is January 2020, and I am solving some problems with my family, Samantha Israel wrote. The five of us were sick at home all week, and the simple task of doing puzzles on the corridor floor has become the only activity we can convene in a sad state. By the seventh day, after completing each of the 58 puzzles we had, we finally felt good enough to stand up and put them all away.
Later in the same month, the World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The virus was named COVID-19 in February and was declared a global pandemic in March. By the end of this month, Ontario had declared a state of emergency and issued its first stay-at-home order. At that time, my family and I began to wonder: Are we all infected with the new crown virus in January?
This is a real possibility. In late December 2019, we spent a week in Florida and could have contracted the virus while traveling. Or my husband, the immigration lawyer, may have been exposed when we came back because he met with a few Chinese clients who came to Canada from Wuhan, China.
1:40 pm As food manufacturers struggle to cope with rising costs and supply chain issues, Canada’s two largest grocers have signaled that there may be price increases and uneven supply of certain products in the coming months.
Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Metro Inc. released their latest financial results on Wednesday, giving people a glimpse of the inflationary pressures and labor challenges facing the grocery industry.
This situation is expected to lead to rising food prices and temporary shortages of some specialty products on store shelves, indicating that the pandemic may have a lasting impact on the food industry.
"There are obvious commodity price pressures... and then labor supply pressures," Loblaw President and Chairman Galen G. Weston told analysts on a conference call. "These two things have brought huge challenges to our manufacturing base."
At 1:15 pm, approximately 66% of parents and guardians told the Toronto Public Health Agency that they "definitely or possibly" vaccinate children between 5 and 11 years old against COVID-19.
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Director of the Toronto Department of Public Health, said at a briefing on Wednesday that the responses of 43,000 Torontons were collected through an online survey between October 29 and November 7. TPH data experts verified it.
De Vera told reporters that she was not worried that another third of Toronto parents and guardians who filled out the questionnaire were unlikely to be protected when Health Canada approved Pfizer's children's vaccine, which is expected to be at the end of this month or early December.
Read the full story of Star's David Rider
At 1:04 pm on Wednesday, Pfizer's (PFE) share price rose slightly after the drugmaker said that its long-serving chief financial officer will step down in the next few months.
The company said that Frank D'Amelio will retire after 15 years of work at Pfizer and will continue to stay with the group while looking for a replacement. At the same time, Pfizer said it will add its Chief Supply Officer Mike McDermott to the executive leadership team from January next year.
Pfizer also noted on Tuesday evening that it has completed the submission of Paxlovid's Emergency Use Approval (EUA) to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the group's promising antiviral treatment for COVID.
1:00 pm: I tried to fight it, but unfortunately I must admit that I have been addicted to reading daily updates on COVID-19 statistics, wrote star columnist Bob Hepburn.
Every morning, I eagerly wait for the government to release information on how many COVID patients are in the intensive care unit, how many people have died, the rise and fall of reported cases, how many vaccines have been vaccinated the previous day, and have received at least one dose of the vaccine and have been fully vaccinated. Percentage of people.
More precisely, I am fascinated by the 1.3 million adults in Ontario (yes, that's right, 1.3 million men and women 18 and older) still refusing to get vaccinated.
For example, on Wednesday, I noticed that 89.1% of Ontario adults had at least one dose of the vaccine, and 86.1% had been fully vaccinated. But I can tell you by checking every morning that these numbers have not changed almost every day. They may rise by a small percentage every three or four days.
In fact, the province only administered 15,040 injections on Tuesday. In comparison, there were more than 250,000 jabs per day in May and June.
At this rate, I worry that we will never reach the 90% vaccination rate required by health experts to protect our community reasonably. Daily statistics show that things are getting worse again.
Read Bob Hepburn's full column here.
12:23 pm (Update): According to the latest report released on Wednesday morning, Ontario has reported another 512 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths.
Since the last daily update, Ontario has received 15,040 vaccine doses, and as of 8 pm the previous day, a total of 22,748,337 doses have been vaccinated. According to the Star Vaccine Tracker, 11,578,570 people in Ontario have been vaccinated at least once. This applies to approximately 88.8% of the eligible population of 12 years and older, which is equivalent to 77.9% of the total population, including those who have not yet met the eligibility for vaccination.
The province also includes COVID-19 data in schools as part of its daily report.
Among the 4,844 schools in the province, 558 schools have reported COVID cases, accounting for 11.52%.
128 new cases were reported on Wednesday, and Ontario reported a total of 5,992 school-related COVID cases.
To find out if your child’s school has a COVID case, use Star’s tracking tool to search.
Read the full story of Celina Gallardo by Star
At 12 o'clock in the afternoon, the Ontario Minister of Health stated that people with COVID-19 symptoms can be safely tested for the virus in a pharmacy.
Today the legislature raised safety concerns about the proposed plan, but Christine Elliott said it would follow infection and control measures.
She said that rural Ontario and parts of the north need to be tested, and precautions will be taken to ensure people's safety.
She also said that a list of participating pharmacies and signs will be posted outside so that people can know before entering the facility.
At 11:42 a.m., a pastor who attended the faith gathering said that health officials linked it to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak in a nursing home in northern Nova Scotia. He said he believed the organizers had followed the rules they understood .
In an interview on Tuesday, Brandon Lake, the pastor of the Strange Grace Baptist Church in Bridgetown, New Hampshire, said that he and about 20 members of his congregation attended the Gospel Light Baptist Church in Amherst, New Hampshire. October event
Lake said that the number of people attending the multi-day religious gathering was “less than 100 people”, adding that the organizers believed they had complied with the government's COVID-19 guidelines.
He said that it was “unclear” whether people who attended the faith gathering were required to produce a vaccination certificate. At the same time, the province’s health authorities stated that the organizers of the October event did not require participants to show proof of vaccination.
11:30 am: Quebec today reported 718 new cases of COVID-19 and no deaths due to the new coronavirus.
Health officials said that compared with the previous day, the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 has decreased by 5 to 195, and the number of intensive care patients has stabilized at 47.
There are 5,897 active reported cases of COVID-19 in Quebec. Authorities stated that 8,413 doses of vaccine had been vaccinated in the past 24 hours.
The Provincial Institute of Public Health stated that approximately 90.9% of Quebecers aged 12 years and over received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 88.5% were considered adequately vaccinated.
10:15 am (to be updated) According to the latest report released on Wednesday morning, Ontario has reported another 512 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths.
Since the last daily update, Ontario has received 15,040 vaccine doses, and as of 8 pm the previous day, a total of 22,748,337 doses have been vaccinated.
According to the Star Vaccine Tracker, 11,578,570 people in Ontario have been vaccinated at least once. This applies to approximately 88.8% of the eligible population of 12 years and older, which is equivalent to 77.9% of the total population, including those who have not yet met the eligibility for vaccination.
Read the full story of Celina Gallardo by Star
At 10:12 am, an estimated 100,000 Americans will die from a drug overdose within a year. Health officials say this is an unprecedented milestone related to the COVID-19 pandemic and more dangerous drug supplies.
The number of overdose deaths has been on the rise for more than 20 years and has accelerated in the past two years. According to new data released on Wednesday, it has risen by nearly 30% in the most recent year.
Experts believe that the most important driving factor is the increasing prevalence of the deadly fentanyl in the supply of illegal drugs and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has isolated many drug users from society and cannot obtain treatment or other support.
Catherine Keys, an expert on drug abuse at Columbia University, said this number is "destructive." "This is the number of overdose deaths we have never seen in this country."
At 10:06 am, 85% of eligible Torontons are now vaccinated with both vaccines. The goal is for 90% of people to be fully vaccinated.
"Congratulations, Toronto! Thank you very much to all front-line communities and medical staff who are helping us get closer to the goal of 90% full vaccination every day," Coun tweeted. Joe Cressy.
9:45 am The World Health Organization said that the number of deaths from the coronavirus in Europe increased by 5% last week, making it the only region in the world where the number of deaths from COVID-19 has increased. The United Nations health agency stated that, driven by the increase in cases in the Americas, Europe and Asia, the number of confirmed cases worldwide has increased by 6%.
In its weekly report on the pandemic released late Tuesday, the WHO stated that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in all regions outside of Europe remained stable or declining. Last week, the global death toll totaled 50,000. Of the 3.3 million new infections reported, 2.1 million came from Europe.
This is the seventh consecutive week that COVID-19 cases have continued to increase in 61 countries in the European region (extended from Russia to Central Asia) counted by WHO.
At 8:45 in the morning, Statistics Canada stated that the annual inflation rate in October rose to 4.7%.
The agency stated that this was the largest year-on-year increase in the consumer price index since February 2003.
Compared with the 4.4% year-on-year increase in the consumer price index in September, this increase has increased.
8:42 AM A French elementary school in Mississauga was informed by Peel’s Ministry of Public Health to close due to 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
A Peel Public Health spokesperson said that nine students and three faculty members of École Élémentaire Catholique René-Lamoureux had contracted COVID-19.
Six classrooms were closed before the school closed.
At 8:31 in the morning, Hamilton will open two more mass vaccination clinics to meet the demand for boosters and prepare for the upcoming approved childhood COVID vaccination.
Once the pediatric vaccine is approved, two-thirds of appointments will be reserved for children aged 5 to 11. The rest will be used mainly for priority groups, including seniors aged 70 and above.
Those 12 years and older who need the first and second doses of the vaccine will continue to walk into most clinics without an appointment.
At 8:10 am, the number of airline passengers heading to the United States for Thanksgiving this year is expected to rebound to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, but the Transportation Security Administration said it is ready to respond to the surge.
Administrator David Pekoske said on Wednesday that he expects the agency to be staffed enough to cope with traditional TSA's busiest travel period.
"We are ready," Pekoske told ABC's "Good Morning America." He said passengers should line up at the airport and plan to spend a little more time through security.
In 2019, in the 11 days before and after Thanksgiving, a record 26 million passengers and crew passed security checks at U.S. airports. But as the pandemic keeps people at home, this number will drop sharply in 2020.
8:05 am Statistics Canada is scheduled to announce the October inflation rate on Wednesday, under the shadow of economic warnings that the pace of price growth may accelerate.
When the consumer price index increased by 4.4% year-on-year, the annual inflation rate in September hit an 18-year high.
Factors contributing to the increase in inflation include supply chain chaos, rising gas station prices, and comparisons with lows a year ago.
At 8 am on Wednesday, Hungary’s daily COVID-19 death toll and the number of newly officially recorded cases climbed to the highest level since the devastating pandemic surge last spring.
Government data show that in this country with a population of less than 10 million, 178 people die every day and 10,265 new cases are reported. The latter figure is close to the new pandemic high set in March, while the daily death toll is the highest level since May 1.
These figures reflect the worsening of the epidemic situation in Central European countries, where the per capita COVID-19 death rate in the spring is the highest in the world.
At 7:30 in the morning, teachers, don't call the police again.
Toronto police asked educators to stop complaining about their school board’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.
So far, 53 staff members of the Toronto Regional Education Bureau and 3 staff members of the city’s Catholic Committee have reported the incident to the police.
Toronto Police spokesperson Connie Osborne said: "After reviewing the incident, no criminal charges will be filed." "This is not a criminal case. We will ask people not to report the matter to the police."
Read the full story of Isabel Teotonio of Star
5:50 am: South Korea reported 3,187 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, almost matching the single-day record set in September. This is a worrying development. The country has relaxed its social distancing rules in recent weeks. Mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic.
The delta-driven spread has raised questions about whether the country eased pandemic restrictions too quickly in early November, which officials said was the first step to restore normal pre-pandemic conditions.
There has been an increase in severe cases and deaths among elderly people who have refused vaccination or in long-term care facilities whose immunity has declined after the initial vaccination started in late February.
Officials are now pushing to speed up the administration of intensive injections for people who were fully vaccinated six months ago.
5:45 am Wednesday: As the infection rate continues to climb, the German disease control agency reported 52,826 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.
The Robert Koch Institute stated that since the previous day, another 294 people have died of COVID-19 in Germany, bringing the country's pandemic death toll to 98,274.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn called on doctors not to be too strict and to wait at least six months before vaccinating patients with booster vaccines.
The number of infections has increased sharply in recent weeks, especially among the unvaccinated people, with southern and eastern Germany being the hardest hit.
Read the coronavirus news on Tuesday.
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