Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Dec. 28
Quebec to allow health-care staff with positive COVID-19 test results to work under certain circumstances
The latest:
- Quebec to allow some infected health-care workers, under certain conditions, to continue working.
- Nova Scotia delays school reopening to Jan. 10 as province reports 561 new cases.
- NHL postpones 10 games, 9 in Canadian cities, due to attendance restrictions.
- Ontario reports 8,825 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, media briefing postponed.
- U.S. health officials cut COVID-19 isolation, quarantine guidelines from 10 days to 5.
- Track how many people have been given the COVID-19 vaccine across Canada.
- Have a coronavirus question or news tip for CBC News? Email: ask@cbc.ca
COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Quebec on Tuesday, as health officials reported 12,833 new cases — a single-day high — and 15 additional deaths.
Due to the increasing strain on the province's health-care system, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced on Tuesday that health care-workers, under certain circumstances, will be allowed to continue to work even if they receive a positive COVID-19 result.
"Omicron's contagion is so exponential that a huge number of personnel have to be withdrawn, and that poses a risk to the network capacity to treat Quebecers," he said during a briefing, referring to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. "We made the decision that under certain conditions, positive staff will be able to continue working according to a list of priorities and risk management."
Dubé said he would provide more information about those conditions in the coming days but that the decision was made with the input of the union and Ministry of Health.
The province's public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda, added some detail, saying if a worker is clearly not well, they will not be required to work.
"But there [are] people who really have some symptoms, very soft ones, who can go work again and they feel OK."
Manitoba said Monday that the province may also have to consider allowing health-care workers who test positive to go back to work if there is further strain on the system, and Ontario appeared poised to enact similar measures.
Late Tuesday afternoon, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair tweeted that he has approved Quebec's request for help with staff vaccination centres. Blair said that officials from his department will speak with their provincial counterparts about exactly what is needed.
Update: Today, I wrote to my colleague <a href="https://twitter.com/GGuilbaultCAQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GGuilbaultCAQ</a> to inform her that we have approved Québec’s request for federal assistance. Our officials are engaging with their provincial counterparts to clarify the specific needs, and we will share more details as they are confirmed. <a href="https://t.co/MztlZcezzm">https://t.co/MztlZcezzm</a>
—@BillBlairMeanwhile, health officials in Ontario on Tuesday reported 8,825 new cases and seven additional deaths. Health Minister Christine Elliott said in a tweet that 491 people were hospitalized with COVID-19.
491 people are hospitalized with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a>, and 187 people are in ICU due to COVID-19. <br><br>The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 related patients in ICU is 171.<br> <br>There are 8,825 new cases of COVID-19.
—@celliottabilityThe province is temporarily pausing general visitors from entering long-term care homes starting Thursday, with two designated caregivers per resident exempt from the new rule.
Rod Phillips, Ontario's minister of long-term care, said Tuesday that there were 41 care homes with outbreaks across the province, up from 37 the previous day.
While 93 residents and 161 staff have tested positive for COVID-19, none are hospitalized, he said.
About 84 per cent of eligible residents and 43 per cent of long-term care workers had received COVID-19 vaccine booster shots as of last week, he said.
Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health, was scheduled to provide an update about the situation in Ontario on Tuesday, but provincial representatives later said that briefing was being postponed.
Ontario health officials are considering shortening isolation and quarantine period guidance, following similar changes made in the United States.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 5 p.m. ET
What's happening in Canada
For more details on the situation in your province and territory — including the latest on hospitalizations and ICU capacity, as well as local testing issues — click through to the local coverage below.
In Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia reported 561 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. Along with delaying the return to school after the holidays to Jan. 10, the province has also suspended jury trials due to the surge in cases.
Newfoundland and Labrador on Tuesday reported a total of 194 new cases of COVID-19 — a single-day high for the province — with no hospitalizations reported.
Prince Edward Island reported a record high 118 new cases on Tuesday, while New Brunswick health officials reported 306.
- N.L. reports 194 new COVID-19 cases as health-care disruptions felt across province
- Jury trials in N.S. suspended amid high COVID-19 case numbers
- Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan tests positive for COVID-19
Across the North, there were 11 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Nunavut on Tuesday. Health officials in the Northwest Territories and Yukon had not yet provided updated information for the day.
- N.W.T. issues exposure notices for Walmart, Canadian Tire, Air Canada flight
- Health officials declare COVID-19 outbreak at N.W.T. mine
- MP Lori Idlout among Nunavummiut recovering from COVID
In the Prairies, Manitoba health officials reported 825 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and seven additional deaths. The update came as the province announced it was ramping up restrictions again, including capacity limits for both indoor and outdoor public gatherings.
In Saskatchewan, officials announced a total of 896 cases on Tuesday, which included the daily totals since Christmas Eve. There were 205 cases on Dec. 24, 241 on Christmas Day, 151 cases on Dec. 26, 137 on Dec. 27 and 162 cases on Tuesday.
- 'We need to lock down': Manitoba doctors react to updated public health restrictions
- You get a positive rapid test result in Saskatchewan. What should you do next?
- Manitoba to provide take-home, self-administered rapid COVID-19 tests to certain people
In Alberta, the province's top public health official, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, reported that there have been about 8,250 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed since Dec. 23. The numbers, however, are estimates and will not be final until Wednesday.
The number includes 2,000 new cases on Dec. 23; 2,500 on Dec. 24; 1,600 on Christmas; 750 on Dec. 26; and 1,400 on Monday. Hinshaw said the test positivity rate is about 17 to 22 per cent.
In British Columbia, health officials on Tuesday reported 1,785 new cases.
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Experts fear true number of COVID-19 cases in B.C. could be higher as province hits testing capacity
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 8 p.m. ET
What's happening around the world
As of Tuesday evening, roughly 282.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to a tracking site maintained by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.4 million.
In Europe, demand for free COVID-19 testing kits provided by Madrid's regional government far outstripped supply on Tuesday, with long lineups forming outside pharmacies in what has become a common scene since the Omicron variant began driving up infection. It was a similar story in Italy, where long lines have developed at some drive-in testing centres, while many chemists have reported being deluged with requests for tests as infections climb.
Germany's health minister says his government is buying a million packets of Pfizer's Paxlovid pill for newly infected COVID-19 patients. Karl Lauterbach said the treatment is "extremely promising" because it can head off serious illness if started early. He said he has initiated the procedure for an emergency authorization of Paxlovid in Germany together with the country's medical regulator so that it can be used as soon as it is delivered.
In Africa, health officials in South Africa on Monday reported 3,782 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 additional deaths.
In the Asia-Pacific region, India has granted emergency use authorization for two vaccines and one COVID-19 pill, the health minister tweeted, as authorities warn about the spread of the Omicron variant across the country.
The first is Covovax, the Serum Institute of India's version of the Novavax vaccine, a two-dose shot made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. The second is Corbevax, made by Indian firm Biological-E, which the health minister said is the country's first indigenously developed protein-based vaccine against COVID-19.
It also granted emergency-use approval for molnupiravir, an antiviral drug, that will be manufactured by 13 companies in India and will be used in emergency situations to treat COVID-19 patients at high risk.
Even though daily cases in India have remained low for months after the country saw a devastating surge earlier this year, concern over Omicron has grown in recent weeks, sparking various states to enforce new restrictions. In the capital, New Delhi, a slew of new restrictions were announced Tuesday, including a night curfew, shutting down cinemas and gyms, and a ban on large public gatherings or events. India has so far confirmed more than 650 Omicron cases.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, began administering coronavirus vaccine booster shots as the South Asian country tried to fend off the highly contagious Omicron variant.
In the Middle East, the multibillion-dollar world's fair in Dubai has warned that some venues at the site may shut down as coronavirus cases rapidly rise in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai's Expo 2020 said that virus outbreaks among workers may force parts of the fair to "close temporarily for deep cleaning and sanitization." It did not elaborate.
The UAE's daily virus caseload has skyrocketed by a multiple of 35 in just the last three weeks after the arrival of the Omicron variant. The vague statement from Dubai's government-run media office on Monday underscores the daunting challenges of hosting among the world's first major in-person events amid a still-raging pandemic.
In the Americas, U.S. government figures show that the Omicron variant continues to account for a growing proportion of new coronavirus infections in the country.
Omicron accounted for 59 per cent of new cases in the U.S. for the week ending Dec. 25, according to updated data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's up from 23 per cent the previous week.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant and a run on at-home tests.
Biden acknowledged long lines and chaotic scenes as Americans sought out testing amid the case surge and as they looked to safely gather with family and friends over the holidays. He referred to his administration's plan to make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans beginning next month through an as-yet-to-be-developed website.
Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said on Monday that the U.S. should "seriously" consider a vaccination mandate for domestic travel. Speaking to MSNBC, Fauci, who serves as Biden's chief science adviser on the COVID-19 response, said, "When you make vaccination a requirement, that's another incentive to get more people vaccinated."
-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated at 2 p.m. ET
With files from Reuters, The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
