Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday
EU says people vaccinated with AstraZeneca should be able to travel to U.S.
The latest:
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Alberta asks Ottawa for immediate help to airlift COVID-19 patients out of the province.
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P.E.I. to implement 'vaccinate-or-test' policy, introduce P.E.I. Vax Pass.
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Doug Ford says COVID-19 'doesn't care' about politics after Liberal win; Ontario reports 574 new cases.
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From chief medical officer to Liberal MP: Brendan Hanley wins in Yukon.
- Track how many people have been given the COVID-19 vaccine across Canada
The European Commission said on Tuesday it would make sense for the United States to allow travel by people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot in Europe.
On Monday the White House said it would lift restrictions that bar European Union citizens from travelling to the United States starting in November. It is not clear which vaccines will be accepted by U.S. authorities.
"We believe the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe," a spokesperson for the EU Commission told a news conference.
"From our point of view, obviously it would make sense for people who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca to be able to travel."
The spokesperson noted that this is a decision for U.S. authorities.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was authorized by Health Canada for use in people aged 18 and up in late February. As of Sept. 16, health officials had distributed more than three million doses of the vaccine to the provinces, according to a tracking list published by the federal government.
In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government would work with other countries to ensure Canadians who received the AstraZeneca vaccine would not be prevented from travelling internationally.
In the U.S., there are three COVID-19 vaccines that are either fully authorized or approved for emergency use — the two-dose mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna and the single-dose product from Johnson & Johnson (Janssen).
India has been critical of the British government's decision not to recognize coronavirus vaccine certificates issued by Indian authorities, calling it a "discriminatory policy" that will impact its citizens who want to travel to that country.
The new rules require Indians visiting the U.K. to quarantine themselves for 10 days and undergo COVID-19 tests even if they are fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca vaccines made under licence in India.
The rules take effect next month. India's Serum Institute, which makes the AstraZeneca vaccine, has not applied for its approval by the European Union.
Most people in India have been vaccinated with the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine. Others have received COVAXIN, which is also not used in Britain.
-From The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated at 1:45 p.m. ET
What's happening across Canada
Canada is extending restrictions on all direct commercial and private passenger flights from India until Sunday, Transport Canada said in a statement Tuesday.
Travellers eligible to enter Canada will be able to board direct flights from India once the restriction on direct flights expires, provided they have proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test from the approved Genestrings Laboratory at the Delhi airport taken within 18 hours of the scheduled departure.
-From CBC News, last updated at 8:30 p.m. ET
Here's a look at some of the COVID-19 developments from across the country:
- 3 ICUs, 2 ventilators and 2 months of rehab later, this Ontario man, 80, is finally home with his wife.
- Tyler Shandro out, Jason Copping in as Alberta's health minister.
- Saskatchewan researchers see downward trend in COVID-19 wastewater testing, but delta sub-variants detected.
- Police chief in southern Manitoba city calls for end to 'anger and resentment' as community roils with hostility to pandemic rules.
- COVID-19 patients in B.C.'s north being flown elsewhere for care as local hospitals hit limits.
What's happening around the world
As of early Tuesday evening, more than 229.4 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.7 million.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnamese authorities are relaxing some pandemic restrictions in Hanoi starting Tuesday after two months of lockdown to contain a surge in coronavirus cases.
In Europe, senior politicians in Germany expressed shock over the weekend killing of a young gas station clerk who asked a customer to wear a face mask, and they warned Tuesday against the radicalization of people who oppose the country's pandemic restrictions.
A 49-year-old German man was arrested in the fatal shooting of the clerk Saturday in the western town of Idar-Oberstein. The suspect is being held on suspicion of murder.
Authorities said the man told officers he acted "out of anger" after being refused service for not wearing a mask while trying to buy beer. "He further stated during interrogation that he rejected the measures against the coronavirus," the Trier police department said in a statement.
In the Americas, COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans.
Back in December, when no vaccines were available, about 3,000 people were dying every day. Now, despite readily available vaccines, deaths per day have climbed 40 per cent over the past two weeks, from 1,387 to 1,947, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Argentina unveiled plans to ease pandemic restrictions, including loosening strict border controls, allowing more commercial activities and getting rid of the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors.
In the Middle East, the first world fair to be held in the Middle East, Expo 2020 Dubai, opens its doors to exhibitors from almost 200 countries on Oct. 1 after being delayed for a year by the pandemic.
In Africa, authorities in Burundi have decided to suspend all social events except on Saturdays and Sundays as concerns grow about a rising number of COVID-19 infections.
The country was one of the last in Africa to embrace vaccines after the administration of the late president was accused of taking the pandemic lightly. In a letter to governors and mayors, the chair of the committee in charge of fighting COVID-19 said the limits on gatherings come after authorities realized how such events can spread the virus.
The mayor of Burundi's economic capital, Bujumbura, is threatening to fine anyone who doesn't wear a mask or respect physical distancing. The mayor cites a worrying number of COVID-19 patients in the city.
-From The Associated Press and Reuters, last updated at 8:50 p.m. ET
With files from The Associated Press, The Canadian Press and CBC News
