Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday
CBC News | Posted: June 27, 2021 1:00 PM | Last Updated: June 28, 2021
Toronto sets North American record for most doses administered in a day at a clinic
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- Have a coronavirus question or news tip for CBC News? Email: Covid@cbc.ca.
Canada's COVID-19 inoculation drive plowed forward on Sunday as provinces continued to host mass vaccination clinics and and pop-up clinics despite hot weather and questions over dose mixing.
In Ontario, health workers plan to administer about 25,000 doses in Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, home of the Raptors and Maple Leafs, which has been converted into a huge vaccine clinic for what's been billed as Toronto Vaccine Day.
Officials say the clinic has administered more than 20,000 doses so far, setting a new North American record for the most COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in a single day at a clinic.
According to the City of Toronto, 17,003 doses were administered at a drive-thru clinic at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, in April.
Toronto Mayor John Tory was among those getting a shot. Tory, who was first inoculated with the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, was administered Moderna for his second shot at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday.
He is the latest official to mix doses, which the National Advisory Committee on Immunization says is safe and effective.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, received a Moderna shot on Saturday after getting a Pfizer-BioNTech dose in April.
Tam on Sunday cheered on the Toronto Vaccine Day initiative.
"Show the @MapleLeafs and the @Raptors that good things happen when you take the winning shot!" she tweeted.
In British Columbia, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a joint statement that many pop-up vaccination sites will be moved indoors to cooler locations this weekend as much of Western Canada swelters under high temperatures.
Preliminary data shows Lytton, B.C., broke the record Sunday afternoon for the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada with a measurement of 46.6 C.
Environment Canada warns of a dangerous, prolonged heat wave across most of the province and parts of Alberta, expected to last until at least Tuesday.
What's happening across Canada
As of 3:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, Canada had reported 1,413,303 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 8,726 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,227. More than 35 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according to CBC's vaccine tracker.
Saskatchewan added 48 new COVID-19 infections but no related deaths on Sunday. The province announced last week that all remaining pandemic restrictions will be lifted on July 11.
In Manitoba, a child under the age of 10 in Winnipeg has died after contracting COVID-19, the province said.
Ontario registered 287 cases of COVID-19 and 12 more deaths on Sunday as the province prepares to move to Step 2 of its reopening plan on Wednesday.
Quebec on Monday will move to the lowest alert level of the province's colour-coded COVID-19 alert system, which allows for more relaxed restrictions on social gatherings and group sports.
For Montreal Canadiens fans, their Stanley Cup run encountered a hurdle on Sunday after forward Joel Armia entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocol on the eve of Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
New Brunswick added just one case, and the province announced it administered a record 14,938 vaccine doses on Saturday.
In Prince Edward Island, travellers from the Atlantic provinces can now enter without having to self-isolate, as long as they have at least one dose of a vaccine and receive a negative test upon arrival.
Nova Scotia saw three new cases on Sunday. A news release said there is still limited community spread in the central health zone, and the eastern, northern and western zones are being monitored for evidence of community spread.
In the Northwest Territories, a non-resident has tested positive in Hay River. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola said the case is linked to out-of-territory travel and that there are currently no public health risk exposures.
Yukon has reported 44 cases since Friday afternoon. There are now 124 active cases in the territory, according to Chief Medical Health officer Dr. Brendan Hanley. Most of the cases are in Whitehorse. Hanley said COVID-19 is present in 11 of 14 communities.
What's happening around the world
As of Sunday, more than 180.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to the latest numbers from Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 3.9 million.
In Asia, Malaysia's leader says the country will indefinitely extend a near-total lockdown that's been in place for a month, as COVID-19 infections remain high.
In Europe, Italian health and regional officials are urging people to leave for vacation only after they are vaccinated, as the delta variant is becoming more prevalent in the country.
In Africa, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country will tighten restrictions for 14 days as current containment measures are not sufficient to prevent a rise in infections. Under the measures announced Sunday, all gatherings will be prohibited, there will be a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and the sale of alcohol will be banned.
In the Americas, after months of closing temporary hospital spaces as the coronavirus pandemic receded, Mexico says it will re-open two temporary wards to handle a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.