Today’s coronavirus news: Quebec to offer 4th dose to older, vulnerable residents; Ontario reporting 611 in hospital, 174 in intensive care; Mississauga lifts mandatory mask by-law

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

9:00 p.m.: The British Columbia government says COVID-19 rapid tests are now available at participating pharmacies for people aged 18 and over.

The Health Ministry says one kit containing five rapid antigen tests is available for people with a B.C. personal health number every 28 days.

It says the tests should be used by those experiencing symptoms of illness.

Also Wednesday, the ministry reported one more death from COVID-19 in the province, pushing the death toll to 2,975.

Hospitalizations have ticked up by four for a total of 258 patients, including 49 in intensive care.

There are five ongoing outbreaks at health-care facilities in the province, with four in long-term care homes and one at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

The province says 91 per cent of those 12 years and older have received their second vaccination, while 57.1 per cent have had a booster shot.

4:12 p.m.: The Quebec government will offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to older and vulnerable Quebecers amid a rise in infections driven by the contagious BA.2 subvariant, the province’s interim public health director said Wednesday.

Dr. Luc Boileau told a news conference that the booster will be available beginning next week for Quebecers over the age of 80, for those who live in high-risk settings such as seniors homes and long-term care homes, and for some immunocompromised people.

“We’re not asking people to get vaccinated; we’re offering it,” he said.

COVID-19 cases are rising, Boileau said, adding that about half of them involve the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron mutation of the novel coronavirus, which he said is 30 to 40 per cent more contagious than previous variants.

Boileau said it will still take days or weeks to know whether Quebec is at the beginning of a sixth wave of COVID-19, but he stressed that the rise in cases is not unexpected. Health officials, he added, don’t predict the huge surge in hospitalizations that accompanied the Omicron wave in December.

“The figures we’re seeing show there’s a risk of a rising of cases, but not a big wave like we had,” he said.

New projections from the province’s health-care institute released Wednesday indicate the number of Quebecers hospitalized with COVID-19 is expected to rise in the coming weeks, after nine consecutive weeks of decline.

The update from the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux suggested an “upward trend in the number of new hospitalizations as well as the number of regular beds occupied by COVID-19 patients” in the next two weeks. The number of patients in intensive care is expected to remain relatively stable.

Boileau said that despite the rise in cases, the province doesn’t anticipate reimposing public health restrictions or pushing back its plan to lift mandatory mask mandates in most public places by mid-April. Instead, he said, the government would likely recommend continued masking for some people and in some settings.

He said the situation in the province is “very different” than when the Omicron wave hit in December, when few Quebecers had received a third dose of vaccine. He said the province estimates some three million Quebecers fell ill with the disease in recent months and still have some immunity.

The government’s decision to lift restrictions took the probable rise of BA.2 into account, he added.

People who want a fourth dose of vaccine need to wait at least three months from their previous dose.

Dr. Jean Longtin, a microbiologist who attended the news conference, said there’s currently no evidence that immunity from third doses is waning in Quebec. However, he said health experts are choosing to offer fourth doses to residents of long-term care homes and residential settings as a preventive measure, especially since that population received their third doses five or six months ago.

He said there’s currently “no indication” that adults in their 70s living in the community need a booster, but he said “if data or trends change in the coming weeks, that’s something that can be adapted.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Quebec government reported two more deaths due to COVID-19 and a slight rise in the number of people in intensive care. The overall number of people hospitalized with the novel coronavirus dropped by nine, to 1,034, after 99 people entered hospital and 108 left. There were 50 people in intensive care, an increase of four.

The number of cases detected by PCR testing rose to 2,111, although that number presents only a partial portrait due to the limited availability of tests.

There were 3,496 vaccine doses administered in the province on Tuesday.

3:30 p.m.: Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting five more deaths from COVID-19, for a total of seven deaths so far this week.

Online data shows 92 people have died in the province due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began two years ago.

Health officials say there are 29 people currently in hospital, down from 31 on Monday, which was a new high for the province. There are three patients in intensive care.

Health Minister John Haggie assured reporters Monday the provincial health-care system has plenty of capacity to handle the hospitalizations.

He said 31 patients in hospital with COVID-19 was still “way less” than what the province sees during peak flu season.

Officials reported 686 new cases of COVID-19 since the last report on Monday and noted 91.9 per cent of the population aged five and over is fully vaccinated.

3 p.m. Months after Los Angeles rolled out requirements for city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the city said that as of last week, it had terminated 24 employees for violating those rules.

The terminated employees include a dozen workers at the Los Angeles Fire Department, as well as smaller numbers of employees in the city attorney’s office, the Los Angeles Police Department, the parks department and Los Angeles World Airports, according to the city personnel department.

As of last week, an additional 53 L.A. city employees had received formal paperwork that precedes possible discipline or termination for violating the rules, and seven more LAPD employees were awaiting action by a disciplinary panel, according to personnel department spokesman Bruce Whidden.

So far, the number of terminations represents a tiny fraction of city employees in Los Angeles, which employs nearly 57,000 workers. But the city is still vetting more than 5,000 exemption requests, which could lead to more terminations if unvaccinated workers get turned down and still refuse the shots.

Los Angeles leaders voted last year to require city employees to either get vaccinated for COVID-19 or secure a medical or religious exemption. In the months since, the city has fended off legal challenges from groups of firefighters and police employees seeking to halt the rollout of the vaccine requirements.

Yet the fate of many unvaccinated employees is still unclear. As of this week, the vast majority of requests for religious and medical exemptions were still pending — with more than 5,200 requests awaiting action and about 400 having been either approved or denied, according to city figures provided by Whidden.

Because each worker could request both religious and medical exemptions, the number of employees affected may be smaller than the total number of requests. As those decisions are being made, unvaccinated workers whose exemption requests are still pending have been required to get regularly tested for the coronavirus.

As Los Angeles has pushed to roll back other pandemic rules — including requirements for restaurants and other businesses to check that indoor patrons are vaccinated against COVID-19 — Councilman Joe Buscaino recently called for the city to roll back the vaccination requirement for city workers.

Buscaino argued that the city risked losing too many police officers and firefighters if the rule remained unchanged, saying that it should offer a “testing alternative.”

He introduced a proposal asking for city staff to report back on the feasibility and impacts of rescinding the requirement, which was seconded by Councilman John Lee. The idea has yet to be voted on by the council.

2:30 p.m. Effective immediately, the City of Mississauga lifts mandatory mask by-law and ends emergency order two years after the order was first declared.

Residents are no longer required to wear a face mask when visiting city-run facilities. Businesses in Mississauga, including condos and apartment buildings, are not required to enforce masking in public, indoor settings. Residents however, may choose to continue wearing a mask if they feel more comfortable.

“As we enter this new phase, I do ask all residents to please be respectful of the personal choices others are make when it comes to masking, as everyone has different comfort levels,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

Masks are still required for all public transit in Ontario until at least April 27, which applies to Mississauga’s MiWay buses.

1:40 p.m. Months after Los Angeles rolled out requirements for city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the city said that as of last week, it had terminated 24 employees for violating those rules.

The terminated employees include a dozen workers at the Los Angeles Fire Department, as well as smaller numbers of employees in the city attorney’s office, the Los Angeles Police Department, the parks department and Los Angeles World Airports, according to the city personnel department.

As of last week, an additional 53 L.A. city employees had received formal paperwork that precedes possible discipline or termination for violating the rules, and seven more LAPD employees were awaiting action by a disciplinary panel, according to personnel department spokesman Bruce Whidden.

11:55 a.m. The Quebec government is reporting two more deaths due to COVID-19 and a slight rise in the number of people in intensive care.

The overall number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus dropped by nine, to 1,034, after 99 people entered hospital and 108 left. There are 50 people in intensive care, an increase of four.

The number of cases detected by PCR testing rose to 2,111, although that number presents only a partial portrait due to the limited availability of tests.

11:15 a.m. Two people have been charged with criminal harassment following a series of anti-mask protests outside the home of Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health.

The RCMP issued a statement today confirming that 36-year-old Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie of Pictou, N.S., and 31-year-old Morgan May Guptill of Cole Harbour, N.S., have also been charged with intimidation of a health professional, mischief and making harassing phone calls.

The Mounties say there were protests Sunday, Monday and Tuesday outside a home on the street where Dr. Robert Strang lives in the Fall River area, east of Halifax.

11:05 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting 174 people in ICU due to COVID-19 and 611 in hospital overall testing positive for COVID-19, according to its latest report released Wednesday morning.

The numbers represent a 2.8 per cent decrease in the ICU COVID-19 count and a 4.4 per cent decrease in hospitalizations overall.

Given new provincial regulations around testing that took effect Dec. 31, 2021, case counts – reported at 2,149 on Wednesday, up 48.5 per cent from the previous day – are also not considered an accurate assessment of how widespread COVID-19 is right now. 14 new deaths were reported in the latest numbers.

Read the full story from the Star’s Dorcas Marfo

10:30 a.m. In recent weeks, COVID-19 cases have risen anew in the UK, driven by the highly infectious omicron BA.2 subvariant. Over the past two weeks, daily cases have averaged more than 75,500 — far above levels during the first wave in 2020, when testing was far less widespread.

The introduction of the first lockdown in 2020 was a major reversal for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He’s been reluctant to implement such strict measures, and he was heavily criticized for delaying action.

The latest rapid spread of infections may also be linked to changes in behavior. Johnson announced the end of virtually all COVID-related restrictions in January after a series of start-stop moves as pandemic waves came and went over the past two years.

10:10 a.m. Statistics Canada says the number of people travelling to Canada in January was up from a year earlier, but remained a fraction of where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agency says the number of trips by U.S. residents to Canada in January was 218,600, up from 86,500 a year earlier, but well short of the 1.2 million in January 2020.

The number of residents of countries other than the U.S. arriving in Canada in January totalled 79,700, up from 34,500 in January 2021, however that total was nearly 365,600 in January 2020.

Statistics Canada says Canadian residents returned from 690,200 trips to the United States in January, up from 265,000 a year earlier, but down from the 3.1 million trips in January 2020.

9:35 a.m. Preliminary data from the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) National Physician Health Survey offers a concerning outlook on the health of physicians, battered from over two years of a global pandemic.

The survey, conducted in November 2021, shows more than half of physicians and medical learners (53 per cent) have experienced high levels of burnout, compared to 30 per cent in a similar survey conducted in 2017. As well, nearly half (46 per cent) of Canadian physicians who responded are considering reducing their clinical work in the next 24 months.

“We should be deeply alarmed that half of the physician workforce is considering reducing their clinical workload. The downstream impact to patient care will be significant as we are already experiencing access to care issues,” says Dr. Katharine Smart, CMA president. “There is no question that the pandemic has greatly affected our health workforce. As we look to rebuild our health care system, we need to prioritize the people who work within it and call on all governments to take action now.”

9:15 a.m. Niagara Region Public Health is urging residents to continue wearing masks, despite no longer being required to do so.

Although the provincial mask mandate has been lifted for most locations, public health issued a media release Tuesday recommending people continue wearing masks for the next few weeks while COVID-19 infections remain high.

“While masks protect our self from infection, even more importantly they protect everyone around us, especially those who are more vulnerable,” public health said in the release. “Masks work best at keeping us safe when everyone is wearing them, not just those who are at greater risk. By continuing to wear masks over the next several weeks, even if we ourselves are not at great risk, we will protect our friends, family, loved ones and fellow citizens who are at much more risk.”

8:30 a.m. Hillary Clinton has tested positive for COVID-19. Clinton, 74, said she’s experiencing mild cold symptoms and that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had tested negative.

“I’m more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness,” the former secretary of state tweeted. “Please get vaccinated and boosted if you haven’t already!”

Neither Hillary nor Bill, 75, had reported a positive COVID test before Tuesday. Current White House press secretary Jen Psaki also tested positive Tuesday.

8:10 a.m. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers the company announced Wednesday —and if regulators agree it could mean a chance to finally start vaccinating the littlest kids by summer.

Moderna said in the coming weeks it would ask regulators in the U.S. and Europe to authorize two small-dose shots for youngsters under 6. The company also is seeking to have larger-dose shots cleared for older children and teens in the U.S.

The nation’s 18 million children under 5 are the only age group not yet eligible for vaccination. Competitor Pfizer currently offers kid-sized doses for school-age children and full-strength shots for those 12 and older.

8:05 a.m. The number of new coronavirus cases globally increased by 7 per cent in the last week, driven by rising infections in the Western Pacific, even as reported deaths from COVID-19 fell, the World Health Organization said.

There were more than 12 million new weekly cases and just under 33,000 deaths, a 23 per cent decline in mortality, according to the U.N. health agency’s report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday.

Confirmed cases of the virus had been falling steadily worldwide since January but rose again last week, due to the more infectious omicron variant and the suspension of COVID-19 protocols in numerous countries in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

8 a.m. With declining cases of COVID-19, South Africa’s president has announced that it is no longer mandatory to wear masks outdoors and vaccinated travelers entering the country are no longer required to produce a negative PCR tests.

The relaxed restrictions will also allow sports stadiums and musical venues to fill up to 50% of their capacity with people who are vaccinated or who present a valid negative PCR test.

South Africa has been the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Africa recording nearly 100,000 deaths and more than 3.7 million infections since the outbreak started in 2020. In recent weeks it has seen a significant drop in COVID-related deaths and severe illness.

7:45 a.m. With Ontario partway through its first week without mask mandates and a lack of widespread provincial testing, you may be wondering about the COVID-19 spread in your community.

In the absence of any official public database of COVID signals in the GTA’s sewage, the Toronto Star brings you its own COVID wastewater signal map to give you a sense as to whether cases are increasing, decreasing or remaining stable in your area.

The Star’s signal map uses data sourced from each GTA public health unit into one location, showing trends in sewersheds or wastewater catchment areas for each treatment plant across the region.

Read the full story from the Star’s May Warren and Kenyon Wallace

7:02 a.m. The vaccine clinic at CF Lime Ridge Mall will offer catch-up shots for thousands of Hamilton youth who missed crucial immunizations during the pandemic.

As demand for COVID vaccines dwindle, the mall clinic will add appointments for hepatitis B, meningococcal ACYW-135 and human papillomavirus (HPV) for students in Grade 7, 8 and 9.

It’s estimated as many as 15,000 youth are behind on these vaccines.

6:10 a.m. It’s been three years since you’ve gone on a summer vacation, thanks to COVID.

Now, with pandemic-related travel restrictions falling away, you’re considering a trip to California or finally taking that dream vacation to Europe. But you’re still a bit gun-shy, thanks to Omicron and its variants spreading around the globe.

You’re not alone, according to travel insurance experts, who say would-be travellers are calling in droves ahead of April 1, when testing requirements for vaccinated people flying back into Canada will be dropped.

Read the full story from the Star’s Josh Rubin.

6:08 a.m. A third of European nations, including Germany, France and the U.K., are seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases after “brutally” easing restrictions, the World Health Organization’s regional head said.

“The countries where we see in particular an increase are the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, France, Italy and Germany,” Hans Kluge, the WHO’s director for Europe, said at a briefing in Moldova on Tuesday. “Those countries are lifting restrictions brutally from too much to too few.”

Europe is trying to leave COVID-19 behind, but the rush to unwind restrictions is now setting the stage for a revival of pandemic risks. Newly confirmed cases climbed to 5.4 million in the past seven days, up from 4.9 million at the end of February, according to WHO data. More than 12,400 people died from COVID in the past week, according to WHO.

6:08 a.m. Malaysia and Singapore’s health ministers agreed that the pandemic situation in both countries have stabilized, Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin wrote on Twitter Wednesday.

The ministers agreed to work immediately toward the full resumption of air and land travel for the fully vaccinated. Malaysia will reopen its borders to international tourists April 1, while Singapore is aiming to allow anyone who is fully inoculated to enter the country.

6:05 a.m. China imposed its fifth lockdown over about the past two weeks to stamp out a rise in COVID-19 cases. The nation is pushing to build more than 60 makeshift hospitals across its provinces.

A full temporary lockdown was put in place on Tangshan City, a steel hub in China’s northern Hebei province, according to local authorities. The restrictions started on March 22 with residents not allowed to leave their buildings until further notice.

Shanghai’s government dismissed online rumours that it will impose a citywide lockdown on the financial capital for one week while mandating further tests for residents in some areas on Wednesday and Thursday.

6 a.m. New Zealand will remove many of its COVID-19 pandemic mandates over the next two weeks as an outbreak of the Omicron variant begins to wane.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Wednesday that people will no longer need to be vaccinated to visit places like retail stores, restaurants and bars from April 4. Gone, too, will be a requirement to scan QR barcodes at those venues.

A vaccine mandate will be scrapped for some workers — including teachers, police officers and waiters — though it will continue for health care and aged-care workers, border workers and corrections officers.

Also gone from Friday is a limit on outdoor crowds of 100. That will allow some concerts and big sporting events like marathons to resume. An indoor limit of 100 people will be raised to 200 people, and could later be removed altogether.

Remaining in place is a requirement that people wear masks in many enclosed spaces, including in stores, on public transport and, for children aged 8 and over, in school classrooms.

Ardern said the government’s actions over the past two years to limit the spread of the coronavirus had saved thousands of lives and helped the economy.

“But while we’ve been successful, it’s also been bloody hard,” Ardern said.

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