Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 1,074 more cases, 11 deaths including two in long-term care; AstraZeneca vaccine now recommended for Canadians over 65
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
10:46 a.m.: Nova Scotia's health system has begun booking people aged 63 to 64 for Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on a first-come, first-served basis.
The province is partnering with pharmacists and doctors to provide the vaccines at 25 locations, with the first immunizations starting Saturday.
Online booking opened shortly after 7 a.m. today, with people able to log on and apply for a vaccination appointment, while also filling out forms providing their health information.
Nova Scotia has said it has 13,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine available that must be used by April 2.
Some countries have paused use of the vaccine as European regulators review safety data following isolated reports of blood clots among recipients.
However, the company and Canadian regulators continue to say the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, with Canada's immunization advisory committee today adjusting its guidance to say it is also safe and effective for people over the age of 65.
10:40 a.m.: Upper Canada College, an all-boys' private school in Toronto, has voluntarily closed for in-person classes after 12 people tested positive for COVID-19 since Feb. 25.
The majority of people who tested positive have had close contact with someone in a community or household setting, Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto's associate medical officer of health, said in a statement.
Toronto Public Health has recommended that all staff and students be tested, Dubey said in a statement.
The Star's Rhythm Sachdeva has the story.
10:35 a.m.: Ontario is reporting two more resident deaths in long-term care due to COVID for a total of 3,753 since the pandemic began.
The province says there are seven fewer long-term-care homes in outbreak for a total of 80 or 12.8 per cent of all LTC homes.
10:12 a.m.: Major streets could be closed to car traffic on weekends again this year as part of Toronto's ActiveTO program, but it looks like the most popular closure won't be returning.
In a city report released Tuesday, city staff laid out their plans for this year's edition of ActiveTO, which last year saw the city implement closures of major streets on 25 weekends between May and October as part of its pandemic response.
The report recommends opening up stretches of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Bayview Avenue to pedestrians and cyclists again this year, subject to coordination with construction projects and the resumption of large special events as pandemic restrictions hopefully ease later this year.
The Star's Ben Spurr has more details.
10:10 a.m.: Ontario is reporting that 51,579 more vaccine doses were administered since its last daily update for a total of 1,243,132 as of 8 p.m. Monday.
The province says 288,918 people are fully vaccinated, which means they've had both shots.
10:05 a.m.: Ontario is reporting 1,074 more COVID-19 cases, with 11 deaths.
The seven-day average is down to 1,334 cases daily or 64 weekly per 100,000, and up to 12.9 deaths per day.
Labs report 28,526 completed tests, and a 4.5 per cent positivity rate, which is the highest since Feb. 2.
9:33 a.m. (updated): The National Advisory Committee on Immunization says there is now enough real-world evidence" to show the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective for seniors.
The decision reverses a recommendation made by the body on March 1, when the panel of vaccine experts said AstraZeneca hadn't included enough people over the age of 65 in its clinical trials.
NACI chair Dr. Caroline Quach said Tuesday that two studies of patients who received the vaccine in the United Kingdom have been released since then and show the AstraZeneca vaccine is both safe and effective for seniors, particularly against severe disease and hospitalization.
She says while the clinical trial data show the two mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were more effective than AstraZeneca's, the data on the vaccines since they began being widely used shows similar levels of effectiveness.
Still NACI says if there is a choice, the mRNA vaccines should be prioritized for use on seniors, but they no longer recommend against using AstraZeneca for anyone over the age of 65.
Several European countries also reversed a recommendation against using it on seniors, including France, Germany and Italy.
9:30 a.m.: With coronavirus cases rising in many places, governments faced the grimmest of dilemmas Tuesday: push on with a vaccine that is known to save lives or suspend use of AstraZeneca over reports of dangerous blood clots in a few recipients despite no evidence the shot was responsible.
It has created a jagged divide across the globe, forcing politicians to assess the health risks of halting the shots at a time when many countries, especially in Europe, are already struggling to overcome logistical hurdles and vaccine hesitancy among their populations.
Sweden was the latest to join a swelling group of European Union nations choosing caution over speed, even as the head of the European Medicines Agency said there was no indication" that AstraZeneca vaccines were the cause of the clots.
9:25 a.m.: The head of the European Medicines Agency says there is no indication" that AstraZeneca vaccines are the cause of blood clots reported in some shot recipients. Those reports led several European countries to suspend use of the vaccine.
Emer Cooke said Tuesday that the agency is firmly convinced" that the benefits of the AstraZeneca shot outweigh the risks, but an evaluation is ongoing.
Cooke said experts are meeting this week to discuss the available information and will make a recommendation Thursday.
9:10 a.m.: The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has expanded its recommendation for the AstraZeneca vaccine in Canada, approving it for anyone over 18 years old, including those older than 65.
Previously, the agency only recommended the vaccine for people under 65.
The agency said there had been insufficient data previously for those older than 65. It says now that it has considered three recent real-world effectiveness studies to inform this change in recommendation.
8:50 a.m.: Pregnancy, birth and life with a newborn in the middle of a pandemic has brought on high anxiety, ever-shifting hospital protocols and intense isolation for many of the millions of women who have done it around the world.
As the pandemic stretches into a second year and economic worry persists, demographers are studying the reasons for an anticipated pandemic baby bust. Women, meanwhile, have learned to go through labour in masks and to introduce fresh arrivals to loved ones through windows.
Fear, anxiety and chaos were particularly acute in New York City during the early months of the pandemic in what was one of the country's most devastating hot spots.
8:05 a.m.: Sweden is pausing the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure amid concerns about reports of blood clots in some recipients in Europe.
The decision is a precautionary measure," Sweden's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, said in a statement.
The move by the Swedish Public Health Agency was to remain in effect until an investigation by the European Medicines Agency into suspected side effects is complete.
A growing number of European countries - including Germany, France, Italy and Spain - have suspended use of AstraZeneca's vaccine, though the company and international regulators say there is no evidence the shot is to blame for the blood clots.
Sweden has stood out for its comparatively mild response to the pandemic. The country avoided lockdowns and relied instead on citizens' sense of civic duty to control infections. As of Tuesday, more than 13,140 people had died of COVID-19 in the Scandinavian country, far more per capita than in Sweden's neighbours but fewer than in other European countries that did implement strict lockdowns or curfews.
7:34 a.m. Ontario's online portal for COVID-19 vaccination appointments opened Monday, and although not every GTA resident who qualifies can use it to schedule their shot, it's a good starting ground.
The website covid19.ontariohealth.ca allows individuals to make an appointment through the provincial booking portal, or redirects to their public health system if their local health unit is choosing to use an existing portal or call centre in place of the provincial website.
For many residents across the GTA, their public health units are advising people to use these locals systems, although not in Toronto.
Since Friday, the Toronto Public Health booking system at toronto.ca/covid-19 redirects residents to register through the provincial portal.
Read the full story from the Star's Irelyne Lavery
6:35 a.m.: With COVID-19 vaccines flowing into Canada by the millions, more and more people across the nation are lining up to get their shot in the hope of being one step closer to the end of the devastating global pandemic.
However, vaccine hesitancy remains a roadblock to achieving this goal. Distrust in Canada's health care system, governments and institutions due to a history of exploitation continues to be a real obstacle for Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities.
Speaking in their native languages, long-term-care residents, doctors, and nurses and others who have received the vaccine - ranging in age from 22 to 94 - share why they got they got their shot, what it means to them, and how they felt after receiving it.
Read the full story from the Star's Evelyn Kwong here.
6:33 a.m.: The German government said Tuesday it will postpone a virtual summit on the country's vaccination efforts until after the European Medicines Agency has met over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine.
A growing number of European countries - including Germany, France, Italy and Spain - suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday, though the company and international regulators say there is no evidence the shot is to blame.
The German government and the country's 16 state governors had planned to meet Wednesday for a virtual summit on the country's slow vaccination campaign and on ways to speed it up. But in a statement Tuesday morning, the government said the summit would be postponed until after the EMA's meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday.
AstraZeneca's formula is one of three vaccines in use on the European continent. But the escalating concern is another setback for the European Union's vaccination drive, which has been plagued by shortages and other hurdles and is lagging well behind the campaigns in Britain and the U.S.
6:32 a.m.: With COVID-19 still raging in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro picked his fourth health minister since the pandemic began, this time the head of the country's cardiology society who in the past has spoken favourably of the country's conservative leader.
Marcelo Queiroga will replace Eduardo Pazuello, an active-duty army general with expertise in logistics who landed the position last May despite having no prior health experience.
Earlier Monday, Pazuello acknowledged in a press conference that Bolsonaro aimed to replace him. The first candidate for the job, cardiologist Ludhmila Hajjar, rejected it.
Pazuello had presided over the healthy ministry for the longest period of the three pandemic ministers before Queiroga. The revolving door reflects the challenges for the government of Latin America's largest nation to implement effective measures to control the virus' spread - or even agree which measures are necessary.
6:31 a.m.: China has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, one that was developed by the head of its Center for Disease Control, adding to its arsenal.
Gao Fu, the head of China's CDC, led the development of a protein subunit vaccine that was approved by regulators last week for emergency use, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Microbiology said in a statement Monday.
It is the fourth such vaccine to be given emergency use approval. China has approved four vaccines developed by three Chinese companies for general use.
The vaccine was developed jointly by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The team finished phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials in October of last year and is currently conducting the last phase of trials in Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Indonesia, according to the statement.
The vaccine was approved for use in Uzbekistan on March 1.
6:22 a.m.: While TV, radio and print interviews have contributed to new-found fame for some doctors and health experts, others have seen their popularity soar because of their social media presence.
There are doctors out there with 50,000, 100,000 followers," Schwartz said. That's certainly not something I would have believed possible before the pandemic.
A communication arts expert at the University of Waterloo isn't surprised to see doctors and other medical specialists becoming household names.
Read the full story by The Canadian Press here.
6:19 a.m.: A new poll suggests about half of Canadians are willing to get immunized against COVID-19 with the first vaccine they're offered, while one quarter would be willing to wait to get a shot they'd prefer.
Fifty-one per cent of respondents to the online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies say they will take whichever of the four COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered reassurances on the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Monday after Germany joined other European countries pausing its use over reports of blood clots in some recipients.
Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque said concerns about that vaccine don't seem to be on Canadians' minds.
For now, there's no real major issue exactly (with the AstraZeneca vaccine), but could it in light of what we've seen over the past couple of days? I don't know," Bourque said.
The online poll of 1,512 adult Canadians was carried out March 12 to 14 and cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based surveys are not considered random samples.
The poll also found that 41 per cent of respondents say they believe the worst of the COVID-19 crisis is behind us, while 25 per cent say we are now in the worst period.
Bourque said Canadians seem to feel that we're rounding the corner as vaccination campaigns are accelerate across the country.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
There are 913,047 confirmed cases in Canada (31,630 active, 858,922 resolved, 22,495 deaths). The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.
There were 2,847 new cases Monday. The rate of active cases is 83.23 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 22,355 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 3,194.
There were 25 new reported deaths Monday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 220 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 31. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.08 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 59.19 per 100,000 people.
There have been 25,996,052 tests completed.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.
In Canada, the provinces are reporting 124,640 new vaccinations administered for a total of 3,151,305 doses given. Nationwide, 600,918 people or 1.6 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 8,314.948 per 100,000.
There were no new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 3,982,220 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 79.13 per cent of their available vaccine supply.
Monday 11 p.m.: An Amazon warehouse that was ordered to shut down last week due to a major COVID-19 outbreak is also being investigated for potential labour violations, the Ontario government said Monday.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Labour said the investigation was already underway when the local public health unit ordered thousands of workers at the Brampton, Ont., facility on Friday to isolate for two weeks,
We continue to work closely with Peel Public Health and others to provide support, advice and enforcement as needed to ensure the health and safety of Ontario's workers," Harry Godfrey said in a statement.
Godfrey noted that penalties for labour violations could be as high as $1.5 million or imprisonment. He said the government would not hesitate to hold employers accountable if they fail to keep their employees safe.
Peel Region's top doctor said the outbreak at the Amazon facility, which employs approximately 5,000 workers, began in October and has since been linked to more than 600 cases.
Dr. Lawrence Loh said nearly half of the cases were detected in the last few weeks, prompting the public health unit to issue a special order requiring the workers to self-isolate for two weeks starting March 13.
Workers were ordered to isolate until March 27 unless they've tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days and have already completed their isolation period for that infection.
Amazon Canada said workers would be paid during the 14-day quarantine, but it disputed the data being used to support the plant closure, pointing to a round of tests that recently came back with a positivity rate of less than one per cent. It has said it plans to appeal the decision.
Peel Public Health said the closure will give the company further time to consider additional operational changes that may help prevent outbreaks in future.