Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 463 new COVID-19 cases; Ford holding vaccine certificate update

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.

11:45 a.m. In his Wednesday presser, Premier Doug Ford says the province cannot afford to shut down again and he believes vaccine certificates will be the best chance to get through the coming months without a lockdown. He says it's a temporary measure and won't longer than is needed. Ford says the government will continue to support people every step of the way.

11:21 a.m. Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he will table a bill on Thursday to ban anti-vaccine protests near schools and hospitals.

The Quebec premier told reporters he will introduce the bill to his caucus Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier Wednesday, the three main opposition parties said it's unacceptable that protesters are approaching children in an attempt to influence them against following health orders and getting vaccinated. They say they are ready to work with the government to adopt the law quickly.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the spokesperson for the Quebec solidaire party, says he supports the bill but warns he doesn't want it to ban other types of protests outside schools, such as demonstrations by parents who support public education.

Since school resumed last month, five protests have taken place outside primary and secondary schools in Montreal. Protests have also taken place outside hospitals.

In 2016, Quebec banned protests within 50 metres of abortion clinics.

10:19 a.m. Ontario is reporting 463 new COVID-19 cases; 332 cases are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 131 are in fully vaccinated individuals.

In Ontario, 21,475,030 vaccine doses have been administered; 85.3 per cent of Ontarians 12+ have one dose and nearly 79.4 per cent have two doses.

10:10 a.m. Travelers and authorities from India and some African countries are furious - and confused - about Britain's new COVID-19 travel rules, calling them discriminatory.

The British government announced what it billed as a simplification of the rules last week, including allowing fully vaccinated travelers arriving in England from much of the world to skip quarantine and take fewer tests.

But the fine print on who was considered fully vaccinated" is proving far more complicated. In order to skip self-isolation, travelers must have received a vaccine under the American, British or European programs or have received a U.K.-authorized shot from an approved health body. Bodies in more than a dozen countries in Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East made it to the list - but India's did not, nor did any in Africa.

9:15 a.m. The number of new COVID-19 cases continued to fall last week, with 3.6 million new cases reported globally, down from 4 million new infections the previous week, the World Health Organization said.

Last week's drop marked the first substantial decline for more than two months, with falling COVID-19 cases in every world region. In its latest update on the pandemic released on Tuesday, WHO said there were major decreases in cases in two regions: a 22 per cent fall in the Middle East and a 16 per cent drop in Southeast Asia.

The U.N. health agency said there were just under 60,000 deaths in the past week, a 7 per cent decline. It said that while Southeast Asia reported a 30 per cent decrease in COVID-19 deaths, the Western Pacific region reported a 7 per cent increase. The most coronavirus cases were seen in the U.S., India, Britain, Turkey and the Philippines. WHO said the Delta variant has now been seen in 185 countries and is present in every part of the world.

8:45 a.m. Brazil's health minister tested positive for the coronavirus in New York after President Jair Bolsonaro spoke at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

Brazil's government said in a statement that Marcelo Quiroga was in good health and would remain in isolation in the United States. He got his first shot of coronavirus vaccine in January.

Other members of Brazil's government in New York tested negative for the virus, the statement said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bolsonaro spoke at the General Assembly, flouting the requirement for all attendees to be vaccinated against the virus.

Ill last year with COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the coronavirus, Bolsonaro has said several times over the last week that he remains unvaccinated. He said getting a shot is a personal, medical decision.

8:30 a.m. A worker allegedly hit a resident. Not enough clean linens and towels. A failure to meet requirements for bathing residents.

These are among the findings of Ministry of Long-Term Care inspections this summer at Grace Villa on the east Mountain. The recently published reports indicate ongoing problems at the facility, which was the site of Hamilton's worst COVID-19 outbreak with more than 230 total cases.

Forty-four residents died from November 2020 to January 2021. During that time, workers alleged that sanitary conditions deteriorated, residents were left in soiled clothes and bedding, and some died from dehydration, according to anonymized letters released by MPP Monique Taylor after the outbreak.

In the months since, some of the facility's workers said they have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Others resigned.

8:10 a.m. Want to sit down and enjoy that food court burger and fries? Get ready to show your passport to the mall cops.

Beginning Tuesday, Ontario residents must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination for a wide variety of indoor activities, including dining.

While non-essential retail is exempt from the vaccine passport requirements, anyone dining at a mall food court needs to show their papers. Who enforces that is up to the mall owner and the food court restaurants themselves, according to a spokesperson for Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott.

This could be at the point of service or at specific entrances/exits to the seated area of the food court based on their unique operations and setup," said Alexandra Hilkene, who added that mall and restaurant owners might want to check with a lawyer to ensure their plans follow the rules.

Read the full story from the Star's Josh Rubin

7:45 a.m. As Ontario gets ready to roll out its new vaccine passport program on Wednesday, at least two large fitness chains have told the Star they plan to use vaccine check systems that may break the rules.

GoodLife Fitness and MOVATI Athletic say that in order to expedite entry, they will only check members' vaccination status once. They will then keep a record of the check on file so patrons don't have to verify their vaccine status every time they enter.

However, Ontario's health ministry says business must check clients' vaccine status every time they enter the premises, even if they're regular clients.

It's not clear whether the gyms' systems violate the rules of Ontario's vaccine certification program, as the regulations do not directly address the issue of repeat clients - but they do state that businesses can't retain any information provided by patrons for the purposes of vaccine certification.

Read the full story from the Star's Rosa Saba

7:13 a.m. (updated) Premier Doug Ford will be joined by Health Minister Christine Elliott and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones to provide an update on proof of COVID-19 vaccination certificates and Ontario's vaccine rollout at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

6:15 a.m.: Alberta's mishandling of COVID-19 may be impacting the mental health of people in the province directly, as new data shows Albertans are reporting higher anxiety than any other province, surpassing Ontario for the first time since the pandemic began.

The data comes from the latest poll out of Mental Health Research Canada, which began surveying Canadians on their mental health at the beginning of the pandemic. In their eighth poll, conducted between Aug. 17 and 21, MHRC found that 31 per cent of Albertans are feeling high levels of anxiety.

The rate comes close to the highest levels of anxiety recorded by Ontarians in April - around 33 per cent - which coincided with heavy criticism of the Doug Ford government at the time as Ontario endured some of the longest lockdown measures in the country. Anxiety among Ontarians has since decreased to 26 per cent as of August.

In Alberta, however, a different story is emerging: the abrupt easing of restrictions in July, marked by Premier Jason Kenney's Open for Summer" announcement and coupled with the move to treat COVID-19 as an endemic and reduce testing capacity, has been followed by higher rates of anxiety among Albertans. For researchers, this marks the first time during the pandemic that people's mental health was not affected by lockdown restrictions, but rather the lifting of them and a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Read the full story from the Star's Nadine Yousif.

6:13 a.m.: Lockdown restrictions have eased and many of us are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, so why are we still struggling?

A survey of 3,010 Canadians by Mental Health Research Canada found that despite some positive signs around COVID-19 this summer, our heightened pandemic anxiety is staying put.

In the cross-Canada survey conducted between Aug. 17 and 21, MHRC found that levels of self-reported anxiety and depression have not decreased. The poll, released Wednesday, is MHRC's eighth since the pandemic began, and the first to be conducted at a time when the majority of Canadians are vaccinated.

Read the full story from the Star's Nadine Yousif.

6:13 a.m.: President Joe Biden is set to announce that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year.

The stepped-up U.S. commitment is to be the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden is convening virtually Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he plans to push well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control.

World leaders, aid groups and global health organizations are growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations.

The U.S. purchase, according to two senior Biden administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview Biden's remarks, will bring the total U.S. vaccination commitment to more than 1.1 billion doses through 2022. At least 160 million shots supplied by the U.S. have been distributed to more than 100 countries, representing more donations than the rest of the world combined.

The latest purchase reflects only a fraction of what will be necessary to meet a goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population - and 70% of the citizens of each nation - by next September's U.N. meeting. It's a target pushed by global aid groups that Biden will throw his weight behind.

The White House said Biden will use the summit to press other countries to commit to a higher level of ambition" in their vaccine sharing plans, including specific challenges for them to meet. The officials said the White House will publicly release the targets for well-off nations and nonprofits after the summit concludes.

The American response has come under criticism for being too modest, particularly as the administration advocates for providing booster shots to tens of millions of Americans before vulnerable people in poorer nations have received even a first dose.

We have observed failures of multilateralism to respond in an equitable, coordinated way to the most acute moments. The existing gaps between nations with regard to the vaccination process are unheard of," Colombian President Ivan Duque said Tuesday at the United Nations.

More than 5.9 billion COVID-19 doses have been administered globally over the past year, representing about 43% of the global population. But there are vast disparities in distribution, with many lower-income nations struggling to vaccinate even the most vulnerable share of their populations, and some yet to exceed 2% to 3% vaccination rates.

In remarks at the U.N., Biden took credit on Tuesday for sharing more than 160 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with other countries, including 130 million surplus doses and the first installments of more than 500 million shots the U.S. is purchasing for the rest of the world.

6:03 a.m.: California is seeing lower coronavirus transmission than other U.S. states as virus cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 decline following a summer surge.

The state is currently the only one experiencing substantial" coronavirus transmission, the second-highest level on the CDC's color-coded map. So is Puerto Rico. In all other U.S. states, virus transmission is rated as high."

State health experts say relatively high vaccination rates in California ahead of the arrival of the delta variant of the coronavirus made a difference. They say additional measures, such as masking, also helped stem the surge.

State data say nearly 70% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated.

6:02 a.m.: A man who helped organize a Hawaii group that opposes coronavirus vaccines and pandemic restrictions says he now has regrets after contracting COVID-19.

Chris Wikoff told Hawaii News Now this week that he helped start the Aloha Freedom Coalition last October. He says he believed government shutdowns and other restrictions were threatening liberties and harming businesses.

But then he and his wife contracted COVID-19, the disease that is sometimes caused by the virus. Wikoff says he thought he was going to die and he still has trouble breathing.

He is now considering getting vaccinated because his family and doctors recommend it.

Wikoff says he no longer wants to be associated with the Aloha Freedom Coalition. He is warning others in the group not to gather.

6:02 a.m.: Officials in the northeast China city of Harbin say national level health officials have been sent to the city to deal with what may be a coronavirus outbreak.

The city of 9.5 million people reported three infection cases Wednesday, a day after discovering a first case of community transmission.

After the initial finding, authorities started mass testing and closed schools. The city also ordered businesses like mahjong parlours, cinemas and gyms to shut. City authorities say residents must display a negative virus test to be able to leave for only essential travel. Otherwise, people are being told to stay home.

China has been able to keep the virus from transmitting widely within its borders through a costly and strict strategy that relies on lockdowns and mass testing.

6:01 a.m.: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, facing a mushrooming COVID-19 hospital crisis that now threatens to topple him as leader, accepted the resignation of his health minister Tuesday.

Kenney said it was Tyler Shandro's idea to leave the health portfolio.

Minister Shandro offered his resignation. He and I both came to the conclusion that it would be best to get a fresh pair of eyes and a fresh start at the Health Ministry," Kenney said.

He noted it has been a difficult stint for Shandro, including him and his family being harassed by anti-vaccination protesters over the summer.

It has been a gruelling two-plus years for Tyler," he said.

Kenney replaced Shandro with Labour Minister Jason Copping in a cabinet shuffle and gave Shandro Copping's job.

The official swap in roles was made in a brief ceremony closed to the public but broadcast on the government's website.

Meanwhile, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver asked the federal government for air transportation help if necessary to move patients to care facilities outside Alberta and for more intensive care nurses and respiratory therapists.

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair responded on social media: Federal officials have been engaging their counterparts in Alberta for the past week to offer help. I have made it clear that when a request is received, it will be approved. We will work together to provide for the people across Alberta."

Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said the timing shows the government made a political decision on when it would ask for help from Ottawa.

(They) delayed asking for critically important help that was required within our health-care system until after the federal election," Notley said Tuesday.

6 a.m.: Ontario's new COVID-19 vaccine certificate system goes into effect Wednesday.

Patrons at dine-in restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, sports facilities and other venues must present a receipt of full vaccination along with government identification.

Doctors' notes for medical exemptions will also be accepted.

Businesses that don't comply with the checks required by the system and patrons who give false information may be fined.

Premier Doug Ford has said he understands that some people are concerned that their civil liberties are being infringed upon.

But he says the greater concern is experiencing a sudden surge in infections and having to lock down the province again.

The province's top public health doctor has asked Ontarians to be kind and considerate" as the system takes effect.

Dr. Kieran Moore has also said he believes the system will lead to a boost in vaccinations, particularly among those aged 20 to 39 since that cohort often frequents venues covered by the system.

Fines are possible for businesses that don't comply with the checks required by the system, and for patrons who give false information. But businesses, bylaw officers, police forces and the province say enforcement will be gentle at first.

Businesses have said they feel prepared to implement the system but are uncertain how patrons will respond to it.

James Rilett, Restaurants Canada's vice-president for Central Canada, said restaurants are as prepared as they can be" but are expecting some loss of business" and confrontations with some patrons.

Ryan Mallough, senior director of Ontario affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said businesses have a decent understanding" of what's required but there's some stress and anxiety around what happens in a moment that doesn't go smoothly."

While venues will have to check paper or digital vaccine receipts with identification at first, the province has said it aims to launch a QR code and verification app for businesses on Oct. 22 to streamline the process.