Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 627 COVID-19 cases; Ontario to open vaccination appointments for kids 5-11 starting Tuesday
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
10:14 a.m. (will be updated) Ontario is reporting 627 new COVID-19 cases, according to Dr. Jennifer Kwan.
341 cases are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 286 are in fully vaccinated individuals. In Ontario, nearly 89 per cent of Ontarians 12+ have one dose and nearly 86 per cent have two doses, according to tweets from Health Minister Christine Elliott.
9:40 a.m. Vaccine Hunters Canada says they'll be temporarily back on social media to help with the vaccine rollout for kids.
9:10 a.m. The country's largest school board will further delay unpaid leave for some unvaccinated staffers, citing shortages - especially in special education.
In an email blast to parents Monday morning, the Toronto District School Board said any staff who had disclosed that they were not vaccinated were to be placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave without pay, effective today. As a result, approximately 330 staff members are being put on administrative leave as of today."
However, it added, as we implement the procedure, it is important that there is minimal impact on students' learning, well-being and safety. As part of this plan, we are relying on occasional/casual staff to fill in for these staff members but, like other school boards across Ontario, we are seeing lower levels of occasional/casual staff taking available jobs. In addition, we know that the absence of some staff would have a serious impact on the ability of some schools to maintain the safety and well-being of students.
Read the full story from the Star's Kristin Rushowy and Isabel Teotonio
8:50 a.m. (updated) Parents in Ontario can begin booking COVID-19 vaccinations for kids aged 5 to 11 on Tuesday with shots expected to start Thursday.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said Monday it will take a few days to distribute two shipments of the pediatric Pfizer vaccines to health units, primary care clinics and pharmacies.
We're going to be shipping them immediately," she told a news conference, calling shots for children the light at the end of the tunnel" with about one-third of daily COVID cases in school-age kids.
That speaks to the need."
Read the full story from the Star's Rob Ferguson
8:15 a.m. A month ago, new coronavirus cases in the United States were ticking steadily downward and the worst of a miserable summer surge fueled by the Delta variant appeared to be over. But as Americans travel this week to meet far-flung relatives for Thanksgiving dinner, new virus cases are rising once more, especially in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
Federal medical teams have been dispatched to Minnesota to help at overwhelmed hospitals. Michigan is enduring its worst case surge yet, with daily caseloads doubling since the start of November. Even New England, where vaccination rates are high, is struggling, with Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire trying to contain major outbreaks.
Nationally, case levels remain well below those seen in early September, when summer infections peaked, and are below those seen last Thanksgiving. But conditions are worsening rapidly, and this will not be the post-pandemic Thanksgiving that Americans had hoped for. More than 90,000 cases are being reported each day, comparable to early August, and more than 30 states are seeing sustained upticks in infections. In the hardest-hit places, hospitalizations are climbing.
7:30 a.m. Target will no longer open its stores on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., making permanent a shift to the unofficial start of the holiday season that was suspended during the pandemic.
Retailers last year were forced to turn what had become a weekend shopping blitz into an extended event with holiday sales beginning as early as October to limit the number of people in stores during the pandemic.
That forced shift during the holidays, however, turned out to be a good move.
U.S. holiday sales in November and December rose 8.2 per cent in 2020 from the previous year, according to The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group. The trade group predicts that this year could shatter last year's record, growing between 8.5 per cent and 10.5 per cent.
What started as a temporary measure driven by the pandemic is now our new standard - one that recognizes our ability to deliver on our guests' holiday wishes both within and well beyond store hours," Target CEO Brian Cornell wrote in a note to employees.
6:15 a.m. When Cambodia rolled out COVID-19 vaccines, lines stretched down entire streets and people left their shoes out to save their places as they sheltered from the sun. But three months into its campaign, just 11 per cent of the population had received at least one dose. In far wealthier Japan, it took two weeks longer to reach that level.
Now both countries boast vaccination rates that rank among the world's best. They are two of several nations in the Asia-Pacific region that got slow starts to their immunization campaigns but have since zoomed past the United States and many nations in Europe.
The countries with high rates include both richer and poorer ones, some with larger populations and some with smaller. But all have experience with infectious diseases, like SARS, and strong vaccine-procurement programs, many of which knew to spread their risk by ordering from multiple manufacturers.
Most started vaccinating relatively late due to complacency amid low infection rates, initial supply issues and other factors. But by the time they did, soaring death tolls in the United States, Britain and India helped persuade even the skeptical to embrace the efforts.
6 a.m. Austrians who refuse to get a coronavirus vaccines will face fines of up to 3,600 euros (5,100 CAD) once mandatory inoculations kick in next year.
The penalties are part of a dramatic move by the government to boost vaccination levels as it grapples with a surge in cases that's forced the country back into lockdown.
Authorities will first offer an appointment for people who haven't taken a shot. Penalties will follow if the offer is rejected, according to plans for the measure that will come into force in February.
Austria would be the first western European country to make coronavirus vaccinations compulsory. It's stands out with one of the region's lowest inoculation rates, at about 66% of the eligible population, and some of the hardest-hit regions in the latest wave of the virus.
5:45 a.m. Millions of parents across Canada cheered then let out a deep sigh of relief on Friday after Health Canada announced it had approved the country's first COVID-19 vaccine for young children.
Though many parents are eager to get their kids aged five to 11 vaccinated, with some racing to the front of the line for protection from the virus, there's still lots to know about the vaccine, how it works and why the benefits outweigh the risks.
With little sleeves soon being rolled up for first COVID shots, the Star reviewed the data and talked to the experts to provide answers to parents' most pressing questions.
Read more from the Star's Megan Ogilvie, May Warren and Kenyon Wallace: Still have questions about kids and the COVID vaccine? We've got you covered
5:35 a.m. Russia's coronavirus death toll was still hovering near all-time highs Monday, but the number of new infections continued to decline.
The state coronavirus task force reported 1,241 COVID-19 deaths, down from the pandemic's record of 1,254 recorded last week.
The task force also reported 35,681 new confirmed cases, reflecting a steady downward trend since early November when the daily numbers topped 41,000, the highest level since the start of the pandemic.
The surge in deaths comes amid low vaccination rates and lax public attitudes in Russia toward taking precautions. About 40% of Russia's nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine - Sputnik V - months before most of the world.
5:30 a.m. When it comes to vaccinating young children - the next biggest challenge against COVID-19 - Peel is hoping to find success by following a familiar playbook.
Peel's strategy will mirror its success in vaccinating the region's teens and adults by offering a mix of locations to get immunized, including mass clinics, community and school-based clinics and using its two mobile Vax Vans, said Paul Sharma, co-lead of the COVID-19 vaccination program at Peel Public Health.
As of Sunday, about 89 per cent of Peel's residents aged 12 and older have received their first COVID shot and about 85 per cent have had two doses. Currently, the region has a COVID infection rate lower than many other public health units.
This is in stark contrast to Peel's startlingly high infection rates during the pandemic's second and third waves when hospitals in the region were being flooded with severely ill COVID patients.
Read more from the Star's Megan Ogilvie.
5:20 a.m. Germany's health minister said Monday that the rapid rise in coronavirus cases means it's likely everyone in the country who isn't vaccinated will have caught COVID-19 by the end of the winter - and some of those will die.
Official figures showed more than 30,000 newly confirmed cases in Germany over the past 24 hours - an increase of about 50% compared to one week ago. Hospitals have warned that ICU capacities are nearly exhausted, with some patients having to be transferred to other clinics far away.
Health Minister Jens Spahn urged Germans to get vaccinated, including with booster shots if their first round of inoculation occurred more than six months ago, to reduce the risk of serious illness.
By the end of this winter pretty much everyone in Germany (...) will have been vaccinated, recovered or died," Spahn told reporters in Berlin.
5:10 a.m. After millions of Canadians rolled up their sleeves for COVID-19 vaccines, it could soon be zoo animals' turn to get the jab.
The Granby Zoo, east of Montreal, says it's hoping to vaccinate about 90 animals, including gorillas, big cats and other creatures deemed susceptible to the disease.
The special animal vaccines are made in the United States and are currently awaiting clearance to Canada.
The Toronto and Calgary zoos have both said they too will begin vaccinating their animals once a shot is available, hopefully within weeks.
Granby veterinarian Emilie Couture says the zoo plans to vaccinate the species most vulnerable to COVID-19, with primates and big cats such as tigers and leopards topping the list.
Couture says there's been a "worrying" rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in North American zoos, especially among large felines.
5 a.m. The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines for children has arrived in Canada.
A UPS plane touched down in Hamilton at around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday carrying thousands of pediatric doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Health Canada approved the modified shot for use in kids aged five to 11 on Friday, and the federal government immediately pledged to have a batch on Canadian soil 48 hours later.
Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi, who was on hand when the plane touched down, said Friday that 2.9 million doses were expected by the end of this week and would be enough to provide a first shot to every child in the newly approved age range.
Ottawa will now work to get the pediatric vaccine doses into the hands of the provinces and territories.
Many jurisdictions have begun accepting immunization appointments, but have not yet disclosed detailed plans for the next phase of the vaccine rollout.