Today’s coronavirus news: Israel to offer 4th vaccine dose to most vulnerable; Ontario pushes start of school to Jan. 5; Ontario reports 13,807 new cases of COVID-19
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
3:45 p.m.: Nunavut's chief public health officer is reporting 20 new cases of COVID-19 with cases now in Cambridge Bay.
Dr. Michael Patterson says there are 94 active cases of COVID-19 in the territory.
That includes 31 in Iqaluit, 28 in Rankin Inlet, 13 in Pangnirtung, 10 in Sanirajak, six in Arviat, two in Cambridge Bay, two in Qikiqtarjuaq, one in Igloolik and one in Baker Lake.
Patterson says this wave of COVID-19 is spreading quickly across Nunavut, Canada and the rest of the world.
He says it is vital that everyone try to limit the spread.
3:20 p.m.: Ontarians who develop COVID-19 symptoms and are vaccinated will have to isolate for five days, as will anyone in the same household, the government announced Thursday.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore also announced that the province's two million students will return to school two days later than scheduled - on Wednesday, Jan. 5 - and all staff will be given N95 masks to wear in class.
The delay to the start of school will give boards time to prepare as the province starts sending out the masks for school and child-care staff along with an extra 3,000 HEPA air filters to classrooms across Ontario. That's in addition to the 70,000 already in place.
PCR and lab-based testing will continue for all students and staff who have COVID-19 symptoms, Moore announced Thursday afternoon.
Extracurricular sports, however, will be put on hold as COVID-19 cases continue to hit record highs in the province.
The new isolation rules come on the heels of similar changes in the U.S.
Read the full story from the Star's Kristin Rushowy.
3:18 p.m.: Quebec reported a record 14,188 new infections on Thursday, and new modelling predicted the province's hospitals could be dealing with a sharp rise in COVID-19 patients over the next three weeks that would surpass previous waves.
Later on Thursday, Premier Francois Legault is scheduled to hold a news conference on the pandemic. He'll be joined by Health Minister Christian Dube and the director of public health, Dr. Horacio Arruda, for a 5 p.m. briefing, which is the time the government usually chooses to announce restrictions.
The research institute that reports to the government, Institut national d'excellence en sante et en services sociaux, says its modelling predicts significant growth in new hospitalizations and the consequent occupancy of regular and intensive care beds over the next three weeks."
It says its models indicate there could be between 1,600 and 2,100 COVID-19 patients outside intensive care over the next three weeks. The institute says the number of intensive care patients during that period could be between 300 and 375. The more pessimistic scenarios - 2,100 regular COVID-19 patients and 375 intensive care patients - would surpass anything recorded during the previous waves of the pandemic.
3:15 p.m.: A COVID-19 outbreak at a federal prison in Quebec has seen 15 staff members and four inmates test positive for the novel coronavirus.
Correctional Services Canada revealed the infections at the medium-security La Macaza Institution in a statement this morning.
It isn't immediately clear what impact the staff infections are having on the facility, which is located about 200 kilometres northwest of Montreal in the Laurentian Mountains.
That includes whether reinforcements will be needed to ensure enough staff at the prison, which houses about 240 inmates.
However, Correctional Services says all in-person visits have been temporarily suspended and that measures are being taken to minimize the spread of COVID-19 through the facility.
3:10 p.m.: Prince Edward Island is reporting a single-day record of new COVID-19 cases, with 169 new infections.
Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison told reporters today most of the new cases involve mild to moderate symptoms that she credited to the high level of vaccination in the province.
Morrison says the majority of new cases are related to travel or involve people who are close contacts of previously reported infections.
She says the source of about 20 per cent of new cases is unknown, indicating community spread.
3:05 p.m.: Saskatchewan's premier says the government is changing the metric of how it tracks COVID-19 infections as the province sees rising cases, but decreasing hospitalizations.
Scott Moe says he won't bring in any new public health orders or restrictions because vaccines and regular testing are lowering the number of deadly health conditions caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Health Minister Paul Merriman adds people with Omicron can get tested and recover with mild symptoms at home so case numbers are no longer a key indicator of the status of the pandemic.
He says the government is instead focusing more on COVID-19 hospitalizations.
3 p.m.: The International Ice Hockey Federation has announced seven new positive COVID-19 tests from the world junior hockey championship following the cancellation of the tournament, including a member of the Canadian team.
Two members of Sweden's team tested positive, as well as one member each from Russia, Germany and Slovakia. An on-ice official also returned a positive test.
The IIHF announced the positive results Wednesday, a day after the world juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta., was cancelled in its fourth day. Two players from the United States and a player from Russia and Czechia previously tested positive, resulting in the forfeiture of games.
The IIHF said all team members and officials who tested positive will be required to complete a mandatory minimum 10-day quarantine before they are able to return home.
2:58 p.m.: WestJet Airlines Ltd. is dealing with so many employees out sick with the Omicron variant that it is being forced to cut 15 per cent of its scheduled flights through to the end of January.
WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell confirmed via email that the airline has seen a 35 per cent rise in active COVID-19 cases among staff in recent days, with 181 employees currently testing positive for virus.
In a statement Thursday, WestJet's interim chief executive Harry Taylor said the airline has seen a significant increase in delays and cancellations impacting its business over the past 72 hours.
2:55 p.m.: The federal minister in charge of aid to the unemployed says jobless Canadians who refuse to get vaccinated may find themselves blocked from benefits so long as public health concerns remain top of mind.
The Liberals have tacked conditions onto a suite of benefit payments, saying none can go to workers who lose work or hours because they have refused to get vaccinated.
The rules don't apply to those who have a medical exemption.
Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says the decision was part economic to make sure workplaces weren't shut down because of an outbreak, and also to encourage more eligible Canadians to get a shot.
2:53 p.m.: The head of the Inuit community government in the northern Labrador town of Nain says it appears the region's health authority was caught unprepared for COVID-19's arrival.
AngajukKak Joe Dicker said in an interview today there are 10 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in his fly-in community of about 1,100 people, which sits along Labrador's remote northern coast.
The presumptive infections were identified through rapid testing, and Dicker says the community didn't have enough polymerase chain reaction tests, which are more accurate and used to confirm rapid test results.
Dicker says the cases are the first ones detected in his community since the start of the pandemic and that the Labrador-Grenfell Health Authority should have been ready for them, adding the level of preparedness was "just not good enough."
Public health authorities reported 349 new COVID-19 cases in the province today, setting another new record for daily case numbers.
Health Minister John Haggie said Wednesday there were 10,000 PCR tests en route to the central Labrador town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, with 240 of those destined for Nain.
2:53 p.m.: Alberta's top doctor says the government is holding a cabinet committee meeting to address growing concerns about the highly contagious Omicron COVID-19 variant.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw says in a post on social media that she's taking part in today's meeting to discuss the "latest development and trends" with the variant and to determine how to best protect Albertans.
She says that means this afternoon's scheduled COVID-19 update has been moved to tomorrow.
The cabinet committee is meeting hours after Alberta reported its highest single-day increase of new infections.
2:52 p.m.: The Omicron variant continued to cause record-breaking COVID-19 numbers of cases in several provinces, but a new study out of Ontario suggested those infected with the variant are significantly less likely to face hospitalization or death compared to those with Delta.
In the study, Public Health Ontario compared Omicron cases with symptoms that emerged between Nov. 22 and Dec. 17 with Delta cases and found that, after adjusting for vaccination status and region, the risk of hospitalization or death was 54 per cent lower with Omicron.
The agency said Omicron appears to be the first dominant variant to show a decline in severity but warned that, due to its higher transmissibility, "the absolute number of hospitalizations and impact on the health-care system is likely to be significant, despite possible reduced severity."
2:49 p.m.: The Omicron-fueled surge that is sending COVID-19 cases rocketing in the U.S. is putting children in the hospital in close to record numbers, and experts lament that most of the youngsters are not vaccinated.
It's just so heartbreaking," said Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious-disease expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "It was hard enough last year, but now you know that you have a way to prevent all this."
During the week of Dec. 21-27, an average of 334 children 17 and under were admitted per day to hospitals with the coronavirus, a 58% increase from the week before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The previous peak over the course of the pandemic was in early September, when child hospitalizations averaged 342 per day, the CDC said.
On a more hopeful note, children continue to represent a small percentage of those being hospitalized with COVID-19: An average of over 9,400 people of all ages were admitted per day during the same week in December. And many doctors say the youngsters coming in now seem less sick than those seen during the delta surge over the summer.
2:48 p.m.: Two doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine slashed hospitalizations caused by the omicron variant in South Africa by up to 85%, a critical finding since the shot is being increasingly relied upon across the continent, researchers said.
The results are a welcome bit of news as the explosive rise of omicron pushes the world to a record number of daily cases, and evidence emerges that the highly mutated strain can evade the protection that normally stems from vaccination. They also could help explain why hospitalizations and deaths aren't following the exponential growth in new cases.
The study from the South African Medical Research Council found that protection levels rose in the weeks and months after a booster dose was given to those who previously received the J&J vaccine. It prevented 85% of hospitalizations one to two months after the second shot was given, up from 63% for people who received the booster within the past two weeks.
The results are important and reassuring," said Glenda Gray, the lead researcher and president of the South African Medical Research Council. The study, one of the largest of its kind in the world, shows at a global level that this regimen can be useful," Gray said in a telephone interview.
2:47 p.m.: Do at-home COVID-19 tests detect the omicron variant?
Yes, but U.S. health officials say early data suggests they may be less sensitive at picking it up.
Government recommendations for using at-home tests haven't changed. People should continue to use them when a quick result is important.
The bottom line is the tests still detect COVID-19 whether it is delta or alpha or omicron," says Dr. Emily Volk, president of the College of American Pathologists.
Government scientists have been checking to make sure the rapid tests still work as each new variant comes along. And this week, the Food and Drug Administration said preliminary research indicates they detect omicron, but may have reduced sensitivity. The agency noted it's still studying how the tests perform with the variant, which was first detected in late November.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, said the FDA wanted to be totally transparent" by noting the sensitivity might come down a bit, but that the tests remain important.
There are many good uses for at-home tests, Volk says. Combined with vaccination, they can make you more comfortable about gathering with family and friends.
2:46 p.m.: Israel has approved a fourth vaccine dose for people most vulnerable to COVID-19, becoming the first country to do so as it braces for a wave of infections fueled by the omicron variant.
Nachman Ash, the director general of the Health Ministry, announced the decision at a press conference late on Thursday.
He says the decision is based on early research, and that officials will consider expanding the administration of a fourth dose to more of the public as they assess the situation.
2:45 p.m.: The Food and Drug Administration is planning to broaden eligibility for coronavirus vaccine booster doses Monday, allowing 12- to 15-year-olds to receive third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, according to people familiar with the agency's deliberations.
Regulators also plan to allow both adolescents and adults to seek an extra shot of Pfizer's vaccine five months after receiving a second dose, instead of the current period of six months. A booster shot is also expected to be authorized for younger children, ages 5 to 11, with immune deficiencies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee is planning to meet by the middle of next week to vote on whether to recommend the changes. If the committee agrees with the FDA's authorizations, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, is expected to promptly endorse the revisions.
The move to expand boosters comes as the highly contagious omicron variant is infecting a record number of Americans with the coronavirus, putting more pressure on hospitals already deluged by COVID-19 patients from the delta variant.
2:45 p.m.: New York City's new coronavirus vaccine mandate for the private sector will stay in place for the foreseeable future as omicron continues to drive up infection and hospitalization rates, Mayor-elect Eric Adams announced Thursday after weeks of speculation over how he would handle the new rule.
The private sector mandate - first announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio in early December - took effect Monday, and Adams has been evasive on whether he would keep the new rule in place once he takes over the reins at City Hall.
In a briefing with his health advisers Thursday morning, Adams finally confirmed he will keep the mandate, which covers workers at more than 184,000 businesses across the city, though he took a shot at de Blasio for doing the poor job at communicating the policy.
If there was one critique, as I stated, I think that the mayor in the state of urgency which he faced, we could've all done a better job in communicating with our various stakeholders," Adams said at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Adams also said he does not want to take a heavy-handed" approach in fining businesses who are refusing to comply.
Still, Adams said businesses owners who are flagrantly violating the rule will face fines.
1:38 p.m.: Ontario will push back the return to school to January 5, according to a senior government source.
Classes were set to resume as early as Monday in much of the province, but critics called for clarity on the back-to-school plan in light of the spike in COVID-19 cases.
The source says the province will deploy 3,000 more HEPA filter units to school boards in addition the 70,000 it has already rolled out, and will also provide N95 masks to staff.
The source also says seating capacity in concert venues, arenas and theatres will be limited to 1,000 people or 50 per cent capacity, whichever is less, starting Friday.
The changes are expected to be announced this afternoon by Ontario's chief medical officer of health.
The news comes as the province set a record Thursday with 13,807 COVID-19 infections and a surge in hospitalizations.
11:44 a.m.: Airline cancellations are already piling up in the U.S., with more than 1,000 flights scrubbed the day before New Year's Eve as coronavirus cases climbed and heavy snow brewed in the West.
JetBlue Airways Corp. scratched 175 flights, accounting for 17% of its schedule, by 9:39 a.m. Thursday in New York, according to FlightAware.com. Allegiant canceled 89 flights, or 18% of its service. United Airlines Holdings Inc. scrubbed 190 flights, representing 8% of its schedule.
The disruptions come after thousands of flights were canceled over the Christmas holiday weekend and into early this week as winter storms combined with staffing shortages caused by the spread of coronavirus cases from the omicron variant.
Like many businesses and organizations, we have seen a surge in the number of sick calls from omicron," JetBlue said by email Thursday. To give customers time to make other plans, the New York-based carrier pared its schedule through Jan. 13.
While health officials' guidance reducing the isolation period for many people testing positive to five days from 10 is expected to help staffing, we expect the number of Covid cases in the Northeast - where most of our crew members are based -- to continue to surge for the next week or two," JetBlue said.
10:17 a.m.: Ontario is reporting 13,807 new cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths on Thursday. This is an increase from the 10,436 cases and three deaths reported on Wednesday
In addition, 965 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and 200 people are in ICU due to the virus - this is up notably from the previous week. The seven-day average of COVID-19 related patients in ICU is 179 on Thursday.
The seven-day average for cases is +1,145 to 10,328 cases per day, +158 per cent in a week, a doubling rate of every 5.1 days. Positivity (30.5 per cent) is increasing.
Also in the province, 27,012,866 vaccine doses have been administered, with over 197,000 doses administered Wednesday - 90.8 per cent of Ontarians aged 12+ have had one dose and 88.1 per cent have had two doses.
Reported on Wednesday, 726 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 while 190 people were in ICU due to the virus. The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 related patients in ICU for Wednesday was 174.
On Wednesday, in the province 26,815,586 vaccine doses have been administered. On Tuesday, 176,000 doses were administered. Additionally, 90.7 per cent of Ontarians aged 12+ had, had one dose and 88.1 per cent have two doses then.
Read Urbi Khan's full report here.
9:35 a.m.: A Johnson & Johnson booster shot provided strong protection against the omicron variant, greatly reducing the risk of hospitalization, according to a clinical trial in South Africa.
The study, which compared more than 69,000 boosted health care workers with a corresponding group of unvaccinated South Africans, found that two shots of the vaccine reduced the risk of hospitalization from omicron by about 85%. In comparison, another study in South Africa found that two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine reduced the risk of hospitalization by about 70%.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a booster shot, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that other vaccines be preferred. The CDC raised concerns about rare but life-threatening blood clots that have been linked to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
But the authors of the new study, which was published on a preprint server and has not yet been peer-reviewed, said that the results were important for vaccination efforts in Africa, where the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a mainstay of COVID public health efforts. As the continent braces for a wave of Omicron cases, a second dose of the vaccine could prevent a surge of hospitalizations.
9:34 a.m.: The Town of The Blue Mountains (TBM) is hosting its second week of COVID-19 vaccination clinics since the holidays began.
First, second, and third doses are being administered on a walk-in and appointment basis at the Beaver Valley Community Centre, including vaccinations for children between five and 11 years old.
The second round of clinics are running on Dec. 29, Dec. 31, and Jan. 3, and they were set up to supplement vaccinations taking place at the Blue Mountains Community Health Centre.
Between the health centre and the community centre, 5,484 vaccines were administered between Dec. 18 and Dec. 27.
TBM Mayor Alar Soever said he has found the community response encouraging.
People are very informed in The Blue Mountains ... and the immunity is waning from the first and second shot, so people are keen to get their third shots and protect themselves," he said.
The holiday clinics were specifically set up to provide locals with more options, as the community hubs offering vaccination clinics are outside of TBM.
The community hubs are some distance away," he said. The ones that are going to be up in January are in Chesley, Port Elgin, and Owen Sound, so the closest one is 45 minutes away. People, especially the elderly, are rather loath to drive to a strange community."
Instead of making people travel, TBM council offered the community centre as a space, in order to increase local options for vaccination.
9:26 a.m.: Millions of rapid at-home COVID tests are flying off pharmacy shelves across the country, giving Americans an instant, if sometimes imperfect, read on whether they are infected with the coronavirus.
But the results are rarely reported to public health departments, exacerbating the long-standing challenges of maintaining an accurate count of cases at a time when the number of infections is surging because of the omicron variant.
At the minimum, the widespread availability of at-home tests is wreaking havoc with the accuracy of official positivity rates and case counts. At the other extreme, it is one factor making some public health experts raise a question that once would have been unthinkable: Do counts of coronavirus cases serve a useful purpose, and if not, should they be continued?
Our entire approach to the pandemic has been case-based surveillance: We have to count every case, and that's just not accurate anymore," said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, a national nonprofit organization representing public health agencies in the United States. It's just becoming a time where we've got to think about doing things differently."
8:53 a.m.: Britain's National Health Service is now on a war footing," one of its top medical officials warned Thursday, saying its hospitals would erect field wards to help absorb the impact of a record surge in coronavirus cases that has already produced a rise in hospitalizations nationally.
Cases in Britain reached new highs this week, driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant, with more than 183,000 reported across the country Wednesday - twice the highest daily count recorded in previous waves. And public health experts have said it is likely to be days before the full impact of socializing over the Christmas holidays is reflected.
We do not yet know exactly how many of those who catch the virus will need hospital treatment," Stephen Powis, the NHS medical director for England, said in a statement. But given the number of infections we cannot wait to find out before we act."
8:48 a.m.: New York City will ring in 2022 in Times Square as planned despite record numbers of COVID-19 infections in the city and around the nation, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.
We want to show that we're moving forward, and we want to show the world that New York City is fighting our way through this," de Blasio, whose last day in office is Friday, said on NBC's Today" show.
After banning revelers from Times Square a year ago due to the pandemic, city officials previously announced plans for a scaled-back New Year's bash with smaller crowds and vaccinations required.
While cities such as Atlanta have canceled New Year's Eve celebrations, de Blasio said New York City's high COVID-19 vaccination rate makes it feasible to welcome masked, socially distanced crowds to watch the ball drop in Times Square. We've got to send a message to the world. New York City is open," he said.
8:05 a.m.: Ontario's top doctor is set to make an announcement today as the province continues to reach new records in daily COVID-19 infections.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, was initially scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday to share new rules on COVID-19 testing and case management.
But the event was postponed so officials could review changes to isolation and quarantine guidelines in the United States.
Ontarians are also waiting on the province to announce whether children will go back to school in person or online next week in light of the recent surge in cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant.
Some provinces have decided to prolong the winter break for some or all students, while others have opted to switch to virtual learning starting next week.
Ontario recorded a new daily high of 10,436 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, just days after logging more than 10,000 daily cases for the first time in the pandemic.
7:22 a.m.: Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari has been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus for his second time of the pandemic.
Finland's government did not say when or where the 84-year-old Ahtisaari was thought to have gotten infected. Ahtisaari served as the Nordic country's head of state for one term during 1994-2000.
The former diplomat and peace broker for the Finnish government won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work to resolve international conflicts.
President Ahtisaari is doing well under the circumstances but stays at the hospital for the time being. He tested positive for coronavirus also in March 2020," the office of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a statement late Wednesday.
In September, it was announced that Ahtisaari had Alzheimer's disease and was withdrawing from all public activities.
6:20 a.m.: If you're planning to host a New Year's Eve party, health experts urge you to make it virtual or outdoors.
Omicron, which is extremely contagious and estimated to have already infected hundreds of thousands of people in Ontario, has made indoor gatherings far too risky - even for double-vaccinated groups with negative rapid test results.
Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 science table, said it is likely about five per cent of Ontarians currently have COVID and are infectious. That's more than 725,000 people, or one in every 20 people.
By the time New Year's comes around, he said there will be about a one in three chance that if you meet with 10 people, one of them will be infected.
Read the full story from the Star's Ben Cohen.
6:20 a.m.: The province will start rolling out fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses to long-term-care residents who will become eligible three months after receiving a booster shot, the Star has learned.
The move, to be announced Thursday, comes as the province sees record-high COVID-19 cases because of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
This is one of the many measures the government is putting in place to protect long-term-care residents and staff," a government source told the Star.
Read the full story from the Star's Kris Rushowy.
6:15 a.m.: England's National Health Service is building temporary structures at hospitals around the country to prepare for a possible surge of COVID-19 patients as the highly transmissible omicron variant fuels a new wave of infections.
The U.K. reported a record 183,037 confirmed new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, 32% more than the previous day. While early data suggests omicron is less likely to cause serious illness than earlier variants, public health officials think the sheer number of infections could lead to a jump in hospitalizations and deaths.
In response, the NHS will begin setting up surge hubs" this week at eight hospitals around England, each with the capacity to treat about 100 patients. Staff are preparing plans to create as many as 4,000 super surge" beds should they be needed, the NHS said Thursday.
We do not yet know exactly how many of those who catch the virus will need hospital treatment, but given the number of infections we cannot wait to find out before we act, and so work is beginning from today to ensure these facilities are in place," NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said in a statement.
The number of people in England hospitalized with COVID-19 increased to 10,462 on Wednesday from 7,366 on Dec. 24, government figures show. Wednesday's number was the highest since March 1. The figure is still well below the peak of 34,336 recorded on Jan. 18.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted implementing new restrictions on business and social interactions during the holiday season, instead emphasizing an expanded vaccine booster program to control the spread of Omicron.
6:15 a.m.: Las Vegas isn't cancelling or scaling back plans for New Year's Eve gatherings.
More than 300,000 visitors are expected in town for events including a New Year's Eve fireworks show on the Las Vegas Strip that was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic
Thousands of ticketholders also are expected at a multi-stage outdoor music event beneath a canopy light show at the downtown casino pedestrian mall.
In announcing Wednesday that the show will go on, Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft said: If you're sick, stay at home. If you're indoors, wear a mask."
Las Vegas regional health officials reported 2,201 new coronavirus cases - the most in one day since last Jan. 11. New cases and deaths in Las Vegas have been trending up.
6:15 a.m.: Mexico's health safety council has approved the use of Cuba's three-dose Abdala coronavirus vaccine.
The council said Wednesday that it has sufficient evidence the vaccine is safe and effective.
The approval for emergency use does not necessarily mean the Mexican government will acquire or administer the Abdala vaccine in Mexico. Mexico has approved 10 vaccines for use, but has made little use of some, like China's Sinopharm.
Cuba has approved Abdala for use domestically and begun commercial exports of the three-dose vaccine to Vietnam and Venezuela.
6:15 a.m.: Montenegro has tightened virus rules amid a surge in infections and fears of fast-spreading omicron variant.
Starting Thursday, all gatherings are banned indoors or outdoors in the European country, including weddings, parties and conferences. Bars and restaurants were ordered to close at 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve and 10 p.m. after the holidays.
Authorities also limited the number of people allowed into shopping malls and religious objects to one per 10 square meters (108 square feet) and said COVID passes are required for cinemas, museums and theatres.
For sports events, spectators are banned indoors and outdoor venues are limited to one-fourth capacity. Face masks are obligatory everywhere.
Authorities have said that numbers of new infections have risen and the tightened rules are needed to prevent them from spiralling out of control. Some 1,500 new infections were reported on Wednesday in the nation of 620,000 people.
Montenegro has also tightened entry rules for visitors and urged people to spend the upcoming holidays just with their immediate family.
6:15 a.m.: Chinese officials promised steady deliveries of groceries to residents of Xi'an, an ancient capital with 13 million people that is under the strictest lockdown of a major Chinese city since Wuhan was shut early last year at the start of the pandemic.
China's Commerce Ministry has contacted nearby provinces to help ensure adequate supplies of everyday necessities, a ministry spokesperson said Thursday.
State broadcaster CCTV aired a story Thursday showing building staff assembling free grocery deliveries for the residents of an apartment complex in Xi'an.
The deliveries included a box of 15 eggs, a 2.5-kilogram (5.5-pound) bag of rice and some green vegetables. Residents could also expect either some chicken or pork, it said.
Still, some people complained in comments below the segment shared on Weibo, a social media platform, that they have not received the same deliveries in their communities. Many worried if they will be able to obtain fresh vegetables and meat.
6:15 a.m.: Residents and tourists in Paris will be required to wear face masks outdoors starting Friday as France sees a surge of COVID-19 infections fuelled by the omicron variant.
The Paris police prefecture said the mask rule will apply to people ages 12 and over, although individuals will be exempt while riding bicycles or motorcycles, travelling in vehicles and doing exercise.
Those who do not comply face fines of 135 euros ($153).
Masks already are mandatory in shops, public facilities and office buildings and on public transportation in France.
The French government announced measures to fight the spread of the coronavirus this week, when France reported a daily record of 208,000 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
6:15 a.m.: Provinces across the country are amending or extending health restrictions as the Omicron variant continues to cause record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Quebec said yesterday that vaccinated health-care staff who test positive for COVID-19 could be allowed back on the job after seven days if they have no symptoms, and that workers who are exposed to COVID outside their homes no longer automatically need to isolate.
Manitoba and Ontario have said they were considering similar measures to avoid overwhelming their own health systems.
British Columbia says it will bring back students in January in a phased approach, with staff and students whose parents are health workers, as well as those who need extra support, returning to class on Jan. 3 or 4. All other students will go back to school on Jan. 10.
Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec set new case records Wednesday, with the latter reporting more than 13,000 infections, 10 more deaths and a 102-person rise in COVID-19-related hospitalizations. Ontario reported 10,436 new infections and three deaths.
Alberta more than doubled its active case count in a week, while recording its highest single-day increase of new infections.