Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 2,467 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 438 people in ICU; at least 9,706 new cases
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.
10:17 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting 438 people in intensive care with COVID-19 and 2,467 people hospitalized with the virus.
Health Minister Christine Elliott shared the figures noting that not all hospitals report data from the weekend.
The province reported 9,706 new COVID-19 cases, but Public Health Ontario has noted that the actual number of cases is likely higher due to a policy making tests less accessible.
There were 12 new virus deaths reported.
Provincial data says 81 per cent of Ontarians aged five and older have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses and 87 per cent have at least one shot.
The numbers come as Metrolinx, the Crown corporation that runs GO Transit, reported staffing levels reduced by 20 to 30 per cent due to the Omicron variant's spread, reducing transit options for commuters.
10 a.m. More than a third of Baltimore City schools will switch to online learning Monday after test results that came in over the weekend showing thousands of students and staff may have COVID-19.
The school system listed 57 schools transitioning temporarily to online learning on its website Sunday evening. Two other schools were closed for what was described as facilities challenges. The city has 155 schools.
Baltimore City Public Schools spokesman Andre Riley said Sunday that those schools closed by positive pool tests will remain virtual all week and return Jan. 19.
9:50 a.m. A Quebec coroner's inquest into deaths in long-term-care homes during the pandemic's first wave enters its final stage today, resuming after a month-long pause.
Almost 4,000 people died in the homes, known in Quebec as CHSLDs, between February and June 2020, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the deaths reported in the province during the first wave.
The provincial coroner's office called for an inquest examining the deaths of elderly and vulnerable people in seven residential settings during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the government response to the outbreaks.
Hearings are resuming this week with testimony from two Health Department officials and Seniors Minister Marguerite Blais.
9:32 a.m. Nearly 600 vaccination appointments remain available Monday for all eligible residents 12 or older at the city-run clinic at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Those appointments can be booked through the provincial booking system.
The following clinic locations are operating Monday:
Metro Toronto Convention Centre: 255 Front St. W., Lower Level, Constitution Hall Rooms 105, 106 and 107 (entrance through the John W.H. Bassett Theatre on Front Street; accessible entrance to the west of the Second Cup doors)
Cloverdale Mall: 250 The East Mall (north end of mall (in the former Target store; enter the clinic via the exterior entrance only)
Scarborough Town Centre: 300 Borough Dr. (east side of the centre on the upper level, near Entrance 2; enter the clinic via the mall exterior)
Mitchell Field Community Centre: 89 Church Ave. (east side of the building in the gym; enter through the Community Centre main entrance)
Woodbine Mall: 500 Rexdale Blvd. (inside the Hudson's Bay store; enter through the entrance on the second level)
8:03 a.m. Novak Djokovic won a court battle Monday to stay in Australia to contest the Australian Open after his exemption from strict COVID-19 vaccination rules was questioned, but the drama might not be finished, with the government threatening to cancel the tennis star's visa a second time and deport him.
Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic's visa, which was revoked after his arrival last week because officials decided he didn't meet the criteria for an exemption to an entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated. Djokovic's lawyers say that since he recently recovered from an infection, he didn't need to be inoculated under Australia's rules.
The judge ruled the No. 1 player had not been given enough time to speak to his lawyers before the decision about his visa was made and ordered the government to release him within 30 minutes from a Melbourne quarantine hotel where he has spent the last four nights.
7:50 a.m. The union representing Toronto's paramedic services sent an alarming tweet Saturday: #CodeRed No units available in the city at 18:38 hours tonight."
The tweet stoked fears the health-care system was once again feeling the strain of COVID-19, fuelled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
And, while a union representative told the Star the staffing issues are nothing new, resources are stretched thin by the pandemic and an ongoing opioid overdose crisis.
Read the full story from the Star's Jennifer Pagliaro
7:35 a.m. Winter term in Ontario is beginning for most university and college students on Jan. 10, with many schools starting the semester online as the highly contagious Omicron variant has ripped through the province.
But several universities have told students they are expecting them to return to campus for in-person classes by the end of the month, fuelling uncertainty and anxiety for some given the COVID-19 surge that has increased hospitalizations in major city centres.
Others who have been cooped up with family during the holidays face the pressure to return to student housing, all while navigating the transmissibility of the Omicron variant and living with multiple roommates.
Read the full story from the Star's Nadine Yousif and Olivia Bowden
5:48 a.m.: Quebecers aged 40 and over can now book appointments for a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
More people became eligible today to register for the booster shot as the province battles a surge in hospitalizations due to the highly infectious Omicron variant.
The province has recently been reporting more than 2,000 daily hospitalizations for the first time since the start of the pandemic, setting an all-time high record of 2,436 patients on Sunday.
Health Minister Christian Dube said last week the province's vaccine passport will soon be required to show proof of three doses in order to be admissible.
All adults 18 and over will be able to book a booster shot appointment as of Jan. 17, a few days earlier than originally planned.
Residents 45 and older can already access their third dose, as can pregnant women, health-care workers and other select groups.
5:48 a.m.: COVID-19 cases are threatening to overwhelm hospitals in several parts of Canada, with hospitalizations nearing or reaching record highs in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick.
Former CEO of the University Health Network and Ontario deputy health minister Dr. Bob Bell says every Western country dealing with COVID's fast spreading Omicron variant has a stressed hospital system right now. But he says Canada will pursue lockdowns and restrictions sooner than places such as the United States because it has a lower tolerance for measures like death.
Meanwhile, despite the concerns of both parents and children over surging COVID cases, students in Alberta are headed back to class today.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange has promised thousands of test kits will be delivered to students and parents over the next few days. However, Edmonton Public Schools and the Alberta Teachers' Association have said there are still kids who won't get them until days after they return to classes, which could further exacerbate the lightning spread of Omicron cases.
5:47 a.m.: While some parents are relieved that students in Grades K-12 are returning to classes after an extended holiday break, many say they are concerned and frustrated about unclear instructions from the Alberta government on how it plans to contain a surge in COVID-19 infections in classrooms caused by the Omicron variant.
The province had analmost 40 per cent positivity rate last week. Education Minister Adriana LaGrange has promised thousands of test kits will be delivered to students and parents over the next few days, but has left it up to schools to report and track infections.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, has said a return to in-person learning is critical and necessary for students' mental wellness.
We know the COVID infection has a low - but not zero - risk for children. We also know in-person learning is critically important for many kids' educational and social development and provides a sense of stability and normalcy in these challenging times," she said last week.
Schools have received their masks and test kits, but Edmonton Public Schools and the Alberta Teachers' Association have said there are still kids who won't get them until days after they return to classes, which could exacerbate the spread of the already highly contagious variant.
5:46 a.m.: Some southern Ontario commuters will find themselves with fewer options today as transit agency Metrolinx cuts back on service due to COVID-19.
The Crown corporation that operates GO Transit says staffing levels are 20 to 30 per cent lower on average due to the rapid spread of COVID's Omicron variant.
It says absenteeism is expected to increase as more people are exposed to Omicron, so the agency is acting now in an effort to protect critical transit services."
Metrolinx says it's decreasing service by about 15 per cent across the network.
The agency adds that it's hoping to maintain hourly service or better" wherever possible.
It also says it expects ridership to remain low, as many people are working and attending school remotely.
5:45 a.m.: Healthcare and front-line workers along with people above age 60 with health problems lined up Monday at vaccination centres across India to receive a third dose as infections linked to the omicron variant surge.
The doses, which India is calling a precautionary" shot instead of a booster, were given as new confirmed coronavirus infections rocketed to over 179,000 on Monday, nearly an eightfold increase in a week. Hospitalizations, while still relatively low, are also beginning to rise in large, crowded cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Dr. Ravindra Kumar Dewan, who heads the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases in New Delhi, queued up for his shot. He said boosters are a significant step" because there are still many unknowns about the omicron variant.
Yesterday, the mortality ... has increased in Delhi. So, whether our health care system will get overwhelmed or not is yet to be seen," he said.
India is better prepared now than it was last year when the Delta variant overwhelmed hospitals. When cases spiked in March last year, not even 1% of its population of nearly 1.4 billion was fully vaccinated. India's creaky medical infrastructure meant millions likely died.
5:44 a.m.: The numbers are small, but the major port of Tianjin may be facing China's first local outbreak of omicron of any size, less than a month before the Winter Olympics open in nearby Beijing.
State broadcaster CCTV said the government has divided Tianjin and its 14 million residents into three levels of restrictions, starting with lockdown areas where people are not allowed to leave their homes at all. In control areas, each household is allowed to have one family member leave to buy groceries every other day, while in prevention areas, people must remain inside their immediate neighbourhoods.
Buses and trains from Tianjin to Beijing have been suspended and people are being told not to leave the city unless they have pressing business.
The city began mass testing of all its residents on Sunday after a cluster of 20 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. Another 20 people tested positive on Sunday, bringing the total to 40. Officials said earlier that the virus has been circulating so the number of cases could rise.
Monday 5:42 a.m.: Heading into a critical midterm election year, the top political concerns of Americans are shifting in ways that suggest Democrats face considerable challenges to maintaining their control of Congress.
A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that management of the pandemic, once an issue that strongly favoured President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, is beginning to recede in the minds of Americans. COVID-19 is increasingly overshadowed by concerns about the economy and personal finances - particularly inflation - which are topics that could lift Republicans.
Just 37% of Americans name the virus as one of their top five priorities for the government to work on in 2022, compared with 53% who said it was a leading priority at the same time a year ago. The economy outpaced the pandemic in the open-ended question, with 68% of respondents mentioning it in some way as a top 2022 concern. A similar percentage said the same last year, but mentions of inflation are much higher now: 14% this year, compared with less than 1% last year.