Today’s coronavirus news: Alberta pausing first-dose vaccinations over shortage; Ontario is reporting another 2,578 COVID-19 cases; Monday
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.
1:45 p.m. Manitoba health officials are announcing 118 new COVID-19 cases and four additional deaths.
Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer, says case numbers have been dropping, but Manitoba is not out of the woods yet.
He says the province is looking at easing some restrictions in the coming days, but any changes will be done cautiously.
1:38 p.m. Ontario is in discussions with Ottawa to get two field hospitals to help with COVID-19, says Health Minister Christine Elliott.
1:30 p.m. Ontario clears way for hospitals to redeploy staff to other hospitals where needed, and to retirement homes if necessary, Health Minister Christine Elliott announced. This in addition to previously allowing transfers to nursing homes. The Cortellucci Hospital set to open in Vaughan Feb. 7 will be a COVID-19 hospital until the pandemic passes, with 35 ICU and 150 general beds. The ER will not open. Also announced: Ontario earmarks $125 million to create 500 new hospital beds in Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa, Durham and Kingston to help with influx of COVID-19 patients. This includes the beds at the new Cortellucci Hospital in Vaughan.
1:05 p.m. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his province is putting a pause on administering the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines because of the uncertainty about when more doses will start arriving in large numbers.
Kenney says he is "deeply disappointed" by pharmaceutical company Pfizer's decision to cut back on promised deliveries of vaccine doses to Canada over the next four weeks, especially now that the expected slowdown for deliveries to Europe has been resolved.
Pfizer is trying to double its production of vaccine doses to two billion this year and is planning to temporarily curb production at its Belgian facility to make upgrades that will allow for that increase.
Canada appears right now to be the only country that will suffer from the decision for more than a week.
Pfizer told Europe Friday that delays to its dose deliveries would end Jan. 25, while Canada expects to be affected until mid-February.
A Pfizer spokeswoman says there will be an update on Canada's situation later today.
11:55 a.m. Backers of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V say it has been approved in Turkmenistan, an ex-Soviet nation in Central Asia that hasn't officially reported any infections so far.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund that bankrolled the development of the shot announced Monday that health officials in Turkmenistan approved Sputnik V under the emergency use authorization procedure." It wasn't immediately clear whether Russia would ship the vaccine to Turkmenistan any time soon.
The vaccine is still undergoing advanced studies among tens of thousands of people needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Nevertheless, the shot last month was rolled out in a large-scale vaccination campaign in Russia. It has also received regulatory approval in several other countries, and immunization with Sputnik V has started in Belarus and Argentina.
Turkmenistan, a gas-rich nation of 5.9 million, hasn't reported any coronavirus infections, but authorities have shut restaurants and non-food stores and recommended that the population wears masks to protect against dust and unspecified infectious agents. However, the British ambassador to the capital, Ashgabat, said last month that he had contracted the virus.
11:32 a.m. Quebec is reporting 1,634 new COVID-19 cases and 32 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.
Authorities say today's numbers include about 200 infections that were left out of Sunday's tally due to a transmission delay.
Hospitalizations had been dropping for three consecutive days until today, when officials reported a rise of 31 patients, for a total of 1,491, and a rise of two people in intensive care, to 217.
Quebec has reported 244,348 infections and 9,087 deaths linked to the virus since the start of the pandemic.
11:01 a.m. Quebec high school students are back in the classroom today after a month-long layoff imposed by the government to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
All students are required to wear procedural masks inside high school buildings and the government is providing each student two masks per day.
Premier Francois Legault closed primary and high schools on Dec. 17 and extended the winter break; primary school students returned to in-person learning last Monday.
Quebec is reopening schools despite imposing a provincewide curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. until at least Feb. 8. and despite ordering most businesses deemed non-essential closed.
Legault has said schools aren't primary drivers of COVID-19 transmission and that the benefits to children of keeping them open outweigh the risks of contagion.
A recent study by a group of researchers, including from the Universite de Montreal, indicated schools were, in fact, a significant vector of transmission in the community.
10:30 a.m. A long-term care home in Woodbridge, Ont., and a local hospital have agreed to a voluntary management contract.
Mackenzie Health in Richmond Hill, Ont., will provide enhanced support to Villa Leonardo Gambin, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
The voluntary management contract will be in effect for 90 days as the facility grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak.
Ontario's Ministry of Health says there are 15 confirmed cases of the virus among its residents and 13 staff members.
Twenty-one residents at the home have died during the current outbreak.
The Ministry of Long-Term Care says that if necessary, the voluntary management contract can be extended beyond its initial 90-day term.
10:09 a.m. Toronto surpassed 75,000 cases of COVID-19 today, according to Dr. Eileen de Villa. There are 892 new cases Monday. The COVID-19 reproductive number is 1.05, mean the epidemic will continue to grow, says Dr. de Villa, at a Board of Health meeting. Current projections suggest Toronto will surpass ICU capacity before the end of January. Mobility data between Jan. 3 and 9 indicates people have finally gotten the message and are staying at home at levels close to March 2020 lockdown levels, says de Villa.
9:56 a.m. Ontario is reporting another 2,578 COVID-19 cases Monday with 24 deaths, according to its latest report released Monday.
The seven-day average is down to 3,035 cases daily, or 146 weekly per 100,000.
The labs are reporting 40,301 completed tests with a 6.6 per cent positivity rate.
Locally, there are 815 new cases in Toronto, 507 in Peel, 151 in York Region, 151 in Niagara and 121 in Hamilton.
The province is reporting another 27 deaths in long-term care. This data is self-reported by the long-term care homes to the Ministry of Long-Term Care. Daily case and death figures may not immediately match the numbers posted by the local public health units due to lags in reporting time.
Read more from the Star's Zena Salem: Ontario reports 24 more deaths, 2,578 of COVID-19 new cases including 815 in Toronto
9:20 a.m. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in December fell compared with November.
CMHC says the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts for all areas in Canada, excluding Kelowna, B.C., fell 12.2 per cent in December from November.
The December survey was not conducted in Kelowna due to the pandemic.
The annual pace of urban starts fell 12.8 per cent in December as urban starts of apartments, condos and other types of multiple-unit housing projects dropped 15.1 per cent. Single-detached urban starts fell 5.5 per cent.
Rural starts were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 22,373 units.
Despite the drop in December, CMHC says the six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates of housing starts climbed to 239,052 units for the final month of 2020, up from 236,334 in November.
9:12 a.m. The new Vaughan Cortellucci Hospital at Jane Street and Major MacKenzie Drive is expected to be redeployed and open Feb. 7 to function as a surge facility, a COVID-care hospital that other sites can send their overflow patients to.
Early information indicates the hospital will have 180 dedicated COVID-19 beds including 35 ICU beds; the emergency centre will not open as an emergency unit. Premier Doug Ford is expected to make the announcement in Vaughan this afternoon.
9:05 a.m. Expect the pandemic to cause RRSP season" to play out a bit differently this year.
To be sure, the financial rules around making tax-advantaged contributions haven't changed. Canadians commonly use the lead-up to the annual RRSP contribution deadline as a time to review their investments and top-up tax-advantaged savings. This year the deadline for making an RRSP contribution that can be applied to your 2020 tax return is March 2.
But your best choice on what to do depends on where you stand in the COVID economy. If you've been earning a fairly good salary from a secure job but are stuck at home with limited opportunities to spend it, then this might be a golden opportunity to load up your RRSP with a pile of tax-advantaged retirement savings. On the other hand, if your income has suffered or your job security is uncertain, then it might be better to keep what money you have closer-to-hand in a TFSA.
Read the full story from the Star's David Aston
9:02 a.m. If you received any COVID-19 benefits from the government during 2020, chances are you're wondering how they will affect your tax filing and return.
Here are three tax experts with advice on how to prepare for the upcoming tax season, and what to expect if you received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the Canada Recovery Benefit, the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit or the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit.
Read the full story from Rosa Saba
8:26 a.m. A year into the pandemic, it's not just frigid air and dark days that have got people down.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise, and orders to stay at home, this year might seem particularly blue.
So, is this third Monday of January - Blue Monday" - the epitome of doom and gloom?
The Star spoke with Dr. Katy Kamkar, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and wellness coach Kasandra Monid, the founder of ThinkLife Coaching, about what you can do to avoid having the bluest Monday yet.
Read the full story from the Star's Manuela Vega
7:55 a.m. An enforcement blitz that uncovered numerous violations of COVID-19 prevention protocols across big-box retailers in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas will broaden its scope to include the rest of the province in the weeks ahead, the province's labour minister said Sunday.
Monte McNaughton said the initial wave of inspectors combing retailers for those eschewing masks and ignoring physical distancing guidelines found only 70 per cent of sites they visited were adhering to the public health measures intended to curb the spread of the virus. He called the results disappointing, pledging to expand the enforcement efforts to other parts of the province as well as additional industries at risk from COVID-19 outbreaks.
We'll be expanding that in the days and weeks to come across the whole province," McNaughton said in a telephone interview. We're going to continue targeting bad actors and we'll continue issuing fines and close them down if we have to."
The initial blitz involved 50 inspectors fanning out across Toronto, Hamilton and surrounding municipalities to observe the scene at multiple big-box retailers, which are among the businesses allowed to keep their doors open under Ontario's current stay-at-home order.
McNaughton said big-box stores would remain a key target during the provincewide expansion. The ministry issued a document late last week saying inspections would also involve workplaces which reported COVID-19 outbreaks and businesses focused on manufacturing, warehousing, distribution centres and food processing.
Word of the expansion comes amid growing pressure to quell soaring COVID-19 case counts across Ontario, which showed little sign of abating over the weekend.
7:48 a.m. The race director of the men's World Cup will miss the biggest race in skiing after testing positive for COVID-19.
The International Ski Federation says Markus Waldner is self-isolating ahead of the Hahnenkamm races this weekend in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
FIS says Waldner tested positive while overseeing slalom races in Flachau, Austria.
Kitzbuhel's schedule changed after an outbreak of virus cases at Switzerland's signature men's venue Wengen last week. Kitzbuhel will now host an extra downhill on Friday to replace Wengen's main race.
7:14 a.m. As positive tests for COVID-19 have increased across York Region in recent weeks, one grocery store has been particularly hard hit.
The Fortinos located at 8585 Hwy. 27 in Vaughan has had 14 employees test positive for COVID-19 recently, according to York Region Public Health.
Of the 14 cases, public health said 10 are York Region residents. Regional spokesperson, Patrick Casey, said regional staff have been in touch with the grocery store and say the location is stable with no evidence of workplace transmission.
With widespread community transmission in York Region, everyone needs to take precautions when making essential trips in the community," Casey said.
The same location had 4 employees test positive for COVID-19 within 10 days in November.
A spokesperson for Loblaws said at this point, most of those cases are more than two weeks old, and are considered to be resolved. Of the remaining 4 cases, they were last in the store between January 2-5.
7 a.m.: Studies have suggested previous COVID-19 infections may result in promising levels of immunity to the virus, leading to questions of whether those who've already recovered from the disease still need a vaccine.
And is there urgency to inoculate them, or can they move to the back of the vaccination line?
Experts say a vaccine will likely offer the safest bet for longer-term protection, meaning those with previous infections should still get them. And prior COVID illness shouldn't determine someone's place in the queue.
The exact level of immunity acquired from a natural infection is yet to be fully determined, says Dr. Andre Veillette, a professor of medicine at McGill who's also on Canada's COVID-19 vaccine task force.
It may be that protection begins to wane quicker in some people, or that those with previous mild infections aren't as protected as someone who had more severe symptoms, he says. Still others may think they've had a COVID-19 infection but can't be sure if they didn't get tested at the time.
6:30 a.m.: Educators have raised safety concerns about special needs students being back in the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some parents are saying that their kids need the support.
Read the full story from the Star's Olivia Bowden here.
6:30 a.m.: A total rethink" of the design and function of long-term-care facilities and nursing homes in Ontario is urgently needed to fight the spread of diseases like COVID-19, says a Toronto expert in the industry.
Irka Dyczok, whose firm DesignFarm creates designs for retirement homes and long-term-care facilities, says the price tag to make the changes involves capital funding - everything from the creation of wings that house fewer residents - but staffing and operations are also key.
It's obvious things aren't working right now," says Dyczok, referring to the shocking daily death rates in seniors homes across Ontario.
Read the full story from the Star's Donovan Vincent here.
6:09 a.m.: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed Monday to get the pandemic under control and hold the already postponed Olympics this summer with ample coronavirus protection.
In a speech opening a new Parliament session, Suga said his government would revise laws to make anti-virus measures enforceable with penalties and compensation.
Early in the pandemic, Japan was able to keep its virus caseload manageable with non-binding requests for businesses to close or operate with social distancing and for people to stay home. But recent weeks have seen several highs in new cases per day, in part blamed on eased attitudes toward the anti-virus measures, and doubts are growing as more contagious variants spread while people wait for vaccines and the Olympics draw closer.
Suga said his government aims to start vaccinations as early as late February.
6:09 a.m.: A Chinese province grappling with a spike in coronavirus cases is reinstating tight restrictions on weddings, funerals and other family gatherings, threatening violators with criminal charges.
The notice from the high court in Hebei province did not give specifics, but said all types of social gatherings were now being regulated to prevent further spread of the virus.
Hebei has had one of China's most serious outbreaks in months and it comes amid measures to curb the further spread during February's Lunar New Year holiday.
Authorities have called on citizens not to travel, ordered schools closed a week early and conducted testing on a massive scale.
Hebei recorded another 54 cases over the previous 24 hours, the National Health Commission said on Monday, while the northern province of Jilin reported 30 cases and Heilongjiang further north reported seven.
Beijing had two new cases and most buildings and housing compounds now require proof of a negative coronavirus test for entry.
6:08 a.m.: Brazil's health regulator on Sunday approved the urgent use of coronavirus vaccines made by Sinovac and AstraZeneca, enabling Latin America's largest nation to begin an immunization program that's been subject to months of delay and political disputes.
Brazil currently has 6 million doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine ready to distribute in the next few days, and is awaiting the arrival of another 2 million doses of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca and partner Oxford University.
On Saturday night, the health regulator Anvisa rejected an application for use of a Russian vaccine called Sputnik V, submitted by Brazilian company Uniao Quimica. Anvisa said it didn't evaluate the application because it didn't meet minimum requirements to start an analysis.
Vaccination in Brazil is beginning later than neighbours such as Argentina and Chile despite a robust public health system and decades of experience with immunization campaigns. The process to present and approve the COVID-19 vaccines was fraught with conflict, as allies of President Jair Bolsonaro sought to cast doubt on the efficacy of the Sinovac shot backed by his political rival, Sao Paulo state's Gov. Joao Doria.
6:08 a.m.: Incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain says the coronavirus pandemic will get worse before it gets better, projecting another 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the first five weeks of President-elect Joe Biden's administration.
Speaking to CNN's State of the Union," Klain said Biden was inheriting a dire situation, saying even with vaccines, It's going to take a while to turn this around."
Biden has set a goal of injecting 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine in his first 100 days in office, a goal Klain said they were on pace to meet.
Klain added he believed there was enough supply of the pair of vaccines currently granted emergency approval to ensure that those who have received their first shot will get the required second.
6:07 a.m.: Coronavirus infections in the Philippines have surged past 500,000 in a new bleak milestone, with the government facing criticism for failing to immediately launch a vaccination program amid a global scramble for COVID-19 vaccines.
The Department of Health reported 1,895 new infections Sunday, bringing confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to 500,577, the second highest in Southeast Asia.
The Philippines has been negotiating with seven Western and Chinese companies to secure vaccines but the effort has been fraught with uncertainties and confusion.
6:07 a.m.: Pakistan has started reopening schools in phases after about two months of closure despite a steady increase in infections and fatalities from the coronavirus.
Wearing masks, children entered schools on Monday with smiles on their faces, as teachers welcomed them back to their classes.
To lower the spread of the virus, students are being kept at a distance from each other in classrooms.
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood wished good luck to students who return to their classes.
Pakistan has reported 10,997 deaths from the coronavirus among 521,211 cases since February, when the first case was detected in the country.
6:03 a.m.: As new cases of COVID-19 surge across Canada, the federal government and the provinces have been imposing stricter measures to try to limit the illness's spread.
The Canadian Press interviewed three leading Canadian experts in disease control and epidemiology, asking their thoughts on Canada's handling of the pandemic, the new restrictions on activities - and what else can be done. Here's what they had to say.
Read the full story from the Canadian Press here.
6 a.m.: The Edmundston region of New Brunswick is officially in the red alert phase of pandemic precautions.
The move comes a day after the province logged the highest number of new COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
New Brunswick saw 36 new diagnoses yesterday, with 24 alone in the Edmundston-Grand Falls area.
Red-level rules specify that many businesses will be required to close or to reduce services to essential levels and residents will be asked to stay home in single family bubbles as much as possible, though schools remain open.
Outdoor gatherings are limited to five people or fewer with masks and physical distancing measures in place, while in-person dining at restaurants is prohibited.
5:58 a.m.: A clinic dedicated to administering COVID-19 vaccines opens in a Toronto convention centre today.
City officials say the proof-of-concept" clinic will help Ontario's Ministry of Health test and adjust the setup of immunization clinics in non-hospital settings.
The clinic at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which is in the downtown core, aims to vaccinate 250 people per day, but the city notes that is entirely dependent upon vaccine supply.
Pfizer-BioNTech, which manufactures one of the two Health Canada-approved vaccines, announced last week that it's temporarily delaying international shipments of the shots while it upgrades production facilities in Europe.
The Ontario government has said that will affect the province's vaccine distribution plan, and some people will see their booster shots delayed by several weeks.
5:50 a.m.: Albertans will be able to visit hair salons and tattoo parlours today as the province relaxes a few of its COVID-19 restrictions.
Starting today, personal and wellness services, including hair salons and tattoo parlours, can open by appointment only.
Outdoor social gatherings, which were previously banned, will be allowed in groups of up to 10 people.
And the limit on the number of people who can attend funerals is increasing to 20, although receptions are still prohibited.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro said last week that Alberta can't entirely ease up, but that it can make small adjustments to provide Albertans with some limited activities.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Monday Jan. 18, 2021.
In Canada, the provinces are reporting 27,451 new vaccinations administered for a total of 570,742 doses given. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 1,505.944 per 100,000.
There were zero new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 761,500 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 74.95 per cent of their available vaccine supply.
Ontario: Ontario is reporting 11,007 new vaccinations administered for a total of 200,097 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 13.622 per 1,000.
There were zero new vaccines delivered to Ontario for a total of 277,050 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 1.9 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 72.22 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Monday Jan. 18, 2021.
There are 708,619 confirmed cases in Canada (75,281 active, 615,324 resolved, 18,014 deaths).The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.
There were 6,436 new cases Sunday from 70,499 completed tests, for a positivity rate of 9.1 per cent. The rate of active cases is 200.27 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 47,285 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 6,755.
There were 149 new reported deaths Sunday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 1,001 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 143. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.38 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 47.92 per 100,000 people.
There have been 16,557,083 tests completed.