Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario is reporting 574 cases of COVID-19; Ontario enters first stage of its economic reopening plan
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
12:25 p.m. After months of hand-wringing over Canada's place in the global vaccination queue, it's a milestone many might not have predicted.
But as of Friday, Canada has given a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to a bigger proportion of its population than any of the other large, developed countries on the planet.
The pace of delivery has really ramped up in a way that I think surprised most people," says Calgary-based economist Trevor Tombe, who has been tracking the vaccination rollout closely.
It certainly surprised me."
Read the full story from the Star's Alex Boyd
12:15 p.m. Ontario is once again extending temporary pandemic wage hikes for personal support workers in nursing homes and other publicly funded health care setting as critics call for the raises to be made permanent.
Due to expire at the end of June, the raises of $2 or $3 hourly, depending on the sector, will continue until Aug. 23 at a cost of $141 million.
Calling PSWs the backbone" of the nursing home system for helping residents with grooming, feeding, toileting and more, Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton said the raises are intended to keep people in the vital jobs.
Extending this wage increase will help to attract and retain personal support workers in long-term care, which is so important as they provide our loved ones with the care they need and deserve every day," Fullerton said.
Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly praised PSWs in nursing homes - several of whom died from COVID-19 after caring for residents during the darkest days of the pandemic - as heroes," prompting opposition parties to call for permanent wage increases in recognition of their value to the health-care system.
Read the full story from the Star's Rob Ferguson
12:05 p.m. Florian Francois arrived at Ricarda's restaurant early on a mid-July day three years ago. Not a morning person, the eight o'clock wake-up call was a challenge. But he wanted a front-row seat to the game.
It was all worth it hours later when Francois, a Toronto-based native of France, watched among a crowd of more than 150 supporters as Les Blues beat Croatia to win the 2018 World Cup.
It was crowded, everyone was pumped to be with each other, lots of people," Francois recalled this week. It's also like one of these moments where the expat communities . . . that is the moment where we get together."
Being together back then was a luxury that many, sports fans included, took for granted. After 15 months at a forced distance because of necessary COVID-19 restrictions, the importance of the ability to gather is clear.
So it was something special when Toronto soccer fans learned earlier this week that outdoor dining would reopen in time for the 2020 European championships, which were postponed by a year because of the pandemic.
Read the full story from the Star's Laura Armstrong
11:50 a.m. Quebec is reporting 180 new cases of COVID-19 Friday and one death attributed to the coronavirus.
Health officials say hospitalizations dropped by seven to 244, and 59 people were in intensive care, a drop of five.
The province says 98,455 vaccine doses were administered in the past 24 hours and more than 77 per cent of Quebecers over 12 have received at least one dose.
Nearly 11 per cent of Quebecers are fully vaccinated.
Bar patios reopened today in several regions, including Montreal and Quebec City, and they will be allowed to fully reopen on Monday.
11:40 a.m. A doctor who was accused of being at the root of a COVID-19 outbreak in New Brunswick last year is taking legal action against the province and the RCMP.
In a draft statement of claim obtained by the Star, Dr. Jean Robert Ngola Monzinga cites racism, political gain and an alleged coverup in a series of incidents last year that saw him singled out and falsely accused of being patient zero in a COVID outbreak.
It was a series of events that he says led to an RCMP investigation as well as racial harassment and death threats from New Brunswickers.
Ultimately, for fear of his safety, Ngola - who had settled in Canada after leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo years earlier - says he was forced to leave Campbellton, N.B., where he'd worked at the local hospital and run a family practice for some 2,000 residents for eight years, to resettle in Quebec.
Read the full story from the Star's Steve McKinley
11:30 a.m. U.S. regulators are allowing for the release of 10 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine from a troubled Baltimore factory, but material to make many more must be thrown out because of possible contamination, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.
The FDA announced that it had determined that two batches from the plant could be released. But it said several other batches are not suitable for use and additional batches are still under review.
A second person familiar with the decision confirmed that it would allow for 10 million doses to be released. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release details about it ahead of its announcement.
The doses originated at an Emergent BioSolutions factory, known as Bayview, that is making the vaccine for J&J. Those doses would be the first from the factory approved for use. J&J doses that had been administered came from other plants.
Emergent is one of several contractors for J&J that produces its one-shot vaccine in bulk. The concentrated vaccine then is shipped to other factories for final steps, including diluting them to the correct strength, putting them in vials and packaging them up.
11:20 a.m. Ontario is extending temporary wage increases to personal support workers of $2 or $3 hourly depending on the sector (nursing homes, etc.) to Aug. 23. It is aimed at reducing attrition in the pandemic.
11:05 a.m. Nunavut is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 today, all in Iqaluit.
There are now six active cases in the city of about 8,000 people after going almost one week without a new case.
Premier Joe Savikataaq says the new cases are people who aren't vaccinated.
A case of COVID-19 was discovered earlier this week when a resident was admitted to the hospital in Iqaluit, where all patients are tested for COVID-19.
11 a.m. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck almost 16 months ago, so many industries ground to a halt, including every major professional sports organization. Starting with the NBA, and then the NHL and WNBA, arenas locked their doors.
MLB, ATP Tour and WTA Tour stadiums were empty, as were golf courses scheduled to host PGA and LPGA tour events. The Euro 2020 soccer championship and Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed for a year.
While athletes in those sports searched for ways to keep in shape, the (mainly) young women and men who compete in esports continued to play League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter Strike Global Offensive (CSGO), Fortnite, FIFA, NHL and other video games - much to the delight of bettors seeking other event options to place a wager.
COVID-19 propelled sports betting 2-3 years ahead," Charlie Watson, CEO of Tiidal Gaming, a Toronto-based esports online gaming company. It accelerated more areas to recognize the betting opportunities and to legitimize esports."
Read the full story from Steve McAllister
10:37 a.m. As most of Ontario enters stage 1 on Friday, many are optimistic about loosened restrictions and the opportunity to shop and have a drink on a sunny patio or cafe.
Most Ontarians can now take part in outdoor dining on patios and sidewalk cafes, with up to four people per table unless everyone seated is part of the same household.
The new reopening rules come into effect days ahead of the province's initial target date of June 14.
Here's what some are saying about Friday's reopening of outdoor dining:
Some started flocking to patios in the pre-dawn hours on Friday.
Read the full story from the Star's Zena Salem
10:16 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting another 574 COVID-19 cases, according to its latest report released Friday morning.
Ontario has administered 199,951 vaccine doses since its last daily update, with 10,827,420 vaccines given in total as of 8 p.m. the previous night.
According to the Star's vaccine tracker, 9,293,678 people in Ontario have received at least one shot. That works out to approximately 63.08 per cent of the total population and the equivalent of 73.7 per cent of the adult population.
The province says 1,533,742 people have completed their vaccinations, which means they've had both doses. That works out to approximately 10.4 per cent of the total population and the equivalent of 12.6 per cent of the adult population.
There are 489 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the province, including 440 patients in intensive care. There are 292 people on ventilators.
Locally, Health Minister Christine Elliott says 109 cases are in Toronto, 84 in Peel Region, 79 in Waterloo, 51 in Porcupine and 31 in Hamilton.
Read the full story from the Star's Zena Salem
10:10 a.m. A Canadian government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says Canada will pledge up to 100 million doses, including what it bought for others in vaccine sharing initiatives.
The day before the summit, the U.K. promised to send at least 100 million doses within the next year, and United States President Joe Biden pledged he would send away another half a billion.
9:45 a.m. Statistics Canada says the amount Canadians owe compared with their income fell in the first quarter compared with the end of last year.
The agency says household credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income on a seasonally adjusted basis fell to 172.3 per cent in the first quarter.
The reading compared with 174.0 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2020 as an increase in household income outpaced an increase in debt.
The result means Canadians owed $1.72 in credit market debt for every dollar of household disposable income.
Meanwhile, the household debt service ratio, measured as total obligated payments of principal and interest on credit market debt as a proportion of household disposable income, fell to 13.45 per cent from 13.55 per cent in the fourth quarter.
The decrease came as the seasonally adjusted household savings rate rose to 13.1 per cent in the first quarter compared with 11.9 per cent in the last quarter of 2020.
9:23 a.m. More than 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine now administered in Toronto.
8:50 a.m. Pressure is mounting for governments, both in Canada and in the United States, to reopen the border, the closure of which has been extended until June 21. In Quebec, the Eastern Townships are impatiently" awaiting the return of American tourists, whose presence is very important for stimulating the economy.
You can tell there are a lot of people in the United States who are impatient, who can't wait to see us again. And us too. This is a large part of our clientele, around 30 per cent year after year, Elise Bourduas, co-owner of the Auberge Brouerie in Sutton, told La Presse.
Border debates were revived across the country on Wednesday after the Trudeau government announced that the three-day hotel quarantine would no longer be mandatory after returning from a trip overseas, starting in early July.
Fortunately, since the border closed between the two countries, the local and Quebec clientele has grown exponentially, said Bourduas. No matter what happens to the border, we expect it to be a crazy summer. But we are ready for war. Compared to last year, we are also 200-per-cent better prepared to support traffic while respecting the rules," she said.
8:40 a.m. Some 9,000 Canadian Border Service Agency workers are preparing for strike votes starting next week, even as Canada-U.S. border reopening talks get underway.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada union said Thursday that its 5,500 border services officers, 2,000 headquarters staff and other workers at Canada Post facilities and in inland enforcement jobs will begin strike votes on Wednesday, which will then continue throughout the month.
The workers, employed by the CBSA and Treasury Board, have been without a contract for nearly three years and say talks broke off between the two sides in December.
The union and the employers have been unable to agree on better protections for staff that the union argues would bring them in line with other law enforcement personnel across Canada and address a toxic" workplace culture.
8:25 a.m. Friday might be the first glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for restaurants in Toronto. It marks the return of patio dining to the city. The restaurant reopening coincides with the start of the European Football Championship, a massive sporting event and big draw for patrons in the city.
The blood's flowing again," said Rocco Mastrangelo, owner of Cafe Diplomatico in Toronto's Little Italy. Reservations, only available to people watching the (first) game (Italy vs. Turkey), were fully booked at the restaurant by Wednesday, he said.
It's going to be a great reopening."
It's been a brutal year for restaurants in Toronto. From the beginning, the pandemic decimated the industry and whiplash lockdown restriction changes from the province piled on further hurt.
Read the full story from the Star's Ben Cohen
8:10 a.m. The question of allowing any fans into Tokyo Olympic venues is still being debated with a decision unlikely to be announced before the end of the month.
This would be just a few weeks before the Olympics are to open on July 23. Fans from abroad have already been banned in what is shaping up as a largely made-for-television Olympics.
Tokyo and several prefectures are under a state of emergency until June 20. Infections have slowed recently, but the spread of variants is still a concern that could put pressure on already stressed medical facilities.
Dr. Nobuhiko Okabe, director general of the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health, suggested on Friday he would lean toward few fans. He spoke on a panel put together by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee.
Thinking in a different way, I think it's an option to suggest to people to enjoy the games on TV - like teleworking," he said. "We could suggest a different way of enjoying the games."
Okabe said it was not just a matter of fans in the venues, but what they do after leaving - heading to bars or restaurants.
7:55 a.m. Ontario administered almost 200,000 vaccines Thursday; 10,826,669 vaccines have been administered in the province thus far.
8 a.m. Ontario is moving up second doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Pfizer and Moderna recipients in parts of the GTA and four other areas where the highly contagious Delta strain poses the greatest threat.
People who live in Toronto, the regions of Peel, York, Halton and Waterloo as well as the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph and Porcupine (Timmins area) health units can begin booking boosters Monday at 8 a.m. through the provincial or health unit appointment systems and pharmacies, officials said Thursday.
The eligibility - which has been accelerated by a month - applies to those who got first doses on or before May 9. There are no restrictions by postal codes.
We will continue to expand eligibility for accelerated second doses as additional vaccine allocations are confirmed by the federal government as Ontario begins to reopen," Health Minister Christine Elliott said as the province reported its seven-day average of new cases fell further to 617 infections with 11 more deaths.
An additional 2 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected by the end of June on top of almost 5 million from Pfizer by the end of July.
Read the full story from the Star's Rob Ferguson
7:50 a.m. Many Canadians who live in the U.S. were celebrating Wednesday's announcement in Ottawa that pandemic border restrictions may be somewhat loosened by mid-July. I'm in tears!!! I just hope this applies to all provinces, I want to go home!" one member of a Facebook group for expatriates wrote.
But the announcement by Health Minister Patty Hajdu contained no plan to allow fully vaccinated Americans to travel into Canada, and no timeline for such measures to be introduced. Among Americans who've grown impatient with Canada's reluctance to ease travel restrictions, the reaction was stunned disappointment.
It defies logic," said Rep. Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat who is chair of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus.
Read the full story from the Star's Edward Keenan
7:30 a.m. Russia winger Andrey Mostovoy was cut from the national team for this year's European Championship on Friday after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Mostovoy is the first player to be cut from a team at the tournament because of the virus.
The team wrote on Twitter that Mostovoy has been replaced by defender Roman Evgeniev in connection with an unfavorable result of PCR testing."
Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov said no other players were suspected to be infected.
We all did (testing) yesterday evening, and all did it again this morning. Everyone is clean," he said.
Russia is scheduled to play its opening Euro 2020 match against Belgium on Saturday in St. Petersburg.
Mostovoy made his debut for Russia last year and played eight of the team's last 11 games, mostly as a substitute.
Evgeniev's only appearance for his country was in a 5-0 loss to Serbia last year. He had been with the team at a training camp in the run-up to the tournament.
7:25 a.m. As the province moves into the first step of its three-stage reopening Friday, Ontarians will finally be able to enjoy more freedoms, after what people hope will be the last COVID-19 lockdown in the province.
The brutality of the pandemic was felt across Ontario's communities. Half a million residents were infected. Thousands died; teenagers as young as 13, front-line workers, long-term-care residents and disproportionately visible minorities.
Lives were irreversibly changed, but despite the tragedy felt all over the province, people found slivers of hope. There were moments of peace, deep connection, success and for some even better health.
The Star spoke with six Ontarians about what they'll miss from the pandemic, and what aspects of the new normal" they hope will continue in a post-pandemic world. Here's what they said.
Read the full story from the Star's Maria Sarrouh
7:15 a.m. Spain's squad for the European Championship has been vaccinated against the coronavirus after two players had to be isolated following positive tests for COVID-19.
The national team says medics from Spain's Armed Forces administered the shots at the team's training facility near Madrid.
Spain will play Sweden in Seville on Monday in its opening Euro 2020 match. Preparations for the tournament were thrown off this week after captain Sergio Busquets and defender Diego Llorente both tested positive.
Llorente's subsequent tests have come back negative so his initial positive result may have been erroneous. The team says he may be able to return soon.
Busquets tested positive on Sunday and is under a minimum 10-day isolation. But the team says he is feeling fine and that it hopes he will be back during the tournament.
6 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enters the first day of the G7 summit as the only leader who has yet to pledge how many vaccine doses his country will donate to less wealthy nations.
The United Kingdom says leaders are expected to agree to give other parts of the world access to one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines through donations and funding.
Trudeau is set to meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has stated he wants the three-day gathering to produce promises on ways to end the pandemic by the end of next year.
The G7 leaders will take part in a session today that focuses on how the health and economic recovery from COVID can be "for all."
Ensuring equitable access to inoculations against COVID-19 is a call facing leaders from the World Health Organization, as well as anti-poverty and humanitarian groups, since over 80 per cent of the vaccinations to date have been in wealthy countries.
5:50 a.m.: As he gets set to open his patio in the heart of Greektown for the first time in months, Chris Christodoulou is a bundle of energy.
Christodoulou, who owns popular Danforth restaurant Soula's, has been running around, making sure everything's in tip-top shape, the chairs are arranged, and the food and booze have been ordered ahead of Friday's reopening.
But as Step 1 of Ontario's loosening of COVID restrictions begins, his biggest concern has been people; not customers, but staff.
Honestly, the biggest problem right now is finding enough staff, especially servers and other people in the front of house," said Christodoulou. I'm excited we can finally open the patio again and I'm optimistic there will be customers, but it's not going to solve this industry's problems. We've all been suffering."
It's a common refrain from restaurant owners across the city, as patios are allowed to open, giving them a lifeline after being closed on and off for over a year: Customers will come back, but staff shortages, higher prices from produce and meat suppliers, and limited seating means their businesses still won't be out of the woods for a while. Some have also been struggling to get makeshift patios licensed under the CafeTO program.
Read more from the Star's Josh Rubin.
5:45 a.m.: Outdoor dining and shopping at non-essential retail stores can resume in most of Ontario today as the province enters the first stage of its economic reopening plan.
New COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations have dropped in recent weeks, allowing the province to loosen some pandemic restrictions.
Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people and patio dining of up to four people per table are among the activities now permitted.
Non-essential stores can also reopen, with capacity limits, and outdoor fitness classes are allowed.
More restrictions will loosen after 21 days if pandemic indicators continue to improve and more people get vaccinated.
One region in northern Ontario, the Porcupine health unit, will hold off on easing restrictions for now as infections soar.
5:22 a.m. Some provinces hit hard by the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic have moved toward shedding more public health restrictions, but a national group is calling for those governments to slow their plans.
Zero COVID Canada sent a letter Thursday to the premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec "to express our deepest concerns regarding the reopening plans."
"As more and more evidence comes in, it appears that a single dose of the vaccine - including Pfizer - is only about 30 per cent effective against the Delta variant, which is ravaging India and the U.K. right now," the letter says.
"Each new variant has the potential to evade vaccination efforts, and we need to protect our efforts to date."
The group is made up of researchers, physicians, engineers, activists, lawyers, educators, and concerned citizens.
It noted that the variant first identified in India has already caused multiple outbreaks in Canada, including at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, and is behind case spikes in Manitoba and in Peel Region outside Toronto.
Zero COVID Canada also recommends that provinces keep masking and physical distancing, and to only restore capacity limits indoors when 70 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated.
5:10 a.m.: Ontario is moving up second doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Pfizer and Moderna recipients in parts of the GTA and four other areas where the highly contagious Delta strain poses the greatest threat.
People who live in Toronto, the regions of Peel, York, Halton and Waterloo as well as the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph and Porcupine (Timmins area) health units can begin booking boosters Monday at 8 a.m. through the provincial or health unit appointment systems and pharmacies, officials said Thursday.
The eligibility - which has been accelerated by a month - applies to those who got first doses on or before May 9. There are no restrictions by postal codes.
Read more from the Star's Rob Ferguson.
5:05 a.m.: An alarming" surge in COVID cases, including in several remote First Nations communities, means the northeastern health unit of Porcupine will stay locked down for two weeks.
The health unit will also open up second doses to anyone who got a first shot on or before May 9, in an effort to protect against the more contagious Delta variant.
The Porcupine health unit is still in its third wave," said Dr. Lianne Catton, medical officer of health, at a press conference Thursday afternoon, held at the same time that Steini Brown presented a much more optimistic picture of trends in the rest of the province on behalf of the Ontario science table.
Read more from the Star's May Warren.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Friday, June 11, 2021:
In Canada, the provinces are reporting 471,196 new vaccinations administered for a total of 27,715,799 doses given. Nationwide, 3,717,945 people or 9.8 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 73,130.152 per 100,000.
There were 108,380 new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 30,444,634 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 91.04 per cent of their available vaccine supply.
4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. ET on Friday, June 11, 2021:
There are 1,398,274 confirmed cases in Canada (19,253 active, 1,353,148 resolved, 25,873 deaths). The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.
There were 1,479 new cases Thursday. The rate of active cases is 50.66 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 10,832 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,547.
There were 30 new reported deaths Thursday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 229 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 33. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 68.08 per 100,000 people.