Today’s coronavirus news: Alberta's top doctor to update COVID-19 situation; Japan races to vaccinate as coronavirus surges; Israel expands eligibility for boosters
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.
10:20 a.m. Ontario reporting 510 COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths. 368 cases are in unvaccinated individuals and 57 in partially vaccinated individuals; 111 people are in ICU due to COVID-19. Three are fully vaccinated and 108 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status at this time, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.
9:50 a.m. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday refused to block a plan by Indiana University to require students and employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Barrett's action came in response to an emergency request from eight students, and it marked the first time the high court has weighed in on a vaccine mandate. Some corporations, states and cities have adopted vaccine requirements for workers or even to dine indoors, and others are considering doing so.
The students said in court papers that they have a constitutional right to bodily integrity, autonomy, and of medical treatment choice in the context of a vaccination mandate." They wanted the high court to issue an order barring the university from enforcing the mandate. Seven of the students qualify for a religious exemption.
9:40 a.m. U.S. life expectancy dropped by 1.5 years in 2020, the largest single-year decline recorded since 1943, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The average American life expectancy at birth was 77.3 years in 2020, down from 78.8 in 2019. Life expectancy at age 65 in 2020 was 18.8 years versus 19.6 years.
The COVID-19 pandemic accounted for most of the decline, while drug overdoses, homicides and chronic diseases also contributed. Hispanic men saw the steepest drop from any U.S. population, to 75.3 years.
Anna Rappaport, chair of the Society of Actuaries' Committee on Post-Retirement Needs & Risks, views the drop in life expectancy as, most likely, a temporary change, and not a change in the general idea that life expectancy is decreasing over the long term.
9:15 a.m. 4,432,670 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto to date, according to a tweet from Mayor John Tory.
9 a.m. Nigeria's diplomatic mission in London says it is shutting down for 10 days after two of its officials tested positive for the coronavirus.
One of the infected diplomats was diagnosed while visiting the U.K.'s Home Office on Thursday, according to the Nigerian High Commission. That prompted a mass testing of staffers, which led to the detection of the second case.
In line with COVID-19 regulation and the need to adhere to the rules and regulation of the host country, the mission will close down for the next 10 days, in order to observe the mandatory isolation of those who were in contact with the affected officials," the commission statement said.
A commission spokesperson didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on whether the infected officials or their close contacts have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
8:45 a.m. The Tokyo Olympics have ended, but cases are still rising amid calls to limit gatherings.
On Friday, Tokyo reported 5,773 new cases, surpassing the previous record of 5,042 set last week. Yet many people are ignoring government requests to avoid travel and are gathering at bars and restaurants even as the coronavirus spikes.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga hopes vaccinations will slow the infections. It's a race between the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus and inoculation rates that are making better progress than expected.
Japan's daily coronavirus cases have topped 10,000 for more than a week, hospitals are filling up, and thousands of people infected are isolating at home. About 36% of Japan's population has been fully vaccinated.
8:30 a.m. Hundreds of foreign nationals stood in line on Friday under Cyprus' searing midsummer sun at the capital's only walk-in vaccination center geared toward vaccinating free of charge those who aren't covered under the country's General Healthcare System, or GHS.
Cypriot authorities have been surprised by the huge turnout at the center. The idea was to enable those without GHS coverage to walk in for a shot without having to go through the hassle of online appointments that could be weeks away.
On the center's first day a week ago, 2,555 people without GHS coverage received a vaccine shot.
The tremendous response of the people shows this is something that's very positive," Cypriot Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela told reporters after touring the center. As you can imagine, we couldn't have foreseen such a response."
A powerful incentive for many to opt for vaccination is the fact that the Cypriot government has required the mandatory display of a SafePass' certificate for entry into places where people gather in numbers, including restaurants, bars, shopping malls and supermarkets. The certificate proves that the holder has received at least one shot, has been tested for the virus in the previous 72 hours or has recently recovered from the disease.
8 a.m. Israel is expanding its coronavirus booster shot program to people over the age of 50.
Israel was one of the world's leaders in vaccinating its population early this year. But in recent weeks, it has seen a surge in cases involving the more transmissible delta variant, even among individuals who were thought to be fully vaccinated.
Israel last month began offering a booster shot to people over the age of 60, becoming the first country in the world that uses a Western vaccine to do so. The campaign was expanded on Friday to people over 50 and front-line health care workers.
Health officials in the United States and Europe have not yet recommended booster shots.
World Health Organization officials have urged nations to refrain from administering extra shots, saying it is more important to inoculate the unvaccinated in poorer countries.
7:40 a.m. The chasm in coronavirus case rates between unvaccinated and vaccinated Californians is continuing to widen, state data show, as some officials move more aggressively to require the shots as a precondition of both work and play.
For the week ending Saturday, the average case rate among uninoculated residents was 51 per 100,000 people per day. That's more than six times the rate for those already vaccinated against COVID-19, 8.2 per 100,000 people per day, according to figures from the California Department of Public Health.
While both those numbers increased from the week before, the slope was far steeper for those who have yet to get their doses.
For the week of July 31, the average unvaccinated case rate was 33 per 100,000 people per day, compared with a rate of 7 per 100,000 people per day for those who had been vaccinated.
The vast majority of new cases are among the unvaccinated," California health officials wrote in a news release Thursday.
The latest data illustrate a point health officials have long stressed: Although it is possible for those who have been fully vaccinated to get infected, the chance of that happening is significantly lower than for those who have yet to roll up their sleeves.
If everyone eligible were to get vaccinated, we would end up avoiding so much of the anxiety and distress that comes with having a loved one hospitalized with COVID, and almost no one would pass away from this infection," Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said this week. This is an achievable reality for us."
Despite the headline-grabbing examples of so-called breakthrough cases - when someone is infected with the coronavirus even after being vaccinated - data continue to show those have been an exceedingly rare occurrence.
7:30 a.m. Just four of the 47 public post-secondary institutions in Ontario have mandated COVID-19 vaccines campus-wide so far, with students, staff and faculty obligated to present proof of immunization. They are Seneca College, the University of Ottawa, Western University and the University of Guelph.
Several others, including OCAD University, the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, will require anyone who wishes to be on-campus to share their vaccination status through mobile applications or online tools, but will not ask students or staff to provide proof of receiving their doses. Some institutions will direct those who indicate they haven't been vaccinated, or that they prefer not to disclose their status, to a rapid antigen screening program, and provide them with information about being immunized and booking appointments.
Read the full story from the Star's Maria Sarrouh
6:15 a.m. Twenty-seven people aboard a Carnival cruise tested positive for COVID-19 just before the ship made a stop in Belize City this week, according to the Belize Tourism Board.
The positive cases were among 26 crew members and one passenger on the Carnival Vista, which is carrying over 1,400 crew and nearly 3,000 passengers, the board said in a statement. The ship arrived Wednesday in Belize City.
All 27 were vaccinated, had mild or no symptoms, and were in isolation, according to the statement. The tourism board said 99.98 per cent of the ship's crew was vaccinated, as well as 96.5 per cent of its passengers.
The Washington Post reported Carnival said it announced last week that there were positive cases on board, but the cruise line did not not give specific numbers. The ship left from Galveston, Texas, according to the Post.
Carnival is requiring passengers to be vaccinated, though there are exceptions for children and people with medical issues. The cruise line said in a statement Aug. 4 that passengers must wear a mask in certain indoor areas, and provide a negative COVID test within three days of embarkment for cruises beginning Aug. 14.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that it had investigated the Carnival Vista and the ship remains under observation.
5 a.m. When mapping COVID-19 in Toronto, the highest infection rates can be seen in the city's northwest, where residents are more likely to be newcomers, low income and living in cramped housing - all factors that heightened their risk of death and disease long before the pandemic.
In this corner of Toronto, organizations like Rexdale Community Health Centre have found creative ways to reach their neediest patients but COVID has halted much of this critical work. A weekly mobile clinic for uninsured workers was paused. Community events for diabetes interventions and education were cancelled.
And at the clinic, where doctors continued treating people in person and online, certain patients stopped showing up.
Thirty-five per cent of our patients are uninsured ... people who literally have no resources," said Peter Khela, director of primary health-care services at Rexdale CHC. We prioritize them. But during COVID, we've seen less of them come to us. I don't know why."
Read the full story from the Star's Jennifer Yang
Friday 4 a.m. Alberta's chief medical officer of health and education minister are to provide an update today on COVID-19 and back-to-school guidance.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw and Minister Adriana LaGrange have scheduled a news conference about ongoing work to protect public health in schools as cases in the province spike and concerns grow.
Public health experts, physicians and others have criticized the province's plan to eliminate most testing, tracing and isolation measures come Monday.
Many have expressed concerns about children returning to classrooms in September, especially since those under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for vaccines.
Hinshaw has repeatedly said children are at low-risk for severe outcomes as a result of COVID-19.
But critics of the province's plan have drawn attention to Alberta's limited number of pediatric intensive care beds and the potential for young Albertans to develop serious illnesses such as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, severe COVID-19 pneumonia and long-COVID.
Thursday 11:20 p.m. U.S. regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to better protect them as the Delta variant continues to surge.
The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration applies to millions of Americans who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several other countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations.
It's harder for vaccines to rev up an immune system suppressed by certain medications or diseases, so those patients don't always get the same protection as otherwise healthy people - and small studies suggest for at least some, an extra dose may be the solution.
This action is about ensuring our most vulnerable ... are better protected against COVID-19," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said ahead of the FDA's announcement.
Importantly, the decision only applies to this high-risk group, about 3 per cent of U.S. adults. It's not an opening for booster doses for the general population.
Instead, health authorities consider the extra dose part of the initial COVID-19 vaccine prescription for the immune-compromised. For example, France since April has encouraged that such patients get a third dose four weeks after their regular second shot.
Thursday 8 p.m. Infectious disease experts are skeptical Ontario will be able to further relax COVID-19 restrictions in the next seven to 10 days - a timeframe suggested earlier this week by the province's chief medical officer - pointing to rising daily case counts and several public health units that are far away" from meeting thresholds to exit Step 3.
While more than 72 per cent of Ontarians 12 and older are now fully vaccinated, that is still below the 75 per cent overall double-vaccination threshold the province says must be met to proceed out of Step 3. In addition, 12 of the province's 34 public health units still have not fully vaccinated 70 per cent of their eligible populations, another benchmark that must be met to continue to reopen.
To make matters worse, the province's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table reported Thursday that 28 public health units are seeing exponential growth in new daily cases. That's up from 21 since the beginning of August.
Read the full story from the Star's Kenyon Wallace
Thursday 7:42 p.m. Yukon health officials are reporting nine new cases of COVID-19, reports The Canadian Press.
In a news release Thursday, acting chief medical officer of health, Dr. Jesse Kancir, says two of the cases are out-of-territory residents diagnosed in Yukon, three are from rural Yukon and four are from Whitehorse, according to CP.
He says the territory has seen 645 cases since the start of the pandemic, while 585 of them have been since an outbreak started June 1.
Yukon has recorded six COVID-19-related deaths, five of them were unvaccinated and one was partially vaccinated.
Premier Sandy Silver has said more than 80 per cent of the eligible population in the territory is now fully vaccinated.
The Yukon government has lifted a series of public health restrictions, including that self-isolation after domestic travel is no longer needed for those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated, while bars and restaurants have returned to full capacity.
Thursday 7:37 p.m. The Winnipeg Jets and Blue Bombers have told unvaccinated fans to stay home, and Toronto teams may be next, reports Star contributor Damien Cox.
MLSE is planning an announcement next week regarding Maple Leafs and Raptors games this fall.