Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario is reporting 656 new cases of COVID-19; Premier Doug Ford to make vaccine certificate announcement at 1 p.m.; Quebec launches vaccine passport system
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Wednesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
10:20 a.m. Ontario is reporting 656 new cases of COVID-19; 504 cases are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 152 are in fully vaccinated individuals. In Ontario, 20,792,657 vaccine doses have been administered. Nearly 83.1 per cent of Ontarians 12+ have one dose and 76.4 per cent have two doses.
10:10 a.m. North Korea has turned down roughly three million doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech Ltd., instructing that they should instead be sent to harder-hit countries.
The shots were offered in recent weeks through the Covax initiative, a program financed mostly by Western governments to help lower-income countries obtain vaccines.
North Korea's public health ministry declined the shipment, citing the limited global supply for COVID-19 vaccines and continuing virus surges elsewhere, according to a spokeswoman for Unicef, which helps deliver shots on behalf of Covax. North Korea requested the vaccines be relocated to severely affected countries," the spokeswoman said.
9:52 a.m. The number of daily COVID-19 cases confirmed in Egypt has grown steadily in recent weeks amid relaxed precautionary measures and the spread of the Delta variant.
The Health Ministry reported late Tuesday 279 cases in 24 hours and nine deaths, compared to 194 cases and seven deaths on the same day last week.
The Delta variant first was detected in Egypt in July. Daily reported cases have gone up as authorities relaxed restrictions, allowing concerts and other large events where few participants wear face masks or maintain a distance from others.
Authorities have reported a total of 288,440 confirmed cases and 16,736 deaths since the start of the pandemic, but the actual numbers are believed much higher due to limited testing.
9:30 a.m. A few years before the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of infection control and communications experts at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre launched a plan to boost the hospital's staff vaccination rate for seasonal flu, which was hovering around 58 per cent - not great, but slightly higher than average for Ontario hospitals.
Under the new policy, employees who refused the flu shot had to complete an online learning module, similar to the education program Premier Doug Ford's government mandated on Aug. 17 for health-care workers and teachers who choose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Sunnybrook's aim was to shift the thinking on flu immunization from an option that was out there, to a decision that had to be made, with a deadline. Workers who didn't change their minds after watching the narrated slideshow had to sign a form officially declining the flu shot and acknowledging the risk in doing so.
Read the full story from the Star's Amy Dempsey
9:23 a.m. Staff at public hospitals have held protests around Greece Wednesday on the deadline to comply with a vaccination mandate for health care workers or face suspension without pay.
The government says the measure is needed to safeguard hospitals amid a third major surge in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
But health care unions say it is unnecessary, noting that an estimated 95 per cent of doctors and 90 per cent of other staff at the country's largest hospitals are fully vaccinated.
Infection levels spiked in August to the highest level recorded in the country so far, and pressure on hospitals has been building in recent weeks.
Nearly 64 per cent of Greece's adult population is now fully vaccinated, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, while the European Union average reached 70 per cent Tuesday.
9:20 a.m. France has started administering coronavirus booster shots to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.
The move is meant to shore up their vaccine protection against the highly contagious Delta variant. People can get the shot on the condition a minimum six-month period has passed since they got fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
The Health Ministry says about 18 million people are eligible for the booster shot.
France has been facing increased cases since July, with a slight decrease in recent weeks - from 23,000 per day around mid-August to the current 17,000. Health officials are concerned about a reversal of the trend as children return to school on Thursday.
Almost 44 million people, or 65 per cent of the French population, are fully vaccinated.
9:04 a.m. Moderna Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine generated more than double the antibodies of a similar shot made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in research that compared immune responses evoked by the two inoculations.
The study is one of the first to compare levels of antibodies produced by the two vaccines, which are thought to be one of the important components of the immune response. It didn't examine whether the antibody differences led to a difference in efficacy over time between the two shots, which both were more than 90 per cent effective in final-stage clinical trials.
The research looked at antibody levels against the coronavirus spike protein in about 1,600 workers at a major Belgium hospital system whose blood samples were analyzed 6 to 10 weeks after vaccination. The participants hadn't been infected with the coronavirus before getting vaccinated. Levels among those who got two doses of the Moderna vaccine averaged 2,881 units per milliliter, compared with 1,108 units per milliliter among those who received two Pfizer doses.
The results, published Monday in a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested the differences might be explained by the higher amount of active ingredient in the Moderna vaccine - 100 micrograms, versus 30 micrograms in Pfizer-BioNTech - or the slightly longer interval between doses of the Moderna vaccine - four weeks, versus three weeks for Pfizer-BioNTech.
8:50 a.m. If you live in one of the rural communities tucked into the forested hillsides along the Oregon-California border and need serious medical care, you'll probably wind up at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. It serves about nine counties on either side of the border.
It is one of three hospitals Asante owns in the region. All three ICUs are 100 per cent full of COVID-19 patients, according to staff members.
We've had two deaths today. So, it's a very grim, difficult time," Dr. Michael Blumhardt, medical director of the hospital's intensive care unit, said on a recent Tuesday. The Delta virus is passing through the region like a buzz saw."
Unlike earlier COVID-19 waves, he said, patients are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
We're seeing clusters of families being admitted. We had a father and an adult daughter admitted to the intensive care unit and he passed away. Right before, I had to put the daughter on life support," he said.
8:43 a.m. Vaccine resistance in the U.S. is trending downward, but a vocal minority remains, according to a new poll.
One in five eligible people, or 20 per cent, say they won't get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest Axios-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. That's the lowest number since these pollsters began asking people about the vaccine in early April.
The drop could be influenced by a number of factors, including increased mandates by employers, rising case counts caused by the Delta variant and the Food and Drug Administration's full approval of the Pfizer vaccine.
About 72 per cent of eligible Americans have received at least one shot, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The Axios-Ipsos poll arrived at the same number.
In August, 14 million people got their first dose, up from 10 million in July, USA Today reported. Additionally, the U.S. has averaged 900,000 shots per day in recent weeks, up from 500,000 in mid-July.
The poll also found more parents plan to make their children get vaccinated, with 68% saying their kids either already got a shot or would when they were eligible.
7:20 a.m. 4,565,147 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto, according to the city.
7:12 a.m. Ontario is set to announce a highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine certification system on Wednesday.
Premier Doug Ford is scheduled to make the announcement at 1 p.m.
Ford will be joined by Health Minister Christine Elliott and Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health.
The leaders of 14 hospitals in Ontario's central region have come up with a joint COVID-19 vaccination policy that they say will ultimately lead to unpaid leave or termination for unvaccinated staff.
The CEOs and chiefs of staff have sent a letter to staff outlining their hospitals' shared policy, which includes mandatory vaccination for new employees.
Ontario scrambled to pull together a promised COVID-19 vaccination passport plan Tuesday after Premier Doug Ford sent proposals back to the drawing board, prompting critics to warn its protections were being watered down.
An announcement on a system to require proof of vaccination for entry into non-essential businesses and venues such as indoor dining at restaurants, gyms, theatres and professional sports venues was delayed until Wednesday.
Read the full story from the Star's Rob Ferguson
6:50 a.m.: France on Wednesday started administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions to shore up their vaccine protection, as the highly contagious delta variant is spreading in the country.
People can get the shot on condition a minimum six-month period has passed since they got fully vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson jab can get a booster shot of Pfizer or Moderna at least four weeks after they first got vaccinated.
In nursing homes, a nationwide booster campaign is to start on September 12.
About 18 million people are estimated to be eligible for the booster shot, according to the Health Ministry.
6:10 a.m.: India has dramatically increased COVID-19 vaccination rates in its vast rural hinterland, where around 65 per cent of the country's nearly 1.4 billion people live. But supply constraints remain for the world's largest maker of vaccines and experts say it's unlikely India will reach its target of vaccinating all adults by the end of the year.
India opened shots for all adults in May. But the campaign faltered in villages due to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation. That started changing in mid-July and of the nearly 120 million shots administered in the past three weeks, around 70 per cent were in India's villages - up from around half in the initial weeks of May.
Although the increased vaccine acceptance in rural areas is promising, the pandemic is far from done in India: After weeks of steady decline, the 46,000 new infections reported Saturday was its highest in almost two months.
Only about 11 per cent of India's vast population is fully vaccinated. Half of all adults and about 35% of the total population have received at least one shot. This has left large swathes of people still susceptible to the virus.
5:45 a.m.: The leaders of 14 hospitals in Ontario's central region have come up with a joint COVID-19 vaccination policy that they say will ultimately lead to unpaid leave or termination for unvaccinated staff.
The CEOs and chiefs of staff have sent a letter to staff outlining their hospitals' shared policy, which includes mandatory vaccination for new employees.
As of September 7, all employees, credentialed staff, contractors, students and volunteers will have to provide proof of full vaccination or undergo regular testing and an education session.
That's in line with a directive from the province earlier this month that mandates employers in health and education to have staff disclose vaccination status by that date or face the education session and testing requirements.
The hospitals, including Humber River Hospital, Mackenzie Health and Trillium Health Partners, will have a "progressive plan" that will ultimately see harsher consequences for unvaccinated employees, with facilities enacting varying deadlines.
The CEOs say if staff are still unvaccinated and without a medical exemption by those dates, it will lead to "unpaid leave and/or termination for cause."
5:30 a.m.: With the first day of school in Toronto just over one week away, many anxious parents are still trying to figure out what the return to the classroom will look like during the pandemic.
The Star did the research to find out what Toronto's students and parents need to know about their second September back-to-school of the pandemic.
5:15 a.m.: More students in India will be able to step inside a classroom for the first time in nearly 18 months Wednesday, as authorities have given the green light to partially reopen more schools despite apprehension from some parents and signs that infections are picking up again.
Schools and colleges in at least six more states will reopen in a gradual manner with health measures in place throughout September. In New Delhi, all staff must be vaccinated and class sizes will be capped at 50% with staggered seating and sanitized desks.
In the capital only students in grades nine through 12 will be allowed to attend at first, though it is not compulsory. Some parents say they will be holding their children back, including Nalini Chauhan, who lost her husband to the coronavirus last year.
That trauma is there for us and that is what stops me from going out. We don't go to malls. We don't go shopping. So why schools now?" she said.
Life has been slowly returning to normal in India after the trauma of a ferocious coronavirus surge earlier this year ground life in the country to a halt, sickened tens of millions, and left hundreds of thousands dead. A number of states returned last month to in person learning for some age groups.
5:05 a.m: Quebecers are required starting today to show proof of vaccination to access businesses and events the government deems non-essential, such as restaurants, gyms and festivals.
The government has said the passport system is necessary to keep the economy open and limit COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
Millions of people in the province have been issued QR codes by the Health Department containing their vaccination statuses.
They must present the codes along with identification in order to do such things as eat at restaurants or work out at gyms.
Health Minister Christian Dube said the next two weeks will be a grace period during which penalties for non-compliance won't be enforced.
But starting September 15, people and businesses caught violating the health order can face thousands of dollars in fines.
5 a.m.: Ontario universities and colleges will return to near-normal this fall thanks to vaccine mandates - with no class capacity limits or physical distancing requirements, says a memo obtained by the Star that went out to post-secondary institutions late Tuesday.
The memo from Shelley Tapp, deputy minister of colleges and universities, came as schools were raising alarm bells over reports of the government's closed-door discussions on requiring two metres of physical distancing, as first reported by the Star's Martin Regg Cohn. These requirements could have made smaller tutorials and labs impossible and forced last-minute schedule changes just as students start to move into residence or return to campus.
Tapp's missive says that all post-secondary schools must have mandatory COVID-19 vaccine plans in place as of next week, though the ministry later clarified that such plans can include education sessions and regular testing for those that don't wish to receive the COVID-19 shots.
Read more from the Star's Kristin Rushowy.
4:50 a.m: A health law professor says a belief by some that a medication used to deworm cattle and horses can treat COVID-19 shows how ideology can lead people to embrace misinformation.
Timothy Caulfield from the University of Alberta is a critic of alternative medicine and says it's fascinating to watch people looking for ivermectin.
This has really become a story of ideology and in group thinking," he said in an interview Tuesday.
It mirrors what went on with hydroxychloroquine. The evidence against it just became so overwhelming that they have decided to put their energy in a new miracle drug - and that's ivermectin and it's doing real harm. It highlights the power of an ideological lens to allow you to embrace information that is clearly wrong."
Read more from the Canadian Press.
4:45 a.m.: The Italian government vowed to crack down on demonstrators threatening to block train tracks throughout the country on Wednesday as a rule requiring COVID-19 tests or vaccines takes effect for long-distance domestic public transport.
In a bid to rein in transmission of infections now that many have returned from summer holidays, domestic travelers in Italy must now show a so-called Green Pass." This certifies that they have received at least one dose of the vaccine more than 15 days ago, have tested negative in the past 48 hours or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months.
The rule, announced weeks ago, applies to domestic flights, train travel between regions and sea travel. Some ferries are exempt, notably those serving many tiny islands which have no other connections to the mainland, and those used by commuters between Sicily and and the southern tip of the mainland in Calabria.
4 a.m.: The anticipated flood of Canadians choosing to vote by mail on September 20 has been more of a trickle so far.
As of Monday night, Elections Canada had issued 298,040 special ballot kits.
That's about six times the roughly 50,000 special ballots cast during the 2019 election, but nowhere near the estimated two million to five million the agency had been braced to handle this time in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canadians have until September 14 to apply for a special ballot so the number could yet increase dramatically.
"The important thing for us is to be prepared. We planned for high volumes to be sure we would be ready," said Elections Canada spokesman Matthew McKenna.
"We still believe that voting in person during advance polls or on election day is the simplest, most efficient way to cast a ballot in this election, and we expect the majority of Canadians will choose one of these options."