Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 848 new cases of COVID-19; Immunocompromised should receive 3rd COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, NACI says
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.
2 p.m. President Joe Biden is calling some Republican governors cavalier" for resisting new federal vaccine requirements he hopes will contain the surging Delta variant.
Biden visited Brookland Middle School on Friday, just a short drive from the White House. He was making the case for new federal rules that could impact 100 million Americans.
All employers with more than 100 workers must be vaccinated or tested weekly for the virus, affecting about 80 million Americans. About 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also must be fully vaccinated.
I am so disappointed that particularly some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids, so cavalier with the health of their communities," Biden said during the visit. This isn't a game"
Republicans and some union officials say he's overreaching his authority. Asked about potential legal challenges to the new vaccine requirements, Biden responded, Have at it."
1:50 p.m. Former U.S. vice president Mike Pence Friday made a rare TV appearance to rail against President Biden's new push for COVID vaccine mandates as unlike anything we've heard before."
In his first television interview since leaving office, Pence suggested Biden's tougher approach on requiring COVID vaccinations amounts to violating personal freedom.
The ex-veep also said it's just not how a president is supposed to talk to the American people.
To have the president of the United States say that he's been patient, but his patience is wearing thin, that's not how the American people expect to be spoken to by our elected leaders," Pence told Fox News.
Pence told Biden to stick to gentle persuasion on vaccines and put down the presidential big stick.
The president should simply continue, as we have done, to lead by example," Pence said. Encourage people to take the vaccine, as Karen and I did on national television back in December."
It wasn't clear if the last remark was intended at a veiled dig at former President Donald Trump, who got vaccinated in secret and did not even announce that he got the shot until the media reported it.
Biden hours earlier ordered American corporations with more than 100 employees to implement mandatory COVID vaccine programs, with only opt-outs for those willing to get undergo onerous testing. He also told all federal workers to get their shots ASAP or face possible firing, with only narrow exemptions for provable religious or health objections.
The speech dramatically raised the political stakes in Biden's effort to end the pandemic, a battle that has been undermined by the refusal of many far right-wing Trump supporters and anti-vaxxers to get inoculated.
1:30 p.m. The Saskatchewan government is bolstering its public health measures as the province faces some of the highest COVID-19 numbers in Canada.
To alleviate pressure on the health-care system, the government says it is reinstating mandatory isolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID-19 and expanding testing and contact tracing.
Unvaccinated residents will also need to self-isolate if they come in contact with a positive case, but fully vaccinated people will not face the same requirement.
To expand surge capacity in Saskatchewan hospitals, the government says there will be a reduction in non-critical and elective surgeries and procedures.
The province says it won't bring in a government-mandated vaccine passport, but notes it is working on a policy for all Saskatchewan Health Authority employees to show proof of immunization or a negative COVID-19 test.
There were 3,416 active cases in the province Thursday - making it the highest rate of cases per capita in the country.
1:15 p.m. One person running to become Manitoba's next premier says she opposes COVID-19 vaccine mandates in workplaces.
Shelly Glover made the remarks as she launched her campaign for leadership of the governing Progressive Conservatives, which will be decided Oct. 30.
Glover says she would not want to see nurses and other health-care workers fired for not getting a vaccine.
When asked whether she would extend that to all workplaces, Glover said she doesn't support mandatory vaccines at all.
Glover says she wants people to follow current public health orders, including vaccine requirements to attend cinemas, and sporting events.
But she says if she becomes premier, she would look at the issue and talk to health leaders about why Manitoba's rules are different than those in some other provinces.
1 p.m. A national advisory panel recommends people who are immunocompromised receive a third vaccine dose against COVID-19.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization released the advice today saying people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are shown to have a weaker response to vaccinations.
It recommends those who are not yet vaccinated to receive three doses of an mRNA vaccine.
It says an additional dose of an mRNA vaccine should be provided to those who are fully vaccinated, including those who received mixed doses.
Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the advice applies to people 12 and older whose immune systems are compromised for a variety of reasons like being treated for a tumour or having an untreated HIV infection that has advanced.
The advisory body says giving those who are immunocompromised a third dose is different than offering a booster shot to the general population because for most two doses of vaccine protects against COVID-19.
The panel says it continues to study the need for booster shots for specific groups, like those in long-term-care.
12:20 p.m. Ontario is reporting another 848 COVID-19 cases and 11 more deaths, according to its latest report released Friday morning. Six of the deaths being reported Friday occurred more than one month ago and are part of a data cleanup.
Ontario has administered 35,844 vaccine doses since its last daily update, with 21,098,125 vaccines given in total as of 8 p.m. Thursday night.
According to the Star's vaccine tracker, 10,969,176 people in Ontario have received at least one shot. That works out to approximately 84.2 per cent of the eligible population 12 years and older, and the equivalent of 73.8 per cent of the total population, including those not yet eligible for the vaccine.
The province says 10,128,949 people have completed their vaccinations, which means they've had both doses. That works out to approximately 77.7 per cent of the eligible population 12 years and older, and the equivalent of 68.1 per cent of the total population, including those not yet eligible for the vaccine.
Read the full story from the Star's Anushka Yadav
12:10 p.m. Senior Democratic senators in the U.S. are pressing Medicare to make nursing home COVID-19 vaccination rates easily accessible for consumers.
Although the Biden administration is requiring vaccination for all nursing home staff, Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania say it could take months. They're asking Medicare to post vaccination rates among residents and staff of individual nursing homes on its Care Compare' website, a familiar site for consumers.
These data reside on entirely separate (government) websites," the senators wrote Medicare head Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Friday. Even if a person could find these websites, the vaccination data for individual facilities are not prominently displayed, creating additional barriers."
Medicare officials say they're working on the problem.
12 p.m. South Africa has started vaccinating children and adolescents as part of the global Phase 3 clinical trials of China's Sinovac Biotech shot for children 6 months to 17 years.
The global study will enroll 2,000 participants in South Africa and 12,000 others in Kenya, the Philippines, Chile and Malaysia. The first children in South Africa were inoculated at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in the capital Pretoria to kick off the trials.
The Sinovac company says others will get shots at six different sites across the country.
South Africa has recorded 6,270 infections and 175 confirmed deaths in the last 24 hours. The 2.8 million total infections account for more than 35 per cent of cases in Africa. The nation has 84,327 confirmed deaths.
11:25 a.m. The U.K. economy barely grew in July, suggesting the recovery from the coronavirus recession is rapidly levelling off.
Gross domestic product expanded just 0.1 per cent - a tenth of the pace posted in June, the Office for National Statistics said Friday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a 0.5 per cent expansion.
The figures left output 2.1 per cent below the level in February 2020, before the pandemic struck.
Services and manufacturing stagnated and construction output declined. It was the weakest month for the economy since January, when a third lockdown caused output to slump.
The data herald a return to more normal growth rates after pent-up demand following the lifting of restrictions in the spring saw the economy surge by almost 5 per cent during the second quarter.
10:25 a.m. Ontario is reporting 848 new cases of COVID-19. Of those cases, 659 are in individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 189 are in fully vaccinated individuals. Six additional deaths as part of data cleanup for 11 deaths total.
In Ontario, 21,098,125 vaccine doses have been administered. 84.1 per cent of Ontarians 12+ have one dose and nearly 77.7 per cent have two doses; 361 people are hospitalized with COVID-19; 331 are not fully vaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status and 30 are fully vaccinated, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.
Ontario administered 35,844 doses Thursday; 16,477 were first doses and 19,367 were second. Ontario is averaging 32,000 doses per day, according to the Star's Ed Tubb.
9:20 a.m. 43,520 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Toronto in the last 7 days.
8:50 a.m. Statistics Canada says the economy added 90,000 jobs in August, the third consecutive monthly increase.
The unemployment rate fell to 7.1 per cent for the month, compared with 7.5 per cent in July, bringing the rate to the lowest level since the onset of the pandemic last year.
Gains were concentrated in full-time work and in the hard-hit service sector, led by gains in accommodation and food services.
Statistics Canada says gains in the service sector pushed employment there back to pre-pandemic levels for the first time, although there is still some areas that are lagging, such as retail and food services.
The agency says overall employment is within 156,000 jobs, or 0.8 per cent, of the level recorded in February 2020 before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That's the closest the country has been to recouping all the jobs lost during the first wave of COVID-19.
7:50 a.m. Roots Corp. reported a second-quarter loss of $1.2 million compared with a loss of $1.8 million in the same quarter last year as its sales edged higher.
The retailer says the loss amounted to three cents per diluted share for the 13-week period ended July 31 compared with a loss of four cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Sales in the quarter totalled $38.9 million, up from $38.2 million.
Roots says the increase in sales came despite its stores in Ontario being closed for about 60 per cent of the quarter compared with 45 per cent of the same quarter last year.
7:45 a.m. The fifth and final test of the cricket series between England and India was canceled on Friday barely two hours before play was due to start in Manchester, following a coronavirus outbreak in the India camp.
India was regrettably unable to field a team," the England and Wales Cricket Board said, due to fears of more cases inside the group.
India's entire touring party was forced to isolate in its Manchester hotel on Thursday after assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar was the latest person to test positive for the virus. India coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharath Arun, fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar and main physio Nitin Patel had already tested positive.
India was leading the series 2-1.
The ECB statement initially said India had forfeited the test and the series was drawn 2-2. That was quickly amended and the final result was unclear.
We send our sincere apologies to fans and partners for this news, which we know will cause immense disappointment and inconvenience to many," the ECB said.
The lucrative Indian Premier League - featuring players from both teams - is resuming on Sept. 19 in the United Arab Emirates, complicating any chances of the fifth test being rescheduled.
It's tremendously disappointing for cricket fans as it's been an incredible series and everybody wanted to see how this was going to pan out," said former England batsman Mark Butcher, who was working with British broadcaster Sky Sports.
There are also other factors to think of, and I'm sure people will be talking about the fact the IPL restarts in the UAE on the 19th and any postponement would push that back beyond the start of the competition."
The postponement will prove costly for the ECB, which gets much of its revenue from men's test matches, and English county Lancashire, which misses out on a test match and is not staging one next year when New Zealand and South Africa visit.
6:56 a.m.: Statistics Canada will say this morning how the country's labour market fared in August, one month after posting a gain in July.
CIBC senior economist Royce Mendes says there seems to be room for employment growth in high-contact services that saw gains in July.
He says in a note that he expects a gain of 50,000 jobs in August.
The agency last month said the country added 94,000 jobs in July as public health restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic continued to be lifted.
July's jobs bump dropped the national unemployment rate to 7.5 per cent from 7.8 per cent in June, reaching its lowest level since this past March.
Overall, the country in July was 246,400 jobs, or 1.3 per cent, shy of pre-pandemic employment levels seen in February 2020.
6:20 a.m.: In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans - private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors - in an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant.
Speaking at the White House Thursday, Biden sharply criticized the tens of millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives.
We've been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us," he said, all but biting off his words. The unvaccinated minority can cause a lot of damage, and they are."
Republican leaders - and some union chiefs, too - said Biden was going too far in trying to muscle private companies and workers, a certain sign of legal challenges to come.
6:17 a.m.: Booster shots to extend the protection of COVID-19 vaccines may be unnecessary for many people, a leading scientist behind the AstraZeneca vaccine said on Friday.
Oxford University Professor Sarah Gilbert told The Telegraph newspaper that immunity from the vaccine was holding up well - even against the delta variant. While the elderly and those who are immune-compromised may need boosters, the standard two-dose regimen is providing lasting protection for most people, she said.
We will look at each situation; the immuno-compromised and elderly will receive boosters,'' she said. But I don't think we need to boost everybody. Immunity is lasting well in the majority of people."
The comments come as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, a panel of experts that advises the British government, is expected to make recommendations in the coming days on the scale of any booster program. Britain's medical regulator on Thursday said the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines were safe to use as boosters.
U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said he expects a booster program to start later this month.
Gilbert said the world's priority should be to get more vaccines to countries that have received limited supplies.
6:16 a.m.: After 548 days with restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19, Denmark's high vaccination rate has enabled the Scandinavian country to become one of the first European Union nations to lift all domestic restrictions.
The return to normality has been gradual, but as of Friday, the digital pass - a proof of having been vaccinated - is no longer required when entering night clubs, making it the last virus safeguard to fall.
More than 80% of people above the age of 12 have had the two shots.
I wouldn't say it is too early. We have opened the door but we have also said that we can close it if needed," Soeren Riis Paludan, a professor of virology with the Aarhus University in Denmark's second largest city, told The Associated Press.
As of midnight, the Danish government no longer considers COVID-19 a socially critical disease." Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said Aug. 27 that the epidemic is under control" but warned: we are not out of the epidemic" and the government will act as needed if necessary.
6:15 a.m.: The U.S. Education Department has announced a new grant program for schools that get state funding withheld for defying state mask policies.
The measure aims to push back against governors in Iowa, South Carolina and other states attempting to block schools from requiring masks among students and teachers. Some states, including Florida, have withheld the salaries of school leaders who have required masks in defiance of state orders.
Those schools will soon be able to apply for federal grants under Project SAFE to make up for any money lost due to implementing public health measures backed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says school officials should be thanked, not punished, for taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and this program will allow them to continue that critical work of keeping students safe."
The money will come from an existing pool of federal funding that the Education Department can use on a range of student safety initiatives. The agency says it will invite districts to apply in the coming weeks.
6:15 a.m.: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that starting next week, the state's indoor mask mandate will be expanded to include outdoor events with 500 or more attendees, regardless of vaccination status.
The new requirement - which takes effect Monday - comes days after a similar outdoor mask mandates took effect in the state's two most populous counties, King and Pierce, due to rising COVID-19 cases.
An indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, has been in place in Washington since Aug. 23. Last month, Oregon was the first state to reinstitute a statewide mask requirement for outdoor public areas where people are close together.
6:15 a.m.: Sri Lanka is extending a lockdown for another week as it struggles against a COVID-19 surge.
The COVID-19 committee chaired by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa decided Friday to extend the lockdown that was to end Monday until Sept. 21, presidential spokesman Kingsly Rathnayaka said.
The lockdown was first imposed on Aug. 20. During that period, the government has allowed export-related factories to operate and for agriculture work to be done, in addition to essential services such as health, food distribution, communication and power.
Doctors and trade unions have warned that hospitals and morgues have reached their maximum capacities during the ongoing surge caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus.
Sri Lanka has confirmed 474,870 cases and 10,689 deaths from the pandemic.
6:15 a.m.: The U.S. is doubling the fine for people who break the rule requiring masks on planes, trains and other forms of public transit to slow the spread of COVID-19, with President Joe Biden warning Thursday that violators should be prepared to pay."
First-time offenders would face a potential fine of $500 to $1,000 and second-time offenders could pay $1,000 to $3,000 under rules that the Transportation Security Administration said will go into effect Friday.
The fine currently starts at $250 and can go up to $1,500 for repeat offenders.
If you break the rules, be prepared to pay," Biden said as he announced the increase during a speech outlining federal vaccine requirements.
6:15 a.m.: Egypt's daily reported cases of coronavirus have surpassed 400 for the first time in months.
The Health Ministry on Friday reported 413 cases and 12 fatalities for the past 24 hours. Daily cases have been spiking in recent weeks since the more contagious delta variant was detected in the country in July.
The latest increase is alarming for Egyptian authorities as schools are scheduled to open their doors for face-to-face classes next week.
Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country with 100 million people, has reported 291,585 cases including 16,836 fatalities from the pandemic. However, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher since health authorities have done limited testing.
6:15 a.m.: Emergency room nurse Jaime Gallaher recalls the emotional toll of a verbal attack she recently faced from a woman at a grocery store after another gruelling workday.
I was still red-eyed from crying from the past two hours and she just swore at me," Gallaher said following protests outside Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, B.C. I just broke down in tears, put my carton of milk down and left the grocery store."
Experts are raising concern over moral injury" among health-care workers suddenly targeted after several provinces brought in vaccine passports.
Gallaher said she had spent two extra hours at work to avoid protesters on the same day last week when other hospitals in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada were grappling with rallies.
We were making some life-and-death decisions around bed allocations. On that specific day, of all days, we had two young patients in our department who were waiting for ICU beds for two days, but they couldn't get them because the ICU was full of unvaccinated COVID patients," she said.
One of our patients actually passed away in emerge, behind a curtain with his family, which was gut-wrenching because that should never, ever happen. They had no privacy to mourn."
Gallaher said while protesters are entitled to their opinions, the demonstration could be heard in the ER and was a slap in the face." They could have protested at a park or other public place, she added.