The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world on Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
6:32 am: Nobody wants to say here we go again, but here we are. Ontario has lived a relatively lovely pandemic life since the summer, and it seems to be over. The province’s seven-day average number of cases has increased by roughly 30 percent in one week; Vaccination efforts stagnate as we move forward. One rule of the virus is that, if left unchecked, it will spread exponentially. We are back there.
“Do you remember where we were immediately before Thanksgiving? That’s the behavior and scope of restrictions that is compatible with pandemic control, ”says Dr. Peter Juni, scientific director of the Ontario Independent Volunteer Scientific Board. “So think about what it was like before Thanksgiving and think about how much you were indoors with other people. You shouldn’t do it any more than you did then. “
If it sounds like going backwards, it is in the province where the prime minister keeps saying that he never wants to return. A return to pre-Thanksgiving restrictions would mean a return to capacity limits at restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters, and at sporting events, to begin with. A return to pre-Thanksgiving social patterns should be achieved, if only we have the bigger picture in mind. This can be done.
Read the full Bruce Arthur column from Star.
6:20 am: The effects of the pandemic on mortality have been uneven. Life expectancy fell in most places last year, reducing cumulative longevity by 28.1 million years in 31 countries. But residents of a handful of places that managed to keep Covid-19 at bay, including New Zealand and Taiwan, actually lived longer.
Life expectancy is an indication of how long people will live on average once their age is taken into account, provided there are no major changes in the number of people dying in each age bracket over time. Another measure, the excess years of life lost, quantifies the impact when these changes occur and gives greater weight to deaths that occur at younger ages.
A study of 37 countries and territories in the journal BMJ found that the pandemic was a death camp in most places. In 2020, more than 28 million years of life were lost in 31 of them, and Russia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, the United States and Poland recorded the highest number of victims, according to the study led by Nazrul Islam, a medical-epidemiologist and statistician. University doctor. from Oxford, found.
Years of life lost in 2020 were higher than expected everywhere except in Taiwan, New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and South Korea.
The number of years of life lost to Covid-19 was more than five times greater than those lost to influenza in 2015, during the worst seasonal flu epidemic since the turn of the century.
6:20 am: People who are fully vaccinated are 16 times less likely to end up in intensive care wards or die from Covid, an Australian study found, adding to a growing body of evidence that may bolster the case for countries to try the disease as endemic.
6:20 am: The three parties in talks to form the next German government agreed on a package of measures to address the latest increase in cases, seeking to avoid radical restrictions such as school closings and curfews.
6:20 am: Hong Kong needs at least six months before it reopens to the world, said a government adviser. The territory must finish negotiating the open borders with the mainland and increase the vaccination rate, with Hong Kong and China being the only places that are still pursuing a “Covid Zero” strategy.
6:17 am: Denmark wants to revert to COVID-19 as “a socially critical disease”, paving the way for the reintroduction of a digital pass months after the tag was removed and restrictions were lifted.
The measure, which still needs approval in parliament, will also allow Denmark to reintroduce other restrictions if it deems it necessary. A majority seems to support the suggestion of the Social Democratic minority government.
The pass was introduced on July 1, but was removed on September 10, when Denmark declared that the outbreak would no longer be considered “a socially critical disease”, citing the high vaccination rate.
However, Denmark, like many other countries, has seen an increase in cases, and health authorities say the number of infections and hospitalizations has risen faster than expected.
On Monday, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said that the COVID pass should apply to nightclubs, cafes, party buses and indoor restaurants, but also to outdoor events where the number of people exceeds 2,000.
The Danish Pass app displays a QR code with a green banner if the holder is fully vaccinated or received a first dose at least two weeks ago, has recently recovered from COVID-19, or has had a negative test in the last 72 hours. A paper version is also available.
The call to reintroduce the pass was immediately welcomed by the industry.
6:15 am: Residents of a New York border city say they are eager to welcome Canadians now that the United States has eased land border restrictions, but are concerned that costly COVID-19 testing rules will keep many travelers away.
On Monday, Christmas music floated through the aisles of the Champlain Center mall in Plattsburgh, New York, about an hour south of Montreal, where some retailers dreamed of the return of tourist dollars, perhaps in time for the holidays. .
“We can’t wait for Canadian shoppers to come back,” Emily Moosmann, the mall’s marketing director, said in an interview. “We miss hearing French in the hallway; we miss seeing their faces. “
To attract shoppers, the mall created a web page, headed by a large maple leaf, that highlights new stores that have opened, local COVID-19 testing sites, and special discounts for Canadian residents.
“About 30 percent of our traffic is Canadian, so not seeing them here, we definitely felt the impact,” he said. While there were only a few cars with Quebec plates in the parking lot on Monday, Moosmann said retailers were optimistic things would improve over the weekend.
Read the full story from Canadian Press.
6:15 am: The Yukon government declared a state of emergency and announced a series of public health rules aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, including a proof of vaccination requirement that goes into effect this Saturday.
The territory says it is “moving rapidly” to implement a vaccination test system for a variety of settings, including restaurants, ticketed events, fitness facilities and personal service businesses, as well as religious and cultural gatherings.
It says the new measures also include mandatory masks in all indoor public settings and outdoor public settings where physical distancing is not possible, as well as capacity limits in different types of indoor and outdoor gatherings.
While the rules will be enforced beginning Nov. 13, the territory says in a statement that Yukonites are “strongly encouraged” to take action immediately.
He says Yukon’s top doctor has recommended avoiding intercommunity travel and while schools can remain open, students should wear masks at their desks.
A statement from Acting Medical Director of Health Dr. Catherine Elliott says the territory is experiencing “dramatic increases in the spread of COVID-19” and residents must come together now to protect the territory’s health care system.
“The introduction of new temporary measures will help limit the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the strain on our healthcare system. Every Yukon has a role to play in keeping our communities safe, ”Prime Minister Sandy Silver said in a statement.
The statement came as Yukon reported 80 new COVID-19 infections diagnosed over a three-day period between Friday and Monday, for a total of 169 active cases.
Of the overall active infections, the territory says 132 are in Whitehorse residents, 20 cases in Carmarks and four in Carcross, while Burwash Landing, Pelly Crossing and Teslin each have one resident with an active COVID-19 case.
The new public health measures are expected to remain in effect until at least December 3.
Reference-www.thestar.com