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.
5:50 am: Belgium’s government is holding a meeting to decide on stricter measures to control the spread of COVID-19 amid a rapid increase in infections and hospital admissions in the nation.
The meeting, which was originally scheduled for Friday, has been postponed to Wednesday so that any measures approved midweek can be operational by the weekend, the government said Monday.
Hospital admissions are skyrocketing 30% weekly, and the number of intensive care patients has risen to more than 500, putting increasing pressure on hospitals in the nation of 11 million.
Belgium just had a long holiday weekend and no precise figures were released on Monday.
Authorities reimposed some pandemic restrictions three weeks ago after relaxing them just a few weeks earlier. They also expanded the nationwide use of the COVID-19 pass.
But infections have continued to rise and the government is expected to study other areas where the use of masks should be mandatory. He’s also slated to consider making his advice on working from home a mandatory order to prevent employees from mixing.
5:41 am: Albertans will now need more than a paper record from a COVID-19 vaccination clinic if they want to sit in a restaurant, work out in a gym, or enter indoor venues like stadiums or movie theaters.
As of today, previous Alberta vaccination records without a scannable QR code, including those from vaccine providers and saved from the province’s MyHealth records, will no longer be accepted as proof of vaccination under the Immunization Waiver Program. Restrictions.
Users 12 years of age and older entering businesses and venues participating in the program will now need to show an Alberta vaccination record with a QR code, a Canadian Armed Forces vaccination record, or a First Nations vaccination record.
Vaccine records issued by other provinces and territories will also be accepted, as well as the ArriveCan app for international travelers.
People without either will need a privately paid negative COVID-19 test within the previous 72 hours, or valid proof of a medical exemption.
5:41 am: Ontario long-term care staff must have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to go to work today.
Staff who do not present proof of a first dose must instead show a medical exemption in order to enter a long-term care home for work.
Today had been set as the deadline for workers to be fully vaccinated against the virus, but the Ministry of Long-Term Care has postponed that date until December 13.
It says the change was made to accommodate the new guidance on vaccine dose ranges from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
Government data on Friday morning showed that 98 percent of long-term care workers had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips announced the industry-wide mandate last month, saying more action was needed to protect vulnerable residents from COVID-19.
5:40 am: Without a provincial health order forcing school district teachers and employees to get vaccinated, the SD8 Board of Education is slated to make a decision for itself.
School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) trustees have responsibility for setting policy, but it must be voted on in a closed meeting (behind closed doors) of the board, said SD8 Superintendent of Schools Trish Smillie.
He said that in the absence of a provincial health order, vaccine mandates remain an employer decision, so SD8 is currently “working through the process” to develop a policy. No timeline has been given for when that policy will be delivered.
The SD8 board will use “a set of guiding principles developed by the British Columbia Public School Employers Association (BCPSEA) to understand the scope of this problem in our district and determine how a vaccine mandate could affect in-person learning.” , said. .
“Our board will carefully consider the framework and advice of our local health authority.”
5:39 am: Police conducted searches across Italy on Monday against 17 anti-vaccine activists who were allegedly affiliated with a Telegram chat advocating violence against government, medical and media figures for their perceived support of COVID-19 restrictions. .
Turin police said the “Basta Dittatura” (Enough of the dictatorship) chat had tens of thousands of members and was a main forum for organizing protests against Italy’s health pass.
Like many European countries, Italy requires people to show their so-called Green Pass for indoor dining, visiting museums and cinemas, and for long-distance public transport. The pass shows proof of vaccination, a recent negative test, or having been cured of COVID-19.
The protests have escalated after Italy last month became the first Western country to also require a pass to access workplaces.
In a statement Monday, police said they monitored the now-closed Telegram chat for weeks and identified 17 extremists who threatened Prime Minister Mario Draghi, among others.
5:39 am: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will cancel a trip to the Netherlands due to the three-week partial shutdown amid rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the Swedish royal house said on Monday.
The lockdown began Saturday night and is the first to start in Western Europe since a new wave of infections began in parts of the continent.
The restrictions affect all parts of the heiress’s journey to the Swedish throne, the palace said in a statement to The Associated Press. It was scheduled for November 18 and 19.
“In this context, the Crown Princess’s trip to the Netherlands has been canceled. We hope that we can resume planning the visit at some point in the future, ”the statement read.
Victoria is the eldest daughter of King Charles XVI Gustav of Sweden and his wife, Queen Silvia.
5:38 am: China has confined nearly 1,500 college students to their dormitories and hotels following a COVID-19 outbreak in the northwestern city of Dalian.
The warrant was issued on Sunday after several dozen cases were reported in the university city of Zhuanghe and hundreds of students were transferred to hotels for observation.
Students attended classes remotely and had their meals delivered to their rooms.
The lockdown is the latest example of China’s zero tolerance approach to the outbreak, which has caused considerable disruption to people’s lives and livelihoods.
Quarantines, mandatory tests and travel restrictions have become a way of life for much of the population. The country’s vaccination rate is among the highest in the world and authorities are beginning to administer booster shots as winter descends.
While those measures have met with little overt resistance, the recent killing of a quarantined person’s pet dog by healthcare workers sparked a wave of complaints online. The incident in the central city of Shangrao prompted local authorities to issue a statement saying that the pet’s owner and health workers had “reached an understanding.”
Monday 5:36 am: International students are returning to US universities in greater numbers this year, but the rebound has yet to make up for last year’s historic declines as COVID-19 continues to disrupt academic exchange, according to a new survey.
Nationally, American colleges and universities saw a 4% annual increase in international students this fall, according to survey results released Monday by the Institute of International Education. But that follows a 15% decline last year, the steepest decline since the institute began publishing data in 1948.
The rally is better than many colleges predicted over the summer as the Delta variant emerged. But it also reflects continuing hurdles as visa delays persist and some students are reluctant to study abroad during the pandemic.
American universities and officials expect this year’s rally to be the start of a long-term rebound. As international travel increases, there is optimism that universities will see growth beyond their pre-pandemic levels.
“We are expecting an increase after the pandemic,” Matthew Lussenhop, the acting US undersecretary of state, told reporters. This year’s increase indicates that international students “continue to value an education in the United States and remain committed to studying in the United States,” he added.
Read the coronavirus news on Sunday.
Reference-www.thestar.com