The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world on Saturday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
8:08 am: Public Health Sudbury and Districts says it is doing everything it can to help curb the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases in local schools.
With more than 3,000 vaccination appointments booked in Sudbury and Manitoulin districts for children ages five to 11 and hundreds of rapid antigen detection kits distributed to students this week, there is hope that cases will decline before the holidays. of Christmas.
Although it is too early to know if these “additional layers of protection” are working, a public health promoter said she is confident that these measures will help protect the school community.
Joëlle Martel added that the local response to these programs has been positive so far and that the health unit has been available to answer any questions parents / guardians may have.
“Right now, the goal is to keep kids in school,” said Martel, who works in the Public Health division of school health, vaccine-preventable diseases and COVID prevention.
“If we start to see cases decline and the trend holds steady, then we can slowly start to phase out some of those measures, but our goal remains to keep kids in school as long as possible.”
Saturday 8 am: Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel made what is likely her last call on Saturday before leaving office next week for Germans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Merkel gave what is expected to be her last weekly video message two days after federal and state leaders decided on a series of measures aimed at breaking a wave of coronavirus infections.
Measures include excluding unvaccinated people across the country from nonessential shops, restaurants, and sports and cultural venues. In a longer term measure, Parliament will consider a blanket mandate on vaccines.
At least 68.9% of Germans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, below the government’s target of a minimum vaccination rate of 75%. The number of unvaccinated residents has been attributed a key factor in the increase in new virus cases in recent weeks.
Official figures suggest that the infection rate may now be stabilizing, but at too high a level.
Read the coronavirus news on Friday.
Reference-www.thestar.com