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March 23, 2022

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 639 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 179 in ICU; Spain to enter new era without isolation for mild COVID

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

8:00 p.m.: With Ontario partway through its first week without mask mandates and a lack of widespread provincial testing, you may be wondering about the COVID-19 spread in your community.

In the absence of any official public database of COVID signals in the GTA’s sewage, the Toronto Star brings you its own COVID wastewater signal map to give you a sense as to whether cases are increasing, decreasing or remaining stable in your area.

The Star’s signal map uses data sourced from each GTA public health unit into one location, showing trends in sewersheds or wastewater catchment areas for each treatment plant across the region.

Read the full interactive story here: Is COVID surging or declining in the GTA? Use our map to see wastewater trends for your area

7:30 p.m.: The Health Ministry says there have been no more deaths related to COVID-19 in British Columbia.

B.C. reported 254 hospitalizations on Tuesday, a slight drop from Monday when there were 271 people in hospital.

It says 48 people were in intensive care.

No new outbreaks have been declared in health-care facilities since Monday, and three others have ended.

That leaves five facilities with ongoing outbreaks across the health-care system.

The government says 91 per cent of eligible people aged 12 and up have had their second dose of a vaccine and 57.1 per cent of those have had a third dose.

5:00 p.m.: As several countries report an uptick in COVID-19 cases partly blamed on a more contagious version of the Omicron variant, the question becomes whether Canada’s next wave will be a surge or a ripple.

The confluence of easing COVID-19 protocols and the rise of BA.2, a sublineage of the Omicron variant, is complicating the epidemiological forecast for spring, experts say.

While most agree that Canada’s immunization rates should blunt the impacts of the so-called “stealth” subvariant, some worry that decreased public health vigilance could clear a path for BA.2 to drive up infections and hospitalizations.

Canada’s chief public health officer suggested last week that the country should be shielded from the worst of the COVID-19 resurgence that’s roiling regions abroad, instead predicting a spring “blip” as public health measures are lifted.

While evidence suggests that BA.2 is more transmissible than its Omicron predecessor, the subvariant is spreading at a relatively slow rate in Canada, said Dr. Theresa Tam.

It doesn’t appear to to cause more severe illness than other variants, she said, but international data suggests BA.2 targets people who aren’t protected by vaccination or previous exposure to the Omicron variant.

That means Canada’s high immunization uptake — with 81 per cent of the population considered fully vaccinated — should keep hospitalizations at manageable levels even if cases rise, said Tam.

But Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta, warned that the risks of BA.2 could be unevenly distributed across Canada.

Omicron reinfection appears to be rare, Saxinger said, so regions that were hit hard by the BA.1 surge may fare better than those where the variant hasn’t been circulating.

“I think it will be very variable between even cities, communities and provinces, and overall across the country,” she said. “In places where they haven’t had a lot of infection recently, I think there is a bit more risk that this highly transmissible variant could make a bigger wave.”

Another factor to consider is uptake of third vaccine doses, which do a lot “heavy lifting” in protecting against severe outcomes from Omicron infection, said Saxinger. Federal numbers suggest that roughly 46 per cent of the population has received a booster shot.

What’s less clear to Saxinger is whether reimposing COVID-19 rules would do much to curb BA.2’s spread, noting that the subvariant has gained steam in places with strict public health measures.

“I think there’s a wide playing field in between giving up, which I don’t think is the right answer, and doing some sort of draconian lockdown on an early signal.”

Caroline Colijn, a mathematician and epidemiologist at Simon Fraser University, isn’t convinced that BA.2 will register as just a “blip” in Canada’s COVID-19 trajectory.

The Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematics for Evolution, Infection and Public Health said her modelling suggests that Canada is well positioned to weather an uptick in transmission driven by either BA.2 or relaxing COVID-19 restrictions independently, but the combination of the two could cause problems.

“We can be very resilient to a rise in transmission, and BA.2 will give us a rise in transmission. But reducing our measures and removing our protections will also give us another rise in transmission at the same time,” Colijn said.

“I think we are resilient to some increase in transmission. But I think we will probably see a surge from these two increases in transmission arriving at the same time.”

Of particular concern to Colijn is how BA.2 could affect those who are most vulnerable to severe COVID-19 outcomes, such as people who are older or immunocompromised.

These groups were prioritized for early boosters in many parts of the country, Colijn noted, and so the immunity provided by these doses are more likely to have waned in the months since.

As many provinces have restricted access to testing, Colijn said, we may not have the data we need to measure to increased COVID-19 transmission before hospitalizations tick up, at which point, it’ll be too late to contain the situation.

“I think we should be going into this with our eyes open and watching carefully,” she said.

2:45 p.m. Spanish health authorities are moving closer to normalizing life in coexistence with COVID-19, by scrapping mandatory quarantines — from next week — for those infected with the virus but showing no or mild symptoms of the disease.

Under current regulations, seven days of isolation are mandatory for anybody who tests positive for the coronavirus.

Starting March 28, free COVID-19 tests will only be conducted on high-risk groups, at health facilities and nursing homes, and on patients with the worse conditions, Spain’s Health Ministry said Tuesday.

It said the decision was taken by the country’s Commission on Public Health.

Amid high levels of vaccination, the rate of coronavirus contagion remains still above 400 new cases per 100,000 residents in 14 days, a high-risk level but way down from the mid-January record. Fueled by the omicron variant, the two-week variable surged then above 3,400 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Since the first case was identified in early 2020, Spain has officially reported 11.3 million infections and just over 100,000 confirmed deaths, although the accuracy of record-keeping has varied during the pandemic.

2 p.m. (updated) White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that she is positive again for COVID-19 and will not accompany President Joe Biden to Europe this week for urgent meetings with world counterparts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Biden tested negative on Tuesday, she said.

Psaki’s reinfection follows recent positive tests for Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband and Ireland’s prime minister, who was in the nation’s capital last week for a series of in-person celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day with Biden and other officials.

The scares happened as the Biden administration tries to help the United States ease back into its pre-pandemic patterns, even as cases climb in Europe due to a new, more contagious variant of the omicron strain of the coronavirus.

Psaki tweeted that she took a laboratory test for COVID-19 as part of her preparation for the trip, which gets underway on Wednesday, and was later notified of a positive result.

She said she had two “socially distanced meetings” with Biden on Monday and that he is not considered a “close contact” under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Psaki tweeted and released a statement a short time before she was scheduled to step into the White House press room for her daily briefing, accompanied by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who was joining her to discuss the trip.

After a brief delay, White House deputy press secretary Chris Meagher entered and introduced Sullivan to a waiting White House press corps.

“Obviously, we’ve had some last-minute adjustments to the briefing, which is why I’m up here today,” Meagher said before he read a statement on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s performance at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He took no questions.

Sullivan made a statement and spent about 16 minutes answering questions about the trip.

Psaki said she will follow CDC guidance and not accompany Biden to Brussels, where he will attend a series of meetings with European and other world leaders on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Biden also plans to visit Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine and has taken in more than 2 million Ukrainians fleeing warfare following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.

Psaki said she has experienced only mild symptoms of COVID-19 and credited being vaccinated against the disease. Under White House COVID-19 protocols, she said she will work from home and return to work at the end of a five-day isolation period and a negative test.

It’s not unheard of for someone who has had COVID-19 to become infected again. Reinfections became more likely after the super-contagious omicron variant emerged, even among the fully vaccinated, but those cases tend to be very mild.

As coronavirus cases plummeted around the United States this year, and states and localities dropped their mask-wearing requirements, the White House did as well. As of March 1, neither White House staff nor reporters were required to wear face masks inside the building.

But some scientists are beginning to worry that the omicron variant known as BA.2 could soon push up COVID-19 cases in the United States, after months of case declines and people taking off their masks and returning to indoor spaces.

Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff tested positive on March 15, though he is not considered a close contact of the president. Harris has continued to test negative.

The following day, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin learned he had tested positive for COVID-19 while attending a gala with U.S. leaders, including Biden. Martin was due to appear with Biden at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day but instead made those appearances on video.

This is the second time that COVID-19 has forced Psaki to bow out of accompanying Biden abroad. She sat out last fall’s trip to Rome and Glasgow, Scotland, after learning at the last minute that she had tested positive.

12:40 p.m. Ontarians could again show their faces in stores, restaurants and classrooms on Monday as the province lifted COVID-19 mask mandates in most settings.

But one exemption to the rule change is public transit, where riders can’t officially ditch their masks for another five weeks.

The province says keeping the mask requirement on transit will protect the health of vulnerable riders, but with pandemic-weary residents being told it’s safe to unmask almost everywhere else, some experts are worried passengers will soon stop following the rules.

Read the full story from the Star’s Ben Spurr

12:24 p.m. Quebec is reporting seven more deaths attributed to COVID-19 and a 41-patient increase in the number of hospitalizations Tuesday.

The Health Department says 1,043 people are hospitalized with the disease after 100 patients were admitted and 59 discharged.

Authorities say there are 46 patients listed in intensive care, a decrease of two from the previous day.

Officials say 1,383 people tested positive for COVID-19 based on PCR testing, which is limited to certain high-risk groups. They say 3,804 doses of vaccine were administered on Monday, including more than 2,500 booster shots.

11:10 a.m. In an attempt to focus on pandemic recovery, a COVID-19 clinic operated at a hospital in Mississauga will be suspending operations at the end of the month.

The vaccination clinic at Credit Valley Hospital will no longer run past March 25, according to an announcement shared by Trillium Health Partners (THP).

Residents can still access their first, second or third dose from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the 25th through online bookings, said THP.

10:35 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting 179 people in ICU due to COVID-19 and 639 in hospital overall testing positive for COVID-19, according to its latest report released Tuesday morning.

Of the people hospitalized, 46.3 per cent were admitted for COVID-19 and 53.8 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have since tested positive. For the ICU numbers, 71.2 per cent were admitted for COVID-19 and 28.9 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have since tested positive.

The numbers represent a 1.1 per cent decrease in the ICU COVID-19 count and a 16 per cent increase in hospitalizations overall. 30 per cent of the province’s 2,343 adult ICU beds remain available for new patients.

Read the full story from the Star’s Isaac Phan Nay

10:30 a.m. Pfizer said on Tuesday that it has agreed to sell up to 4 million treatment courses of its COVID-19 pills for use in 95 lower-income countries that are home to about 4 billion people, with the first supplies expected to become available next month.

The company’s supply agreement with UNICEF, the arm of the United Nations, covers all countries classified as low- or lower-middle-income, as well as some upper-middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.

The pills will most likely be the first COVID drugs available in some of the poorest parts of the world. But they are enough for only a small fraction of the patients who could benefit.

8:30 a.m. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has tested positive for COVID-19 and gone into isolation, disrupting his team’s preparations for friendly internationals against Denmark and Germany.

The Dutch soccer association said in a statement that the 70-year-old Van Gaal tested positive on Tuesday morning.

Van Gaal’s assistants, Danny Blind, Henk Fraser and Frans Hoek, will stand in for the coach as the Netherlands squad prepares to play Denmark on Saturday and Germany on Tuesday. Both matches are at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

8:15 a.m. Almost 1 million people in the United States have died of COVID-19 in the past two years, but the full impact of the pandemic’s collateral damage is still being tallied. Now a new study reports that the number of Americans who died of alcohol-related causes increased precipitously during the first year of the pandemic, as routines were disrupted, support networks frayed and treatment was delayed.

The startling report comes amid a growing realization that COVID-19’s toll extends beyond the number of lives claimed directly by the disease to the excess deaths caused by illnesses left untreated and a surge in drug overdoses, as well as to social costs such as educational setbacks and the loss of parents and caregivers.

Numerous reports have suggested that Americans drank more to cope with the stress of the pandemic. Binge drinking increased, as did emergency room visits for alcohol withdrawal. But the new report found that the number of alcohol-related deaths, including from liver disease and accidents, soared, rising to 99,017 in 2020 from 78,927 in 2019 — an increase of 25 per cent in the number of deaths in one year.

7:10 a.m. A busted elevator at Cedarbrook Community Centre has dealt a losing hand to bridge-playing seniors who can’t climb the stairs.

After a two-year pause due to COVID-19, members of the Mid-Scarborough Bridge Club are excited at the prospect of shuffling up and dealing, with the lifting of restrictions and health advice that grounded its players.

The club began in 2018 and grew to 150 members — mostly seniors — with dozens showing up at a time for twice-weekly sessions in a large, second-floor room at Cedarbrook, on Eastpark Boulevard, until the pandemic.

Read the full story from Jack Lakey

6:30 a.m. Councillor Joe Cressy, the chair of Toronto’s Board of Health, says the city has reached a new milestone with 89 per cent of residents 12 and older now double vaccinated.

“Toronto is already a world leader in vaccination rates, and we’re not slowing down. We’re scaling up our equity-focused strategy to make vaccines accessible for all Torontonians,” he wrote in a tweet.

6:20 a.m. As Suri Weinberg-Linsky wandered the aisles of her small, west-end book shop Monday, she was pleasantly surprised: Customers were still wearing masks.

“I haven’t had to remind a single person today that they need to wear a mask. Everyone’s had one on when they come in, and I’ve been here since 10:30 (a.m.),” said Weinberg-Linsky, owner of Squibb’s Books and Stationery, Toronto’s oldest bookstore.

On the first day that Ontario’s province-wide mask mandate was lifted, Weinberg-Linsky was one of several business owners insisting customers and staff still wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Elsewhere, business owners, staff and customers were trying to strike a balance, partly to avoid the heated arguments which took place when mask mandates were first introduced. Retailers, gyms, movie theatres, restaurants and bars are now allowed to have customers and staff mask-free. Many, including Walmart, Cineplex, IKEA and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, have made masking voluntary.

Read the full story from the Star’s Josh Rubin

6:17 a.m. The Omicron subvariant BA.2 is continuing to gain ground in the U.S., according to COVID-19 tests sequenced over the last two weeks. Helix, a San Diego-based genomics firm, estimates that 50 per cent to 70 per cent of all COVID cases in the country are BA.2.

6:17 a.m. Japan’s government lifted quasi-state of emergency measures in Tokyo and other regions across the country, bringing to an end steps introduced in early January as cases continue to tumble. Infections peaked in Tokyo in early February. Bars and restaurants, which were subject to requests to close early, will resume normal opening hours from today.

6:16 a.m. China should stick to its strict Covid Zero strategy, the country’s top virus expert said, hours after Hong Kong set out a plan for easing its most stringent curbs. The comments from Liang Wannian, a seasoned epidemiologist who has overseen China’s response since the beginning of the pandemic, came as Shanghai saw a record number of cases for a second straight day. China added 4,594 local cases overall on Monday.

6:15 a.m. Health officials in South Korea have instructed crematories to burn more bodies per day and funeral homes to add more refrigerators to store the dead as families struggle with funeral arrangements amid a rise in COVID-19 deaths.

The country has been dealing with a massive coronavirus outbreak driven by the fast-moving Omicron variant, which has compromised a once robust pandemic response and is driving up hospitalizations and fatalities.

Officials have already allowed the 60 crematories across country to burn for longer hours starting last week, which raised their combined capacity from around 1,000 to 1,400 cremations per day.

But that hasn’t been enough to meaningfully ease the backlog of bodies waiting to be cremated in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which is home to half of South Korea’s 52 million people and the centre of its COVID-19 outbreak. The backlog has also trickled down to funeral homes at hospitals and other facilities, where families have struggled to make funeral arrangements because of the longer wait for cremations.

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February 4, 2022

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 2,797 hospitalizations, 541 in ICU; chief medical officer urges Ontarians to get third shot

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

5:05 p.m. Yukon is making tentative plans to gradually lift its COVID-19 restrictions, but the state of emergency declared in November will remain in place for another 90 days, The Canadian Press reports.

Premier Sandy Silver says starting this weekend limits on sports teams under 19 will be allowed to increase to 25 people or half the venue’s capacity, while the same rules will apply a week later to those over 19 in recreation and arts events, according to CP.

Next week, indoor personal gatherings will be allowed for up to 10 people and it will no longer be limited to two households.

The following week, Silver says Yukon plans to increase the limit on indoor organized events to half of the venue’s capacity, and will allow groups of up to six people per table at bars.

He says the government aims to allow bars and restaurants to return to normal operating hours starting March 1, no longer requiring them to close at 10 p.m.

Silver says the state of emergency may be revoked if it’s no longer needed, while the territory’s reopening plans may also be changed, based on case counts and the number of people in hospital.

5:05 p.m. Another four people have died in New Brunswick as a result of COVID-19, bring the total number of deaths in the province to 251, The Canadian Press reports.

Four other COVID-19-related deaths were reported yesterday, according to CP.

The province says 165 people are in hospital due to the disease, including 14 in intensive care.

It says 392 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19 and are in isolation.

Officials are reporting 411 new COVID-19 cases today.

New Brunswick has 4,012 active reported infections.

4:13 p.m. Nova Scotia is reporting four more deaths due to COVID-19, for a total of 157 since the start of the pandemic, The Canadian Press reports.

Health officials said today the deaths involve one woman in her 60s, a woman in her 80s, and a woman and a man in their 90s, according to CP.

Officials say there are about 351 patients in hospital with COVID-19.

Chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang, says the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continues to have devastating impacts on the province’s most vulnerable residents.

About 26 per cent of the people in hospital with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

That percentage is close to triple the percentage of unvaccinated people in the general population.

4:13 p.m. The government has issued an order-in-council clarifying that truckers are not exempt from a vaccine mandate after bureaucrats were confused by their own policy, reports The Canadian Press.

The Canada Border Services Agency created widespread confusion last month after it issued a statement to media saying that unvaccinated truckers would remain exempt from quarantine and testing requirements after entering the country at the Canada-U.S. border, according to CP.

The federal government said the next day the statement had been sent in error, but not before some unvaccinated big-riggers had already been dispatched across the border.

The Canadian Press later revealed the confusion stemmed from bureaucrats misinterpreting policy at both the border services agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada, including whether an order-in-council, which sets out decisions made by cabinet, covered truckers or not.

The government this week issued another order-in-council to “clarify” that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated truckers are not exempt from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate when entering Canada, except if they are delivering medically necessary supplies and equipment.

The Public Health Agency said the government had extended most of its border measures and made updates to some others. It said they would be in effect until at least the end of February.

3 p.m. Dr. Kieran Moore, chief medical officer of health for Ontario, said that health indicators show a gradual improvement in the spread of COVID-19 in the province, as Ontario proceeds to reopen gradually.

The number of hospitalizations are stable, Moore said, and ICU numbers are still high, but the number of COVID-19 cases is dropping. The number of outbreaks at long-term care (LTC) homes is declining and the number of cases among residents and staff is dropping.

“We must remain vigilant and adhere to public health measures,” said Moore, who added that people should stay home if sick, wear a mask, keep a distance from others and look to get a booster shot.

Asked what learning to live with COVID-19 entails, Moore said it meant acknowledging that Omicron is highly contagious and hard to limit and so the question is how many public measures does it make sense to keep in place.

“We need to have a discussion in society about this,” said Moore, who added that countries that do not have a full suite of public health measures are also seeing a decline in cases.

Asked by a reporter if there really is a greater risk of transmission in the unvaccinated than in the doubly vaccinated, Moore said that this may not be significant, however, having three shots is of “great benefit.

“Three doses provides 95-per-cent protection against severe outcomes,” said Moore, who added that two doses does protect against severe outcomes, too, although not to the degree that three shots do.

If it seems that two doses does not work especially well against the Omicon variant, the government may reconsider its passport system. He added that passports do protect those among the unvaccinated who are most at risk.

Moore urged more Ontarians to get their third shot.

“It is so beneficial against the risk of transmissions, but especially against severe outcomes,” Moore said.

Asked what public health measures are likely to endure, Moore said masking would be the last to go. He added that, at some point, proof of vacination may be reviewed.

Moore said he hopes it becomes a community standard to get vaccinated regularly and that, perhaps, drug companies may be able to integrate the COVID-19 vaccine with other flu vaccines so people find it convenient to take them in the fall when the viruses intensify each year.

“I hope that the combination of vaccination and anti-viral (pills) will enable us to return to normality,” he said.

“We are in a much better position to be less fearful of this virus and to learn to live with it,” Moore said.

Moore said Ontario is monitoring the new BA.2 variant emerging. So far, there are 29 cases. “It is early days and we are monitoing it closely,” he said.

Asked about the amount of PCR testing being done, Moore said that it is this kind of testing is a limited resource and must be prioritized for those working in ICUs and their families. Ontario will rely on different data points to guage the level of COVID-19, he added.

1:35 p.m. It’s been a crisis long in the making. Now, as we head into the third year of a global pandemic, Ontario’s nurses are barely holding on.

Across Canada, nurses are leaving their jobs in droves, citing burnout, inadequate pay, dangerous conditions and more. With COVID cases anticipated to climb as Ontario reopens, Premier Doug Ford is set to sit down with Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) president Cathryn Hoy Thursday to discuss solutions.

“We entered the pandemic short on nurses to begin with,” Hoy told the Star Wednesday. “We have been telling the government that for years… Now, a pandemic has enhanced it.”

Read the full story from the Star’s Kevin Jiang

1:15 p.m. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was back in a New York City courtroom Thursday, more than a week after the start of a trial in her libel lawsuit against The New York Times was postponed because she tested positive for COVID-19.

After a jury was quickly selected, Palin attorney Shane Vogt told Manhattan federal court jurors in an opening statement to put aside their opinions about Palin and determine if the newspaper defamed her.

Palin will be the trial’s star witness. She’s seeking unspecified damages based on claims that an editorial in the Times hurt her budding career as a political commentator.

1 p.m. Africa’s top health official is launching a campaign to enlist young people to encourage vaccinations, as just 11.3 per cent of the continent’s 1.3 billion people are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Youths will be encouraged “to play an active role” in ramping up inoculations across the continent where the vaccination rate is far below other regions in the world, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director John Nkengasong said Thursday.

Africa so far has 10.8 million confirmed infections and 240,000 deaths and vaccination efforts have been accelerating as vaccines doses are “becoming readily available” on the continent, Nkengasong said. In the last four weeks, Africa has seen an average 10 per cent decrease in new cases, he said.

12:40 p.m. Police and city officials are preparing for a convoy of truck drivers protesting vaccine mandates to converge upon Toronto this weekend, with Mayor John Tory vowing to do “everything we can” to avoid the disruption on display in the nation’s capital.

“I have made it clear to (Toronto police) Chief Ramer that we must work together to do everything we can to avoid the kind of situation currently faced by Ottawa residents and businesses, to keep Toronto residents safe, and to try to ensure that any protests are respectful and peaceful,” Tory told city council Thursday morning.

Toronto police issued a statement Wednesday saying the force was “aware” of and preparing for a demonstration planned Saturday in the city’s downtown core, Flyers circulating online call for supporters of the “Convoy for Freedom” to meet in designated spots throughout the GTA then head towards Queen’s Park for a midday protest.

Read the full story from the Star’s Wendy Gillis and David Rider

12 p.m. Quebec is reporting 42 more deaths attributed to the coronavirus as hospitalizations related to COVID-19 again dropped.

The Health Department says there are 2,637 people in hospital, a drop of 93 compared to the previous day as 193 patients were admitted and 286 left.

Of those in hospital, 191 patients are listed in intensive care, a decline of 13 patients.

The province is reporting 3,592 new cases confirmed by PCR testing — which is limited to certain higher-risk groups — and 963 positive rapid tests declared through a provincial online platform.

11:30 a.m. Ottawa’s mayor is calling on several Conservative MPs and a senator from Saskatchewan to apologize for praising the anti-vaccine mandate protest that has brought the capital’s downtown to a standstill for close to a week.

A photo shows MPs Warren Steinley, Kevin Waugh, Andrew Scheer, Fraser Tolmie, Rosemarie Falk and Sen. Denise Batters grinning — some giving the thumbs-up — in front of one of the protest trucks, which have been barricading roads and honking horns in the city almost non-stop since Saturday.

On Twitter, Waugh said a few of Saskatchewan caucus members “went to show their appreciation for the hardworking, patriotic truckers who have kept our supply chains healthy & grocery shelves stocked for the past two years.”

11:07 a.m. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government will soon end COVID-19 measures that restrict people’s rights and freedoms.

Moe makes the comment in a four-minute video posted last night on social media.

He says it’s impossible to eliminate COVID-19, so we must learn to live with the virus while continuing to protect ourselves with vaccines, anti-viral treatments and testing.

He says that moving forward Saskatchewan will manage COVID-19 like it does with other common respiratory viruses since Omicron is less severe and people who are vaccinated can still get the virus.

10:35 a.m. NFL and SoFi Stadium officials joined with local leaders to reiterate that masks will be required for fans at the Super Bowl in Inglewood to help protect against Omicron transmission.

The mask requirement in outdoor stadiums, an order issued in L.A. County last August, was criticized as unnecessary this week by a member of the Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger, who represents a northern part of the county, after photos emerged of many fans maskless in their seats at Sunday’s Los Angeles Rams game.

But at a press conference Wednesday, several local elected officials backed the mask mandate, including Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. and L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, whose district includes SoFi Stadium. Guests at the Feb. 13 game will also need to show proof they’ve been vaccinated or recently tested negative for the coronavirus prior to entry, a requirement that has been in place for large outdoor events in the county since October.

10:20 a.m. Ontario is reporting 2,797 COVID hospitalizations and 541 people in ICU. Another 74 deaths were reported over the last 23 days.

83 per cent of patients admitted to the ICU were admitted for COVID-19 and 17 per cent were admitted for other reasons but have tested positive for COVID-19.

In Ontario, 30,832,550 vaccine doses have been administered. 92 per cent of Ontarians 12+ have one dose and 89.3 per cent have two doses, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott.

9:40 a.m. Palestinians are facing a winter coronavirus surge driven by the omicron variant, placing stress on the medical system even though vaccines are widely available.

The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry reported over 70,000 active cases in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip on Thursday, more than twice the number at the height of previous surges.

The real figure is likely much higher, as omicron tends to cause milder symptoms, especially in vaccinated patients, and many people are testing at home.

At least 268 people have been hospitalized in the parts of the occupied West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority, including 80 in intensive care and 24 people on ventilators. Gaza currently has at least 63 serious cases.

8:25 a.m. Nordic combined star Jarl Magnus Riiber of Norway has tested positive for COVID-19.

The 24-year-old Riiber is No. 2 in the World Cup rankings after a three-year run of being the top-ranked athlete in the sport that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing. He fell just short of a medal twice at the 2018 Olympics, finishing fourth in the large and normal hill competitions.

Riiber said on Instagram “the (gold) is yours guys.”

7:50 a.m. For millions of people in rich countries, COVID-19 self-tests are abundant and free, including in Britain, Canada, France and Germany. But most people across Africa have limited access to them.

Zimbabwe introduced free walk-in testing centers in November 2020, but supplies are tight and the country still has no national program to distribute at-home tests.

Although self-tests are available in some Zimbabwean pharmacies, they cost up to $15 each, a fortune in a country where more than 70{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of the population lives in extreme poverty made worse by the pandemic. The situation is similar elsewhere across the continent — and in parts of Asia and Latin America — with few, if any, opportunities for people to easily test themselves.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to making inexpensive, self-tests widely available in the developing world is that the World Health Organization has yet to issue guidance on their use. Without the resources of wealthy countries to buy tests or evaluate their safety, poor countries must wait for WHO approval before aid groups and international agencies are willing to donate them in large numbers.

7:22 a.m. Czech hockey star David Krejci tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival in Beijing and missed the team’s first full pre-Olympic practice.

Coach Filip Pesan says Krejci is still in the athletes village awaiting more COVID-19 test results. Pesan voiced optimism about Krejci being cleared Friday after a similar situation unfolded with another player.

The 35-year-old longtime Boston Bruins center is expected to be among the best players in the tournament without NHL players. Krejci won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and has 854 points in 1,118 regular-season and playoff games.

6:05 a.m. Rufsa Hasina Afroze, a teacher and academic supervisor at a leading private school in Bangladesh’s capital was relieved to see students return to its campus in September after it was closed for 543 days because of the pandemic.

It was only a brief respite from online learning. With the recent surge in coronavirus cases mostly because of the omicron variant, authorities have ordered the schools to close once more.

“It was not the same campus, but still we were happy to return,” she said. “During the whole period I missed my students and colleagues. It was a big challenge for me to adjust to the new reality.“

The closure initially was just for two weeks, until Feb. 6. But on Wednesday Education Minister Dipu Moni announced it was to be extended for another two weeks.

Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 2,983 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 583 in ICU; Boris Johnson says sorry after ‘partygate’ report released

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

6:15 p.m.: The Star’s Rosie Dimanno has touched down in Beijing for the upcoming 2022 Summer Olympics. But as the columnist writes, “never before … have I ever felt so alien and menacing a presence, not to mention barely tolerated.”

Read the full column here.

6:02 p.m.: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in letters to seven governors, is reaffirming the need for members of their states’ Army and Air National Guards to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine or lose their Guard status.

In nearly identical letters signed late last week, Austin tells the governors that the virus “takes our service members out of the fight, temporarily or permanently, and jeopardizes our ability to meet mission requirements,” according to copies obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The letters, which have not been publicly released, come as the military services begin to ramp up the number of active-duty troops being discharged for refusing the vaccine. Nearly 600 Marines, airmen and sailors have been thrown out of the military or dismissed from entry-level training at boot camps as of last week.

Two of the letters — to Alaska and Texas state leaders — note that they have an ongoing lawsuit over the vaccine and that, Austin said, limited his abililty to comment further on their concerns.

Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska filed lawsuits challenging the military’s vaccine mandate, but a federal judge has already rejected the Oklahoma challenge. The Alaska governor was one of five Republican state leaders who sent a letter to Austin asking him not to enforce the mandate on National Guard troops. The other four were governors from Wyoming, Mississippi, Iowa and Nebraska.

The latest letters were to those five governors along with Idaho and Texas.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 87 per cent of the U.S. population age 18 or older has gotten at least one shot.

5:30 p.m.: Joe Rogan has apologized after being critized for hosting two guests in recent weeks on his popular podcast who espoused dangerous COVID misinformation.

In his apology episode, Rogan also thanked his listeners who have enjoyed his podcast and said he would “try harder to get people with differing opinions on right afterward” and “do my best to make sure I have researched these topics, the controversial ones in particular, and have all the pertinent facts at hand before I discuss them.”

Read the full story by the Star’s Alessia Passifiume here.

5:22 p.m.: Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan’s proof of vaccination against COVID-19 has run its course, but he won’t commit to removing the requirement before the public health order expires at the end of the month.

He says the government doesn’t make decisions overnight, but discusses them with health officials who provide input.

On the weekend, Moe said in a letter in which he supported a truck convoy against mandatory vaccines that Saskatchewan would remove the public health order in the “not-too-distant” future.

Since then, the premier has said proof of vaccination or a negative test no longer help with preventing transmission of COVID-19.

5:00 p.m.: With leaders such as Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto chief medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa calling for Canadians to learn to “live with” COVID-19, what does that exactly mean?

The Star’s Jenna Moon spoke with several doctors to try to map out a way forward past the pandemic.

4:47 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will neither meet with nor be intimidated by the convoy of Canadians he says spent the last few days harassing local businesses, waving Nazi flags and stealing food from the homeless.

Speaking to Canadians from isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 Monday, Trudeau said “freedom of expression, assembly and association are cornerstones of democracy.”

“But Nazi symbolism, racist imagery, and desecration of war memorials are not,” he said. “It is an insult to memory and truth. Hate can never be the answer.”

Trudeau and his family were moved to an undisclosed location Saturday as thousands of people converged all over Ottawa, including some near his official residence on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

3:40 p.m. For nearly two years, Canadians have faced rolling restrictions on public life due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19. As the Omicron wave begins to wane in the province, politicians and doctors alike are beginning to envision a world where we move beyond emergency measures and live alongside the virus.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday that the province needs to learn to “live with” COVID-19. That thought was echoed the same day by Toronto’s medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa, who said a mix of vaccinations, masking, distancing and ventilation will help lessen the risk of severe flare-ups of the virus as Toronto moves away from a “COVID-zero” approach to handling the pandemic. As of Monday, some restrictions placed on indoor dining, gyms and movie theatres have been lifted, though they will only be able to operate at 50 per cent of their regular capacity.

Meanwhile, a study released Monday has shown just how far the virus spread in Canada as a result of the highly-contagious Omicron variant: One in every five households has seen at least one case of COVID since the beginning of December. The same study found that more than half of respondents support an end to restrictions.

But what does “living with” COVID-19 look like? As Dr. Nelson Lee, interim director of the Dalla Lana Institute for Pandemics, told the Star, it’s not so much about living with the virus as it is about overcoming it.

Read the full story from the Star’s Jenna Moon.

3:32 p.m. The Quebec government loosened more COVID-19 restrictions Monday, permitting small private indoor gatherings and reopening restaurant dining rooms at half capacity, after it imposed an abrupt lockdown over the holidays.

After lifting the provincial curfew and allowing in-person classes to resume on Jan. 17, the government is permitting restaurants to host no more than four people at one table, or two households, and forcing them to close at midnight.

3:12 p.m. The prime minister says the government will introduce legislation today to continue providing as many rapid tests as possible to the provinces and territories.

Justin Trudeau made the announcement today during a news conference that addressed the Parliament Hill protest against government-imposed COVID-19 measures.

The bill was added to the order paper on Saturday, ahead of MPs returning to Parliament Monday.

Liberal House leader Mark Holland said at a news conference today that Bill C-10 would accelerate the funding and provision of rapid tests because there is “great” need for them.

2:30 p.m. A truck blockade snarling border traffic between Montana and Alberta is causing political and police tensions to ratchet up.

It began over the weekend alongside the “Freedom Convoy” that made its way into Ottawa, bringing thousands of protesters upset with public health measures and the federal government.

The blockade of trucks in southern Alberta near the village of Coutts is made up of a line of vehicles that backed up traffic for about two kilometres on Sunday, according to local reports.

The Star’s Kieran Leavitt has the latest.

1:55 p.m. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have “concerns” about how Spotify has allowed and promoted the spread of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.

Prince Harry and Meghan, who inked an exclusive multiyear partnership with the service in December 2020, said Sunday that they are pressing Spotify to take more care about the rhetoric spread on its airwaves.

“Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis. Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day,” a representative for their foundation said in a statement Sunday.

1:45 p.m. As promised by the province, a number of COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario were lifted on Monday.

As of 12:01 a.m., several limits on social gatherings, and indoor and outdoor capacities were eased, as part of a “cautious” three-stage reopening plan released earlier this month. The plan consists of three consecutive phases of public health measures being eased, with 21 days between each phase.

This comes just after Premier Doug Ford said Ontarians need to learn to live with COVID-19 in an interview Friday.

A change in social gathering limits, a return to indoor dining and gyms reopening are all part of the loosened restrictions that are now in place.

Read the full story from the Star’s Akrit Michael

1:30 p.m. It was back to class Monday for students in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island as a result of eased COVID-19 restrictions.

Both provinces have installed portable HEPA filters in classrooms without mechanical ventilation systems.

Heather Mullen, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, says it’s important for students to be back in school and benefit from social interaction with their classmates.

She says while some parents were nervous about sending their children back today, she believes it’s safe because all students and school staff on the Island needed two negative rapid tests from the weekend, and all are wearing new high-quality masks.

High school students in New Brunswick head back to class Wednesday, while P.E.I. high school students return Thursday.

Last week, New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy thanked teachers and parents for their efforts during the extended period of online learning that resulted from the Omicron wave of the pandemic.

1:15 p.m. The mayor of a village in southern Alberta says there will be no mail and some students have not gone to school because of a truck convoy that has blockaded a highway at a busy U.S. border crossing as part of a protest against vaccine mandates.

Mayor Jim Willett says he’s angry and frustrated because about 100 trucks lined up on Highway 4 are preventing a mail truck and a school bus from entering Coutts, Alta.

The convoy is one of many in Canadian towns and cities on the weekend that coincided with truckers and their supporters meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to protesting the federal government’s COVID-19 measures.

Willett says he understands freedom to protest, but he adds the Alberta government needs to act to allow the movement of goods and services near the border, where only foot traffic has been able to get through.

1 p.m. Ontario is reporting 583 people in ICU due to COVID-19 and 2,983 in hospital overall testing positive for COVID-19, according to its latest report released Monday morning.

This marks the fifth straight day hospitalization numbers due to COVID have shown a downward trend. It is important to note that all hospitals don’t report COVID numbers on the weekend.

Around 22.6 per cent of the province’s 2,343 adult ICU beds remain available for new patients.

Read the full story from the Star’s Akrit Michael

12:37 p.m. Quebec is taking its first steps on Monday toward reopening the province after partially shutting down over the holidays due to record-high hospitalizations.

Premier François Legault announced plans last week to gradually loosen public health restrictions as the COVID-19 situation began to improve.

Beginning Monday, restaurant dining rooms can open at half capacity, with no more than four people or two different households at a table, and they must close by midnight.

The changes come as Quebec is today reporting 33 additional deaths attributed to COVID-19.

The Health Department says 2,888 people are hospitalized, a drop of seven patients from the previous day, and 223 people are in intensive care, a decline of 10.

Quebec is reporting 2,423 new COVID-19 cases, but authorities have warned that number is not reflective of the actual situation because PCR testing has been limited to certain higher-risk groups.

12:12 p.m. (updated) In a Monday presser, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who tested postive for COVID-19, thanks the truckers who are doing hard jobs and are on the road right now. He says they have continued to step up to put food on the shelves and support Canadians with necessary medication.

He says almost 90 per cent are doing the right thing. “We thank you deeply.”

Trudeau says the behaviour in Ottawa this weekend does not represent hard-working truckers.

“This is not the story of our pandemic, of our people,” Trudeau says. “…there is no place in our country to threats and hatred.”

Trudeau says this has to stop.

12:10 p.m. Premier Doug Ford on truckers’ protest: “I was extremely disturbed …to see some individuals desecrate our most sacred monuments and wave swastikas and other symbols of hate and intolerance this weekend. That has no place in Ontario or Canada. Not now. Not ever.”

Ford also said: “Today, Ontario is beginning to ease some public health measures, the first step in returning to normal. All Ontarians are united in their desire to put this pandemic behind us and return to the life we knew before COVID-19.”

11:35 a.m. Moderna announced Monday that U.S. health regulators granted full approval to its COVID-19 vaccine, a shot that’s been given to tens of millions of Americans since its emergency authorization over a year ago.

The action by the Food and Drug Administration means the agency has completed the same rigorous, time-consuming review of Moderna’s shot as dozens of other long-established vaccines.

The decision was bolstered by real-world evidence from the more than 200 million doses administered in the U.S. since the FDA cleared the shot in December 2020. The FDA granted full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine last August.

11:17 a.m. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized Monday for lockdown-flouting parties in Downing Street — but insisted that he and his government can be trusted.

Johnson told lawmakers in the House of Commons that he would make changes to the way the government is run in the wake of the “partygate” scandal.

“I get it and I will fix it,” he said.

He spoke after senior civil servant Sue Gray found that gatherings by the prime minister and his staff when Britain was under coronavirus restrictions represent a “serious failure” to observe the standards expected of government.

10:16 a.m. Ontario is reporting 2,983 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 583 in the ICU. The province is reporting at least 3,043 new cases.

Note that not all hospitals report on weekends. In Ontario, 30,649,731 vaccine doses have been administered; 91.9 per cent of Ontarians 12+ have one dose and 89.2 per cent have two doses, according to tweets from Health Minister Christine Elliott.

10:12 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Trudeau posted on Twitter that he got the positive test result Monday morning. He has been in isolation since last Wednesday when he said that he’d had a positive contact.

CP reported that the contact was one of his children, but the PMO had not identified which of his children had contracted the virus.

“I’m feeling fine — and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines. Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted,” Trudeau tweeted.

Read the full story from the Star’s Tonda MacCharles

9:51 a.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement on Twitter, Trudeau says: “I’m feeling fine – and I’ll continue to work remotely this week while following public health guidelines. Everyone, please get vaccinated and get boosted.”

9:47 a.m. An investigation says lockdown-breaching parties by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff represent a “serious failure” to observe the standards expected of government.

Senior civil servant Sue Gray concluded that “there were failures of leadership and judgment” in the government and “some of the events should not have been allowed to take place.

The findings are part of what Gray’s office calls an “update” on her investigation, rather than a full report. Major parts of her findings have been withheld at the request of the police, who have launched a criminal investigation into the most serious alleged breaches of coronavirus rules.

The cuts have led opponents to accuse Johnson of a whitewash.

Johnson is due to make a statement on the findings in the House of Commons later Monday.

9:15 a.m. Los Angeles County’s nursing homes have observed an extraordinary increase in coronavirus case rates during the Omicron surge — reaching levels exceeding even last winter’s wave — but that unprecedented torrent of infections hasn’t been matched by a record-high number of daily COVID-19 deaths, county health data show.

The county has instead observed a relatively small increase in daily COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes during the omicron surge, officials said. And new daily coronavirus cases have already started to drop.

As of mid-January, L.A. County was tallying a daily COVID-19 death rate of 20 fatalities for every 100,000 nursing home residents. That’s about one-fifth of the peak of last winter’s surge, and roughly one-fourth the rate of the pandemic‘s early days in spring 2020, according to figures presented by L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

8:55 a.m. Hamilton school boards say they are struggling to put teachers in classrooms as systems report average staff absences of more than 1,000 a day.

Schools reopened to in-person learning Jan. 19 for the first time since before the winter break amid a rapidly spreading Omicron wave of COVID.

“It has been challenging,” said Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board chair Pat Daly. “The absenteeism rates have been higher than pre-pandemic. It was a challenge before the pandemic, so it’s been exacerbated now.”

The Catholic board reported average daily vacancy rates of about 504 — or 12 per cent — among staff, which includes educators, as well as administrative and custodial staff, and 212 among teachers in the first three days back to school.

8:30 a.m. Grocery prices are skyrocketing. Inflation is at a 30-year high. Interest rate hikes are on the horizon. And the housing market shows no signs of cooling.

And yet your salary hasn’t changed — maybe even in years.

Canadians are noticing their dollar isn’t stretching as far these days, and wondering when their pay will catch up.

At the same time, a tight labour market means companies are doing more, such as raising wages on new job postings, to try to attract and retain talent.

Read the full story from the Star’s Rosa Saba

8:12 a.m. One of Peel’s highly visited COVID-19 vaccination clinics is back to allow those with busy daytime schedules to receive the first, second or booster dose.

The Doses After Dark clinic is set to run at Brampton’s Save Max Sports Centre on Feb. 5 and at Mississauga’s Rockwood Mall on Feb. 12, both from 1 p.m. till midnight.

Appointments are now live and can be booked online through the provincial website or on Peel Region’s COVID-19 website.

“Our previous Doses after Dark events were very well received so, please book as this special event and these late evening appointments will go quickly,” said the region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Lawrence Loh.

7:10 a.m. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has received a long-awaited report from an investigation into lockdown-breaching government parties, the government said Monday.

The Cabinet Office said senior civil servant Sue Gray “has provided an update on her investigations to the Prime Minister.”

Johnson’s office has promised the report will be published “swiftly,” and that the prime minister will address Parliament about its findings.

But Monday’s “update” is unlikely to tell the full story. Some of Gray’s findings are being withheld because of a separate police investigation into whether some of the gatherings broke COVID-19 laws.

Allegations that the prime minister and his staff flouted restrictions imposed on the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus have caused public anger and led some Conservative lawmakers to call for Johnson’s resignation.

6:20 a.m.: Gyms, movie theatres and museums in Ontario will also be able to reopen Monday, after having been shut down for the last several weeks.

Perhaps more than anything, business owners are hoping this is the last time they’re forced to close, after having gone through waves of lockdowns and reopenings, then back into lockdown, since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

They’re also left to wonder: Will the customers come back?

Read the full story from the Star’s Josh Rubin.

6:20 a.m.: A senior Hong Kong government official has resigned after attending a large birthday party that fueled complaints of double standards by authorities enforcing strict Covid-control measures.

Home Affairs Secretary Caspar Tsui handed his resignation to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Monday and will leave the post immediately, he said in a statement. Lam is set to hold a briefing at 3 p.m., at which more details are expected.

“As one of the principal officials taking the lead in the anti-epidemic fight, I have not set the best example during the recent outbreak,” he said in the statement. Tsui added that he had “behaved in an inappropriate manner when all efforts should have been devoted to controlling the spread of the virus.”

His resignation marks the first time a government official has left a post after flouting pandemic guidance, and comes as the city’s strict zero-tolerance approach to Covid is strained by an omicron variant-fueled surge.

Lam launched a disciplinary probe after Tsui and some 30 officials were found to be among about 250 attendees at a party for the local representative of a mainland Chinese economic development agency on Jan. 3. Days earlier, the government had urged the public to avoid large gatherings due to the global spread of omicron.

6:20 a.m.: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday she has tested negative for the coronavirus after coming into close contact with an infected person on a commercial flight.

Ardern had been isolating since late Saturday after the Jan. 22 exposure first came to light. She intends to continuing isolating through Tuesday to complete a 10-day health requirement. She has had no symptoms.

The exposure occurred on a flight from the town of Kerikeri to New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. Health officials listed a dozen flights as exposure events late Saturday, possibly indicating infections among flight crews.

Ardern and Gov.-General Cindy Kiro, who is also isolating while awaiting a second test, were in the Northland region to do some filming ahead of New Zealand’s national day, Waitangi Day, on Feb. 6.

New Zealand has managed to stamp out or contain the virus for much of the pandemic, and has reported just 52 virus deaths among its population of 5 million. But an outbreak of the omicron variant is starting to take hold and is expected to rapidly grow over the coming weeks.

About 77{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of New Zealanders are fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data. That figure rises to 93{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of those aged 12 and over, according to New Zealand officials.

6:19 a.m.: Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary center operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections.

Japan began administering booster shots to medical workers in December, but has only provided such inoculations to 2.7 per cent of the population after delaying a decision to cut the interval between the first two coronavirus shots and a booster to six months from the initial eight.

Demand for the shots is intense: Online reservations that started on Friday resulted in all slots for about 4,300 doses to be given at the center this week being filled within 9 minutes. The center is providing the vaccine made by Moderna, Inc.

On a smaller scale, people 65 and older can get booster shots elsewhere.

The center run by the Self-Defense Force in downtown Tokyo reopened Monday after closing down in late November. It will be vaccinating about 720 people aged 18 or older per day this week, ramping up to more than 2,000 a day next month. Another military-run center will begin booster shots next week in Osaka.

6:18 a.m.: People across Asia prepared Monday for muted Lunar New Year celebrations amid concerns over the coronavirus and virulent Omicron variant, even as increasing vaccination rates raised hopes that the Year of the Tiger might bring life back closer to normal.

The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China and falls on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Each year is named after one of twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle. The Year of the Tiger follows the Year of the Ox.

This will be the third new year in a row celebrated in the shadow of the pandemic. It was two days before the holiday in 2020 that China locked down Wuhan — a city of 11 million people — following the detection of the coronavirus there.

Some 85{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of Chinese are now fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data, and more Chinese have been travelling domestically this year, despite government warnings. Many people prepare to celebrate by buying red lanterns and other decorations for their homes, and food to mark the beginning of a new year.

6:18 a.m.: Legislators plan to return to the House of Commons on Monday morning as a Parliament Hill protest against government-imposed COVID-19 measures enters its third full day.

Many of the horn-honking demonstrators who brought Ottawa to a near standstill on the weekend showed no signs of budging as parliamentarians, businesses and school administrators were left wondering when the usual rhythm of the frazzled national capital would resume.

Alexandra Maheux, a spokeswoman for government House leader Mark Holland, said the ongoing protest is not interfering with parliamentary business.

“We have important work to accomplish for Canadians in Parliament, and we’re looking forward to getting this done and delivering results,” Maheux said late Sunday.

She noted that MPs have the flexibility to work in a hybrid House in this sitting, which remains in effect until June, to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Some MPs will be in the chamber on Monday and beyond, and others will participate virtually,” Maheux said.

A memo circulated Sunday by Patrick McDonell, the House sergeant-at-arms, said security plans were being developed to ensure personal safety.

Holland has scheduled a morning news conference in Parliament’s West Block to discuss the sitting.

He is likely to face questions about the roaming crowds and ear-splitting truck horns outside on Wellington Street, and just how long the protest will be allowed to continue.

6:17 a.m.: A study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that adult COVID-19 patients with disabilities had 36 per cent longer hospital stays and a 77 per cent increased risk of readmission within 30 days.

Advocate Sandi Bell, who has a mobility disability and vision impairment, said it’s important to see studies highlighting the challenges that COVID-19 has caused for many people with disabilities.

“There is a definite demand for data, because a lot of people just don’t know about the daily barriers,” said Bell, a member of the Board of Directors of ARCH Disability Law Centre.

“COVID has been the most isolating situation that one could imagine for people with disabilities.”

Researchers at the University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto looked at 1,279 patients — 22.3 per cent of whom had a recorded disability — who were hospitalized for COVID-19 at seven nearby hospitals from January through November 2020.

They found that patients with traumatic brain injury, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and multiple disabilities had the highest risks for poor COVID-19 outcomes.

The longer hospital stays and increased rates of readmission for people with disabilities persisted even after accounting for age and other factors that might explain differences.

6:16 a.m.: On the East Coast, schools were set to reopen to in-person learning in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Monday, with added safety measures in place.

6:16 a.m.: Quebec is taking its first steps today to reopen the province after partially shutting down over the holidays due to record-high hospitalizations.

Premier François Legault announced plans last week to gradually loosen public health restrictions as the COVID-19 situation has improved somewhat.

Restaurant dining rooms can open at half capacity today, with no more than four people or two different households at a table. Closing time is set for midnight, with last call at 11 p.m.

Private indoor gatherings of up to four people, or two family bubbles, are also permitted.

Extracurricular sports can resume in elementary and high schools, CEGEPs and universities, with the mandatory vaccine passport for students 13 and over.

The second phase of Quebec’s plan to ease restrictions is set for a week from now, with places of worship, entertainment and sports venues allowed to reopen at limited capacity on Feb. 7.

6:15 a.m.: Ontario’s restaurants, gyms and theatres will welcome patrons back today for the first time in nearly a month.

It’s the first step in the province’s plan to gradually ease public health restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Restaurant dining rooms, gyms and cinemas will reopen at half capacity today after being shuttered on Jan. 5 due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Larger venues will also reopen with capacity limited to 50 per cent or 500 people — whichever is fewer.

Limits on indoor gatherings will increase from five people to 10, while the cap on outdoor gatherings will go from 10 to 25.

The province plans to ease COVID-19 measures further on Feb. 21.

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