Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Monday
Alberta has reached a "precarious point" in the coronavirus pandemic, the province's top doctor said Monday upon reporting 1,549 new cases and five more deaths. Dr. Deena Hinshaw also said there were 13,166 active cases in Alberta —
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surpassing Ontario's 13,004 for the most in the country.
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Hinshaw said she would meet Monday with a cabinet committee "to discuss a series of new measures to reduce the rising spread of COVID-19."
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"Based on their decisions, we will provide a detailed update to Albertans tomorrow," Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, told a news conference.
"We must take action. Waiting any longer will impact our ability to care for Albertans in the weeks and months ahead. As chief medical officer of health, my role is to provide advice to government on how to protect the health of Albertans."WATCH | Alberta at a 'crisis point' in pandemic, doctor says:
Dr. Amy Tan, a family physician and organizer with the group Masks for Canada, said a strong lockdown is needed in the province to address the rising cases. 1:28
Earlier, Ontario reported a record high daily COVID-19 case number on Monday with 1,589 new cases and 19 additional deaths, bringing the death toll in the province to 3,505.
The update on Monday came after people in Toronto and Peel Region woke up to new rules after the province announced a lockdown period for those regions set to last at least 28 days. Non-essential stores in those regions will be closed to shoppers, and restaurants can only offer takeout and delivery.
- What's open and closed as Toronto, Peel move into COVID-19 lockdown
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Premier Doug Ford also announced that the province has appointed retired Gen. Rick Hillier to lead Ontario's vaccine rollout. Hillier previously served as the chief of defence staff of the Canadian Forces for three years.
Ford said planning is already underway with vaccine manufacturers for the rollout expected in early 2021. Health Minister Christine Elliott said the province will receive 1.6 million doses of Pfizer's new vaccine and 800,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine.
WATCH | Ford discusses decision to close small business in locked-down regions:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford admitted it's 'not fair' to small business that big box stores can stay open when small stores without 'essential' items are forced to close because of enhanced pandemic restrictions. 1:05
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is self-isolating after he was potentially exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Jim Billington, the executive director of communications for Moe's office, said in an email that the premier isn't experiencing any symptoms but was tested for the virus.
Saskatchewan reported 235 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, along with four new deaths.
What's happening across Canada
As of 4:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Canada's COVID-19 case count stood at 335,622, with 56,508 of those considered active cases. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 11,504.
Businesses struggling to pay the bills because of the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to start applying today for a long-awaited new commercial rent relief program offered by the federal government.
The new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy replaces an earlier rent-support program for businesses introduced in the spring that saw little pickup because it relied on landlords applying for help.
The new program will cover up to 65 per cent of rent or commercial mortgage interest on a sliding scale based on revenue declines, with an extra 25 per cent available to the hardest-hit firms.
Manitoba reported 543 COVID-19 cases — a new daily record — as well as seven more deaths, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced. The province where health officials recently imposed strict measures to try to get a handle on rising case numbers.
"It might be easier to just think of these as numbers, but these are Manitobans," Roussin said. "The list continues to grow and it's very challenging to be reading every day."
WATCH | Manitoba's premier takes questions over his government's handling of COVID-19:
As G20 leaders, including Canada, vow to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, there are greater calls for a national vaccine rollout strategy in Canada. 3:31
In Atlantic Canada, which has so far been spared the worst of the global pandemic, two premiers told residents of their provinces that travel guidelines are changing.
Newfoundland and Labrador's premier said that a decision to temporarily pull out of the Atlantic bubble is meant to stave off a second wave and try to protect the upcoming holiday season.
As of Wednesday, people arriving in the province from other "bubble" provinces will have to self-isolate for two weeks.
WATCH | P.E.I. pulls out of Atlantic bubble over COVID-19 worries:
Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King said the province is temporarily suspending its participation in the Atlantic bubble after coronavirus cases began rising within the region. 1:18
Prince Edward Island also moved on Monday to suspend non-essential travel to and from the island for a two-week period. Premier Dennis King described the move as "an extra layer of caution."
The provinces joined the Atlantic bubble in July, which allowed residents of the four Atlantic provinces to travel freely between the provinces without self-isolating.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported two new cases on Monday for a total caseload of 321. P.E.I. added one new case, bringing the total number of cases reported in the island province to 69.
Quebec on Monday reported 1,164 cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths, including three reported to have occurred in the last 24 hours. Hospitalizations stood at 634, with 98 in intensive care, according to the province.
New Brunswick reported 15 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death. Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, urged residents to "please, wear a mask" and keep their close contacts low. "We must all remain vigilant. There has never been a time when the risk was zero," she said.
Nova Scotia reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, equalling Sunday's total. There are currently 51 active cases in the province and 1,143 tests were completed in the province on Sunday.
WATCH | Prioritizing access to COVID-19 vaccines in Canada:
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister insists his province's restrictions are the most stringent in the country. 8:00
Nunavut reported four new cases of COVID-19 on Monday after adding dozens of new cases over the weekend. The territory, which is in the midst of a so-called circuit-breaker lockdown, has now seen a total of 134 cases.
In Yukon, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley announced six new cases of COVID-19 in the territory on Monday.
The Northwest Territories, meanwhile, had no new cases over the weekend.
Health officials in British Columbia don't release updated COVID-19 figures over the weekend. The province reported 516 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the number of active cases to 7,122.
What's happening around the world
As of early Monday evening, there were more than 59 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, with more than 37.6 million of those cases considered recovered or resolved, according to a case tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
AstraZeneca says that late-stage trials showed its COVID-19 vaccine was up to 90 per cent effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is easier to distribute than some of its rivals.
The results reported Monday are based on an interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca is the third major drug company to report late stage results for its potential COVID-19 vaccine as public health officials around the world anxiously wait for vaccines that will end the pandemic that has killed almost 1.4 million people.
Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate doesn't have to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, making it easier to distribute, especially in developing countries. All three vaccines must be approved by regulators before they can be widely distributed.
In the Americas, the U.S. government on Tuesday will start distributing 30,000 doses of an experimental antibody drug to fight COVID-19, the same one President Donald Trump received last month.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed to allow emergency use of the drug, made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, for people with mild to moderate symptoms who are at high risk of developing serious illness because of their age or other medical conditions. It's not authorized for use in sicker, hospitalized patients or those who need extra oxygen.
Meanwhile, public health officials in the U.S. are sounding alarms and urging people not to travel and limit gatherings this holiday season amid a new surge in coronavirus cases.
But that isn't stopping the White House from planning a host of festivities, including holiday parties, which kicked off Monday with the arrival of the White House Christmas tree.
"Attending the parties will be a very personal choice," said Stephanie Grisham, first lady Melania Trump's spokesperson and chief of staff. "It is a longstanding tradition for people to visit and enjoy the cheer and iconic decor of the annual White House Christmas celebrations."
The White House has already been the site of several suspected "super-spreader" events and dozens of staff — along with the president, the first lady and their son — have been infected, along with a long list of campaign aides and other advisers.
