COVID-19 replace for Aug. 24: This is what you want to know

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This is your day by day replace with every part you want to know on the coronavirus scenario in B.C. and world wide.

Publishing date:

Aug 24, 2022 • 3 days in the past • 10 minute learn • 5 Feedback

This is your day by day replace with every part you want to know on the coronavirus scenario in B.C. and world wide. Photograph by iStock/Getty Pictures Plus

Right here’s your replace with every part you want to know on the COVID-19 scenario in B.C. and world wide for Aug. 24, 2022.

We’ll present summaries of what’s happening proper right here so you may get the newest information at a look. This web page shall be up to date recurrently every single day this week, with developments added as they occur, so you’ll want to test again typically.

You may also get the newest COVID-19 information delivered to your inbox weeknights at 7 p.m. by subscribing to our e-newsletter right here.

Listed here are the newest weekly B.C. figures given on Aug. 18:

• Hospitalized circumstances: 366
• Intensive care: 22
• New circumstances: 877 over seven days ending Aug. 13
• Whole variety of confirmed circumstances: 381,049
• Whole deaths over seven days ending Aug. 13: 24 (complete 4,037)

Learn the total report right here | Subsequent replace: Aug. 25

Headlines at a look

• Quebec opens newest vaxx marketing campaign to all adults
• Group information constitutional problem of ArriveCan app
• Germany to tighten journey guidelines for fall and winter
• MP says Ottawa underestimated Canadians’ need to journey once more
• Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine was 73 per cent efficient in youngsters underneath 5: Information
• Japan might raise journey testing and traveller restrictions: Media
• AstraZeneca, one of many earliest to develop a vaccine, may get out of them altogether
• U.S. infectious illness skilled Dr. Anthony Fauci is retiring in December
• Western College in Ontario stands agency on masks, vaccine mandates in fall
• Pfizer is in search of approval for a combo COVID vaccine defending towards latest Omicron variants
• Japan PM Fumio Kishida has examined constructive for COVID-19
• Restoration nonetheless a powerful go for B.C. companies

LATEST NEWS

Quebec opens newest COVID vaccination marketing campaign to all adults

Whereas warning the autumn may very well be tough, Quebec introduced Wednesday it’s extending its COVID-19 booster shot marketing campaign to all adults in hopes of accelerating immunity earlier than the following wave.

Introduced final week, Quebec’s newest mass vaccination marketing campaign opened to individuals over the age of 60 on Monday.

It was initially imagined to open to all adults subsequent week, however the province has as an alternative determined to make everybody 18 and over eligible instantly.

“We’ve seen it over the previous two years: Again-to-school is a pivotal time, when COVID-19 is more likely to present indicators of accelerating,” Quebec public well being director Dr. Luc Boileau mentioned throughout a information convention.

“And that would presumably occur ahead of later.”

Quebec has mentioned it expects a brand new COVID wave within the fall, with college restarting, workers returning to work after holidays, and other people usually spending extra time inside.

Learn the total story right here.

— Postmedia Information

Group information constitutional problem of ArriveCan app in Federal Courtroom

OTTAWA — A constitutional rights group has launched a authorized problem of a federal requirement that travellers to Canada use the ArriveCan app.

The motion was filed in Federal Courtroom by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms on behalf of 11 Canadians, together with some allegedly fined as much as $8,500.

The authorized problem, spearheaded by a corporation that has opposed public well being measures reminiscent of lockdowns and vaccine mandates, seeks to strike down obligatory use of the app and to declare quarantine guidelines for Canadians who refuse to make use of the app as unconstitutional.

The discover of utility alleges the federal well being minister has failed or refused to supply proof that ArriveCan’s information assortment is authorized or safe.

It additionally claims ArriveCan has confirmed to be unreliable and susceptible to errors which have infringed the Constitution rights of Canadians.

Federal legal professionals have but to file a press release of defence within the case.

— The Canadian Press

MP says Ottawa underestimated Canadians’ need to journey once more

A member of Parliament says Ottawa might have underestimated Canadians’ need to journey when planning for a return to regular following the top of most pandemic restrictions.

Airways and airports have been grappling with a surge in clients this summer season, compounded by staffing shortages affecting each carriers and federal businesses.

Consequently, travellers have skilled widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and prolonged lineups, significantly at Toronto’s Pearson Worldwide Airport.

— The Canadian Press

Germany tightens COVID guidelines for journey throughout fall, winter

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Cupboard accredited laws Wednesday that ensures primary protecting measures towards the coronavirus pandemic are continued throughout the fall and winter when extra virus circumstances are anticipated.

The presentation of the foundations — which additionally embody the brand new obligation to put on N95-type face masks throughout all long-distance journey by prepare and bus in addition to on planes — coincided with the publication of photographs displaying the chancellor and German Financial system Minister Robert Habeck flying to Canada earlier this week with out carrying masks.

The images triggered robust public criticism of an alleged double commonplace for politicians and common individuals. At the moment, medical face masks are obligatory on planes and public transport although N95-style masks are beneficial.

— Reuters

Pfizer’s COVID vaccine 73.2% efficient in youngsters underneath 5, new information reveals

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech’s vaccine was 73.2% efficient in stopping COVID-19 amongst youngsters aged 6 months by 4 years, new information from the businesses confirmed on Tuesday, two months after the U.S. rollout of the pictures started for that age group.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for youngsters underneath 5 years of age in June, based mostly on information that confirmed the vaccine generated an analogous immune response as in older age teams.

An early evaluation based mostly on 10 symptomatic COVID-19 circumstances within the examine had instructed a vaccine efficacy of 80.3%. However specialists had warned that the info was preliminary resulting from a low variety of symptomatic circumstances.

— Reuters

Japan weighs enjoyable border guidelines on COVID: Media

Japan might raise necessities for pre-departure COVID-19 checks for travellers and lift day by day caps on entrants, home media have reported.

Japan has a number of the strictest pandemic border measures amongst main economies, requiring travellers to current a damaging coronavirus take a look at taken inside 72 hours of departure.

The federal government might quickly waive checks for vaccinated passengers, with the change taking impact in just a few weeks, Nikkei reported late Monday. A day by day cap of inbound travellers could also be raised from 20,000 to 50,000 as early as subsequent month, Fuji Information Community mentioned on Tuesday.

— Reuters

AstraZeneca might not keep in vaccines, however CEO has no COVID regrets

AstraZeneca might not keep within the vaccine enterprise in the long term, its CEO instructed Reuters on Tuesday, displaying how shortly fortunes have modified for the drugmaker that produced one of many first COVID-19 pictures however has since misplaced out to rivals.

Manufacturing delays, probes by regulators following uncommon circumstances of extreme unwanted effects and issues about its comparatively brief shelf life in contrast with different pictures have stymied adoption of the corporate’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Now, within the third yr of the pandemic amid a worldwide vaccine provide glut, its use has diminished in a lot of the developed world as nations have inoculated giant numbers of individuals and like Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines as boosters.

AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine has nonetheless not received U.S. approval.

— Reuters

Dr. Fauci, high U.S. infectious illness skilled, to retire in December

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s high infectious illness skilled who grew to become a family title — and the topic of partisan assaults — throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, introduced Monday he’ll depart the federal authorities in December after greater than 5 a long time of service.

Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, has been the director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a pacesetter within the federal response to HIV/AIDS and different infectious ailments even earlier than the coronavirus hit.

“I shall be leaving these positions in December of this yr to pursue the following chapter of my profession,” Fauci mentioned in a press release, calling these roles “the honour of a lifetime.”

— Related Press

Ontario’s Western College stands agency on masks, COVID vaccines for college kids

Masks and proof of vaccination shall be required when 1000’s of Western College college students converge on campus for a brand new college yr in two weeks.

Returning college students, college and workers have to be totally vaccinated towards COVID-19 and have acquired at the least one booster.

Besides the place college students could be two metres aside, college students should don medical-grade masks in school rooms and seminar rooms.

— London Free Press

Pfizer seeks U.S. approval of up to date COVID-19 vaccine for fall

Pfizer requested U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its mixture COVID-19 vaccine that provides safety towards the most recent omicron relations — a key step towards opening a fall booster marketing campaign.

The Meals and Drug Administration ordered vaccine makers to tweak their pictures to focus on BA.4 and BA.5 which might be higher than ever at dodging immunity from earlier vaccination or an infection.

If the FDA shortly clears the combo pictures made by Pfizer and its companion BioNTech, boosters may very well be supplied inside weeks. The U.S. has a contract to purchase 105 million of the up to date Pfizer doses as quickly as well being authorities greenlight them, and the corporate mentioned doses are able to ship.

Moderna is anticipated to file an analogous utility quickly, and the U.S. has a contract to purchase 66 million doses of its up to date vaccine.

— Related Press

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida checks constructive for COVID-19

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been identified with the coronavirus Sunday and canceled his deliberate travels whereas he isolates and recuperates.

Kishida developed a slight fever and cough late Saturday and examined constructive in a COVID-19 PCR take a look at, mentioned Noriyuki Shikata, the cupboard secretary for public affairs on the prime minister’s workplace.

“Prime Minister Kishida is remoted inside his residence,” he instructed The Related Press on Sunday.

— Reuters

Restoration nonetheless a tricky go for B.C. companies

Darren Homosexual’s area of interest video-rental enterprise had already turn into precarious by New Years 2020, however it was steady sufficient that he was pondering of how to diversify Black Canine Video’s operations on Industrial Drive.

As an alternative, his enterprise was crushed by a buyer base that largely simply stayed dwelling throughout COVID-19 restrictions and haven’t returned in sufficient numbers to assist with the hire enhance he was hit with in January, rising insurance coverage prices and more and more costly costs to inventory stock.

“Our final day was June 25,” Homosexual mentioned of his determination to lastly pull the plug, “as a result of I knew that I wanted, like, 5 days to get every part out of there.”

Homosexual isn’t alone. There are indicators a sizeable variety of B.C. companies are nonetheless underneath stress with gross sales that haven’t matched pre-pandemic ranges whereas their prices are rising, the Canadian Federation of Impartial Enterprise present in a latest survey.

Some 17 per cent of respondents admitted to contemplating winding up their operations, and even declaring chapter.

Learn the total story right here.

— Derrick Penner

What are B.C.’s present public well being measures?

MASKS: Masks should not required in public indoor settings although particular person companies and occasion organizers can select to require them.Masks are additionally inspired however not required on board public transit and B.C. Ferries, although they’re nonetheless required in federally regulated journey areas reminiscent of trains, airports and airplanes, and in well being care settings.

GATHERINGS AND EVENTS: There are at the moment no restrictions on gatherings and occasions reminiscent of private gatherings, weddings, funerals, worship providers, train and health actions, and swimming swimming pools.There are additionally no restrictions or capability limits on eating places, pubs, bars and nightclubs; and no restrictions on sport actions.

CARE HOMES: There aren’t any capability restrictions on guests to long-term care and seniors’ assisted residing services, nevertheless, guests should present proof of vaccination earlier than visiting.

Exemptions can be found for youngsters underneath the age of 12, these with a medical exemption, and guests attending for compassionate visits associated to end-of-life. Guests to seniors’ properties are additionally required to take a speedy antigen take a look at earlier than visiting the power or be examined on arrival. Exemptions to testing can be found for these attending for compassionate visits or end-of-life care.

How do I get vaccinated in B.C.?

Everybody who resides in B.C. and eligible for a vaccine can obtain one by following these steps:

• Get registered on-line at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated to e-book an appointment in your group.
• Or, in the event you favor, you may get registered after which go to a drop-in clinic in your well being authority.
• The system will provide you with a warning when it’s time to go on your second dose.
• The identical system will even provide you with a warning when it’s time on your booster dose.

The place can I get a COVID-19 take a look at?

TESTING CENTRES: B.C.’s COVID-19 take a look at assortment centres are at the moment solely testing these with signs who’re hospitalized, pregnant, thought of excessive threat or dwell/work with those that are excessive threat. You could find a testing centre utilizing the B.C. Centre for Illness Management’s testing centre map.

When you’ve got gentle signs, you do not want a take a look at and will keep dwelling till your fever is gone. These with out signs don’t want a take a look at.

TAKE-HOME RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS: Eligible British Columbians over the age of 18 with a private well being quantity can go to a pharmacy to obtain a free take-home take a look at equipment containing 5 COVID-19 speedy antigen checks.

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