The newest coronavirus information from Canada and world wide Sunday. This file might be up to date all through the day. Net hyperlinks to longer tales if obtainable.
8:39 p.m.: The invention of two extra Canadian instances of the COVID-19 variant first recognized in the UK underlines the significance of genome sequencing so the nation isn’t flying blind if or when a brand new mutation arrives at our borders, specialists say.
On Sunday, Ontario’s Affiliate Chief Medical Officer of Well being Barbara Yaffe reported {that a} case of the COVID-19 variant had been detected in Ottawa, a day after the nation’s first two instances have been recognized in Durham Area. The person in Ottawa had lately travelled from the U.Okay.
Read more on this story from The Star’s Omar Mosleh.
8:17 p.m.: President Donald Trump has signed a $900 billion pandemic aid package deal that can ship long-sought money to companies and people. It additionally averts a authorities shutdown.
Two individuals acquainted with the president’s motion inform The Related Press that the president has signed the measure. They aren’t licensed to debate the matter publicly and requested anonymity.
The large invoice contains $1.4 trillion to fund authorities companies by way of September and accommodates different end-of-session priorities corresponding to cash for cash-starved transit programs and a rise in meals stamp advantages.
7:22 p.m.: A vacation surge in coronavirus instances could end in prolonged stay-at-home orders for Southern California and different areas.
The earliest date that Southern California might have turn into eligible to exit the prevailing order was Monday, however state officers mentioned Sunday that the area and a number of other different areas of the state would probably have to stay underneath the order for a number of extra weeks because the current surge pushes hospitals to the breaking level.
The restrictions embody diminished capability at retail shops; the closure of some companies together with hair salons, nail salons, card rooms, museums, zoos and aquariums; and a prohibition on most gatherings, lodge stays for tourism and outside restaurant eating.
7:09 p.m.: The destiny of an end-of-year COVID-19 aid and spending invoice within the U.S. remained doubtful Sunday as thousands and thousands misplaced unemployment support, the federal government barrelled towards a mid-pandemic shutdown and lawmakers implored President Donald Trump to behave.
Trump blindsided members of each events and upended months of negotiations when he demanded final week that the package deal — already handed the Home and Senate by massive margins and believed to have Trump’s assist — be revised to incorporate bigger aid checks and scaled-back spending.
If he continues his opposition, the federal authorities will run out of cash at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday whereas he spends the vacations {golfing} in Florida.
On Sunday night, Trump supplied the vaguest of updates, tweeting, “Excellent news on Covid Reduction Invoice. Data to observe!” The White Home didn’t reply to questions on what he meant.
6:30 p.m.: The large COVID-19 outbreak at a Scarborough nursing residence has claimed two extra lives, bringing the full variety of deaths amongst residents to 41 prior to now two weeks.
However a report Sunday from North York Normal Hospital — which stepped in to supervise care at Tendercare Residing Centre — mentioned doctor staffing ranges are “robust” and there are “ample numbers” of non-public assist staff on the residence at McNicoll and Victoria Park Avenues.
The report famous there may be nonetheless an “speedy want” for registered nurses on the long-term-care residence.
Read more on this story from The Star’s Bruce DeMara.
5:37 p.m.: Coronavirus hospitalizations in Arkansas rose Sunday to near their recent record high, as state well being officers reported greater than 900 information instances of COVID-19 and 41 extra deaths linked to the illness.
The Arkansas Division of Well being mentioned there have been 1,093 state residents hospitalized with COVID-19 Sunday, 34 greater than Saturday. The state report was set Wednesday, when there have been 1,110 sufferers hospitalized with the illness.
There have been 649 newly confirmed coronavirus instances and 259 extra possible instances Saturday, in response to the division. Well being officers have warned vacation gatherings and journey are more likely to additional unfold the virus.
5:36 p.m.: The coronavirus outbreak continued by way of the vacation season, claiming 115 lives in New York state on Saturday and leaving greater than 7,000 others in hospitals, officers mentioned.
The newest fatalities introduced the Empire State’s loss of life toll to 29,511, in response to state Well being Division information, which solely embody confirmed deaths — the worst within the nation.
“As we close to the tip of the vacation season, New York stays locked in a footrace between the vaccine’s fast distribution and COVID-19’s continued unfold,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo mentioned in a Sunday assertion. “It has been a troublesome yr and we nonetheless have a number of robust months forward, however we will see the sunshine on the finish of the tunnel and we’ll make it there if all of us do our half to sluggish the unfold.”
5:14 p.m.: Pope Francis, whose plans for being inoculated haven’t been made public by the Vatican, on Sunday welcomed the arrival of a coronavirus vaccine in Italy.
Talking from a library within the Vatican as an alternative of St. Peter’s Sq., the place he would normally greet the devoted on Sundays, the pope mentioned his ideas have been with households who’ve suffered due to the pandemic.
He mentioned his ideas have been additionally with “the docs, nurses and well being care professionals on the entrance traces, whose dedication to battle the coronavirus has had essential repercussions on household life.”
The Vatican’s personal vaccination marketing campaign to inoculate its residents, workers and their households, although not kids youthful than 18, is predicted to kick off in January.
5:10 p.m.: British Columbia well being officers are reporting the province’s first known case of the U.K. COVID-19 variant.
The affected person returned from the U.Okay. on Dec. 15 to their residence within the Island Well being authority.
The particular person examined optimistic 4 days later after creating signs throughout their quarantine.
Well being Minister Adrian Dix and provincial well being officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint assertion that the variant pressure was detected by way of testing by the B.C. Centre for Illness Management.
They are saying it is essential to notice that though the U.Okay. variant can unfold quicker, there is not any indication that it is extra lethal than different strains or that the Well being Canada-approved vaccines might be much less efficient at stopping it.
Additional overview could determine extra instances, and Dix and Henry urged residents to proceed to keep away from all non-essential journey.
4:31 p.m.: Two days after COVID-19 testing websites have been shut down for Christmas Day, Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 7,391 new instances, the fewest since Nov. 30.
The state’s optimistic check charge rose, nonetheless, whereas present hospitalizations rocketed upward.
Being between the Christmas and New Yr’s holidays in addition to a Sunday, usually a day of decrease instances than the remainder of the week, there’s no shock the case numbers dropped to the bottom for the reason that Monday after the Thanksgiving vacation. After the 6,659 reported that day, the each day case depend dipped under 8,000 solely twice earlier than Sunday.
4:01 p.m.: Complete infections within the U.S. surpassed 19 million Saturday, which means that no less than 1 in 17 individuals have contracted the virus over the course of the pandemic. And the virus has killed greater than 332,000 individuals — 1 in each 1,000 within the nation.
Two of the yr’s worst days for deaths have been through the previous week. Plenty of states set loss of life information Dec. 22 or Dec. 23, together with Alabama, Wisconsin, Arizona and West Virginia, in response to The New York Occasions’ information.
And hospitalizations are hovering at a pandemic top of about 120,000, in response to the COVID Monitoring Undertaking.
In opposition to that backdrop, thousands and thousands of individuals in the USA have been touring, although many fewer than ordinary.
About 3.8 million individuals handed by way of Transportation Security Administration journey checkpoints between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26, in contrast with 9.5 million on these days final yr. Just one-quarter of the quantity who flew on the day after Christmas final yr did so Friday, and Christmas Eve journey was down by one-third from 2019.
4 p.m.: A 3rd case of the fast-spreading U.Okay. variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Ontario.
Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s Affiliate Chief Medical Officer of Well being, mentioned Sunday that as a result of the variant has now been detected in a number of nations past the U.Okay., and with inbound worldwide journey, it isn’t surprising that the brand new variant could be discovered within the province.
A 3rd case of the variant has been confirmed in a person in Ottawa who had lately travelled to the U.Okay. The Ottawa Public Well being Division mentioned the particular person is now in self-isolation.
On Saturday, a pair from Durham Area have been confirmed optimistic for the variant. The Ministry of Well being mentioned on Sunday that it’s now know that the couple had been in touch with a current traveller from the U.Okay.
3:53 p.m.: Ontario and Quebec each reported greater than 2,000 new instances of COVID-19 at some point after a extremely contagious new variant of the virus was confirmed in Canada.
Ontario reported 2,005 instances of COVID-19 and 18 new deaths because it enters its second day of provincewide shutdown restrictions to stem the unfold.
The province’s Well being Minister Christine Elliott mentioned there are 572 new instances in Toronto, 331 in Peel, 207 in York Area and 140 in Windsor-Essex County.
Quebec Well being officers mentioned 2,291 of recent infections and 12 new deaths have been reported within the final 24 hours.
They mentioned 6,783 new instances of COVID-19 and 110 further deaths linked to the novel coronavirus have been reported since Thursday.
The three-day complete got here after the province didn’t publish information on the variety of new infections or deaths on Friday or Saturday.
3:07 p.m.: Alberta’s chief medical officer of well being says there have been an estimated 500 new COVID-19 instances recorded on Boxing Day, however she cautions the low quantity is a results of fewer exams being carried out on Christmas Day.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw has been tweeting quick COVID-19 updates over the previous couple of days which comprise estimated numbers of recent instances.
Hinshaw reported Alberta noticed an estimated 1,200 new instances on Dec. 24 and about 900 on Christmas Day.
She says in Sunday’s tweet that the variety of hospitalizations and sufferers with COVID-19 in intensive care stays secure.
12:20 p.m.: As South Africa’s COVID-19 spike has taken the nation to just about 1 million confirmed cases, President Cyril Ramaphosa known as an emergency assembly on Sunday of the Nationwide Coronavirus Command Council.
The nation’s new variant of the coronavirus, 501.V2, is extra contagious and has shortly turn into dominant in lots of areas of the resurgence, in response to specialists.
With South Africa’s hospitals reaching capability and no signal of the brand new surge reaching a peak, Ramaphosa is predicted to announce a return to restrictive measures designed to sluggish the unfold of the illness.
“We’re not helpless within the face of this variant,” infectious illness specialist Dr. Richard Lessells advised The Related Press. “We are able to change our behaviour to present the virus much less alternatives to unfold.” He mentioned it’s most essential to keep away from contact with others in indoor, enclosed areas.
With a cumulative complete of 994,911 confirmed instances of COVID-19, South Africa is predicted to exceed 1 million instances when new figures are launched late Sunday. That quantity contains together with 26,521 deaths.
“A million instances is a critical milestone, however the true variety of instances and deaths is sort of actually a lot increased,” Lessells mentioned.
11:56 a.m.: Quebec says 6,783 new instances of COVID-19 and 110 further deaths linked to the novel coronavirus have been reported since Thursday.
The three-day complete comes after the province didn’t publish information on the variety of new infections or deaths on Friday or Saturday.
Well being officers say 2,291 of the brand new infections and 12 of the deaths have been reported within the final 24 hours.
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The province has now recorded 192,655 complete instances and eight,023 deaths for the reason that begin of the pandemic.
Hospitalizations went up by 33 for the reason that final figures have been printed on Thursday, for a complete of 1,085.
Of these, 149 individuals are in intensive care, a rise of three from the beforehand reported complete.
A province-wide lockdown went into impact Friday in Quebec, with companies deemed non-essential ordered to stay closed till no less than Jan. 11.
Officers say 6,145 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered since Thursday, for a complete of 17,316 doses for the reason that vaccinations started on Dec. 14.
11:22 a.m.: Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews says the objective in 2021 is to get vaccines out and put the COVID-19 pandemic within the rear-view mirror, then work to repair a battered and beleaguered economic system.
However with a $21-billion deficit and Alberta’s wellspring oil and fuel economic system nonetheless in flux, there’s a red-inked elephant within the room: The place’s the cash going to come back from?
“We is not going to minimize our method out of a $21-billion deficit,” Toews mentioned in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press.
“We have now to get the economic system rising once more. And financial restoration will in a short time turn into job No. 1 as we begin to get previous the pandemic.”
Roll the tape again to the beginning of 2020. Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative authorities was busy making an attempt to resuscitate an already wheezing economic system solely to see COVID-19 blow the whole lot aside and take with it Kenney’s signature election promise to steadiness the deficit in his first time period.
That objective is a distant reminiscence with a projected funds deficit this yr tripling an unique forecast of $6.8 billion. COVID-19 has slashed demand for power, shuttered companies and demanded aid support and job helps to maintain individuals going.
Toews mentioned the plan is to get Alberta out of the monetary ditch in February with the funds.
In November, he laid out “fiscal anchors” for the journey: retaining the net-debt to GDP ratio underneath 30 per cent, lowering public sector spending to match comparable jurisdictions and setting a timeline to get the funds again to steadiness.
College of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe mentioned Alberta is within the enviable place of getting choices. It’s the lowest-taxed province, and oil and fuel will proceed to ship billions of {dollars} to the treasury for the foreseeable future, although not in the identical eye-popping quantities as increase instances.
Read the full story from the Canadian Press here.
10:15 a.m.: Ontario is reporting 2,005 instances of COVID-19 as we speak and 18 extra deaths from the virus.
Well being Minister Christine Elliott says there are 572 new instances in Toronto, 331 in Peel, 207 in York Area and 140 in Windsor-Essex County.
The province says 823 individuals are hospitalized with COVID-19, together with 285 individuals in intensive care and 194 on ventilators.
The province now has added greater than 2,000 instances every day for 13 daysin a row and is getting into its second day of province-wide restrictions to stem the unfold.
Elliott says information concerning the variety of exams accomplished over the vacations is coming shortly after a delay from Dec. 24 to Dec. 26.
8:46 a.m.: Unemployment advantages for thousands and thousands of Individuals struggling to make ends meet lapsed in a single day as President Donald Trump refused to signal an end-of-year COVID aid and spending invoice that had been thought of a completed deal earlier than his sudden objections.
The destiny of the bipartisan package deal remained in limbo Sunday as Trump continued to demand bigger COVID aid checks and complained about “pork” spending. With out the widespread funding offered by the large measure, a authorities shutdown would happen when cash runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
“It’s a chess sport and we’re pawns,” mentioned Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mom of three in South Bend, Indiana, who stood to lose her $129 weekly jobless profit except Trump signed the package deal into regulation or succeeded in his inconceivable quest for adjustments.
Washington has been reeling since Trump turned on the deal after it had received sweeping approval in each homes of Congress and after the White Home had assured Republican leaders that Trump would assist it.
As a substitute, he assailed the invoice’s plan to supply $600 COVID aid checks to most Individuals — insisting it must be $2,000. Home Republicans swiftly rejected that concept throughout a uncommon Christmas Eve session. However Trump has not been swayed regardless of the nation being within the grip of a pandemic.
“I merely need to get our nice individuals $2000, quite than the measly $600 that’s now within the invoice,” Trump tweeted Saturday from Palm Seashore, Florida, the place he’s spending the vacation. “Additionally, cease the billions of {dollars} in ‘pork.’”
President-elect Joe Biden known as on Trump to signal the invoice instantly because the midnight Saturday deadline neared for 2 federal applications offering unemployment support.
8:44 a.m.: France began its first coronavirus vaccinations Sunday at a nursing residence northeast of Paris, in one of many nation’s poorest areas, as a part of a Europe-wide vaccination rollout.
“An intense second, carrying a lot hope,” tweeted the pinnacle of the Paris area public well being service, Aurelien Rousseau.
A 78-year-old girl recognized solely by her first identify, Mauricette, was given France’s first vaccine shot within the city of Sevran. Later within the day, vaccinations might be given on the Champmaillot residence in Dijon.
Polls recommend that individuals in France are a bit skeptical of the brand new vaccines, so France’s authorities has been cautious in its messaging and isn’t making the vaccines compulsory. The federal government hopes to have the ability to vaccinate as much as 27 million of its 67 million individuals by summer season.
France has reported over 62,570 lives misplaced within the pandemic. Practically a 3rd died in nursing properties, so the federal government determined to present the vaccine to the aged first, in addition to at-risk medical staff.
8:32 a.m.: Beijing officers reported 5 new domestically transmitted coronavirus instances as authorities rushed to mass-test residents. The 5 instances, linked to earlier infections, lived within the metropolis’s Shunyi district, which has since activated an emergency response plan together with mass testing, supply tracing and disinfection.
As of Saturday midday, over 120,000 had been examined for the coronavirus. Authorities plan to check 800,000 individuals within the district. Individually, officers reported 4 domestically transmitted instances within the northeastern port metropolis of Dalia, the place over 4.75 million individuals have been examined following greater than 20 confirmed instances this month. China reported 22 new instances within the final 24 hours, together with 10 imported and 12 home. China has to date reported a complete of 86,955 instances, with 4,634 deaths.
8:30 a.m.: South Korea has determined to not instantly implement its hardest distancing guidelines within the larger Seoul space regardless of a surge in coronavirus instances there. The realm is at present underneath the second-highest distancing guidelines. There have been requires elevating the restrictions to the very best stage, however the authorities is reluctant to take action due to worries concerning the economic system.
Well being Minister Kwon Deok-cheol mentioned Sunday the federal government will keep the present restrictions within the Seoul space till Jan. 3. He mentioned the third-highest stage of distancing guidelines imposed in different areas will even stay in place till Jan 3. Kwon mentioned South Korea logged a mean of 999 new instances per day final week, with 690 of them within the Seoul space. Underneath the present guidelines, nightclubs, karaoke rooms, health centres, gyms and cram colleges within the Seoul space have suspended operations.
As further steps, authorities final week banned social gatherings of greater than 5 individuals and ordered the shutdowns of ski resorts and different vacationers spots. The hardest restrictions would shut down tons of of 1000’s of extra companies and order firms to have all non-essential workers make money working from home. South Korea has reported 56,872 instances general, together with 808 deaths.
8:30 a.m.: Japan is barring entry of all non-resident international nationals as a precaution in opposition to a brand new and probably extra contagious coronavirus variant that has unfold throughout Britain.
The International Ministry says the entry ban will begin Monday and final by way of Jan. 31.
Final week, Japan banned non-resident foreigners coming from Britain and South Africa after confirming the brand new variant in seven individuals over the past two days — 5 from Britain who examined optimistic at airports and two others in Tokyo.
Japan can be suspending the exemption of a 14-day quarantine for Japanese nationals and resident foreigners in a short-track program that started in November. The entrants now should carry proof of a destructive check 72 hours previous to departure for Japan and self-isolate for 2 weeks after arrival.
Japan is scuffling with surging instances since November. It has confirmed a complete of 217,312 instances together with 3,213 deaths, up 3,700 from the earlier 24-hour interval. Tokyo alone reported 949 instances, setting a brand new report, regardless of calls by specialists and authorities officers for individuals to spend a “quiet” vacation season.
8:30 a.m.: Medical doctors, nurses and the aged rolled up their sleeves throughout the European Union to obtain the primary doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic present of unity and second of hope for a continent confronting its worst well being care disaster in a century.
Despite the fact that a couple of nations began giving doses a day early, the co-ordinated rollout for the 27-nation bloc was geared toward projecting a unified message that the vaccine was secure and Europe’s finest likelihood to emerge from the pandemic and the financial devastation brought on by months of lockdown.
For well being care staff who’ve been battling the virus with solely masks and shields to guard themselves, the vaccines represented an emotional aid in addition to a public likelihood to induce Europe’s 450 million individuals to get the photographs for their very own well being and that of others.
“At the moment I’m right here as a citizen, however most of all as a nurse, to symbolize my class and all of the well being staff who select to imagine in science,” mentioned Claudia Alivernini, 29, who was the primary of 5 docs and nurses on the Spallanzani infectious illness hospital in Rome to obtain the vaccine.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz known as the vaccine — which was developed in report time — a “game-changer.”
“We all know that as we speak isn’t the tip of the pandemic, however it’s the starting of the victory,” he mentioned.
