Federal modelling warns of fourth coronavirus wave driven by Delta if reopening is too fast - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press
Published Friday, July 30, 2021 1:31PM EDT
Last Updated Friday, July 30, 2021 1:31PM EDT

Federal officials are warning Canada could be on the brink of a fourth wave of COVID-19 driven by the Delta variant if the country opens too fast before enough people have been vaccinated.

Long-term forecasts released Friday indicate a hasty reopening could lead to a sharp resurgence of the virus by the end of summer, Canada's chief public health officer said as provinces including Alberta continued to ease restrictions.

Dr. Theresa Tam also urged younger adults to become fully vaccinated as soon as possible, noting they continue to lag among age groups but are associated with highest rates of disease transmission.

While robust vaccination rates are already credited with dropping hospitalizations and deaths, she said inoculations must rise further to avoid renewed strain on hospitals and the health-care system.

“Almost 6.3 million people are not yet vaccinated with a first dose ... plus over five million people have not received the second dose,” Tam told a news briefing in Ottawa.

“This 'call for arms' is to shoot for the stars in vaccination coverage. With just over five weeks until Labour Day in Canada, this time is crucial for building up protection before we gather in schools, colleges, university and workplaces this fall.”

As of last Saturday, 89 per cent of seniors aged 70 or older had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the government's figures.

But only 46 per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 29 were fully vaccinated, as were 54 per cent of those aged 30 to 39.

Tam said vaccine coverage must be more than 80 per cent in all age groups to establish better protection.

She said the more infectious Delta variant is expected to gain steam among younger unvaccinated people, fueling a resurgence that could overwhelm health-care capacity if personal contacts also rise.

Current COVID-19 case counts have plummeted by 93 per cent since the peak of the third wave, for an average of 640 new infections being reported daily over the past seven days, Tam said.

But there are early signs of epidemic growth in some parts of the country, said Tam, predicting cases will rise further as public health measures ease.

Deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo added that Canada's robust vaccination rate means any uptick in infections would likely not correspond to a marked rise in deaths and hospitalizations, noting “it's not the same as before.”

Nevertheless, he warned that millions of unvaccinated Canadians “are really at risk of serious outcomes,” and asked: “What are you waiting for?”

The warnings come as a chorus of health experts express concerns about Alberta's decision earlier this week to end isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19, or who have been in close contact with someone who has.

Tam reiterated the importance of quarantines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, urging Albertans to continue to isolate, get tested and inform their close contacts even if it is no longer required.

There are hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated people in Alberta, Tam said, and there's the potential for large COVID-19 clusters and outbreaks.

“The bottom line is get vaccinated. There's still a ways to go in Alberta.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2021.

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Tbaytel wins wireless spectrum, bolstering 5G plans - Tbnewswatch.com

THUNDER BAY – Tbaytel has taken one step closer to its plans to build a 5G wireless network in Northwestern Ontario, securing crucial blocks of wireless spectrum in a recent federal auction.

The company picked up a share of the 3500 MHz frequency band across most of its service area in the latest spectrum auction run by Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada.

The 3500 MHz range airwaves are key to providing 5G wireless services, carrying larger volumes of data over long distances.

5G is much faster and capable of handling more connected devices than existing 4G LTE networks, resulting in more reliable service.

The auction win is good news for Tbaytel’s long-term prospects and its ability to keep up with customers’ rising expectations, said communication coordinator Jamie Smith.

“It’s really going to help us deploy the next generation of wireless everyone’s excited about, which is 5G,” he said. “New technologies, new streaming services are all going to demand more [in] the future. Something like 4K Netflix is quite a bit different than the JPEG you sent 10 years ago, and certainly we anticipate that continuing.”

The company began preliminary work to build its 5G network this year.

The blocks it won in the 3500 MHz frequency band, which are ideal for urban and suburban areas, will complement wireless spectrum it acquired in 2019 in the 600 MHz band, which travels further and is more suited to rural areas.

The latest auction was announced in 2020 but delayed by ISED due to COVID-19. Preliminary results published by the department show the action generated a record $8.9 billion.

The country's “big three” providers (Bell, Rogers and Telus) accounted for more than 80 per cent of that total, though 757 of 1,504 available licenses went to smaller or regional companies.

Tbaytel paid around $1.1 million to add an additional 40MHz to its existing 150 MHz in the 3500 MHz range, winning licenses in four areas with a combined population of over 230,000 people: Thunder Bay, Kenora/Sioux Lookout, Marathon, and Iron Bridge.

Bell, Rogers, and Xplornet Communications also secured blocks in the spectrum in Thunder Bay.

Tbaytel’s success in securing blocks in the auction shows it can keep up with those much larger providers, said president and CEO Dan Topatigh in a statement.

“This most recent bid has shown that Tbaytel can win in the hypercompetitive Canadian telecommunication landscape,” he said.  

The licences come with 20-year terms, with the government promising licensees “a high expectation of renewal” afterwards.”

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'It's insane': Overwhelming long weekend traffic brings long ferry waits, packs Vancouver Island - CHEK

The crush of cars and campers trying to reach Vancouver Island Friday was so overwhelming this B.C. Day long weekend that police had to turn traffic away at Horseshoe Bay Friday, as packed vessels and extreme waits were in store for anyone getting in line without a reservation.

“I’ve come to the Island every year for years. This is insane,” said BC Ferries passenger Zaahira Lalai at the Horseshoe Bay terminal.

“It’s better than not getting on the boat at all. I was pretty paranoid we weren’t going to get on,” said passenger Tony Wong.

BC Day long weekend is traditionally the busiest weekend of summer for travel to the Island. According to officials, what’s added to it this year is pent-up demand from the recent easing of COVID-19 restrictions along with forest fires in the Interior making many resorts unavailable.

“We are moving customers as quickly as we can but this is the busiest weekend so we’re definitely at capacity,” said Deborah Marshall of BC Ferries.

The traffic has lead to packed hotels and campgrounds, but Allison Rees, Manager of Parksville’s Riverbend Resort, said many people have arrived without reservations and are finding themselves out of luck with nowhere to stay.

“It’s insane, if you drive up you’ll see people just parked everywhere,” said Allison Rees of Riverbend Resort.

So the resort’s staff have parked people in available driveways and grassy roadsides because they have nowhere else to go.

“This summer is the busiest that we’ve ever had. We have people camping anywhere that they can, can I just get a tent space for the night, can I just get an RV space?” said Rees.

Nancy Hales and Gord Tassie were given a patch of roadside to set up camp.

“This is a green space they call it. Very crazy and packed everywhere’s gonna be packed,” said camper Gord Tassie.

“Just said ‘well wherever you want to put us we’re adaptable,'” said camper Nancy Hales.

According to Tourism Vancouver Island, accommodations are busy across the Island — from Port Hardy to Victoria.

“Wwe still don’t have our American guests here, our International travellers,” said Anthony Everett, CEO of Tourism Vancouver Island.

Tourists are expected to keep pouring onto Vancouver Island right through the end of summer and into the fall, as international COVID-19 restrictions ease. With growing talk of a fourth wave of COVID-19 sweeping Canada, Island businesses are taking advantage of the customers they have now, without any certainty of what’s ahead.

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Nova Scotia reports one new COVID-19 case Friday, active cases drop to nine - CTV News Atlantic

HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19 on Friday, along with two recoveries, as the number of active cases in the province drops to nine.

The new case was identified in the province's Central zone and is under investigation.

Public Health says it is closely monitoring all four health zones for community spread.

There have been 5,887 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Nova Scotia. Of those, 5,785 people have recovered, and 93 have died due to COVID-19.

There are currently one person in hospital, in an intensive care unit, due to COVID-19 in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia labs processed 2,964 tests on Thursday, and have now processed a total of 1,027,936 since the start of the pandemic.

There were 3,364 tests administered between July 23 and 30 at rapid-testing pop-up sites in Halifax, Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Bedford, Hubbards, Spryfield and Brooklyn, Hants County.

Since April 1, there have been 4,145 positive COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths. Of the new cases since April 1, 4,109 are now considered resolved.

There are cases confirmed across the province, but most have been identified in the Central zone, which contains the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The provincial government says cumulative cases by zone may change as data is updated in Panorama, the province’s electronic information system.

The numbers reflect where a person lives and not where their sample was collected.

• Western zone: 293 cases (no active cases)
• Central zone: 4,669 cases (seven active cases)
• Northern zone: 301 cases (no active cases)
• Eastern zone: 624 cases (two active cases)

The provincial state of emergency, which was first declared on March 22, 2020, has been extended to August 8, 2021.

VACCINE UPDATE

The province's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the number of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Wednesday, 1,345,401 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with approximately 76 per cent of the province's overall population having received at least one dose. Of those, 606,975, or 62.5 per cent of Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

The province says it has received a total of 1,509,410 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since Dec. 15.

All Nova Scotians are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible. COVID-19 vaccination appointments can be made online or by phone at 1-833-797-7772.

BREAKTHROUGH DATA

There have been 4,200 cases of COVID-19 from March 15 to July 27, 2021. Of those:

• 28 (0.7 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 235 (5.6 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 3,937 (93.7 per cent) were unvaccinated

There were 254 people hospitalized. Of those:

• 2 (0.8 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 28 (11 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 224 (88.2 per cent) were unvaccinated

Twenty-seven people died. Of those:

• 1 (3.8 per cent) was fully vaccinated
• 3 (11.5 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 23 (85.2 per cent) were unvaccinated

MORE WALK-IN TESTING OPTIONS

Nova Scotia Health is introducting several new walk-in testing centres and mobile units across the province.

Testing is open to anyone and can be convenient for out-of-province visitors arriving in Nova Scotia, public health said in a release.

A list of locations offering walk-in PCR COVID-19 testing in addition to testing by appointment can be found on the health authority's website. Rapid tests will not be offered at these locations.

Testing is available for all ages, for those who have symptoms, no symptoms (asymptomatic), have travelled or been to a potential exposure site and have been a close contact with a positive COVID case.

Public health is strongly encouraging Nova Scotians to seek asymptomatic COVID-19 testing, particularly if they have had several social interactions, even with their own social circle.

COVID-19 tests can be booked through the province's online self-assessment COVID-19 tool, or by calling 811.

People can also visit one of Nova Scotia’s rapid pop-up testing sites that continue to operate throughout the province.

Friday, July 30:

• Centennial Arena (27 Vimy Ave., Halifax) from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 160, Cole Harbour (703 Main St, Dartmouth) from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department (995 NS-215, Newport) from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Halifax Convention Centre (1650 Argyle St, Halifax) from noon to 7 p.m.
• Dartmouth Summer Sunshine Concert Series (94 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth) from 6 to 8 p.m. 

COVID ALERT APP

Canada’s COVID-19 Alert app is available in Nova Scotia.

The app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play, notifies users if they may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

LIST OF SYMPTOMS

Anyone who experiences a fever or new or worsening cough, or two or more of the following new or worsening symptoms, is encouraged to take an online test or call 811 to determine if they need to be tested for COVID-19:

• Sore throat
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose/nasal congestion  

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Dog rescued after being stranded on edge of BC Ferries vessel - CTV Edmonton

VICTORIA -- A BC Ferries vessel came to a dramatic stop on Thursday evening after a small dog was found perched on the rubber bumper of the ferry.

Ferry passenger Tyler Reeves says the 7 p.m. sailing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay was about halfway through its voyage when travellers spotted the dog at the edge of the moving ferry.

Reeves says his friend pointed out the dog to him, before more and more people began to notice the stranded animal.

"Pretty much seconds later the whole boat was leaning over the edge to see what the problem was," he told CTV News on Friday.

The incident prompted the operators of the Queen of New Westminster ferry to stop the boat, Reeves says.

"The boat had to stop for about 20 to 30 minutes," said Reeves.

"They couldn't find the owner, he was nowhere to be seen."

Eventually, Reeves says someone walked on the bumper and brought the dog back onto the vehicle deck.

"It ended pretty good. The dog was safe," he said, adding that the owner was eventually found.

Reeves say the 7 p.m. ferry, which had already left about 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule, arrived in Victoria around 9 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.

While some were annoyed by the delay, others were relieved that the dog was safe, says Reeves. 

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One New Case of COVID-19, Two Recoveries - Government of Nova Scotia

Today, July 30, Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19 and two recoveries.

The case is in Central Zone and is under investigation.

There have been 4,200 cases from March 15 to July 27, 2021. Of those:

• 28 (0.7 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 235 (5.6 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 3,937 (93.7 per cent) were unvaccinated

There were 254 people hospitalized. Of those:

• 2 (0.8 per cent) were fully vaccinated
• 28 (11 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 224 (88.2 per cent) were unvaccinated

Twenty-seven people died. Of those:

• 1 (3.7 per cent) was fully vaccinated
• 3 (11.1 per cent) were partially vaccinated
• 23 (85.2 per cent) were unvaccinated

As of today, Nova Scotia has nine active cases of COVID-19. Of those, one person is in a hospital COVID-19 unit. The person is in ICU.

There were 3,364 tests administered between July 23 and 30 at the rapid-testing pop-up sites in Halifax, Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Bedford, Hubbards, Spryfield and Brooklyn, Hants Co.

On July 29, Nova Scotia Health Authority's labs completed 2,964 tests.

As of July 29, 1,345,401 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. Of those, 606,975 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

Since April 1, there have been 4,145 positive COVID-19 cases and 27 deaths. Cases range in age from under 10 to over 90. There are 4,109 resolved cases. Cumulative cases may change as data is updated in Panorama.

Testing advice:

Nova Scotians with or without symptoms can book a test at https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en for primary assessment centres across the province. Those with no symptoms are encouraged to use one of the primary assessment centres with drop-in testing, pop-up sites, or public health mobile units if they want to be tested.

More information on testing can be found at https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms is advised to self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test.

Anyone advised by public health that they were a close contact needs to complete a full 14-day quarantine, regardless of test results, unless they are fully vaccinated. If they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the exposure date, they do not need to self-isolate as long as they are not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. They should still get tested and should monitor for symptoms up to 14 days after the exposure date. If symptoms develop, they should get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative test result.

Symptoms and self-assessment:

Nova Scotians should visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/ to do a self-assessment if in the past 48 hours they have had or are currently experiencing mild symptoms, including:

• fever (i.e. chills/sweats) or cough (new or worsening)
• sore throat
• runny nose/nasal congestion
• headache
• shortness of breath/difficulty breathing

People should call 811 if they cannot access the online self-assessment or wish to speak with a nurse about their symptoms.

Anyone with symptoms should immediately self-isolate and book a test.

Quick Facts:

• a state of emergency was declared under the Emergency Management Act on March 22, 2020, and extended to Aug. 8, 2021

Additional Resources:

More information on COVID-19 case data, testing and vaccines is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/data/

Nova Scotians can find accurate, up-to-date information, handwashing posters and fact sheets at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus

Nova's Scotia's five-phase reopening plan, announced May 28, 2021: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-plan/

Businesses and other organizations can find information to help them safely reopen and operate at: https://novascotia.ca/reopening-nova-scotia

A list of primary assessment locations, including locations with drop-in testing, is available at: https://www.nshealth.ca/coronavirustesting#assessment-centre-locations

More information about public health text notifications of positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts is available here: https://www.nshealth.ca/news/public-health-begins-contacting-positive-covid-19-cases-close-contacts-text-message

More information on what is considered essential travel is available here: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/travel/#from-outside-atlantic-canada

Government of Canada: https://canada.ca/coronavirus or 1-833-784-4397 (toll-free)

The Mental Health Provincial Crisis Line is available 24/7 to anyone experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis, or someone concerned about them, by calling 1-888-429-8167 (toll-free)

Anyone needing help with a non-crisis mental health or addiction concern can call Community Mental Health and Addictions at 1-855-922-1122 (toll-free) weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Kids Help Phone is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free)

For help or information about domestic violence 24/7, call 1-855-225-0220 (toll-free)

-30-

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New Brunswick to go green at midnight; report seven new cases of COVID-19 Friday - CTV News Atlantic

HALIFAX -- New Brunswick is reporting seven new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, as the number of active cases in the province rises to 19.

Five new cases were identified in the Moncton region (Zone 1), involving an individual under 19, three people in their 20s, and an individual in their 30s. Three cases are under investigation, one is travel related and the other case is a contact of a previously confirmed case.

Two new cases were identified in the Fredericton region (Zone 3), involving an individual under 19 and an individual in their 30s. One case is travel related and another is under investigation.

N.B. TO MOVE TO GREEN PHASE OF REOPENING AT MIDNIGHT

New Brunswick will move into the Green phase of its recovery plan at midnight, lifting all public health restrictions and opening the province to travel.

As of 11:59 p.m. on July 30, the following restrictions will be removed in the province.

• Lift all mandatory travel and public health restrictions that have been in place over the course of the pandemic.
• Lift all provincial border restrictions; provincial border checks will cease, and registration will no longer be required to enter New Brunswick from anywhere in Canada.
• Lift all limits on gatherings and the number of people within facilities. Capacity limits in theatres, restaurants and stores will no longer be required.
• End the requirement to wear face masks in public.

"We came to this decision because we have reached our goal of 75 per cent of our eligible population having received their first vaccine, and are now at 81 per cent," said N.B. Premier Blaine Higgs during a news update. "We know that there will be new cases, but thanks to the amount of people that are already vaccinated, we do not think that our health care system will be threatened."

As of midnight Friday, all provincial border restrictions will be lifted, provincial border checks will cease, and registration will no longer be required to visit New Brunswick from anywhere in Canada.

However, travellers will still be subject to Canada's federal restrictions on International travel.

“At this time, patients, staff and visitors to all hospitals and health-care facilities, including COVID-19 assessment centres and vaccination clinics, must continue to wear masks to reduce the risk of transmission within the health-care system,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health. “Any patient with a valid medical exemption to wearing a mask, is asked to call in advance to the department or service to ensure arrangements can be made to accommodate them.”

N.B. CASE DATA

New Brunswick has had 2,365 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

In total, 2,299 people have recovered, and 46 people have died in the province from COVID-19.

There is currently no one hospitalized in New Brunswick due to COVID-19.

On Thursday, 748 tests were conducted in the province. A total of 380,447 tests have been conducted since the beginning of the pandemic.

The number of cases is broken down by New Brunswick’s seven health zones:

• Zone 1 – Moncton region: 497 confirmed cases (seven active cases)
• Zone 2 – Saint John region: 302 confirmed cases (four active cases)
• Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 452 confirmed cases (five active cases)
• Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 754 confirmed cases (no active cases)
• Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 185 confirmed cases (no active cases)
• Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 136 confirmed cases (three active cases)
• Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 39 confirmed cases (no active cases)

VACCINE UPDATE

New Brunswick's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the amount of vaccines that have been administered to date.

As of Friday, 1,031,439 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in New Brunswick. The province says 82 per cent of the eligible population has received at least one dose, with 66.7 per cent now fully vaccinated.

All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second dose appointments if at least 28 days have passed since their first dose.

To receive their second dose, New Brunswickers are asked to bring a signed consent form, their Medicare card and a copy of the record of immunization provided after receiving their first dose.

Appointments for people who have not yet received their first dose continue to be available to all New Brunswickers aged 12 and older at regional health authority clinics and through participating pharmacies.

Public Health is also reminding New Brunswickers to keep a copy of their Record of Immunization form as their official proof of vaccination.

The provincial government has organized a series of mobile walk-in clinics for those who have not yet received their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Clinics are taking place this week at the following locations:

• Knights of Columbus Hall (22 Hallett Rd., Beechwood) Friday, July 30, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

A mobile walk-in vaccination clinic will be held Monday at the Crowne Plaza at 659 Queen St. in Fredericton from noon to 5 p.m. The clinic will be for those who have not yet received their first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer will be available at this clinic.

YELLOW LEVEL REMINDER

All of New Brunswick remains under the Yellow level of recovery under the province’s order, which will be lifted effective 11:59 p.m. July 30.

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