Elliott is due to share the number of new diagnoses and vaccinations this morning. The province also opted not to share statistics on Good Friday, but on Saturday reported there had been more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 for two days running. Students will also be back in their classrooms tomorrow after the province put an end on Thursday to days of anxiety and speculation about a possible return to remote learning. School boards had been urging students and teachers to take learning materials home before the Easter long weekend in case the government opted to shutter schools to control surging cases of COVID-19. But Premier Doug Ford says schools will remain open, because closing them is disastrous for children’s mental health.
Dr Tam Again Warns to Keep Your Guard Up:
Canada’s chief public health officer is again urging everyone to keep their guards up amid a surge in more contagious variants of COVID-19. Dr. Theresa Tam says Canadians need to be careful since the more contagious variants of concern could be anywhere. Quebec, which has been struggling with a third wave of COVID-19 driven by the variants, announced it would add more regions to a list of places under lockdown that already includes Quebec.
#COVID19 key concerns in Canada: it’s more than halfway through the #LongWeekend, do you know where the #VariantsOfConcern are? Since they could be anywhere, let’s all be careful & cautious and keep up our guard:https://t.co/w27G7rHASE
— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) April 4, 2021
The New Vaccine Task Force Lead Has Been Named:
The province has named the new head of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force. The job is going to Doctor Homer Tien, the president and CEO of Ornge air ambulance. He’s set to oversee the rollout as it enters its second phase, vaccinating front-line workers and people with underlying health conditions. Tien is replacing retired general Rick Hillier, who declined a request to stay past the March 31st expiry date of his contract.
2.2 Million Vaccines On Their Way to Canada This Week:
Health officials say the first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, 316,800 doses — is set to arrive this week from the global vaccine-sharing initiative known as the COVAX Facility. But that’s just a fraction of the nearly 2.2 million COVID-19 shots due to touch down in Canada over the next seven days, with more than a million due from Pfizer and some 855,000 from Moderna. The country is on track to receive a total of 44-million doses of the three vaccines by Canada Day.
Ontario is steadily increasing capacity in its #COVID19 vaccine rollout with over 350 additional pharmacies and more primary care settings across Ontario offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals aged 55+ as early as April 3, 2021. https://t.co/tvxVXFnaKU pic.twitter.com/zBXDQXFymz
— Christine Elliott (@celliottability) April 1, 2021
Canada Has Now Passed One Million. COVID-19 Cases:
Canada has soared past its one-millionth diagnosis of COVID-19. But Canada has also administered more than six million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus. BC pushed the country over the one million COVID case count yesterday, registering 2,090 infections over the course of two days.
US Vaccination Update:
Americans not yet eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, will be soon. All 50 states plan to open vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older, and several states have already done that, including Alaska, Mississippi and Georgia. According to President Joe Biden, 90% of all adult Americans will be eligible for vaccination by April 19.
My Administration is working to get America vaccinated as quickly as possible. And this week, we took additional steps to make vaccines more accessible. By April 19, 90% of Americans will live within 5 miles of a place to get a shot.
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 4, 2021
The UK is Testing a New Vaccine Passport:
Britain is planning to test a series of measures including so-called coronavirus status certifications. The issue of vaccine passports has been hotly debated around the world. Critics say such vaccine passports will enable discrimination against poor people and nations that do not have ready access to vaccines.
Ontario Numbers:
The Province did not report numbers yesterday due to the Easter holiday.
Waterloo Region / WDG Numbers:
Waterloo Region Public Health announced 41 new cases yesterday and no new deaths. Overall there were 163 new cases over the Easter weekend. The number of active was down by 15 yesterday, to 341. There are currently 21 people hospitalized. Public Health of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph hasn’t reported any new numbers since Thursday. At the time there were 167 active cases with 5 people hospitalized and 2 in the ICU.
☑️ Vaccine pre-registration tip: Pre-registering does not mean you'll be contacted immediately. When vaccine is available for your priority group, you will be contacted to book your appointment. Find the list of groups who can currently pre-register at https://t.co/YwJmuEtvHY pic.twitter.com/rNejRTSaU0
— Region of Waterloo Public Health (@ROWPublicHealth) April 3, 2021
Contains files from The Canadian Press
Photo Credit: CPAC via YouTube screenshot
