COVID-19 updates, March 29: Quebec will clamp down if third wave becomes ‘too risky,’ Dubé says

Article content

Updated throughout the day on Monday, March 29. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

5 p.m.

Thanks for reading

I’ll be back tomorrow with another live blog.

Article content

In the meantime, you can follow all our coverage via the coronavirus page.

My previous COVID-19 live blogs are available here.

4:40 p.m.

Quebec is ‘in a third wave,’ Dubé says, urging control and caution

Following up on my earlier live coverage, here’s our full story, by Jason Magder, about what Health Minister Christian Dubé had to say today about vaccinations, pandemic restrictions and the third wave.

4:30 p.m.

B.C. is going back into lockdown

Article content

3:50 p.m.

Pfizer, Moderna vaccines highly effective after first shot in real-world use, U.S. study

COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc with BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc reduced the risk of infection by 80 per cent two weeks or more after the first of two shots, according to data from a real-world U.S. study released on Monday.

Read our full story.

3:10 p.m.

Federal health officials discuss new NACI guidelines for AstraZeneca vaccine

Article content

2:45 p.m.

Health Canada requiring ‘benefit-risk’ assessment for AstraZeneca vaccine

Health Canada is demanding that AstraZeneca do a detailed study on the risks and benefits of its COVID-19 vaccine across multiple age groups after getting more reports that patients in Europe developed blood clots following vaccination

Here’s what the federal agency said via press release this afternoon:

“Health Canada has previously communicated on its ongoing assessment of very rare adverse events reported in Europe of thrombosis (blood clots) with thrombocytopenia (low blood platelets) occurring after immunization with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The product information was recently updated to reflect this information.

Article content

“To date, no cases of these events have been reported in Canada. However, through our ongoing international collaboration, Health Canada has become aware that additional cases of these events have been reported in Europe.

“In light of this evolving information, Health Canada will be issuing additional terms and conditions on the authorizations of the AstraZeneca and Verity Pharmaceuticals/Serum Institute of India vaccines.

“These will include a requirement that the manufacturers conduct a detailed assessment of the benefits and risks of the vaccine by age and sex in the Canadian context. This information will support the ongoing evaluation of these rare blood clotting events and allow Health Canada to determine if there are specific groups of people who may be at higher risk. Health Canada has been in discussions with AstraZeneca on this evolving issue.

Article content

“Health Canada will assess this information when it is received and will determine if additional regulatory actions are necessary. Health Canada will continue to work collaboratively with its international counterparts to collect and assess information.”

2:35 p.m.

P.E.I., first province to suspend use of AstraZeneca, provides update

Article content

2:15 p.m.

Quebec suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine for people 55 and younger

In a statement this afternoon, Quebec’s Health Department announced that the AstraZeneca vaccine “will no longer be given to people under the age of 55, until further notice.”

The decision was made “in concert with the Public Health Agency of Canada and other Canadian provinces and follows the recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the Committee on Immunization of Quebec.”

The department notes that European authorities are “currently evaluating a potential link between certain health complications and AstraZeneca’s vaccine in people under the age of 55.

The European Medicines Agency “still considers this product to be safe and effective, but the possibility of a link between the vaccine and bleeding disorders and cerebral venous thrombosis cannot be completely ruled out at this time,” the department said.

Article content

“Very rare cases have occurred within weeks of receiving AstraZeneca vaccine in some European countries, the majority in women under 55 years of age. However, it is not possible to determine at this stage whether the events are related to the person’s gender.”

Quebec emphasized that no “thrombosis linked to the vaccine has been reported in Canada. To date, 111,000 doses of this vaccine have been administered in Quebec. Close monitoring continues.”

The health department said that “rare unwanted symptoms usually occur within days of vaccination.

“A person who has recently been vaccinated should consult a doctor quickly or contact Info-Santé if they observe these symptoms in the days following vaccination: severe or persistent headaches, blurred vision, chest pain, swelling of the legs, persistent abdominal pain, cloudy vision or bruising on ​​the skin.”

Article content

The province said that “for now,” it’s maintaining the goal of administering a first dose of vaccine to all adults who want one by the June 24 Fête nationale provincial holiday.

Article content

1:55 p.m.

Health Canada set to issue new recommendations on AstraZeneca vaccine

Health Canada is set to issue new recommendations on the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Canada’s Health Minister said Monday, as Prince Edward Island suspended its use of the shot for those aged 18 to 29, The Canadian Press is reporting.

Patty Hajdu confirmed the federal Health Department and Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization would provide an update later Monday.

She told a videoconference that Canada is closely monitoring investigations into possible adverse effects linked to the vaccine that are taking place in several jurisdictions.

“I can tell you that there will be updated messaging from Health Canada and NACI regarding onward use of AstraZeneca and who it might be appropriate for,” she said.

Article content

Prince Edward Island health officials said in a brief statement the vaccination appointments are on hold pending the updated information from Health Canada and the vaccine committee.

1:50 p.m.

Outbreaks at gym, school in Quebec City

About 40 people who visited the Mega Fitness Gym in Quebec City have contracted COVID-19, Radio Canada is reporting.

Also in the provincial capital, a private high school – Séminaire Saint-François – has sent all students home after an outbreak, Le Soleil reports.

Quebec City is an orange zone but health officials have said it may go red soon because of a spike in cases.

1 p.m.

Video: Amid reports of unclaimed appointments, Dubé says Quebec’s main challenge is still vaccine supply

Article content

12:30 p.m.

P.E.I. suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine for those aged 18 to 29

Prince Edward Island has suspended use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 18 to 29, The Canadian Press is reporting.

Health officials said in a brief statement the vaccination appointments are on hold pending further information expected today from Health Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

P.E.I. announced on March 9 that it would offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 18 to 29 who work in gas stations and convenience or grocery stores.

The move was a response to COVID-19 outbreaks on the Island that were concentrated among young people.

The province said it had received 2,000 doses of the vaccine and they had been distributed to pharmacies across the province to give to the young workers.

Article content

Canadian health officials first recommended the Astra-Zeneca vaccine for those under 65, but on March 16 it adjusted its advice to say that it could also be given to seniors.

12:20 p.m.

COVID-19 probably passed from bats to humans through another animal, says WHO

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that the virus was probably transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely” as a cause, the Associated Press reported on Monday.

Read our full story.

12:20 p.m.

Hearings begin at inquiry into deaths in Quebec’s long-term care homes

The Quebec coroner’s public inquiry into deaths at long-term care homes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began Monday, shedding light on how a lack of staff led to an outbreak that lasted 76 days.

Article content

Read our full story, by Katelyn Thomas.

Noon

In U.S., CDC director feels ‘impending doom’

Article content

11:55 a.m.

Quebec will clamp down if third wave becomes ‘too risky,’ Dubé says

“We don’t have to ask ourselves if there’s a third wave, we are in a third wave,” Health Minister Christian Dubé told a press conference in Montreal North this morning.

“What can we do about the third wave? Control it – we must fight as hard as we can to make sure variants are controlled for the longest possible.”

A reporter asked Dubé about experts who suggest the province is relaxing pandemic measures too quickly in the face variants.

In response, Dubé said the province wanted to give people a break because “the biggest challenge is ensuring that people follow guidelines and that has become more difficult.”

The province is sending high school students in upper grades back to full-time in-classroom learning as of today. Gyms, theatres and spas reopened on Friday, the same day that places of worship could start welcoming 250 people, up from 10 in red zones.

Article content

“We’re not opening gyms and schools just to be nice – we’re doing it for mental health,” Dubé said. “We want people to be happy. It’s tough what they went through over the past year.”

However, “if we think at one point this is too risky, don’t worry we’ll adjust,” Dubé said. “We have adjusted many times in the last year.”

He noted that though cases have risen in recent days, there was “no negative impact on hospitalizations” and only a small rise in the number of people in intensive care units.

At the same briefing, Dr. Mylène Drouin, the head of public health for Montreal, said almost 19 per cent of Montrealers have now received a first vaccine dose.

Article content

11:10 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:10 a.m.

Quebec expects almost 273,000 vaccine doses this week

Quebec administered almost 39,000 vaccine doses on Sunday.

The province says it expects 272,610 doses this week – all of them Pfizer-BioNTech.

11:10 a.m.

Update on variants in Quebec

11:05 a.m.

Quebec reports 891 cases, 5 deaths as ICU admissions rise

Quebec has recorded 891 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

Though the number of cases dipped below 900 for the first time in six days, the seven-day rolling average rose to 879. That’s the highest it has been since Feb. 17.

In addition, five new deaths were reported, including two over the previous 24 hours.

Among the other deaths, one occurred between March 22 and 27, and two occurred before March 27.

Article content

One death previously attributed to the pandemic has been removed from the death toll after further tests revealed it was not related to COVID-19.

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 309,202 cases and 10,651 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 290,564 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

Article content

10:25 a.m.

Hope turns to worry as cases spike in Quebec

With 1,009 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Saturday and 917 on Sunday, concerns of a third wave in Quebec mounted on the weekend.

Read our full story, by Marian Scott.

10:20 a.m.

‘Boomers got the vaxxx’

Article content

10:20 a.m.

Traded NHL players will work during part of their ‘quarantine’

Article content

10 a.m.

Suicide deaths declined during the pandemic, but experts warn the toll might be yet to come

While the calamitous nature of the pandemic sent Canadians’ stress and anxiety levels soaring, it may actually have had an opposite effect on suicide deaths. Data from across the country show the numbers of deaths from suicides actually decreased in 2020.

Read our full story.

10 a.m.

Most Canadians pessimistic about pandemic’s impact on economy and travel, poll suggests

People feel differently about how the pandemic will impact their lives, and there’s a lot of uncertainty about what communities will look like once they are no longer threatened by the virus, researchers say.

Read our full story.

9:30 a.m.

Montreal police handed out 319 pandemic tickets last week – most since February

Montreal police received 608 pandemic-related calls last week, the most since mid-January.

Article content

Officers handed out 319 tickets for curfew violations, the most since late February.

The curfew came into force on Jan. 9. It runs from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. across the province.

Article content

9:30 a.m.

Upper grades return to high school classrooms in red zones today, but some boards are resisting

Quebec last week announced that high school students in upper grades in red zones such as Montreal would head back to classrooms today.

Grade 9, 10 and 11 students had been alternating between in-class and online learning.

But the English Montreal School Board and the Lester B. Pearson School Board are staggering the return to classes, saying they were caught off guard by the announcement and are worried about the spread of variants.

Some parents and teachers have also expressed concern about sending all high students back to classrooms amid the third wave.

Article content

9:15 a.m.

With some vaccine appointments unfilled, Quebec officials urge seniors to sign up

Health Minister Christian Dubé says there are appointments going unfilled.

Read our full story.

9:15 a.m.

Canada expecting to receive 3.3M COVID-19 vaccine doses this week

Canada is scheduled to receive a flood of new COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, with around 3.3 million shots due for delivery from different pharmaceutical companies over the coming days.

The expected influx would mark the single-largest week of deliveries into Canada since the start of the pandemic, thanks to planned shipments from three different sources.

Read our full story.

Article content

9:15 a.m.

‘It’s crazy’ that Quebec schools were using nanoform graphene masks: expert

Quebec’s largest school service centre has withdrawn all procedural masks from its schools containing a potentially toxic material called nanoform graphene, in response to a request from the Quebec government.

The Quebec government has distributed 4.6 million of the SNN200642 masks, out of the 116 million provided to schools since January.

Read our full story, by T’Cha Dunlevy.

9:15 a.m.

Quebec’s deputy premier in self-isolation after potential COVID-19 exposure

Quebec public security minister and deputy premier Geneviève Guilbault has gone into preventive isolation after the father of her children was in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Article content

Read our full story.

9:15 a.m.

Everything you need to know about getting COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec

Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Wondering if the vaccines are safe? Once vaccinated, can you disregard public health measures? Is vaccination mandatory? Read our FAQ, by Jason Magder.

9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter

Stay informed with our daily email newsletter focused on local coronavirus coverage and other essential news, delivered directly to your email inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays.

You can sign up here.

ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.