COVID-19 live updates: Despite ongoing glitches, almost 650000 Quebecers register for vaccine lottery - Montreal Gazette

Selasa, 27 Juli 2021

COVID-19 live updates: Despite ongoing glitches, almost 650000 Quebecers register for vaccine lottery - Montreal Gazette

55% of new Quebec cases are among people aged 20-39, Dubé says.

Author of the article:

Andy Riga

Publishing date:

Jul 27, 2021 • 4 minutes ago • 11 minute read • Join the conversation

People register for the COVID-19 vaccination at Montreal's Palais des congrès on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Photo by Allen McInnis /Montreal Gazette

Updated throughout the day on Tuesday, July 27. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

Most new Quebec cases are among people aged 20-39, Dubé says
Britain reports highest deaths from COVID-19 since March as Johnson urges caution
Quebec says it will only provide extra vaccine shot in ‘exceptional’ situations
Despite ongoing glitches, almost 650,000 Quebecers register for vaccine lottery
U.S. returning to tighter mask guidelines
Montreal public health contacting 30,000 12- to 17-year-olds as vaccination rate lags
Just under 62% of eligible Quebecers are fully vaccinated
Quebec reports 73 new cases, no deaths as hospitalizations dip
Canada has enough doses to fully vaccinate everyone eligible, Trudeau says
Tokyo cases leap to new record amid Olympic Games
Opinion: Vaccination campaigns have much to learn from political ones
A guide to COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec
Here are the current pandemic restrictions in Montreal and Quebec
Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter

4:10 p.m.

Most new Quebec cases are among people aged 20-39, Dubé says

Over the past two weeks, most COVID-19 cases in Quebec occurred among people aged 20 to 39, Health Minister Christian Dubé said this afternoon via Twitter.

He provided a breakdown by age group of cases that occurred between July 12 and July 26:

20-39: 55 per cent.
40-59: 20 per cent.
19 and under: 18 per cent.
60-79: 5 per cent.
Over 80: 1 per cent.

Dubé said that over the past 20 days, more than 3.1 million Quebecers advanced their second-dose appointments.

Another 417,000 appointments can be advanced before Aug. 31, he added.

3:40 p.m.

Britain reports highest deaths from COVID-19 since March as Johnson urges caution

Britain reported its highest number of deaths and people in hospital with coronavirus since March on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging caution despite a week of lower reported numbers of infection.

Read our full story.

3:15 p.m.

Canada border guards vote to strike days ahead of U.S. border reopening

Canadian border guards and customs officials voted on Tuesday to go on strike just days ahead of the reopening of the border with the United States, unions representing the workers said, after working for three years without a contract.

Read our full story.

2:50 p.m.

‘Overwhelming majority’ of new COVID-19 cases are in unvaccinated Canadians: Trudeau

Following up on my earlier live coverage, here’s our full story about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s press conference about vaccines.

1:45 p.m.

Quebec says it will only provide extra vaccine shot in ‘exceptional’ situations

There has been confusion surrounding Quebec’s decision to allow some people to get an extra vaccine dose.

On Monday, the opposition Liberals urged Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government to clarify the situation.

Late Monday afternoon, the Health Department published a press release outlining the province’s policy.

The department said it wanted “to point out that the administration of an additional dose of vaccine remains an exceptional measure for people who have an essential trip planned outside the country in the short term, and who must meet (certain) vaccination requirements.”

At the moment, “there is no international consensus on the criteria for a person to be recognized as ‘adequately vaccinated.’ Discussions are continuing with the federal government so that mixed or two-dose scenarios of AstraZeneca or Covishield vaccine are more widely recognized internationally.”

Some countries do not recognize the Covidshield version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was manufactured in India. Others may not accept the mixing of vaccines as providing adequate protection.

For the time being, “certain exceptional measures are possible in Quebec to accommodate people who have an essential trip planned.

“The possibility of obtaining an additional dose of an mRNA vaccine in order to meet vaccination requirements in a foreign country has been mentioned previously during press briefings on the COVID-19 situation by the (Quebec’s) director of public health, Dr Horacio Arruda.”

In Quebec and across Canada “a mixed schedule, either including a viral vector vaccine (AstraZeneca or Covishield) and an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) is considered to be quite valid.

The Health Department said “these vaccines are considered interchangeable, while following the recommendations of the Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec and the federal National Advisory Committee on Immunization, and all offer very good protection against COVID-19.

“It should be noted that people affected by these exceptional situations will be advised on the relevance of receiving an additional dose according to their situation and their needs, and will have to give their informed consent. Note that the minimum interval of four weeks must be observed before the administration of an additional dose.”

As of Monday afternoon, a total of 3,875 Quebecers had received an extra vaccine dose out of a total of more than 10 million doses administered in the province, the government said.

That includes people who contracted COVID-19 and received an extra dose because it was required at an international destination to which they were travelling. Normally, people who have had COVID-19 only require one dose.

1 p.m.

Despite ongoing glitches, almost 650,000 Quebecers register for vaccine lottery

As of 8 a.m. today, 644,029 people had registered for Quebec’s “Being vaccinated, it’s a win” lottery, the health department tells me.

The launch of the registration portal was marred by technical problems on Sunday and the site still seems unstable.

I visited at 9:40 a.m. and at 1:40 p.m. today and was met with this message: “Due to high traffic, the … contest registration site is temporarily unavailable. We invite you to try again later.”

Quebec launched the lottery to reward those who have been vaccinated and to encourage people who have not yet done so to get inoculated as soon as possible. A total of $2 million will be given out in prizes.

Vaccinated people have until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 5 to enter the first draw. Only one entry is required for all draws.

Run by Loto-Québec, the lottery will be held throughout August and culminate in early September.

The province will hold a weekly draw of $150,000 every Friday in August for adults who have received at least one dose. A $1-million draw will then be held on Sept. 3 for people who are fully vaccinated.

For the 12-to-17 age group, two $10,000 scholarships will be given each week for those who have received their first dose. Sixteen $20,000 scholarships will be handed out on Sept. 3 for teens who got both doses.

For more information, visit the lottery page on Quebec coronavirus website. To register for the lottery, visit this page.

12:50 p.m.

U.S. mask guidelines to stiffen in response to Delta spread

From the Bloomberg wire service:

U.S. health officials will return to tighter guidelines for the use of masks, advising that fully vaccinated individuals wear them in public indoor settings in places where the virus is spreading rapidly as part of a response to the rise of the Delta variant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will recommend that teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status, according to a preview of guidance to be released later today. Children should return to full-time, in-person learning in the fall with prevention strategies in place, the preview said.

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, has warned that the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction in combating a new COVID-19 wave spurred on by Delta. CDC director Rochelle Walensky is planning a press briefing Tuesday afternoon where she’ll discuss breakthrough infections in vaccinated people and using masks to prevent further outbreaks in areas of substantial and high transmission.

President Joe Biden was briefed by Fauci Tuesday morning on the new guidance, press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday in a briefing. The administration will follow every aspect of CDC guidelines on masking, Psaki said, including monitoring COVID-19 transmission rates in areas where Biden will visit.

“We will be prepared to wear masks again, if required, if the guidance is leading to that, as would the president,” she said. “And that will continue to be the case.”

A growing number of public-health experts have urged the agency to recommend that even fully vaccinated people wear face masks in public as Delta feeds a resurgence of cases. Fauci said new U.S. recommendations on masking were under active consideration on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.

Some places, such as Los Angeles County, have already revived mask mandates for public indoor places regardless of vaccine status. Former surgeon general Jerome Adams said the CDC acted prematurely in May when it announced that fully immunized Americans would no longer need to wear face coverings in most situations.

12:50 p.m.

French government minister injects fellow minister with COVID shot

From the Reuters news agency:

Two ministers in the French government promoted the COVID-19 vaccine through their own example on Tuesday, with one of them administering the shot to the other.

Health Minister Olivier Veran is a doctor by profession, which qualified him to administer the injection. The colleague receiving it was Olivia Grégoire, junior economy minister.

As he got ready to give the injection in front of television cameras at Necker Hospital in Paris, Veran struggled to put on a surgical glove, which he put down to being out of practice.

But his patient, who is pregnant and was getting her second dose of the vaccine on Tuesday, said she was not worried about his professional abilities. “I have complete faith,” Grégoire said.

After the injection was done, she told Veran she had not felt a thing. “You haven’t lost the knack,” she told him.

The public vaccination was designed to encourage people to get the shot, to head off what some public health officials in France warn could turn into a fourth wave of the pandemic.

To date, around 60 per cent of people in France have had at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“We can’t say the peak is behind us,” Veran said outside the hospital. “We need to get vaccinated, in large numbers.”

12:40 p.m.

Updated charts: Montreal and Quebec regions

12:10 p.m.

Montreal public health contacting 30,000 12- to 17-year-olds as vaccination rate lags

“Montreal public health knows very well that certain groups require a personalized approach,” Health Minister Christian Dubé said via Twitter this afternoon.

He said 30,000 children aged 12 to 17 “are being contacted one by one. Everything is being done in the field to improve the vaccination coverage of our young people.”

Montreal has one of the lowest first-dose vaccination rates in Quebec in the 12-17 age group.

First-dose vaccination rate by age group as of July 25. Source: INSPQ.

Rate of full vaccination by age group as of July 25. Source: INSPQ.

Quebec vaccination rates by age group as of July 26. Source: Quebec government.

11:25 a.m.

Feds discuss vaccine milestone as Canada receives enough doses to vaccinate everyone 12 and older

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

The arrival of the 66 millionth #Covid19 vaccine dose in Canada took place on July 25! #CBSA officers ensured expedited clearance @flyyhm of this milestone, which now allows every eligible person in Canada to be fully vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/eQspVV9AYR
— Canada Border Services Agency (@CanBorder) July 27, 2021

11:25 a.m.

Just under 62% of eligible Quebecers are fully vaccinated

11:25 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:05 a.m.

Quebec reports 73 new cases, no deaths as hospitalizations dip

Quebec has recorded 73 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

No new deaths were reported.

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update:

Montreal Island: 31 cases, zero deaths.
The number of hospitalizations dropped by 1, to 66.
1 more person is in intensive care. Total in ICU: 21.
74,334 additional vaccine doses were administered over the previous 24 hours.
10,106 tests were conducted on Sunday, the last day for which screening data is available.
Positivity rate: 0.6 per cent.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 376,901 cases and 11,240 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 364,858 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

10:15 a.m.

Canada has enough doses to fully vaccinate everyone eligible, Trudeau says

Canada has now received enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to fully vaccinate everyone who is eligible for a shot – people 12 and older, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference in Moncton this morning.

He said Canada has received 66 million vaccine doses.

“Back in the winter I made a promise that we would have enough vaccines for all eligible Canadians by the end of September,” Trudeau said. “Not only have we kept that promise but we’ve done it two months ahead of schedule.”

He said the “overwhelming majority” of people still getting COVID-19 were not vaccinated.

Trudeau said 0.5 per cent of cases being recorded are in fully vaccinated people.

“These vaccines work, and they’re safe and they’re also available,” Trudeau said. “With enough doses for everyone there are no more excuses to not get your shot.”

Canada was criticized for the lacklustre start to its vaccination campaign but has since surpassed most other countries in inoculating against COVID-19.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

9:35 a.m.

Tokyo cases leap to new record amid Olympic Games

A man wearing a protective mask walks past a display of a newspaper reporting Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 27, 2021. Photo by KIM KYUNG-HOON /REUTERS

Daily infections in Tokyo surged to a record 2,848, about double the number found a week earlier, just as the Japanese capital hosts tens of thousands for the Olympics, the Bloomberg news agency reports.

Tuesday’s figure eclipses a previous peak of 2,520 set in January.

Serious cases rose to 82 from 78 a day earlier, and the seven-day average of new infections rose to about 1,763, figures released by the city showed.

Experts had earlier expressed fears that Tokyo infections could reach their worst-ever levels during the Games, due to the spread of the Delta variant.

Within the Olympics itself, new cases associated directly with the Games fell to seven, including two athletes, one of them a tennis player from the Netherlands, organizers said.

The report brings to 155 the total number of Olympics-related cases confirmed through an extensive testing program being implemented to try to maintain safety during the Games.

9:30 a.m.

Opinion: Vaccination campaigns have much to learn from political ones

“One would think all the sophisticated knowledge about politics would transfer to public-health strategy.”

Read the latest column by Emilie Nicolas.

9:15 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.

9:15 a.m.

A guide to 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.

Quebecers can also visit walk-in AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer vaccine clinics.

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.

Two private sites can also help you book appointments:

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

9:15 a.m.

Here are the current pandemic restrictions in Montreal and Quebec

We are regularly updating our list of what services are open, closed or modified in Montreal and Quebec, including information on the curfew and other lockdown measures.

You can read it here.

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.

8:30 a.m.

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You can sign up here.

ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.

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Selasa, 27 Juli 2021