Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday

Many of those measures are expected to be continued in the fall. 

“Guidance on mask-wearing in school settings will be confirmed later this summer and will align with broader provincial direction,” said Jennifer Whiteside, of B.C.’s Minister of Education. “What will remain the same is that we will expect students and staff to continue to complete daily health checks, stay home when they feel sick and practice diligent hand hygiene.” 

WATCH | Whiteside on what will be different this fall:

Students in British Columbia will be back in the classroom for in-person full-time learning in the fall, says B.C. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside, noting that students also will no longer be organized into cohorts or learning groups. 0:52

More than 50 per cent of kids aged 12 to 17 years old in B.C. have already received their first dose of vaccine and the province expects all eligible British Columbians will have the opportunity to receive a second dose by September. 

While most students will return to full in-class learning, online learning programs will remain available for students.

But provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry emphasized that “being in school is about more than education,” pointing to the social benefits. “We know it is about social, physical, emotional and mental health as well, and it is so, so important. 

The province is providing $43.6 million to support ongoing health and safety measures, First Nations and Métis students, mental health services, rapid response teams and to address learning impacts of the pandemic on students.

What’s happening across Canada

WATCH | New guidance on AstraZeneca vaccines: 

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam reviews the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s new recommendations for second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations. 2:47

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is now recommending provinces stop administering the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in most cases — even as booster shots for people who’ve already received first doses of it.

All provinces ended the use of AstraZeneca for first doses in early May. But many continued to offer it for second doses.

NACI said Thursday that people who already have had two doses of AstraZeneca “can rest assured that the vaccine provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization.”

WATCH | Doctor reassures people who have received AstraZeneca doses:

Dr. Donald Vinh explains that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is not being recalled in Canada, but rather that mRNA shots are simply a better choice right now for Canadians in relation to fighting COVID-19 variants. 1:14

As of 2:45 p.m. ET on Thursday, Canada had reported 1,405,983 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 13,623 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,009. More than 30.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered so far across the country, according to CBC’s vaccine tracker.

In Atlantic Canada on Thursday, Nova Scotia reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 while Newfoundland and Labrador reported one new case. New Brunswick had four new cases Thursday, while officials in Prince Edward Island had not yet reported updated figures for the day.

Ontario on Thursday reported seven additional deaths and 370 new cases of COVID-19.

In Quebec, health officials on Thursday reported one additional death and 161 new cases of COVID-19.

Across the North, there were no new cases of COVID-19 reported in Nunavut on Thursday. Health officials from the Northwest Territories and Yukon had not yet provided updated information for the day. 

But on Wednesday, health officials in Yukon cautioned  that a growing COVID-19 outbreak has “outstripped anything we have seen before.” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brendan Hanley said of the 49 active cases in the territory, 44 are in Whitehorse.

In the Prairie provinces on Thursday, Manitoba reported one additional death and 183 new cases of COVID-19. The province hopes to have everyone aged 12 and up eligible for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of next week.

Saskatchewan health officials reported 94 new cases on Thursday, and no related deaths. The province says 69 per cent of Saskatchewan adults have received their first dose of vaccine. If 70 per cent of adults get their first vaccine by this Sunday, then the province will be able to proceed with the third stage of its reopening road map on July 11.

In neighbouring Alberta, health officials reported 153 new cases of COVID-19 and four more deaths.

In British Columbia, health officials on Wednesday reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 and four COVID-19-related deaths.

-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 4 p.m. ET

What’s happening around the world

As of Thursday afternoon, a database of COVID-19 cases showed more than 177.1 million cases reported worldwide. The Johns Hopkins University tracker put the reported global death toll at more than 3.8 million.

Japan on Thursday announced the easing of a coronavirus state of emergency in Tokyo and six other areas from next week, with new daily cases falling just as the country begins final preparations for the Olympics starting in just over a month.

Japan has been struggling since late March to slow a wave of infections propelled by more contagious variants, with new daily cases soaring above 7,000 at one point and seriously ill patients straining hospitals in Tokyo, Osaka and other metropolitan areas.

Daily cases have since subsided significantly, paving the way for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to downgrade the state of emergency when it expires on Sunday to less-stringent measures. The new measures will last until July 11 — just 12 days before the Games.

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura told reporters the government would not hesitate to issue another emergency declaration even in the middle of the Olympics to protect people’s lives.

In the Americas, Costa Rican health authorities said that after studying the available clinical studies they had decided to reject the delivery of Sinovac Biotech’s vaccine for the time being, saying it was not effective enough.

In Africa, some of the poorest countries in the world are seeing a two-headed crisis: a surge in COVID-19 cases and a critical shortage of vaccine. Fears are running high in African nations such as Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda.

In Europe, the U.K. has recorded more than 10,000 daily coronavirus infections for the first time in nearly four months, likely the result of the spread of the more contagious delta variant. Government figures on Thursday reported 11,007 daily cases, the highest daily amount since Feb. 19.

Portugal is also experiencing a surge in cases, with the government set to review its pandemic rules on Thursday. The European Union country reported 1,350 new cases on Wednesday, the highest daily total since February. Experts say the delta variant first identified in India may be driving the spread. The Lisbon region has accounted for almost 1,000 of the new cases.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Indonesia’s president has ordered authorities to speed up the country’s vaccination campaign as the World Health Organization warned of the need to increase social restrictions amid a fresh surge of coronavirus cases in the country.

“We need vaccination acceleration in order to achieve communal immunity, which we hope can stop the COVID-19 spread,” President Joko Widodo said Thursday while visiting a vaccination centre just outside the capital, Jakarta.

In the Middle East, Bahrain approved the emergency use for regn-cov2 medicine, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ and Roche’s newly authorized COVID-19 antibody combination, as part of its coronavirus treatment protocol to treat existing cases with mild and moderate symptoms.

-From The Associated Press and Reuters, last updated at 7 a.m. ET

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