The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

—

6:42 p.m.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says the province will change the way COVID-19 is tested to make it more efficient as cases continue to rise.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw says, starting Wednesday, testing at Alberta Health Services assessment centres will be done by appointment only.

She says that will make testing quicker and reduce crowding in lines.

Hinshaw says there were 961 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths over the Thanksgiving weekend.

—

4 p.m.

Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer is introducing a new restriction on the size of private gatherings.

Dr. Saqib Shahab says that starting Friday, the maximum number of people allowed to gather inside a private residence will drop to 15 from 30.

The new limit comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in the province rises, with more infections connected to social gatherings.

Officials are reporting 34 new cases and 238 active infections.

—

2:10 p.m.

New Brunswick is reporting six new cases of COVID-19 and an outbreak at a special care home in Campbellton.

At a press conference today, Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said one of the new cases is in the Moncton region and the remaining five are in the Campbellton region.

Russell says the cases in the Campbellton area include a confirmed case at the Manoir de la Sagesse special care home, where she declared an outbreak.

Education Minister Dominic Cardy also confirmed a case at Dalhousie Regional High School, making it the fourth case confirmed at a New Brunswick school in the past six days.

—

1:35 p.m.

Manitoba health officials have announced 124 new COVID-19 cases. 

It’s a new daily record, although the province’s chief public health officer says many of the cases are from backlogs earlier in the long weekend. 

Ninety-five of the cases are in Winnipeg, where tighter restrictions were imposed two weeks ago. 

The province is also announcing a 35th death — a man in his 70s from the Southern health region

—

12:50 p.m.

Dr. Theresa Tam says trick-or-treating outside, with the right physical distancing and masks, will be safe in most places this Halloween.

Treats could be prepackaged and handed out at the end of a hockey stick to avoid children rummaging through a bowl of goodies. 

Tam says Canadians don’t want to see a yo-yoing effect from rounds of openings and closures, citing the need for a sustained rhythm that is more predictable for people.

Marking holidays and celebrations is one way to preserve a sense of normalcy.

But she says Canadians should observe the instructions from local health authorities, who have the best information about what’s going on in their communities.

—

12:45 p.m.

The country’s chief public health officer says a delay in Johnson & Johnson’s clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine may signal a delay in getting a vaccine to the general public.

She says everyone wants to see a vaccine ready as quickly as possible, but health and safety should never be compromised. 

Johnson & Johnson paused a clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine after finding an unexplained illness, which is normal in large-scale studies.

These Phase 3 clinical trials involving human volunteers are supposed to wrap by November and December.

—

12:20 p.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says getting rapid tests across the country is key to managing the pandemic, but adds those tests alone aren’t a panacea for COVID-19.

Trudeau also says the federal government will work with provinces on how to maximize all the technology the country is able to deploy. 

Remote communities have had point-of-care rapid tests since the spring because of the lack of easy access and long transport times for laboratory analysis.

Canada’s chief public health officer says additional units should be out in the coming days.

How they are deployed is up to the provinces and territories, Dr. Theresa Tam says, but adds they would likely go to locations with the most need. 

—

12 p.m.

Quebec is reporting 815 new COVID-19 infections today, the smallest daily number of new cases since the end of September.

Health authorities are also reporting three deaths linked to the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

Two deaths between Oct. 6 and 11 have been newly attributed to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 5,970.

Hospitalizations rose by 11 compared with the prior day, to 468.

That includes 85 patients in intensive care, an increase of 10.

—

11:55 a.m.

Canada’s chief public health officer says there are more than 182,000 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including more than 9,600 deaths.

Dr. Theresa Tam also says that there are close to 19,000 active cases of the novel coronavirus disease across the country.

She also says about 2.4 per cent of tests in the last week have come back positive. 

Based on the information available, Ontario and Quebec continue to report the majority of cases.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sitting alongside Tam at a briefing in Ottawa, says now is the time to double down on fighting the spread of COVID-19, such as by wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing.

—

11:15 a.m.

The Ontario government says it’s working out which of its long-term care homes will receive support from the Red Cross.

That’s after the federal government said over the weekend it had approved the province’s request to deploy the organization to seven Ottawa facilities.

Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair tweeted Sunday that the Red Cross would “help assess and stabilize the situation” in the homes.

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic saw numerous cases and deaths in long-term care homes, and provincial data show outbreaks in facilities have been rising as the second wave rolls in.

—

11 a.m.

There are 1,553 new COVID-19 cases in Ontario over the past two days and 12 new deaths.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there were 746 new cases recorded today, and 807 yesterday.

The province didn’t release any updated numbers on Thanksgiving Monday.

Nine of the deaths were reported today, and three yesterday.

Elliott says today’s new cases include 311 in Toronto, 135 in Peel Region and 116 in Ottawa.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2020.

The Canadian Press