The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada for Friday, June 25, 2021

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

9:23 p.m. 

Yukon is reporting another 22 cases of COVID-19, bringing its total case count to 264.

Dr. Brendan Hanley, chief medical officer of health, is telling residents it’s time to take a pause and slow down on social gatherings, regardless of vaccination status.

Hanley says while the outbreak is mostly in unvaccinated adults, children and youth, even vaccinated people are at some risk.

He says most of the recent cases are in Whitehorse and have been spread through large, unorganized social gatherings.

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6:40 p.m.

British Columbia is reporting 72 new cases of COVID-19.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that those coming for vaccinations should be prepared for the weekend heat wave and bring plenty of water.

The province is also reporting two new deaths.

Henry and Dix say more than 4.7 million vaccine doses have been given, of which 1.16 million are second doses.

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3:40 p.m.

Saskatchewan is reporting 56 new cases of COVID-19.

The province says there are 78 people in hospital with the virus, and 12 are in intensive care.

So far, 69 per cent of those 12 and older have received a first dose of vaccine.

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1:50 p.m.

There are 85 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death as Manitoba’s five-day test positivity rate drops to 5.9 per cent, the lowest in weeks. 

A delayed third wave brought surging infections and hospitalization rates last month. 

The numbers have been steadily dropping and Manitoba will be loosening some restrictions Saturday, a week earlier than expected in its reopening plan. 

Manitoba is also expanding second-dose COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone over the age of 12 today.

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1:20 p.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting 16 new cases of COVID-19 today.

Health officials say 15 of the cases are in the Halifax area, while the remaining case has been identified in the eastern health zone, which includes Cape Breton.

There are 60 active cases of novel coronavirus, with two people in hospital as a result of the infection.

As of Thursday, 847,830 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with 147,001 people having received a booster shot.

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12:55 p.m.

New Brunswick is reporting one new case of COVID-19 today.

Health officials say the case involves a person in their 30s in the Bathurst region and is related to travel.

There are 38 active cases with four people in hospital, including one in intensive care as a result of the infection.

Officials say 25.2 per cent of New Brunswickers 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

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12:45 p.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today.

There have been no new recoveries in the province and an overall total of 1,366 people have recovered from the infection.

The province has seven active cases.

Health officials say one person is in hospital due to novel coronavirus.

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11:50 a.m.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says more than 76 per cent of Canadians eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 had had one dose, and 26 per cent have had two.

Trudeau also confirmed the government will meet its commitment for July to provide provinces with 9.1 million doses of the shot from Pfizer-BioNtech.

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11:30 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 88 new COVID-19 cases today and no new deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.

Health authorities say hospitalizations dropped by eight, to 135, and 40 patients were in intensive care, a rise of two.

The province says 65,578 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered Thursday, one day after setting a record with more than 116,000 doses administered.

About 80 per cent of Quebecers aged 12 and older have received a first dose of vaccine, with just over 23 per cent now fully vaccinated.

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10:30 a.m.

Ontario reports there are 256 new cases of COVID-19 in the province and two deaths linked to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 39 new cases in the Region of Waterloo, 38 in Peel Region, and 36 in Toronto.

The Ministry of Health says 284 people are in intensive care because of the virus and 202 are on a ventilator.

Ontario says it administered a record high 246,393 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine since Thursday’s report, for a total of more than 13.5 million.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2021.

The Canadian Press