Unvaccinated workers will be suspended without pay. In addition to the vaccine mandate, Quebec says people visiting hospitals and CHSLDs will have to present a vaccine passport.
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Updated throughout the day on Tuesday, Sept. 7. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com
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Top updates
- Israel’s COVID surge shows the world what’s coming next
- Videos: What is Quebec doing about the spike in hospitalizations and restaurants that won’t enforce vaccine passports?
- CHSLD Herron owners wouldn’t co-operate with police, coroner’s inquest told
- FAQ: Your guide to voting in the Sept. 20 federal election
- Quebec health workers not vaccinated by Oct. 15 will be suspended without pay, Dubé says
- Immunocompromised who want third dose can book appointments or go to walk-in clinics, Montreal public health says
- Up to police to investigate, Trudeau says of being pelted with gravel by an ‘anti-vaxxer mob’
- Quebec reports 515 cases as hospitalizations mount
- Montérégie man wins $1 million in Quebec vaccine lottery
- Getting COVID-19 – Quebecers least fearful in North America
- Coroner’s inquest into Herron CHSLD pandemic deaths resumes today
- Canada’s border reopening is a calculated risk, medical experts say
- Canadians split on whether lack of vaccination is fireable offence, poll shows
- A guide to Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport
- Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter
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4:40 p.m.
Israel’s COVID surge shows the world what’s coming next
From the Bloomberg news agency:
Israel, once a front-runner in the global race to move on from COVID-19, is now one of the world’s biggest pandemic hot spots.
The country that was once predicted to be the first to vaccinate its entire population had the highest per-capita caseload of anywhere in the week through Sept. 4, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Its world-beating inoculation rate, meanwhile, has tumbled down the league table.
The nation of 9 million became the test case for reopening society and the economy in April when much of Europe and the U.S. were still in some form of lockdown. Yet Israel now shows how the calculus is changing in places where progress was fastest. It’s no longer just about whether people get coronavirus, but also how badly they get it and ensuring that vaccines are still working as the highly infectious Delta variant threatens to undermine immunity.
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More recently, it has led the way when it comes to vaccinating children and rolling out a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine after research suggested reduced efficacy over time. Around 100,000 Israelis are getting inoculated every day, the vast majority of them with a third shot.
“If you are able to maintain life without lockdown, and to avoid very high numbers of hospitalizations and death, then this is what life with Covid looks like,” said Eyal Leshem, a professor specializing in infectious diseases at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Ha-Shomer.
Since April, Israel has fallen from first to 33rd in Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker of populations considered fully vaccinated. The program plateaued amid hesitancy from some in the Orthodox Jewish and Arab communities. About 61 per cent of Israelis have been given two doses, lower than in European laggards earlier in the year such as France and Spain.
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Following the spread of the Delta variant over the summer, Israel has seen cases climb, reaching an all-time high of 11,316 daily cases on Sept. 2. The number of people falling seriously sick and being hospitalized, though, has risen less than it did during the last coronavirus wave, peaking at 751 in late August, compared with 1,183 in mid-January. The trend is now downward.
Infections jumped because of the prevalence of cases among the unvaccinated, especially children. There were also so-called breakthrough infections in those who have been vaccinated, and the drop in efficacy of vaccines.
That said, unvaccinated people account for more than 10 times as many serious cases as those who have received two doses, showing that even with immunity waning, shots are providing protection.
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4:10 p.m.
Twelve Alberta mayors call for province to implement COVID-19 vaccine passport
Twelve Alberta mayors are calling for Premier Jason Kenney to bring in provincewide COVID-19 vaccine passport rules, while a member of his United Conservative caucus is telling him to back away from them entirely, The Canadian Press reports.
The mayors in Edmonton and surrounding communities want the government to bring in the passport, calling it the best way to compel more people to get vaccinated and end the pandemic.
Ontario, B.C., Quebec, and Manitoba are implementing such passports, allowing only vaccinated people to access non-essential services such as bars, restaurants and sporting events.
Kenney has said Alberta won’t bring in provincewide rules, but noted that some businesses along with Alberta’s national hockey and football teams are mandating vaccinations already.
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He said the province is developing a machine-readable QR code that can be downloaded or placed on a smartphone to make it easy to prove vaccination status.
But UCP caucus member Peter Guthrie is publicly calling out the QR code plan, calling it the first step to a provincewide passport that would be unfair to those who choose not to get vaccinated.
2:50 p.m.
Biden to outline plan to curb coronavirus Delta variant as cases grow
From the Reuters news agency:
President Joe Biden on Thursday will present a six-pronged strategy intended to fight the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus Delta variant and increase U.S. COVID-19 vaccinations, the White House said on Tuesday.
The United States, which leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths, is struggling to stem a wave of infections driven by the variant even as officials try to persuade Americans who have resisted vaccination to get the shots. Rising caseloads have raised concerns as children head back to school, while also rattling investors and upending company return-to-office plans.
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White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters travelling with Biden aboard Air Force One that he will lay out the six-pronged strategy “working across the public and private sectors to help continue to get the pandemic under control.”
Asked about possible new mandates, Psaki said the White House would offer more details later about the plan and acknowledged that the federal government cannot broadly mandate that Americans get vaccinated.
“We need to continue to take more steps to make sure school districts are prepared and make sure communities across the country are prepared,” Psaki added.
On Wednesday, Biden is scheduled to meet with White House COVID-19 advisers.
The United States has recorded roughly 650,000 COVID-19 deaths and last week exceeded 40 million cases. Reuters data shows that more than 20,800 people have died in the United States from COVID-19 in the past two weeks, up about 67 per cent from the prior two-week period.
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Hospitalizations have grown, with seven U.S. states – Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Tennessee and Washington – reporting records this month.
2:45 p.m.
Videos: What is Quebec doing about the spike in hospitalizations and restaurants that won’t enforce vaccine passports?
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2:10 p.m.
CHSLD Herron owners wouldn’t co-operate with police, coroner’s inquest told
Lack of staff, contaminations by staff and the refusal of the owners of CHSLD Herron to co-operate with police investigators were some of the possible reasons cited for the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the private long-term care facility on the first day of the inquest into the matter led by coroner Géhane Kamel.
Read our full story, by T’Cha Dunlevy.
2:10 p.m.
FAQ: Your guide to voting in the Sept. 20 federal election
Canadians will vote in a federal election on Monday, Sept. 20, to elect a new government or to return Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government to power.
Elections Canada, the agency that runs federal elections, has taken steps to ensure that it will be safe to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Read our full story, by Katherine Wilton.
2 p.m.
Quebec health workers not vaccinated by Oct. 15 will be suspended without pay, Dubé says
Get the shot or you’ll be suspended without pay.
That was the message Quebec sent on Tuesday to all workers in Quebec public and private health facilities, whether they deal directly with patients or not.
As of Oct. 15, they will all have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or they’ll lose their salaries, Health Minister Christian Dubé told a press conference.
The province announced it planned to institute the vaccine mandate for health workers last month. Two weeks ago, a National Assembly committee held hearings on the measure.
Initially, the government said the vaccine mandate would only apply to workers who were in contact with patients for 15 minutes or more.
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Today, Dubé said the government has changed its mind, in part because it would be difficult to determine which employees are in direct contact with patients. Now, all health workers will be under a vaccine mandate, he said.
Asked if that included cleaners, security guards and secretaries, Dubé answered: “Everybody.”
The minister said: “Our health network is already under a lot of pressure, particularly in the Montreal region. We cannot, therefore, accept that workers put vulnerable people at risk. This is a measure for employees and patients. The health care network must be safe.”
Dubé had a message for workers in the health system: “You only have a few days left to get vaccinated.”
Second doses can be administered four weeks after the first. That means that to meet the deadline to be double-vaccinated, an unvaccinated health care employee would have to get their first shot by next week.
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In addition to the vaccine mandate for health workers, the province announced that people who visit hospitals and CHSLDs will have to present a vaccine passport.
“We have a responsibility to protect vulnerable people and to protect our health system,” Dubé said.
At the same press conference, Premier François Legault said the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is causing an increase in hospitalizations in Quebec – and most of the people ending up in hospitals now were not vaccinated.
A month ago, Quebec had 54 people in hospital. Today, there are 171.
Legault said people who have received two vaccine doses are 30 times less likely to be hospitalized.
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The province is not running out of hospital beds but it is having a hard time finding enough nurses to work in the health system, particularly those specializing in intensive care, he said.
The premier said COVID-19 will be with us “for a long time.”
“We’re going to have to accept a certain risk for a long time because we don’t want to re-confine” the province, he added.
He urged Quebecers who know people who aren’t vaccinated to try to convince at least one of them to get the shot.
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12:30 p.m.
INSPQ ethics committee OKs mandatory vaccines for health workers
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12:20 p.m.
Updated charts: Montreal, Quebec regions
12:05 p.m.
Immunocompromised who want a third dose can book appointments or go to walk-in clinics, Montreal public health says
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Noon
Up to police to investigate, Trudeau says of being pelted with gravel by an ‘anti-vaxxer mob’
From The Canadian Press:
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau says he will leave it to police to decide whether charges are warranted after he was pelted with gravel at a campaign stop in London, Ont. on Monday.
Trudeau says he felt the stones hit him but that he wasn’t hurt.
The London stop is the latest Liberal tour event to be sidetracked by the arrival of what Trudeau called an “anti-vaxxer mob” but the first where he was physically assaulted.
Trudeau says it is “absolutely unacceptable” to throw things at a campaign rally, and that he isn’t afraid for his own safety but for that of his volunteers, his security detail, or journalists covering the campaign.
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Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says there is no excuse for trying to intimidate, harass or promote violence.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the London event crossed a “clear line” by throwing rocks intending to harm someone.
Singh’s campaign stops have not seen the same kind of crowds but the NDP leader is often subjected to racist insults, including from people driving by his events who hurl hateful slurs out their windows as they pass.
Both Trudeau and Singh say the anti-mask, and anti-vaccine elements stirring up trouble on the campaign trail are a loud but very small minority of Canadians.
The anti-Trudeau agitators have appeared in multiple provinces but their number has been greatest during Trudeau’s events in southern Ontario.
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Early on, some of the anti-Trudeau elements showed up sporting clothing affiliated with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
At an event in Bolton, Ont., on Aug. 27, which was cancelled when the RCMP determined it could not maintain security, a handful of people in the crowd were in Conservative T-shirts.
O’Toole condemned their actions and fired those volunteers from the campaign.
The latest of the events has seen the crowds dominated by people carrying campaign signs or wearing clothing for the People’s Party of Canada.
11:55 a.m.
New vaccination clinics opening in Laval and in Plateau and Sud-Ouest boroughs
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11:50 a.m.
B.C. set to announce vaccine passport details
Premier John Horgan is set to release details of British Columbia’s incoming COVID-19 vaccine card system, which is to roll out next week, The Canadian Press reports.
Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are expected to provide the details at a news conference later today.
The province had confirmed that a vaccine card system would begin Sept. 13, requiring proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in order to enter restaurants, movies, ticketed sporting events and many other non-essential venues.
As of Oct. 24, those aged 12 and up will need to be fully vaccinated to access those same services and venues.
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11:45 a.m.
Unvaccinated Quebecers ‘should not interfere with the return to a certain level of normality for the vaccinated,’ Dubé says
The recent increase in hospitalizations and intensive-care patients is mainly among unvaccinated people, Health Minister Christian Dubé said via Twitter this morning.
“If we want to protect our (health) network. It should be remembered that vaccination also reduces the viral load and severity of symptoms. The increase in intensive-care admissions reinforces the importance of vaccination.
“We have taken a lot of steps to encourage people to get vaccinated and increase our vaccination coverage. We continue to deploy as many resources as possible. The unvaccinated should not interfere with the return to a certain level of normality for the vaccinated.”
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Dubé posted several charts to back up his points.
Sixteen of the 21 people who entered the hospital or intensive care units yesterday were not vaccinated or had received a first vaccine dose less than 14 days earlier, one of the charts shows.
That’s 76 per cent.
More than half of those 16 people were under 50.
Among the 515 Quebecers found to have COVID-19 yesterday, 353 or 68.5 per cent were not vaccinated or had received a first vaccine dose less than 14 days earlier.
Another 50 – or 9.7 per cent – had received a first dose 14 or more days earlier.
And 112 – or 21.7 per cent – had received their second dose at least seven days earlier.
Quebec considers someone fully vaccinated seven days after their second dose.
The figures indicate that 78.3 per cent of new cases were among those not fully vaccinated.
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11:30 a.m.
Update on Quebec’s vaccination campaign
11:30 a.m.
Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths
11:05 a.m.
Quebec reports 515 cases as hospitalizations mount
Quebec has recorded 515 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.
No new deaths were reported.
But hospitalizations continue to rise and are now at their highest level since June.
Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update:
- Montreal Island: 86 cases, zero deaths.
- Net increase in hospitalizations since Friday: 24, for a total of 171.
- Net increase in intensive care patients since Friday: 19, for a total of 68.
- 10,042 additional vaccine doses were administered over the previous 24 hours.
- 17,887 tests were conducted Sunday, the last day for which screening data is available.
- Positivity rate: 2.8 per cent.
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 393,852 cases and 11,293 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 377,099 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.
10:30 a.m.
Montérégie man wins $1 million in Quebec vaccine lottery
A Montérégie man is $1 million richer after winning the final jackpot in Quebec’s vaccine lottery, the provincial government announced this morning.
In addition, 16 youths aged 12 to 17 won $20,000 scholarships. A series of other prizes – from iPhones to a trip to Cancun – were also given out.
The government has published a complete list of vaccine lottery winners.
10:20 a.m.
Getting COVID-19 – Quebecers least fearful in North America
Since the start of the pandemic, Quebecers have been the least fearful of contracting COVID-19 and among the most optimistic about life returning to normal, polls have shown.
Despite the arrival of the more contagious Delta variant, Quebecers – particularly francophones – still fear the virus less than other North Americans, a new survey of 2,500 Canadians and Americans has found.
“Quebec’s francophone population is the most positive and continues to feel that way over 18 months since the start of the pandemic,” said Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, which conducted the survey with the Léger polling firm.
“They are (also) North America’s least fearful when it comes to getting the virus.”
And “Quebec is the only region of North America where a majority feel that the worst of the crisis is behind us.”
Jedwab added: “Rates of vaccination are high in Quebec relative to other parts of the continent and this likely has boosted the level of optimism that Quebecers – especially francophones – feel about the situation, but the feeling of optimism about the future has been a constant from the outset.”
Some key findings:
- 57 per cent of Quebec respondents said they were not personally afraid of getting COVID-19, the highest rate in North America
- Among francophone Quebecers, the rate was 62 per cent, with only 38 per cent of anglophone Quebecers feeling the same way.
- 51 per cent of Quebecers said the “worst of the crisis is behind us,” the highest rate in North America. Again, francophone Quebecers were far more likely to say that than anglophones.
- Quebecers were the least likely to say that “life will never return to normal” – the way it was before the pandemic.
10 a.m.
Coroner’s inquest into Herron CHSLD pandemic deaths resumes today
The coroner’s public inquiry into deaths at the Dorval’s CHSLD Herron during the first wave of COVID-19 resumed this morning and will continue over the next three weeks.
The public can follow the proceedings online, via Microsoft Teams or by telephone. Details on how to attend the hearing virtually are in this press release.
Among the witnesses set to testify today: Dr. Mylène Drouin, Montreal director of public health.
Two weeks ago, Quebec’s office of criminal prosecutions announced that it will not lay criminal charges in connection with the deaths at Herron, where at least 40 residents died during the first wave.
Last year, a government report found fault with operators of the seniors’ residence.
9:30 a.m.
Canada’s border reopening is a calculated risk, medical experts say
As Canada enters a Delta-driven fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, its latest border reopening phase is a calculated risk, medical experts say.
Fully vaccinated international travellers are permitted to enter Canada for non-essential purposes as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday — a month after the country opened its borders to fully vaccinated Americans. These travellers will not be required to quarantine, but will have to provide a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure to board their flight to Canada.
Read our full story, by Katelyn Thomas.
9:30 a.m.
Canadians split on whether lack of vaccination is fireable offence, poll shows
As employees gradually begin returning to the office, a new poll suggests Canadians are divided on whether employers should have the right to fire those who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Read our full story, by Jesse Feith.
9:30 a.m.
Justin Trudeau hit with rocks as he exits London campaign event
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was hit with a handful of rocks as he waded through a crowd following a Monday event in London – a seeming escalation of the vocal protests that have caused security concerns at other campaign stops.
Monday marked Trudeau’s first visit to London of the federal election campaign, now two weeks old, and it drew a now-familiar mix of 100 chanting protesters – anti-COVID vaccine and anti-mask demonstrators, many wearing People’s Party of Canada garb.
9:30 a.m.
Judge refuses to suspend mask mandate in Quebec
The Superior Court has rejected the request of three Quebecers to immediately suspend mandatory mask-wearing in the province.
In his decision, Judge Frédéric Pérodeau refused to suspend the application of decrees and ministerial orders related to COVID-19 that require everyone to wear a face covering in indoor public places.
9:30 a.m.
What is ivermectin — and why are people convinced it’s a COVID cure?
Ivermectin has revolutionized the treatment of parasitic infections in humans, including “river blindness,” a tropical disease spread by tiny worms carried by black flies that attacks the cornea. In veterinary medicine, it’s also an efficient horse and cattle dewormer.
But ivermectin for preventing or treating COVID-19, especially in quantities intended for animals?
Health Canada became the latest health agency this week to warn people not to ingest human or veterinary grade versions of ivermectin to curb SARS-CoV-2. Any pills, pastes, oral, injectable or topical solutions purchased for such a purpose, the agency said, should be immediately discarded.
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 epidemiological update.
9:15 a.m.
A guide to Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport
Quebec’s vaccine passport is mandatory for people 13 and older who want to access services and activities deemed non-essential by the provincial government, including bars, restaurants, gyms, festivals and sporting events.
Though the passport came into effect Sept. 1, no penalties will be issued for the first two weeks. Quebecers will be able to use a smartphone app to prove their vaccination status or simply carry their QR code on paper.
Quebecers can download the app from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
We have published two guides to the passports – one looks at how to download and set up the app, and another answers key questions about the system, including how, when and why.
You can find more information on the Quebec government’s website – one page has details on how the system works, and another has a list of the places where a vaccine passport will be required.
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:
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.
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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Read my previous live blogs here.
COVID-19 live updates: Quebec health workers must get vaccinated by Oct. 15, Dubé says - Montreal Gazette
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