Canada’s death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic has now topped 13,000, according to updated public health data released Thursday.
The milestone lies amid another 126 deaths reportedly related to the virus, bringing the national death toll to 13,109. Thursday’s deaths are now the highest daily reported death toll in seven months, after 139 more deaths were reported on June 4.
Another 6,738 new cases of COVID-19 were announced by health officials on Thursday, bringing the total number of Canadian infections to 441,705. However, to date, more than 355,000 patients have recovered from the virus while another 15.9 million tests have been performed.
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Thursday’s dismal milestone is just eleven days after the country’s previous milestone, where COVID-19 deaths topped the 12,000 mark.
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Several new announcements on Thursday also came amid the increase in cases, deaths and hospitalizations in Canadian communities.
In a press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government would pay the cost of the coronavirus vaccine, including the cost of giving it.
The announcement comes just hours after an initial ministerial meeting where the prime minister was supposed to discuss long-term health funding with the country’s prime ministers.
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Coronavirus: Procurement Secretary Confirms COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Canada on Monday
Coronavirus: Procurement Secretary Confirms COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Canada on Monday
“Today’s meeting gave us the opportunity to talk about our joint work to fight this pandemic and what we are doing to help Canadians and Canadian businesses through this crisis,” said Trudeau, who again noted that the vaccine is completely free would be for all Canadians.
Prime ministers were quick to express disappointment on Thursday after the prime minister refused to agree to prime ministers’ calls for $ 28 billion in annual funding for annual federal health transfers. The government has already spent hundreds of billions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and previously allocated $ 25 billion to provinces and territories to strengthen their health systems, among other things.
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The prime minister agreed with ministers’ views on increasing federal health funding, but said he was ready to resolve the issue once the pandemic was over.
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Trudeau also announced a new “pan-Canadian” program to treat any injuries from the vaccine, but stressed that the Health-Canada-approved Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine was safe and effective.
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“After vaccination, there are often mild and harmless side effects. This is the body’s natural response as it increases immunity to a disease. However, it is also possible that someone could have a serious side effect on a vaccine, ”said a statement from the Canadian Health Department announcing the program.
“The chances of this are extremely rare – less than one in a million – and we have an obligation to help in this case.”
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The first doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine were also confirmed on Monday, the Canadian Minister of Procurement confirmed.
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“This has been a wonderful week for Canadians. We will have vaccines in this country on Monday, ”Anita Anand said during Question Time in the House of Commons on Thursday.
Pfizer’s vaccine was only approved by Health Canada on Wednesday. Government officials announced that it would be rolled out “within a few days” in priority groups.
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Several other vaccine candidates are still under review by Health Canada, including Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. However, it is still unclear whether these treatments will be approved by the end of this year.
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Virus cases continue to hit record numbers across Canada, with Ontario hitting a new daily high of 1,983 more cases on Thursday. Another 35 deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll in the province to 3,871.
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said the province will give its first shots of the Pfizer vaccine in hospitals in Toronto and Ottawa on Tuesday. According to retired General Rick Hillier, who leads Ontario’s vaccination program, a total of 6,000 doses would arrive Monday to be split between Toronto and Ottawa, while an additional 90,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine would be expected in the province during December.
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Hillier also noted Thursday that Moderna’s approval would not lag “far behind Pfizer’s approval” and that approval for first-time use in nursing homes in Canada is expected by the end of December.
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Quebec added another 1,842 cases, along with 33 more deaths, on Thursday. The province, which was the hardest-hit part of Canada in terms of both virus deaths and cases, was also examined Thursday how the long-term care system performed during the first outbreak of the pandemic.
Quebec’s system failed to ensure the safety of nursing home residents during the initial spread of the virus, according to a new report from Ombudsman Marie Rinfret.
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Alberta reported 1,566 additional cases and 13 additional deaths related to COVID-19. Provincial health officials also announced that they will begin distributing their initial supplies of 3,900 vaccines to frontline health workers next week.
Saskatchewan reported 324 more cases and Manitoba another 292, bringing the total number of infections to 11,223 and 19,947 respectively.
British Columbia added another 722 cases of the virus on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed load to 39,696. Another 364 cases are considered “epi-chromosomal”. These are patients with symptoms and close contacts with confirmed cases, but never tested.
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In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia each added four new virus cases, while Newfoundland and Labrador only reported one more infection. PEI and all areas reported no cases on Thursday during their daily updates.
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According to a record conducted by Johns Hopkins University, 69,496,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been diagnosed worldwide. To date, the virus has claimed more than 1,579,000 deaths, with the US, Brazil and India continuing to lead in both cases and in deaths.
– With files from Amanda Connolly and Rachel Gilmore of The Canadian Press and Global News
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