Coronavirus Update: Who should get the vaccine first in Canada? Experts identify four groups

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Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

  1. Committee of experts advising Ottawa has come up with its initial set of recommendations for who in Canada should be first in line for COVID-19 vaccines once one or more become available.
  2. Britain prepares for potential vaccine as Oxford hopes to present late-stage trial results this year
  3. Seniors watchdog says anti-psychotics use in B.C. care homes is rising as residents are isolated from loved ones

In Canada, there have been at least 247,703 cases reported. In the last week 22,117 new cases were announced, 15% more than the previous week.

There have also been at least 205,646 recoveries and 10,331 deaths.

new deaths nov 1

The Globe and Mail

Worldwide, there have been at least 47,405,395 cases confirmed and 1,213,735 deaths reported.

Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus explainers: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening • Mask-wearing rules • Back to school guide • Essential resources

Photo of the day

Election workers count absentee ballots in Atlanta today. Republicans, buoyed by an unexpectedly strong performance by President Donald Trump in key battlegrounds, grew increasingly confident they could maintain narrow control of the Senate and make a considerable dent in the size of the Democrats House majority.

Audra Melton/The New York Times News Service

Coronavirus in Canada

  • Ontario reported 987 new cases and 16 additional deaths today, as Premier Doug Ford defended the province’s new restrictions system, saying it will help them respond early to flare-ups of the virus. Meanwhile, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health says the city is resuming its full contact tracing program.
  • School COVID-19 cases have mostly reflected the state of community transmission in the two months since they reopened, data and a new Canadian study show, but the latest numbers indicate signs of trouble in the country’s hardest-hit province, Quebec.
  • In British Columbia, people in long-term care and assisted-living homes are being given anti-psychotic medication amid tighter COVID-19 restrictions, the province’s seniors watchdog said.
  • In Manitoba, the Minister of Health faces criticism after questioning the motivation behind a letter written by 200 doctors that says the pandemic is spiralling out of control in the province.

Yesterday, an independent committee of experts advising the federal government released its initial set of recommendations for which Canadians should be given priority for a COVID-19 vaccine. The committee identified four broad categories and related criteria for prioritizing who should be vaccinated. They include people who are:

  • At high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19, including people of advanced age or those with medical conditions that increase their risk factor.
  • Most likely to transmit COVID-19 to members of a high-risk group, including health care and long-term care workers.
  • Involved in maintaining essential services – a category that will be up to governments to define and prioritize.
  • At high risk of infection from working or living conditions and where infection could lead to disproportionate consequences.

And: COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths may continue to rise in coming weeks, says Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer

Coronavirus around the world

  • In Rome, Pope Francis urged people to follow recommendations from governments and health authorities to prevent coronavirus infections as he returned to his private library for his Wednesday general audience amid a surge of infections in Europe.
  • Late-stage trial results of a potential vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca could be presented this year as the British government prepares for a possible vaccination rollout in late December or early 2021.

Coronavirus and business

The federal government is facing strong criticism from Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux for a lack of transparency when it comes to the unprecedented levels of spending during the pandemic.

  • In a report released on Wednesday, Mr. Giroux and his team note that the Finance Department provided a thorough public accounting every other week until August, but that practice ended when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament.
  • The PBO report focuses on the government’s latest request to Parliament for funding approval through a process called the supplementary estimates, but it also discusses spending transparency more broadly.
  • The most recent request covers $79.2-billion in spending. More than 90 per cent of that amount is related to COVID-19, such as income support for individuals, funding for vaccine research and money to buy protective gear and medical equipment.

“While the sum of these measures is significant, the amount of information that is publicly available to track this spending is lacking,” the report states.

More reporting

Information centre

Sources: Canada data are compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins University and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data are from Johns Hopkins.

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Coronavirus information

Coronavirus information

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