Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reports 1,536 new COVID-19 cases; NHL, NBA postpone games due to outbreaks

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

9:37 p.m.: British Columbia health officials are reporting 1,129 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths over a three-day period.

In a news release Monday, they say 185 of the active cases are in hospital while 72 are in intensive care.

They say an update on cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the province will be provided at a briefing Tuesday.

However, a news release from Island Health and the University of Victoria says they've identified four cases of the Omicron variant from a cluster of 124 COVID-19 cases associated with people who attended off-campus events.

B.C. health officials say about 86.5 per cent of those five and older have received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.3 per cent of them have had their second dose.

Officials say 13 per cent of those who are 12 and older have been given their booster shot.

9:35 p.m.: The Maple Leafs were forced to make other plans after Thursday’s scheduled game in Calgary was postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the Flames.

The news sent Bradley Lynn, the Leafs’ director of operations, scrambling to make other hotel and practice arrangements to prepare for Saturday’s game in Vancouver.

“The concern level has risen not just because it’s a direct impact on us, on our schedule, but there’s been (more) teams shut down and cases around the league per team,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “It seems like it’s happening more frequently this season than it did last.”

On the same day the league announced that three Flames games had been postponed (also Monday in Chicago and Tuesday at Nashville), the Carolina Hurricanes said three players remained in Vancouver after a road trip following positive COVID tests. The Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders have also had postponements because of outbreaks.

Read the full story here.

9:15 p.m.: As Ontario braces for a tidal wave of Omicron cases, the Kingston area is already struggling to contain the new variant of concern that has flamed through the city, forcing the region to enact new public health restrictions now among the toughest in the province.

On Monday, Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Public Health restricted gatherings to just five people for the next week to curb COVID’s spread as the region’s hospitals — now caring for the highest number of COVID patients in Ontario — warned of limited capacity.

Cases of Omicron in the region — with among the lowest case counts in the first three waves and a high proportion of its population vaccinated — are soaring in young adults, pushing up already-high infection rates from a Delta-fuelled fourth wave that rolled in last month.

Experts say the Kingston area is about three days ahead of Ontario in its Omicron surge, providing a possible glimpse of the coming week.

“The slope rises dramatically and steepens with the onset of these Omicron cases,” Dr. Gerald Evans, chair of infectious diseases at Queen’s University, told the Star.

“If we’re the leading region in the province when it comes to Omicron, we’re only three days ahead of where the rest of the province is going.”

Read the full story here: Kingston’s Omicron-fuelled surge leads to strict measures — and offers a preview

8:45 p.m.: The TTC is planning to freeze fares again next year but will keep service below normal levels for at least the first part of 2022 as it continues to grapple with the impacts of COVID-19.

According to budget documents released Monday evening, transit agency staff are recommending the TTC board approve a $2.2 billion gross operating budget for its conventional system and Wheel-Trans next year. The TTC board will debate the report at its meeting Dec. 20.

TTC staff are expecting $922 million in revenue from fares and other sources in 2022, and will require $1.3 billion in net funding. Of that, an estimated $461 million is to offset losses and increased costs related to the pandemic, which has dramatically reduced transit ridership for most of the past two years.

With the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreading quickly, the outlook for COVID-19 in Toronto is changing rapidly, and the financial hit to the TTC in 2022 could grow if ridership remains depressed.

Read the full story here: The TTC plans to keep fares frozen in 2022 and return service to pre-pandemic levels

8:07 p.m.: The NFL is requiring players, coaches and other team personnel to receive a COVID-19 booster by Dec. 27.

In a memo sent to teams on Monday and obtained by The Associated Press, the league said: “Given the increased prevalence of the virus in our communities, our experts have recommended that we implement the CDC’s recommendation.”

The league’s requirement extends to all Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals who have previously received the vaccine. The CDC recommends an individual who received a second Pfizer or Moderna shot to complete the primary vaccine series more than six months earlier should receive a booster shot. An individual that received the Johnson and Johnson shot more than two months earlier should receive a booster shot.

7:50 p.m.: Ontario will unveil new restrictions to protect nursing home residents from COVID-19 and is working to begin offering boosters for those 18 and over sooner than Jan. 4 as the Omicron variant spreads more rapidly than predicted just days ago.

The measures coming Tuesday include requiring all nursing home visitors be vaccinated and setting a limit of two visitors, government sources said.

“Visitors need to be at least double vaccinated because seniors are more vulnerable,” said Lisa Levin of AdvantAge Ontario, representing not-for-profit homes. “Things have changed.”

The seven-day average of cases in Ontario is up 40 per cent in the last week to 1,328 and Monday’s 1,536 new infections were almost double the level of last Monday, although overall hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions remain relatively stable and well within the health system’s capacity.

While chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore said Friday that 10 per cent of new infections were Omicron as of Thursday and would reach 20 per cent this week, that level was reached Sunday and grew to 30 per cent on Monday.

The science table advising Moore and Ford said Omicron is now doubling every three days, compared with 34 days for the Delta variant that has been dominant since spring and summer but is being rapidly overtaken. Omicron is on track to replace Delta by Christmas Day.

Read the full story here: Ontario government moves to speed boosters, tighten rules at nursing homes as Omicron spreads

7:32 p.m. (Updated): The Manitoba government is urgently asking Ottawa for nurses amid warnings that the province’s intensive care units are close to being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

In a written statement Monday, the provincial Health Department said it has asked the federal government to provide up to 30 nurses for about six weeks.

“Assistance from the federal government would increase ICU capacity to address continued pressure in major acute care facilities due to the affects of COVID-19 while allowing our surgical slates to remain open,” the statement read.

The move came six days after Doctors Manitoba, which represents more than 4,000 physicians across the province, warned that the health-care system was close to being “on the brink,” and one day after a group of 10 doctors called for military help.

Manitoba’s intensive care units were already limited prior to the pandemic. Despite efforts to boost capacity, the system was overrun last spring, and dozens of intensive care patients were flown to other provinces in a bid to free up bed space.

7:30 p.m.: If you remember the beginning of this pandemic, before the NBA’s Rudy Gobert woke everyone up, almost nothing could move fast enough. COVID-19 popped up and spread and still sports arenas, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, gyms and more were full, and normal. Then came escalating states of emergency, and the clumsy machinery of government and society, all of us trying to clunk to a halt, writes Star columnist Bruce Arthur.

And yet there was a Raptors game in Toronto on Monday night, a sellout, protected by a vaccine passport system that has been undermined by Omicron, with intermittent masking, and after a recent potential outbreak involving a game. Like the Grey Cup revelry across Hamilton over the weekend, it felt increasingly like a party before the war.

The province needs to issue restrictions, province-wide, now. Omicron is growing so fast we can barely comprehend it, and literally none of our systems can keep pace. Friday morning the chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said 10 per cent of cases were Omicron. The Mount Sinai lab screens Greater Toronto Area-based positive tests, and Omicron samples Dec. 10 and 11 hit 33 per cent. Omicron doubles every three days or so, so the GTA may be over 50 per cent Omicron now, and if it isn’t, wait an hour. The Middlesex-London health unit declared Omicron to be its predominant variant Monday. Kingston is likely the same.

It’s so hard to convey how fast this will grow. If half of Ontario’s cases are Omicron today, that’s about 700. Doubling every three days without a brake would mean over 10,000 on Christmas Day, and nearly 39,000 on New Year’s Eve. And Delta, which was already on pace to push our health-care system to cancel surgeries in January, is still growing. Just slower than Omicron.

The province has been too little too often, too late too often. Do something.

Read the full column here: It feels like March 2020 — but Ontarians can use the knowledge we’ve gained to fight Omicron

6:50 p.m.: Raptors telecasts will have a different look for at least a couple of games.

Citing an “abundance of caution,” now ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic, play-by-play regular Matt Devlin and analyst Jack Armstrong are stepping away “for a period of time,” the team announced Monday.

Paul Jones and Leo Rautins handled TV duties for Monday’s home date against the Sacramento Kings on TSN, while Eric Smith and Amy Audibert will do Tuesday night’s game in Brooklyn from Toronto for Sportsnet.

Read the full story here.

6:38 p.m.: Confusion is now the defining state for many Canadians considering travel this month amid shifting advice, COVID-19 variants and layers of testing and quarantine rules.

The prospect of flying abroad is “incredibly confusing” as passengers remain uncertain about whether they will be tested at airports upon return or forced to quarantine — on top of the gamut of measures in other countries — said Marty Firestone, president of Toronto-based insurer Travel Secure.

“What do I need to get into that country? What do I need to get in this country? What do I need to get back into my own country?” he asked, paraphrasing client questions.

Many are now rerouting trips or cancelling altogether out of exasperation, Firestone said.

“We’re just in a disarray, there’s no other simple way to put it.”

COVID-19 testing is one area where uncertainty abounds.

The federal government has said all passengers entering Canada, except those from the United States, need to be tested on arrival and isolate until they get their results. (Those coming from 10 African countries face further restrictions following initial detection of the Omicron variant in South Africa, despite its prevalence in more than 50 countries.)

But federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos acknowledged Friday that Canadian airports do not yet have the capacity to fully test all non-U.S. international arrivals. He did not say when that could realistically begin, though random tests for returning overseas passengers are now underway.

“It’s going to be mayhem and utter chaos at the airports once people return to Canada,” Firestone predicted.

“Will they be herded into an assembly hall with 1,000 other people? Be left on the plane until the terminal gets empty enough to bring in the next 1,000 people? Or will they be handed a take-home test?” he asked.

Travellers also have to figure out testing requirements in other countries. A negative result from a rapid antigen or PCR test taken the day of or the day before departure is required to enter the U.S.

Molecular tests, which include PCR tests — but not rapid antigen tests — are acceptable for return to Canada if vaccinated residents want to avoid quarantine. Travellers have up to 72 hours before takeoff or border crossing for the trip home to get the nasal swab, though many pharmacies offer no time guarantees.

Then again, if the trip is less than 72 hours, fully vaccinated flyers and road-trippers need not get tested after all.

Ottawa has not reimposed an advisory against all non-essential travel abroad that it quietly lifted on Oct. 21, but it warns Canadians to “exercise extra caution” as the Omicron variant spreads.

“Everyone’s very upset,” McKenna said, citing a lack of genuine consultation with industry.

“We’re not saying that the government is not taking this seriously,” he added. “We’re saying the government needs to be better organized and communicate better.”

On airport screening, Duclos said as of Nov. 30 airports could administer 11,000 COVID-19 tests per day and that number has risen to 17,000 a day.

Full capacity would be 23,000 daily tests, and Duclos did not specify when that would occur.

6:09 p.m.: Omicron is spreading at a rate we haven’t seen so far in the pandemic, according to updated data released Monday by the province’s science table, and the public should brace for very high numbers of infections.

The independent group of experts found that new cases of the variant are doubling roughly every three days, accounting for about 31 per cent of cases, as of publication time. Omicron’s effective reproduction number — 4.01 —is roughly four times Delta’s, meaning each person who gets infected with the variant will on average spread it to four others.

“We will be seeing staggering numbers of COVID that the public just aren’t used to hearing,” said Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, and a member of the science table.

“We’ll be talking about thousands in the same way we’ve been talking about hundreds.”

The new numbers come as some health units are implementing public health restrictions in an attempt to get surging cases under control. Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington public health unit limited gatherings to five people Monday, and on Sunday, Queen’s University cancelled all in-person exams.

Some employers that had started to welcome employees back are reinstating work-from-home protocols, such as the Ontario Public Service and the City of Toronto. Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, told reporters that Omicron cases are expected to “rapidly escalate” and that the new variant will overtake Delta to become dominant in most of the country within two weeks.

Read the full story here: Omicron is poised to overtake Delta in Ontario: What you need to know

4:30 p.m.: Some universities are adjusting their plans for end-of-semester exams in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The University of Victoria in British Columbia will not be holding any further in-person exams this month. The school said its instructors have been asked to offer alternative exams online or in another format.

Queen’s University in eastern Ontario has also postponed in-person exams due to rising COVID-19 case counts in the community. Exams will be changed to an “alternative delivery format” if possible, and those that must be done in person will be postponed until the new year.

The school initially said students who were concerned about the local COVID-19 situation could choose to defer their exams, but later said it would postpone all in-person exams and reduce capacity limits at its library and athletics centre.

The changes come after the Kingston, Ont., school confirmed a virus outbreak in the student community, and after the local health unit announced a case of the Omicron variant not linked to travel.

Queen’s is advising students to avoid social gatherings and said it’s planning to distribute rapid COVID-19 test kits soon.

In Nova Scotia, St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish told its students on Friday it had decided to discontinue in-person exams for the current exam period.

The school said faculty members will change the exams’ format to online or take-home exams.

Other universities said their exam plans were unchanged for now, but they were monitoring the public health situation

The University of Toronto said it was consulting with public health experts and will adjust plans as needed. The University of Waterloo and Western University said they are monitoring the situation.

“Western (University) continues to work closely with the Middlesex-London Health Unit,” said the school spokesperson. “We are in conversation with them right now as we assess what the current landscape means for our community.”

Yanni Dagonas, a spokesperson of York University in Toronto, said most of the exams at the school are already talking place remotely.

“All in-person activities, including exams, continue to be governed by our mandatory vaccination policy, mask mandate and physical distancing guidelines,” he said.

“York continues to monitor updates concerning the new Omicron COVID-19 variant.”

A spokesperson of Ryerson University said the vast majority of the school exams are being held online with less that one per cent of final exams held on campus.

“For the small number of in-person exams taking place, (the school) has developed protocols to keep our students, faculty and invigilators safe, including vaccination requirements, ventilation and air purification, health screening and personal protective equipment,” the spokesperson said.

4:25 p.m.: The Omicron variant now accounts for an estimated 31 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Ontario, with cases doubling every three days, according to the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

In comparison, the Delta variant’s doubling time is 34 days.

Bill Comeau, a retired statistician, tweeted: “(Omicron) should be dominant in Ontario by no later than next week.” Comeau says the math is based on the Dec. 12 findings by Ontario’s panel of experts, estimating the doubling time every three days would result in a 25 per cent daily growth in Omicron cases, if nothing is done to lessen the trajectory.

Read the full story here: Two shots may not be enough. Here’s what you need to know about booking a booster as Omicron surges in Ontario

3:33 p.m.: The City of Toronto is halting its return-to-office plans for city office staff, which represent approximately 25 per cent of the City’s workforce, based on the latest advice from chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore.

Staff were originally set to return to offices on Jan. 4, but will continue to work remotely “until there are changes to these provincial public health guidelines,” the city announced Monday.

Read the full story here: Toronto backtracks on return-to-office plans for city employees as Omicron spreads

3:24 p.m. (Updated): New Brunswick health officials are confirming the first cases of the Omicron variant in the province and advancing the holiday break for students in kindergarten to Grade 6.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell told reporters Monday there are two cases of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus in the Miramichi region and one in the Moncton area.

She said four other COVID-19 cases that are directly linked to the three confirmed infections are presumed to involve the Omicron mutation.

“We fully expect to see more,” she said at a news conference in Fredericton.

“These new cases are linked to the recent outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia,” she said. “We are working closely with our Nova Scotia colleagues to slow the further spread of this variant to our region.”

Russell reported 100 new cases of COVID-19 in the province Monday and two more COVID-19-related deaths. New Brunswick has 1,048 active reported infections and 41 people in hospital with the disease, including 14 in intensive care.

“It is more important than ever that New Brunswickers become fully vaccinated as soon as possible,” Russell said. “Given the growing number of cases among young children in our province, it is vital that every parent ensures that their children between five and 11 years of age get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.”

Premier Blaine Higgs said Monday students in kindergarten to Grade 6 will begin their holiday break at the end of day this Friday, a week ahead of schedule. All sports and organized activities for children under the age of 12 were suspended as of Monday night.

Higgs said extending the school break to three weeks should cut down on transmission and allow officials to catch up on vaccinations of that age group.

He also announced changes for businesses starting at midnight Friday. Entertainment centres, including movie theatres, professional sporting events and casinos, will operate at 50 per cent capacity, with two-metre distancing required. In restaurants, distancing of two metres has to be maintained between tables and proof of vaccination remains required, Higgs said. The two-metre rule will also be in effect in retail shops, spas, salons and gyms.

Households will have to limit their contacts to the same 20 people, and Higgs said depending on the situation in the coming days and weeks, further restrictions could be required.

“The last 21 months have been filled with challenges and with the confirmation of the Omicron variant in our province, we now face a new challenge,” the premier said.

3:13 p.m. Some universities are adjusting their plans for end-of-semester exams in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The University of Victoria in British Columbia says that starting Monday, it will not be holding any further in-person exams this month.

The school says its instructors have been asked to offer alternative exams online or in another format.

An eastern Ontario university has also postponed in-person exams due to rising COVID-19 case counts in the community.

Read the full story here.

3:09 p.m. A 50-year-old Nova Scotia man has been arrested for allegedly making fake proof of COVID-19 vaccination cards.

The RCMP said today in a news release they received a complaint about the man last month and executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home last week.

They say they arrested the suspect without incident and seized equipment allegedly related to forging vaccination cards.

2:48 p.m. (updated): Nova Scotia health officials reported 114 new cases of COVID-19 Monday and confirmed the first cases of the Omicron variant in the province — most of which were linked to a recent outbreak at St. Francis Xavier University.

The presence of the Omicron mutation has pushed officials to reduce limits on indoor gatherings and impose a range of other health orders. The recent outbreak tied to a Dec. 3 graduation ceremony at the Antigonish, N.S., university las led to four consecutive days of new cases reaching triple digits, Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health, told reporters.

“Nova Scotians should expect to continue to see high daily case numbers, and cases will go up before they go down,” Strang said.

Strang said the National Microbiology Laboratory has confirmed that 40 previously reported COVID-19 infections in the province involved the Omicron variant — the majority of which have been linked to the university outbreak.

“It’s not all Omicron, but we can expect to see a growing percentage of our cases being Omicron,” Strang said. “These numbers I am seeing are more than I anticipated, and I think what we are actually seeing is how transmissible and how easily this Omicron variant can spread.”

Strang also reported an outbreak at Parkland Antigonish, a seniors living community, where two residents and two staff members from the retirement home have tested positive. He said one staff member from Mary’s Court, a licensed long-term care facility in Antigonish, had also tested positive.

The two outbreaks at the seniors homes coupled with eight presumptive cases identified on the weekend at Dalhousie University in Halifax are also linked to the St. FX ceremony, he added.

The arrival of the Omicron variant in the province has led officials to tighten restrictions regarding indoor gatherings and physical distancing, Premier Tim Houston told reporters Monday.

“The variant spreads faster, but it appears to be less severe,” Houston said. “Despite that and our encouraging vaccination rates, we need to slow the spread of the variant down.”

He said starting Tuesday and until at least the new year, restrictions would increase in schools. They include a limit on sports activities and an end to holiday concerts.

Starting Friday, indoor and outdoor informal gatherings will be limited to 20 people. For organized social gatherings, faith services, weddings, funerals and sports and cultural events, capacity will be limited to 50 per cent, to a maximum of 150 people indoors and 250 people outdoors. In long-term care homes, residents will be limited to two visitors at a time who will only be allowed to touch them for a quick hug.

“We don’t know enough about this variant to wait and see what happens,” Strang said. “We cannot take the risk of wider spread into more vulnerable groups like seniors and those who are immune compromised.”

2:47 p.m. Newfoundland and Labrador health officials announced all residents aged 18 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot six months after receiving their second dose.

Health officials have also identified 15 new cases of COVID-19 in the province since Friday.

A news release said nine cases were linked to travel or to previously known infections, while the sources of six cases remain under investigation.

There are 23 active reported COVID-19 cases across the province, and nearly 92 per cent of residents aged 12 and older have received two doses of a vaccine.

2:18 p.m. The Manitoba government is reporting 152 new COVID-19 cases as some doctors are calling for military help in intensive care units.

Health officials are reporting a total of 478 new cases and eight deaths since Friday, while the five-day test-positivity rate stands at 5.7 per cent.

The province says 142 people are in hospital with COVID-19, 34 of whom are in intensive care.

2:00 p.m.: The NBA has announced that Thursday’s game between the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls at Scotiabank Arena has been postponed due to the number of Bulls players and staff members on COVID protocol lists. The Raptors will still host the Sacramento Kings Monday night.

1:47 p.m. Kingston’s medical office of health Dr. Piotr Oglaza has issued a Section 22 class order effective at 6 p.m. on Monday until Dec. 20 11:59 a.m. due to the contagious nature of the Omicron variant.

These revised restrictions mean no one will be allowed to host or attend indoor or outdoor social gatherings or an organized public event with more than five people.

All businesses that serve food and offer seating associated will be closed to the public for indoor dining from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Pick up and take out is permitted.

Also, no consumption of alcohol is permitted in the business or place between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m.

1:30 p.m. At a plant nestled along a highway 20 miles north of Boston, hundreds of Pfizer Inc. workers are gearing up to produce millions of doses of a new vaccine that looks more and more like the next phase of fighting COVID-19.

Work on the project started the day after Thanksgiving at the 70-acre facility in Andover, Massachusetts, just as the World Health Organization designated a new coronavirus strain, Omicron, a variant of concern. The goal of the effort: make a booster shot customized against the highly mutated virus in less than 100 days.

Nobody yet knows how widely Omicron will spread, how serious its infections will be or even whether the new shots will be necessary. Top White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci has said that reports on severity have so far been “encouraging.’’ But if laboratory data rolling in from around the world are reliable, the strain is better able to sidestep existing vaccines than any to date.

Of 43 U.S. omicron infections analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four-fifths were in fully vaccinated people, although almost all the cases were relatively mild. U.K. health officials expect omicron to overtake delta as the dominant strain there within days.

1 p.m. The federal government is extending, and slightly expanding, a travel exemption for Canadians trying to return home from South Africa.

Earlier this month, the government lifted a requirement for Canadian travellers from South Africa to have a negative COVID-19 molecular test result in a third country before coming to Canada.

An update on the federal government’s website says the exemption will remain in place until at least Jan. 7.

In addition, beginning Tuesday, the exemption will apply to eligible travellers on all indirect flights departing South Africa to Canada, regardless of the airline.

12:30 p.m. A new COVID-19 pill from Merck has raised hopes that it could transform the landscape of treatment options for Americans at high risk of severe disease at a time when the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is driving a surge of cases in highly vaccinated European countries.

But two weeks after a Food and Drug Administration expert committee narrowly voted to recommend authorizing the drug, known as molnupiravir, the FDA is still weighing Merck’s application. Among the biggest questions facing regulators is whether the drug, in the course of wreaking havoc on the virus’s genes, also has the potential to cause mutations in human DNA.

Scientists are especially worried about pregnant women, they said, because the drug could affect a fetus’s dividing cells, theoretically causing birth defects. Members of the FDA expert committee expressed those same concerns during a public meeting Nov. 30.

12:15 p.m. Quebec is reporting 1,628 new cases of COVID-19 Monday and three more deaths attributed to the coronavirus.

The Health Department says COVID-19-related hospitalizations rose by six from the day before, to 268, after 30 people entered hospital and 24 patients were discharged. The number of people in intensive care rose by five, to 73.

Officials say 24,009 doses of vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours, including 7,528 doses to children aged five to 11 and 8,170 booster shots to people 70 and over.

About 88 per cent of Quebec residents five and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 81 per cent have received two doses.

The Health Department is reporting two outbreaks of COVID-19 in provincial jails. It says 13 inmates at the Rivière-des-Prairies detention centre in Montreal have active cases of COVID-19, as do 13 staff members. Sixteen inmates at the jail in Sorel-Tracy, Que., northeast of Montreal, also have active cases of COVID-19.

12:07 p.m. Canada’s top doctor is urging the federal government to transform its public health system so the country is better equipped to handle future and present health threats.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call on the need for “public health renewal” in Canada.

Part of that involves improving Canada’s public health data collection and surveillance.

She says gaps in Canada’s ability to collect data about the pandemic hindered the country’s response.

She also warned the government against scaling back public health funding once the emergency has passed, as government’s often do, which could leave Canada at a disadvantage at the onset of the next crisis.

11:52 a.m. Ontario’s Cabinet Secretary says Ontario public service workers are being asked to work from home until Feb. 7, according to a tweet from MPP for Davenport Marit Styles.

11:50 a.m. The City of Toronto will issue today an update on plans to order all remotely working city staff back into workplaces at least 3 days per week starting Jan. 4, and to fully reopen all city buildings.

11 a.m. Cyprus will start vaccinating kids between the ages of 5 to 11, the government said Monday in fresh bid to head off another COVID-19 surge following the first confirmed cases of the omicron variant on the eastern Mediterranean island nation.

Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela also said individuals can receive booster shots two weeks sooner than the previously mandatory six-month waiting period after their second vaccine shot.

New measures announced after a cabinet meeting also tightened restrictions aimed at infected individuals or anyone qualifying as a close contact.

10:30 a.m. The next three Calgary Flames games have been postponed — including Thursday’s match with the Maple Leafs — because six Calgary players and one staff member entered COVID-19 protocols within a 24-hour period.

The NHL said it’s in the process of rescheduling the games Monday in Chicago against the Blackhawks, Tuesday in Nashville vs. the Predators and Thursday in Calgary vs. the Leafs.

The Flames announced Monday morning that forwards Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Brad Richardson and Adam Ruzicka and defencemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov were in the protocol.

Read the full story from the Star’s Mark Zwolinski

10 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting another 1,536 COVID-19 cases and one more death, according to its latest report released Monday morning.

Ontario has administered 34,966 vaccine doses since its last daily update, with 24,484,692 vaccines given in total as of 8 p.m. the previous night.

According to the Star’s vaccine tracker, 12,010,172 people in Ontario have received at least one shot. That works out to approximately 85.7 per cent of the eligible population five years and older and the equivalent of 80.8 per cent of the total population, including those not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Read the full story from the Star’s Urbi Khan

9:45 a.m. The president of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., is now among those in the university community who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the wake of graduation events on campus and at private locations.

Andy Hakin posted on Facebook on Sunday evening that he and several members of the university’s administration had contracted the novel coronavirus.

The posting says he was notified of his positive status Saturday evening, adding that he and the other members of the administration are fully vaccinated and are experiencing mild symptoms.

9:30 a.m. Ghana will fine airlines $3,500 for each passenger who arrives in the West African country without being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the latest measure taken by the country with some of the strictest restrictions in the region.

Airlines also will be penalized the same amount for passengers who did not fill out a health declaration form before boarding their flight to Kotoka International Airport, the state-owned Ghana Airport Company announced Monday.

While Ghanaians who fly in without meeting the requirement will be allowed to enter the country and undergo a 14-day quarantine, foreigners may be refused entry, the airport authority announced.

9:05 a.m. Hamilton’s greenhouse gas emissions remained the highest per-person in and around the Greater Toronto Area last year — even as industrial and vehicle pollution dropped during the pandemic.

The latest carbon-tracking study from the Atmospheric Fund found emissions in the GTA and Hamilton fell 13 per cent in 2020 as a direct result of a “historic reduction” in vehicle use and industrial output due to COVID-19.

But that anomaly aside, regional greenhouse gas emissions actually increased by two per cent between 2015 and 2019 — even as climate scientists urged drastic carbon-cutting actions to avert climate change catastrophe.

8:50 a.m. Russian authorities on Monday backed away from introducing some of the restrictions for the unvaccinated that were announced a month ago and elicited public outrage all across the vast country where vaccine uptake remains low.

The speaker of the State Duma, Russia’s lower parliament house, on Monday announced the withdrawal of a bill restricting access to domestic and international flights and trains to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recently recovered from COVID-19 or are medically exempt from vaccination.

The bill, along with another outlining similar restrictions in many public places, had been expected to go through the first reading on Thursday, but speaker Vyacheslav Volodin cited “a joint decision by the State Duma and the government” to withdraw it from the parliament’s agenda for now. The other bill is still going forward.

8:36 a.m. Ontario’s portal for booking COVID-19 vaccines appeared to crash this morning as residents 50 and older who received their second shot at least six months ago became eligible for booster doses.

The provincial vaccine booking platform opened for appointments at 8 a.m., but shortly afterwards showed a message to try again later.

Social media users reported a number of problems on social media and expressed frustration with the province’s online booking system.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

People can also book shots by phone, through local public health units using their own booking systems and at some pharmacies and primary care clinics.

8:10 a.m. On Saturday, Niagara This Week reported the provincial Solicitor General’s Office confirmed 31 positive COVID-19 cases among inmates at Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold.

It said those inmates are being transferred to Toronto South Detention Centre to be isolated, and any staff possibly exposed would isolate at home.

7:45 a.m. Two doses of Pfizer Inc.’s and AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccines induced lower levels of antibodies against the Omicron variant, researchers found, increasing the risk of infection.

Blood samples collected from people vaccinated with the two different shots and tested against the new strain showed a substantial drop in neutralizing antibodies, a proxy for protection, researchers from the University of Oxford said Monday in a paper.

The results echo other recent findings that emphasize the need for booster shots, especially amid evidence of omicron’s ability to drive a tidal wave of infections. The scientists couldn’t yet answer another key question, about the vaccines’ ability to ward off severe disease. The new mutation has sparked concern around the globe, but reports from South Africa — where it was first discovered — suggest so far cases appear to be milder than during earlier surges.

7:30 a.m. Boris Johnson repeatedly declined to rule out imposing further coronavirus restrictions before Christmas to tackle the spread of Omicron, as he confirmed the first U.K. death linked to the new coronavirus strain.

“Throughout the pandemic I’ve been at great pains to stress to the public that we have to watch where the pandemic is going, and we take whatever steps are necessary to protect public health,” Johnson told reporters at a vaccination center in London on Monday. He also said Omicron would account for the majority of cases in the capital city by Tuesday.

Earlier, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said there’s no certainty the government will be able to keep schools in England open.

The comments point to the balancing act facing ministers as they try to respond to a surge in infections, even as a growing number of politicians in the ruling Conservative Party are threatening to rebel against new restrictions.

6:11 a.m. Long lines formed at vaccination centers in Britain on Monday as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to help withstand a coronavirus “tidal wave” driven by the Omicron variant.

In a televised announcement late Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said everyone 18 and up would be offered a third vaccine dose by Dec. 31 — less than three weeks away, and a month earlier than the previous target.

“We are now facing an emergency in our battle with the new variant, Omicron,” Johnson said. He said boosters would “reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” against an anticipated “tidal wave of Omicron.”

While the online appointment booking system will not be open to under-30s until Wednesday, Johnson said any adult could show up at a walk-in center to get a booster starting Monday.

5:45 a.m. They’re making a list and checking it twice. A team of health researchers have put together a short list that would put Canada on the path to a more equitable pandemic recovery.

Written by 11 researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, the guidelines pull blueprints from trials, policies and other examples from Canada, the U.S. and around the world to show what is possible and effective to help people struggling to meet their basic needs.

The result is 13 clear recommendations that would help solve problems related to income, housing, intimate partner violence, children’s well-being, racism and access to health care. The recommendations were published Monday by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Some could be put into place in a matter of weeks or months — paid sick leave, pharmacare and eviction interventions are things that already have infrastructure around them — what governments need is the will, researchers said.

“I hope that part of what this document shows is that the inequities we’re seeing today and suffering from today, are a result of choices that we’ve made,” Dr. Nav Persaud, co-author and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital told the Star in an interview.

Read the story from the Star’s Angelyn Francis.

5:30 a.m. Ontario residents aged 50 and older can book COVID-19 booster doses starting Monday if six months have passed since receiving their second shots.

The provincial vaccine booking portal will open for appointments at 8 a.m.

People can also book shots by phone, through local public health units using their own booking systems and at some pharmacies and primary care clinics.

Booster eligibility will open up to all adults on Jan. 4 but the province’s top doctor has said the schedule could move faster if capacity allows.

Today is also the deadline for long-term care workers in the province to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Staff, students and volunteers can’t enter long-term care homes without proof of both doses.

5:15 a.m. Ontario’s alarm bells are finally ringing, but not enough. With Omicron sweeping over this province before we can blink, the province will accelerate vaccination this week with everything it can find. Booster shots will then be accelerated into the 18-plus population; some sources believe it could happen next week.

It’s not enough. We are in the early stages of an absolute tsunami of cases, with what is probably enough severity to matter. A wave, at this point, is unavoidable.

But Ontario has realized Omicron is an emergency. Not enough, but in part. In a memo obtained by the Star, sent by chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore, deputy minister of health Dr. Catherine Zahn, Dr. Homer Tien, the president of ORNGE, and Alison Blair, the executive director of emergency health services at the ministry, the province spelled out an accelerated booster plan, designed to “activate as many channels as possible,” aiming for the vaccination levels achieved in the spring and summer of 2021, when Ontario topped out at about 240,000 per day.

Read more from the Star’s Bruce Arthur.

5 a.m. About 40 per cent of Canadians know a family member or friend who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, and most don’t raise the issue with them, a poll carried out this month suggests.

The survey conducted by Leger and commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies suggests four in ten Canadians have a friend or family member who is not vaccinated. Seventy per cent of these don’t discuss the matter with them, with half of those saying they have given up trying to persuade them to get protective shots.

The Leger-ACS survey shows that for 35 per cent of those polled, “it is not an issue” and they don’t talk about it, adding they get along well with unvaccinated family and friends. A similar percentage have given up trying to convince people they know to get immunized.