European Union says it will not block vaccine exports to Canada

© Provided by The Gazette
A vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is seen ahead of being administered at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dec. 8, 2020.

Updated throughout the day on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Questions/comments: [email protected]

Top updates

• European Union says it will not block vaccine exports to Canada
• Transat suspends all flights from Toronto, and some Montreal routes
• Union welcomes Bloc Québécois apology after ad ‘disparaged’ flight attendants
• Quebec administers just 4,320 doses as vaccine supply dwindles
• Province reports 1,328 cases, 53 deaths as hospitalizations drop
• Travellers worry about potential hotel quarantine upon return to Montreal
• Confined due to pandemic, Quebec seniors take to the internet: study
• After court ruling, Quebec will modify curfew rules to exempt homeless
• Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter

3:35 p.m.

European Union says it will not block vaccine exports to Canada

From The Canadian Press:

The Trudeau government is being urged to follow the tough talk of Europe’s health minister, who Wednesday accused a vaccine company of not living up to its moral and legal obligations because of delivery delays.

Vaccine maker AstraZeneca was the recipient of the scathing message from Stella Kyriakides, European commissioner for health and food safety, during a briefing in Brussels. The company has said there will be a significant shortfall in the 100 million doses of its vaccine the European Union was expecting this winter.

“Not being able to ensure manufacturing capacity is against the letter and the spirit of our agreement. We reject the logic of first-come, first-served. That may work at the neighbourhood butcher’s, but not in contracts, and not in our advance purchase agreements,” said Kyriakides.

Kyriakides also said the EU is in continuous discussions with Canada and its fellow G7 countries, and will not will not block European exports of vaccines to other countries.

“Let me be absolutely clear the European Union is not imposing an export ban on vaccines or restricting the export of vaccines to third countries.”

Earlier today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen assured him today that new export requirements on COVID-19 vaccines won’t affect shipments of Canada’s vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Trudeau said in question period today that he spoke to von der Leyen by phone earlier in the day.

On Tuesday, von der Leyen said they were enacting an export transparency mechanism to ensure European countries were made aware of how many doses of vaccines made in Europe were being exported, as the continent is not getting as many doses of vaccines as it had expected.

3 p.m.

Transat suspends all flights from Toronto, and some Montreal routes

Montreal-based Transat AT says it is suspending all flights from Toronto and some Montreal routes for the remainder of its winter season – until April 30.

“Continued travel restrictions and the numerous measures imposed by the federal government, including the requirement to present a negative COVID-19 test and to quarantine upon return to Canada, have had a significant impact on our bookings,” spokesperson Debbie Cabana said in a statement to the Montreal Gazette.

“We must, therefore, revise our winter flight schedule, as we have been doing since the beginning of the pandemic, based on the evolution of the situation and demand.

“We will continue to operate flights from Montreal to a total of six international destinations: Cancun (Mexico), Holguin (Cuba), Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Punta Cana and Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), and Paris (France).

“However, we are suspending all flights out of Toronto for the remainder of the winter season.”

 

2:30 p.m.

Economic relaunch involves all Quebecers, not just government, Québec solidaire says

Representatives of all of Quebec’s society should be called in to help draft a post-pandemic economic relaunch plan for the province, the opposition Québec solidaire said Wednesday.

Read our full story, by Philip Authier.

2:30 p.m.

Opinion: Saving the local restaurant scene, saving ourselves

“A list of permanent restaurant closings brought on by the pandemic could give any Montreal food lover vertigo. They’re worrisome not only on an economic level, but also on a cultural one.”

Read the latest column by Martine St-Victor.

2:05 p.m.

Union welcomes Bloc Québécois apology after ad ‘disparaged’ flight attendants

“The Bloc Québécois apologizes to all those who were injured, in particular the flight attendants, by a (message) published yesterday,” the party said on Twitter this afternoon.

“It was a mistake and we pulled it quickly. In any case, we didn’t mean to insult anyone.”

The party intended to target Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government’s response to calls for tougher restrictions on international flights.

In the ad, the Bloc accused Trudeau of “acting like a flight attendant rather than a pilot.”

The message was condemned by flight attendants. The Canadian Union of Public Employees accused the Bloc of “disparaging” the workers and demanded an apology from party leader Yves-François Blanchet.

“It’s a flagrant lack of judgment,” Benoit Bouchard, president of CUPE Quebec, said in a statement.

“We’re satisfied that the Bloc Québécois withdrew the ad that discriminated against a group of employees. A political party should never wage a campaign that involves ridiculing an entire trade. Offering an apology is the least they can do,” he added.

“The pandemic has had a devastating impact on flight attendants, thousands of whom have been laid off. Unfortunately, there are no prospects of any normal resumption in the number of flights, although CUPE is convinced that will happen.”

 

2 p.m.

Canadian military dealing with surge in new COVID-19 infections since December

The Canadian Armed Forces is grappling with a surge in the number of troops who have been infected with COVID-19 over the past month, even as a growing number of service members have started receiving vaccinations from the illness, The Canadian Press reports.

Nearly 250 military members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the end of December, according to new figures provided by the Department of National Defence to The Canadian Press.

That’s a dramatic spike compared to the first nine months of the pandemic, when a total of 676 troops were infected, or about 75 per month.

While the rash of new cases within the Canadian Armed Forces coincides with a similar surge across Canada and many other parts of the world, it also comes amid an outbreak among the 540 Canadian soldiers currently deployed in Latvia.

The federal government says around 1,100 out of the military’s roughly 100,000 members have been vaccinated, with priority given to troops working in health-care settings or who have health conditions that could put them at greater risk from COVID-19.

While vaccinations are voluntary for military personnel, Bilodeau said individual commanders will be allowed to decide whether to make them mandatory for deployment on certain missions.

1:50 p.m.

Canada scrambling for smaller syringes ahead of expected Pfizer vaccine label change

From The Canadian Press:

Canada’s procurement department is scrambling to source smaller syringes for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, anticipating that Health Canada will agree to change the label to say each vial of the precious substance contains six doses instead of five.

Pfizer formally requested the change Jan. 22, and Health Canada’s regulatory team that approved the vaccine for use Dec. 9 is now considering the new material.

If the label is amended, Pfizer will ship fewer vials to Canada overall because Canada’s contract with the vaccine-maker is based on 40 million doses, not vials.

That sixth dose was a surprise find by medical professionals who found using special syringes could extract the extra dose.

But those syringes are not common and have become the latest COVID-19 hot commodity after both Europe and the United States agreed to the label change earlier this month.

A spokeswoman for Procurement Minister Anita Anand says more than 87 million of the smaller syringes have been ordered but can’t say how many have been delivered or when the rest will arrive.

1:30 p.m.

Quebec unveils details of tutor recruitment program

The Quebec government on Wednesday unveiled its platform aimed at recruiting tutors to help students in need who have been affected by the pandemic.

Read our full story.

Here’s the page where you can offer your services.

You can apply if you are a college or university student, or are employed or retired from the school network.

1 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Canadiens will play at the Bell Centre for first time since pandemic hit

When the Canadiens play the Calgary Flames Thursday night in their home opener it will be their first game in 324 days at the Bell Centre.

The last home game was on March 10.

Read our full story, by Stu Cowan.

© Aislin
Editorial cartoon for Jan. 28, 2021.

12:25 p.m.

CHK PLZ booms in pandemic, offering a low-cost alternative to UberEats

For one tenth the cost of competitors, a Montreal startup takes care of restaurant ordering and delivery.

Read our full story, by Brendan Kelly.

© Provided by The Gazette
The three founders, Eric Haniak, Olivier Eydt and Roberto Casoli, left to right, of the start-up CHK PLZ, an app that helps people order restaurant deliveries online.

12:10 p.m.

Working from home is starting to fall apart, top bankers warn

Senior bankers are sounding the alarm: working from home is at risk of not working anymore.

Read our full story.

Noon

Reminder from Montreal police: Curfew does not apply if you are a victim of conjugal or family violence

En cette période de pandémie, le #SPVM et ses partenaires rappellent qu’il est interdit de sortir durant le couvre-feu, mais pas de fuir un lieu si vous êtes victime de violence conjugale ou intrafamiliale.

En savoir + ➡ https://t.co/l7FQAXOPX9 pic.twitter.com/Z3ReLQNNAm

— Police Montréal (@SPVM) January 27, 2021

11:30 a.m.

Quebec is almost out of vaccine doses

Another 4,320 vaccine doses were administered in Quebec on Tuesday, bringing the total to 229,219, including almost 53,000 in Montreal.

That’s well below the seven-day rolling average of 8,100 doses.

The province has so far received 238,100 doses, meaning just over 96 per cent have now been used. A total of 8,881 doses remain.

Amid a worldwide shortage , no new doses have been delivered over the past week.

Next week, Quebec expects to receive 8,000 Pfizer-BioNTech doses and 40,000 from Moderna, Health Minister Christian Dubé said yesterday.

11:15 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:05 a.m.

Quebec reports 1,328 cases, 53 deaths as hospitalizations drop

Quebec has recorded  1,328 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

That’s 162 more than Tuesday’s case count, though testing increased.

In addition, 53 new deaths were registered, including 16 over the past 24 hours.

Among the other deaths:

• 30 occurred between Jan. 20 and 25.
• 4 occurred before Jan. 20.
• 3 occurred on an unknown date.

Montreal Island accounted for 551 of today’s cases and six of the deaths.

Some other key points:

• 4,320 vaccine doses were administered on Wednesday, bringing the total to 229,219.
• 34 fewer people are in hospital with COVID-19, with 87 people entering hospital, and 121 discharged. The new total: 1,290.
• Among those in hospital, 221 are in intensive care – four more than the previous day.
• On Monday, Quebec conducted 28,061 tests. That’s the last day for which screening data is available.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 257,330  cases and 9,630 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 232,221 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

10:45 a.m.

Travellers worry about potential hotel quarantine upon return to Montreal

Some Quebecers flying out of Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Tuesday afternoon were worried about a potential change in COVID-19 measures while they’re away.

Read our full report, by Katelyn Thomas – and see what some travellers had to say, in the video below.

10:35 a.m.

Confined due to pandemic, Quebec seniors take to the internet: study

Online technology has allowed 95 per cent of Quebec’s seniors to improve their home life in one way or another during the pandemic, a new study says.

Read our full report.

10:30 a.m.

Feds provide update on situation in Indigenous communities

10:20 a.m.

‘If people talked about coats the way they talk about vaccines’

If people talked about coats the way they talk about vaccines. By @jpscattini #COVID19 #CovidVaccine pic.twitter.com/HnNkPLcwPO

— Walter Masterson (@waltermasterson) January 27, 2021

10:15 a.m.

With COVID top of mind, Canadians almost evenly split on Trudeau’s performance: poll

Fifty-one per cent of Canadians polled by the Angus Reid Institute say that the COVID-19 response is the top issue for the federal government to address right now.

The survey also found that “opinions of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remain unchanged from their pre-holiday mark, with half approving of his performance (50 per cent) and half feeling the opposite (48 per cent),” Angus Reid said Wednesday.

“One in three Canadians view Trudeau with strong disapproval, while the largest group offer him moderate commendation. The latter has dropped six points since September while the former has risen by that much.”

Angus Reid also calculated net favourability ratings for opposition leaders. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has a negative 15, while  New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet are in positive zones.

The poll was conducted from Jan. 20 to 24.

10 a.m.

Patients’ rights group opposes triage protocol in Quebec’s ICUs

A patients’ rights group is warning the Legault government that it will use all legal means at its disposal to prevent the application of a triage protocol in Quebec’s intensive care units that would be activated should those units reach extreme occupancy rates.

Read our full story.

10 a.m.

Calculated risk or gamble: Experts differ on merits of Quebec’s vaccine strategy

Quebec has taken a different approach from other provinces, focusing on giving a first vaccine dose to as many people as possible before giving anyone a second, a strategy that the province maintains will save more lives and keep more people out of hospital at a time when vaccine supplies are limited.

Experts differ on the strategy.

Read our full story.

10 a.m.

After court ruling, Quebec will modify curfew rules to exempt homeless

The Quebec government on Wednesday announced it will abide by a Superior Court ruling handed down late yesterday exempting the province’s homeless from curfew restrictions.

Read our full story.

Here’s our story about last night’s court ruling , by Paul Cherry.

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 .

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

This was the situation across Canada as of last night, according to the Canada COVID-19 Situational Awareness Dashboard.

8:30 a.m.

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