'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
The federal government has signed deals with Pfizer and Merck to purchase their antiviral medications, pending Health Canada approval of the products.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi said Ottawa has placed an initial order for one million of Pfizer’s antiviral pills, and 500,000 of Merck’s pills, with an option for 500,000 more.
Tassi made the announcement during a press conference on Friday.
“As soon as these drugs are authorized for use, the government will work on getting them to provinces and territories as quickly as possible so that health-care providers can help Canadians who need it most,” said Tassi.
“I will keep working to ensure that we have the supplies Canada needs to finish the fight against COVID-19.”
On Wednesday, Pfizer initiated a rolling submission to Health Canada of its drug PAXLOVID, intended for use in mild to moderate COVID-19 cases in adults at increased risk of hospitalization or death.
Its trial enrolled non-hospitalized adults aged 18 years and older.
The drug maker said in a press release that the pill is designed to block the activity of an enzyme in SARS-CoV-2 that is essential for the virus to replicate itself, and also help to slow the breakdown of the pill’s ingredients in order to help combat the virus for longer. Part of the pill uses ritonavir, an existing drug that has been used in combination with other antiviral medications before.
Merck submitted its request for approval of its twice-daily drug molnupiravir in August. The antiviral agent is intended for use in those 18 years old and above and is to be taken five days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms.
Merck’s study tracked 775 adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who were considered to be at higher risk for severe disease because of health problems such as obesity, diabetes or heart disease. Among patients taking molnupiravir, 7.3 per cent were either hospitalized or died at the end of 30 days, compared with 14.1 per cent of those who received the placebo.
Health Canada has already approved four COVID-19 treatments. They include: remdesivir, bamlanivimab, casirivimab and imdevimab combination, and sotrovimab.
Tassi said antivirals should be viewed as a “complement” to vaccines.
“It’s another tool that we have available in order to fight this fight against COVID-19. It in no way takes away from the importance to ensure that we get the vaccinations but it’s an important tool because it prevents, for those that do get infected by COVID-19, from having effects and impacts,” said the minister.
Duclos further specified that therapeutics are the government’s fourth tool in the toolbox, after personal protective equipment, testing, and vaccines.
He said that the these treatments aren’t just beneficial at the patient level, but also to prevent overwhelmed hospitals.
Health Canada's chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma has said an approval will only be granted when all evidence has been reviewed.
With a file from Brooklyn Neustaeter, Avis Favaro, and Elizabeth St.Philip
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.