'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
The more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 now makes up 83 per cent of sequenced samples in the United States, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
"This is a dramatic increase, up from 50 per cent for the week of July 3," Walensky said in a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing.
Health experts have said the Delta variant is more transmissible than any other identified variant so far. "We should think about the Delta variant as the 2020 version of COVID-19 on steroids," Andy Slavitt, a former senior adviser to Joe Biden's Covid Response Team, told CNN last week.
"It's twice as infectious," Slavitt said. "Fortunately, unlike 2020, we actually have a tool that stops the Delta variant in its tracks: It's called vaccine."
The most recent data from Israel evaluating effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine against the Delta variant found the vaccine to be 64 per cent protective against infection, and that the vaccine is 93 per cent effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations. Other studies indicate that the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are also effective against the Delta variant.
But more than half of the U.S. is not yet fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, an obstacle that has become increasingly worrisome to health experts as resistance to vaccination rises with the spread of misinformation. If many of those who are holding out do not get inoculated, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the US can expect a "smoldering" outbreak for "a considerable period of time."
Having been tricked by the virus before, the U.S. Surgeon General says now is the time to be cautious.
"There have been multiple times when we have been fooled by COVID-19, when cases went down and we thought we were in the clear and then cases went up again," Dr. Vivek Murthy told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "It means we shouldn't let down our guard until cases not only come down but stay down, and right now cases are actually going up. Cases are going up, hospitalizations are going up, death rates are ticking up."
The average of new daily cases this week is up 66 per cent from last week and 145 per cent from two weeks ago, as cases surge in 44 states, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, hospitalizations are up 26 per cent from last week.
And 99.5 per cent of deaths are among the unvaccinated, Murthy told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" Sunday -- a figure cited by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in the month.
Already some hospitals are again being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, Murthy said.
"I am heartbroken to see just how hard (physicians are) working -- how exhausted they are," Murthy said. "Many of them are suffering with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, as a result of the stress that they have endured during this pandemic."
Murthy urged Americans to get vaccinated -- if not for themselves then for health care workers who need protection from burnout and children who are not yet eligible for the protection provided by the vaccine.
Even if parents are vaccinated, wearing a mask in areas of high transmission risk is "the right thing to do," he said. Murthy -- the father of two children, ages three and four -- said he takes such precautions because "I want to take every possible measure to protect my child."
"Our kids who cannot get vaccinated, they depend on us being vaccinated to protect them from the spread of the virus. We are their shields," Murthy said. "Even if you don't want to do it for yourself, consider getting vaccinated to protect the children in your community. They are depending on us."
In addition to protecting children from infection, many experts and officials have stressed the importance of getting them safely back into the classroom.
Most children are at a lower risk than adults for severe disease from COVID-19, and the benefits of learning in a classroom outweigh the risks, said Dr. Greta Massetti, a member of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 Emergency Response.
"However," she added, "for some families, particularly those with children or family members who are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, or who cannot get vaccinated, those families might be more comfortable with a remote option this fall."
On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidance for schools that supports in-person learning and recommends universal masking in schools for everyone over the age of two.
"The AAP believes that, at this point in the pandemic, given what we know about low rates of in-school transmission when proper prevention measures are used, together with the availability of effective vaccines for those age 12 years and up, that the benefits of in-person school outweigh the risks in all circumstances," the guidance said.
The guidance differs some from the CDC recommendations, which advises that masks be worn indoors in schools by all individuals who are not fully vaccinated.
But Fauci said the CDC leaves flexibility for localities to make judgment calls based on their situation.
And when there is a high rate of virus spread in a community and a low proportion of vaccinated people, "you really want to go the extra step, the extra mile, to make sure that there's not a lot of transmission, even breakthrough infections among vaccinated individuals," Fauci said. "They just want to be extra safe."
There are some states, including Connecticut, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Virginia, and Washington, that follow the AAP guidance to require masks among K-thru-12 students regardless of their vaccination status.
But an updated CNN analysis has found that at least nine states -- Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Vermont -- have enacted legislation that prohibit districts from requiring masks in schools.
While some states are staying away from mask mandates, others are embracing a return to preventative measures.
As California reports a surge in cases to levels not seen since February -- when new cases were dropping after a winter surge -- about half of the state's population is once again under mask mandates and recommendations.
"This is inevitable," California Gov. Gavin Newsom said of the new requirements and recommendations. "If we want to end this pandemic once and for all, if we want to turn the page, we can get it done in a matter of weeks, not months. It's as simple as this: If you're not vaccinated, get vaccinated."
In Massachusetts, officials in Provincetown issued a public health advisory Monday, strongly advising the public to wear masks and get vaccinated if they haven't already. The public health advisory comes amid an increase in cases in Provincetown after the July 4 holiday weekend, according to the advisory.
The advisory also states that venues with "high density where social distancing is not achievable are strongly advised to enforce vaccine verification prior to admittance."
New Jersey is also seeing increasing rates, with a positivity rated increased to 2.5 per cent and a 20 per cent increase in unvaccinated patients in hospitals, state Health Commissioner Judy Persichili said. But the state will not go back to a mask mandate at this time.
"We continue to be comfortable where we are, but we watch this like a hawk. And our strong, strong preference is to not go back," Gov. Phil Murphy said.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a point shot by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
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.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.