Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
The federal government says it has no plans to enforce a vaccine mandate for children, as Health Canada green lights the first COVID-19 vaccine for those aged five to 11 years old.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says, as it stands now, Ottawa won’t apply the same mobility restrictions to children as they have to adults travelling in and out of the country.
“There are no changes to the vaccination or testing rules for children of any age. We are, as you said, entirely focused now on delivering the doses of Pfizer to the provinces and territories so that we can start administering the Pfizer vaccine as quickly as possible,” said Duclos in an interview with CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday.
He stipulated that no one can predict “how the situation will evolve.”
On Friday, Health Canada authorized the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose vaccine for children. The first shipment of these pediatric doses will arrive on Sunday, with a total of 2.9 million doses landing by the end of next week.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), which makes recommendations to governments about the use of vaccines, has stated that kids “may” be offered the Pfizer vaccine.
“It’s not unusual for the beginning of any vaccine recommendations for NACI to begin by saying ‘may be offered’ to a certain group of vaccinees just because of the information they have in front of them and the size of the trials for example,” said Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam during a press conference Friday.
“But we expect NACI to continue to evaluate that information, and as did some of the adult recommendations, they can shift over time.”
In their analysis, NACI said because of uncertainties surrounding pediatric vaccination at this time, children and their parents and guardians should be respected for their decision on whether to opt for the vaccine and “should not be stigmatized” either way.
Moderna has also submitted their COVID-19 vaccine for Health Canada approval for administration in kids aged six-to 11-years old.
Duclos said the government also doesn’t intend to include COVID-19 booster shots within vaccine mandate requirements.
“Based on the public health guidance and knowledge that we now have there is no need to change the rules around the definition of full vaccination,” he said.
Health Canada has approved the use of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot in people 18 and up to be given at least six months after finishing a primary vaccine course. Provinces and territories have implemented their own application rules.
In a subsequent announcement, government officials announced that as of Nov. 30, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents returning home from trips less than 72 hours from abroad will no longer have to provide proof of a negative molecular test, such as a PCR test.
Asked why the timeframe of three days, Duclos said a shorter trip equates to less risk.
“The Public Health Agency [of Canada] assessed that being very short trips, the risk of those people catching the disease and returning with the virus to Canada was modest compared to other risks,” he said.
“Health Canada, Public Health Agency [of Canada], with border officials, will be randomly testing those Canadians that are leaving for less than three days to see whether indeed, we should be continuing with that policy or whether we should be revising it in the future.”
With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.