Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
The head of a Canadian travel and tourism coalition is calling for a change in the country’s COVID-19 testing requirements following a recently announced policy shift in the United Kingdom.
Beth Potter, co-chair of the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable and president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, told CTV News Channel on Friday that with officials telling the public not to get a PCR test, except under certain conditions, "it calls into question, especially as we see what is happening in other countries around the world, whether or not PCR testing for travel is the right tool right now in order to mitigate the spread of the virus."
The call comes after U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnston told the House of Commons on Wednesday that pre-departure tests for people travelling to England would no longer be required, arguing that existing travel restrictions meant to contain the spread of the virus are now meaningless due to the prevalence of the Omicron variant, The Associated Press reported.
Anyone aged five and older travelling to Canada must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test, such as a PCR test, taken within 72 hours of departure, or proof of a recent positive test result.
Travellers also may be required to take an on-arrival test and isolate until the result is confirmed. Unvaccinated Canadians must quarantine for 14 days on arrival, while unvaccinated foreign nationals are not allowed to enter Canada, except under certain circumstances such as for work.
"Right now, we are seeing that government is saying, ‘Please don't go and get a PCR test, we don't have enough capacity,’ and they're really ramping up and distributing these rapid tests to try and mitigate community spread," Potter said.
Lab testing for COVID-19 has been overwhelmed following a large spike in cases in recent weeks, with provinces such as Ontario and Quebec limiting lab-confirmed PCR, or polymerase chain reaction testing to certain high-risk individuals and settings.
Provincial and territorial governments in Canada ramped up the distribution of COVID-19 rapid tests, which can provide results in about 15 minutes, ahead of the Christmas holiday. And on Wednesday, the federal government announced 140 million additional rapid tests will be delivered to provinces and territories by the end of the month.
"The community level is relying on rapid tests," Potter said. "We've got data that supports that travellers arriving and having to take a PCR test are having a positive test result of less than 0.5 per cent."
While done before the arrival of Omicron, data from the Public Health Agency of Canada show that, of the tests taken at air and land borders between Feb. 21 and July 4, 2021, 0.6 per cent were positive. This includes a 0.9 per cent positivity rate among air travellers and a 0.2 per cent rate at land borders.
"And so we're asking the question, 'What can we do that will make travel easier for people, and is the PCR test the right tool right now? Could we be diverting those tests for use in communities and in health-care settings where they're more needed?’" Potter said.
While more transmissible than the previous Delta variant, evidence has suggested that the risk of severe illness and hospitalization may be lower with Omicron, particularly for those who are fully vaccinated. Health officials, however, have warned that the sheer number of cases could still affect staffing and capacity at hospitals.
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues the 'Team Canada' charm offensive to U.S. lawmakers and business leaders, Canada's ambassador to the United States downplayed the effect of another Trump presidency on Canada.
Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada Goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.