WHO clears China's CanSino COVID vaccine for emergency use
The World Health Organization said Thursday that it has granted an emergency use authorization for the coronavirus vaccine made by China's CanSino Biologics, the 11th such shot to receive the green light.
The UN health agency said the single-dose CanSino vaccine was found to be about 92% effective against severe COVID-19 and 64% effective in preventing people from getting symptoms of the disease. WHO's expert vaccine group recommended the vaccine for everyone age 18 and over.
The CanSino vaccine uses a harmless virus called an adenovirus to deliver the spike protein of the coronavirus into the body, which then prompts an immune response. The technology is similar to vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, which use different adenoviruses.
Last year, China's top infectious diseases official acknowledged that the country's homegrown vaccines offered low protection against COVID-19 and that mixing them with booster doses of the novel messenger RNA vaccines might be needed.
Amid the emergence of COVID-19 variants like Delta, Omicron and its subvariants, messenger RNA vaccines have appeared to prove more effective when compared to more traditionally made vaccines.
WHO's authorization of CanSino means that the UN-backed COVAX effort to distribute vaccines to poor countries can now purchase and deliver vaccines made by the Chinese company. Last year, COVAX signed a deal to buy more than half a billion Chinese vaccines made by Sinopharm and Sinovac.
It's unclear how many of those doses are being used. Many countries relying on COVAX for their immunization programs have expressed a preference for mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer.
____
What questions do you have about Omicron?
With the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant of concern, labelled Omicron, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from Canadians with any questions.
Tell us what you’d like to know when it comes to the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
To submit your question, email us at dotcom@bellmedia.ca with your name, location and question. Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Hell on earth': Ukrainian soldiers describe life on eastern front
Torched forests and cities burned to the ground. Colleagues with severed limbs. Bombardments so relentless the only option is to lie in a trench, wait and pray. Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russia is waging a fierce offensive, describe life during what has turned into a gruelling war of attrition as apocalyptic.
16 dead, including schoolchildren, after bus falls into gorge in India
A passenger bus slid off a mountain road and fell into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing 16 people, including schoolchildren, a government official said.
Shooting at Williams Lake, B.C. stampede injures 2, forces evacuation
Two people are injured and a third is in custody after what RCMP describe as a 'public shooting' at a rodeo in B.C. Sunday.
U.S. Capitol riot: More people turn up with evidence against Donald Trump
More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former U.S. President Donald Trump, says a member of a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.
Dog left with lost baggage at Toronto Pearson Airport for about 21 hours
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
After a metre of rain, 32,000 around Sydney, Australia, may need to flee
More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds were told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes Monday as Australia's largest city faces its fourth, and possibly worst, round of flooding in less than a year and a half.
Ukrainian kids receiving cancer treatment in Canada share their experience
Three months since their arrival through a special evacuation program, Ukrainian families with children receiving care in hospital share their experience.
'Be prepared for delays at any point': Canada not flying alone in worldwide travel chaos
As Canadian airports deal with their own set of problems amid the busy summer travel season, by no means are they alone.
Amid buzz around the medical benefits of magic mushrooms, a new production facility gets to work in B.C.
In southern B.C, there's a new 20,000-square-foot production facility where one particular product is generating a lot of buzz: magic mushrooms, which a handful of businesses have been federally approved to produce.
Canada
-
Shooting at Williams Lake, B.C. stampede injures 2, forces evacuation
Two people are injured and a third is in custody after what RCMP describe as a 'public shooting' at a rodeo in B.C. Sunday.
-
Black bear surprises people, chases geese at Metro Vancouver park
Two videos posted online Saturday show a black bear surprising people enjoying the Canada Day weekend at a busy Metro Vancouver park.
-
'There should have been one': N.S. mother drives son to ER after waiting nearly an hour for ambulance
A Nova Scotia mother says she had to drive her son to hospital herself on Canada Day when no ambulance showed up after more than 40 minutes.
-
Amid buzz around the medical benefits of magic mushrooms, a new production facility gets to work in B.C.
In southern B.C, there's a new 20,000-square-foot production facility where one particular product is generating a lot of buzz: magic mushrooms, which a handful of businesses have been federally approved to produce.
-
Dog left with lost baggage at Toronto Pearson Airport for about 21 hours
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
-
'Be prepared for delays at any point': Canada not flying alone in worldwide travel chaos
As Canadian airports deal with their own set of problems amid the busy summer travel season, by no means are they alone.
World
-
'Hell on earth': Ukrainian soldiers describe life on eastern front
Torched forests and cities burned to the ground. Colleagues with severed limbs. Bombardments so relentless the only option is to lie in a trench, wait and pray. Ukrainian soldiers returning from the front lines in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russia is waging a fierce offensive, describe life during what has turned into a gruelling war of attrition as apocalyptic.
-
16 dead, including schoolchildren, after bus falls into gorge in India
A passenger bus slid off a mountain road and fell into a deep gorge in northern India on Monday, killing 16 people, including schoolchildren, a government official said.
-
U.S. Capitol riot: More people turn up with evidence against Donald Trump
More witnesses are coming forward with new details on the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot following former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's devastating testimony last week against former U.S. President Donald Trump, says a member of a U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection.
-
Mall gunman acted alone, attack likely not terror-related, Danish police say
Danish police believe a shopping mall shooting that left three people dead and four others seriously wounded was not terror-related, and said Monday that the gunman acted alone and appears to have selected his victims at random.
-
Russia tries to press its offensive into Ukraine's east
Russian forces tried Monday to press their offensive deeper into eastern Ukraine after taking control of Lysychansk, a key stronghold in the Luhansk province.
-
U.S. turbulent this Fourth of July, but many see cause to celebrate
Independence Day arrives at a time when the United States is roiled by hearings over the Jan. 6 insurrection, awash in turmoil over high court rulings on abortion and guns and struggling to maintain the common bonds that keep it together.
Politics
-
Anti-Taliban law could be tweaked to get more humanitarian aid to Afghans: minister
A law outlawing any dealings with the Taliban, which charities complain is impeding their ability to help needy Afghans, could be adjusted by the federal government to give more flexibility to aid agencies.
-
In Canada Day message, Trudeau says Canadian flag represents promise of a better life
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on Canadians to recommit to the country’s values, including respect, hope and kindness, in his official Canada Day message.
-
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon calls on Canadians to work toward inclusive society
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says Canadians should work together to build an inclusive society in her official message to the nation to mark Canada Day.
Health
-
After abortion ruling, U.S. clinic staff grapple with trauma
Nationwide, U.S. workers at clinics that shuttered abortion services are feeling fear and stress as they try to pick up the pieces and chart a path forward. At the Women's Health Center of West Virginia, the days following the historic court ruling brought on a different kind of grief for staff as their new reality set in.
-
Infection with HIV can accelerate aging within the first two to three years of infection, study says
Living with HIV may have an immediate effect on how your body ages, according to new research which showed that cellular aging was sped up within two to three years of infection.
-
Medication abortion is common. Here's how it works
Medication abortions became the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. These involve taking two prescription medicines days apart -- at home or in a clinic.
Sci-Tech
-
Dwindling salmon stocks mean endangered B.C. orcas are going hungry, researchers say
Researchers in British Columbia say the province's endangered southern resident orcas have not been getting enough food for years, with some of the worst bouts of hunger occurring since 2018.
-
'Ghost genes' from coyotes could help save critically endangered red wolves, study says
Scientists are hopeful that the key to reviving red wolves, which are on the brink of extinction, may lie in the genes of coyotes that have significant red wolf ancestry.
-
Russian laser scientist dies two days after arrest for state treason
A Russian scientist who was arrested in Siberia last week on suspicion of state treason and flown to Moscow despite suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer has died, lawyers and a family member said on Sunday.
Entertainment
-
Drake joins Backstreet Boys concert at Budweiser Stage in Toronto
Backstreet Boys fans got a surprise at the group's concert in Toronto on Saturday.
-
Ricky Martin denies restraining order allegations
Representatives for Ricky Martin have denied allegations that led to a restraining order against the Puerto Rican superstar, who has not been charged with any crime.
-
'Minions' set box office on fire with US$108.5-million debut
"Minions: The Rise of Gru " brought in an estimated US$108.5 million in ticket sales from 4,391 screens in North America, Universal Pictures said Sunday. By the end of the Monday's July Fourth holiday, it will likely have earned over $127.9 million.
Business
-
Amid buzz around the medical benefits of magic mushrooms, a new production facility gets to work in B.C.
In southern B.C, there's a new 20,000-square-foot production facility where one particular product is generating a lot of buzz: magic mushrooms, which a handful of businesses have been federally approved to produce.
-
Asian shares mixed, oil steady ahead of July 4 U.S. holiday
Shares were mixed in Asia on Monday while U.S. futures fell ahead of the July 4 holiday in the U.S.
-
Retailers grapple with soaring fuel surcharges to ship online orders
Canadian retailers are struggling with higher shipping costs as couriers tack hefty fuel surcharges onto shipping rates to recoup record gas prices. The additional charge is sending the cost of shipping goods within Canada higher, topping 40 per cent for some carriers.
Lifestyle
-
Antique vampire-slaying kit sparks international bidding war at auction
A vampire-slaying kit once owned by a British aristocrat sparked an international bidding war before selling for six times its estimated price, according to Hansons Auctioneers.
-
'Ungrading': How one Ontario teacher is changing her approach to report cards
An Ontario high school teacher plans to continue with an alternative method of grading her students after an experiment last semester in which students proposed a grade and had to justify it with examples of their work.
-
Rescued Afghanistan dogs arrive at Toronto sanctuary
Ten dogs who were evacuated from Afghanistan by the animal welfare group No Dogs Left Behind arrived in Toronto during the long weekend.
Sports
-
Zhou involved in frightening 1st-lap crash at British GP
Zhou Guanyu was involved in a frightening first-lap crash Sunday that brought the British Grand Prix to an immediate halt as safety crews attended to the only Chinese driver in Formula One.
-
Tsitsipas calls Kyrgios bully after Wimbledon hubbub, loss
Nick Kyrgios cursed at the Wimbledon chair umpire and asked, 'Are you dumb?' He demanded to see a Grand Slam supervisor after questioning why his opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, didn't forfeit their ever-contentious, never-boring match for angrily hitting a ball into the stands after dropping the second set.
-
Jakobsen overtakes Van Aert on line to win Tour stage 2
Dutch rider Fabio Jakobsen overtook Wout van Aert right on the line to win the second stage of the Tour de France while Van Aert took the yellow jersey on Saturday.
Autos
-
B.C. judge dismisses realtor's claim dealership misled him about Ford Mustang
A Vancouver Island real estate agent has lost his bid to recover a deposit he made on a new Ford Mustang that he intended to offer as a prize in a year-long contest in 2020.
-
Tesla's second quarter sales drop amid supply chain, pandemic problems
Tesla's sales from April through June fell to their lowest quarterly level since last fall as supply chain issues and pandemic restrictions in China hobbled production of its electric vehicles.
-
Sainz takes 1st pole, Verstappen booed at British GP
It took 151 attempts for Carlos Sainz to earn his first Formula One pole. Now he'll chase that elusive first win. But starting alongside Sainz on the front row Sunday at the British Grand Prix will be defending F1 champion Max Verstappen, a year removed from the crash with Lewis Hamilton that turned their title fight into a bitter rivalry.
