New coronavirus cases reported globally dropped nearly a quarter in the last week while deaths fell 6 per cent but were still higher in parts of Asia, according to a report Thursday on the pandemic by the World Health Organization.
The UN health agency said there were 5.4 million new COVID-19 cases reported last week, a decline of 24 per cent from the previous week. Infections fell everywhere in the world, including by nearly 40 per cent in Africa and Europe and by a third in the Middle East. COVID deaths rose in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia by 31 per cent and 12 per cent respectively, but fell or remained stable everywhere else.
At a press briefing Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said reported coronavirus deaths over the past month have surged 35 per cent, and noted there had been 15,000 deaths in the past week.
"15,000 deaths a week is completely unacceptable, when we have all the tools to prevent infections and save lives," Tedros said. He said the number of virus sequences shared every week has plummeted 90 per cent, making it extremely difficult for scientists to monitor how COVID-19 might be mutating.
"But none of us is helpless," Tedros said. "Please get vaccinated if you are not, and if you need a booster, get one."
On Thursday, WHO's vaccine advisory group recommended for the first time that people most vulnerable to COVID-19, including older people, those with underlying health conditions and health workers, get a second booster shot. Numerous other health agencies and countries made the same recommendation months ago.
The expert group also said it had evaluated data from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for younger people and said children and teenagers were in the lowest priority group for vaccination, since they are far less likely to get severe disease.
Joachim Hombach, who sits on WHO's vaccine expert group, said it was also uncertain whether the experts would endorse widespread boosters for the general population or new combination vaccines that target the omicron variant.
"We need to see what the data will tell us and we need to see actually (what) will be the advantage of these vaccines that comprise an (omicron) strain," he said.
Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, the expert group's chair, said that unless vaccines were proven to stop transmission, their widespread use would be "a waste of the vaccine and a waste of time."
Earlier this week, British authorities authorized an updated version of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine that targets omicron and the U.K. government announced it would be offered to people over 50 beginning next month.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
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When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
British Columbia's first wildfire evacuation order of this season lasted under 24 hours, but local officials say dry conditions mean the risk is still high.
More than 100 inmates escaped from an old and decrepit prison near Nigeria's capital after overnight heavy rains destroyed parts of the facility, a prison official said Thursday as security agencies searched for the fugitives.
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Ariel Henry resigned Thursday as prime minister of Haiti, leaving the way clear for a new government to be formed in the Caribbean country, which has been wracked by gang violence that killed or injured more than 2,500 people from January to March.
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
The seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli airstrikes represented the "best of humanity" and risked everything "to feed people they did not know and will never meet," Jose Andres, the celebrity chef who founded the organization, told mourners who gathered Thursday to honor the dead.
Some U.S. universities called in police to break up demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war, resulting in ugly scuffles and dozens of arrests, while others appeared content to wait out student protests Thursday, as the final days of the semester ticked down and graduation ceremonies loomed.
Canada's auto industry is experiencing a renaissance as it transitions from building gas-powered vehicles to ones that run on batteries, but some are raising the alarm over the protection of local jobs.
Canada is targeting Iran's defence minister as part of a new round of sanctions imposed after the country's retaliatory attack on Israel earlier this month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
Colombia has restricted the import of beef and beef products coming from U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for avian influenza as of April 15, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
China launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station on Thursday as part of its ambitious program that aims to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.
A lawyer representing the estate of Tupac Shakur has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Drake after he used an AI-generated likeness of the late rapper's voice in a diss track.
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
In the last year, Tim Hortons has treated cottaging Canadians to a boat drivethru, revived its beloved Dutchie doughnut and launched flatbread pizzas. But perhaps its biggest surprise will come this summer.
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Ford’s electric vehicle unit reported that losses soared in the first quarter to US $1.3 billion, or US$132,000 for each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold in the first three months of the year.
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
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For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Wrexham AFC, co-owned by Canadian actor and Vancouver native Ryan Reynolds, is set to play Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps on July 27 at BC Place Stadium.
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
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
Ford’s electric vehicle unit reported that losses soared in the first quarter to US $1.3 billion, or US$132,000 for each of the 10,000 vehicles it sold in the first three months of the year.
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
A made-in-China electric vehicle will hit North American dealers this summer offering power and efficiency similar to the Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling EV, but for about US$8,000 less.
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.
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.
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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.
A vehicle crashed through the front window of a dental clinic in downtown Vancouver Thursday afternoon.
A new ranking has placed two popular Vancouver bars among the 50 best on the continent.
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mayor Olivia Chow says residents can expect to see cleaner sidewalks across Toronto as the city works to install new and improved sidewalk litter bins.
Toronto police say they are searching for three suspects after a man was shot and killed inside an Etobicoke townhouse during what investigators have described as a violent home invasion.
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A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
The Alberta government has tabled legislation to bring sweeping changes to municipal elections and the powers the province has over its cities and towns.
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The director of education for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board says making sure elementary school students can attend classes close to home is an important part of making schooling in Ottawa more equitable.
Ontario is taking steps to reduce the administrative load on family doctors. Employees seeking to utilize their three days of provincially mandated annual sick leave will no longer require a doctor's note.
A mother and daughter are speaking out after a Quebec man was sentenced to house arrest for years of domestic abuse. They were both physically assaulted by the mother's ex-partner and say the offender got off with another light sentence.
A Montreal-area family confirmed to CTV News that the body of their loved one who died while on vacation in Cuba is being repatriated to Canada after it was mistakenly sent to Russia.
The trial of a West Island baseball coach accused of sexually abusing a minor will proceed after the case was almost thrown out due to unreasonable delays.
The Government of Alberta wants to change how municipalities handle elections and local politics.
One person was rescued from a burning building in Edmonton on Thursday.
The Edmonton Police Service in a media release said it has "reasonable grounds to believe" Luis Kenny, who they say will be living in the city, will commit another violent offence "against anyone" after his release.
The New Brunswick RCMP say a wellbeing check that led to the rescue of three women from alleged human trafficking in Moncton earlier this month was the result of someone following their gut.
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Nova Scotia RCMP is looking for a Halifax man wanted on charges of assault and uttering threats.
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
Former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson is resigning her legislature seat and leaving political life.
Manitoba RCMP have arrested a suspect in relation to a 2021 double homicide in a remote northern community.
The Weber family is being forced to travel to Toronto due to a lack of pediatric gastroenterologists (GIs) in the province. The family’s situation was highlighted by Saskatchewan’s official opposition.
The draft will take place on Tuesday, April 30, the Saskatchewan Roughriders currently hold the third overall pick.
Work to twin Highways 6 and 39 from Regina to near Milestone will continue this year, with the province expecting construction to resume as early as May.
Around 10 police cruisers are on scene at the corner of College and Ahrens streets near the Kitchener Via Rail station.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) has arrested seven people in connection to a two-month drug tracking investigation.
The Guelph Police Service has a new remotely piloted aircraft system, also known as a drone, to assist in investigations.
A private Christian school at the centre of a civil lawsuit and several criminal cases might soon be taken over by an affiliated group, according to a letter obtained by CTV News.
A Crown prosecutor says the former RCMP officer who shot and killed his lover should be sentenced to life in prison.
The City of Saskatoon will build its own organics processing facility in hopes of ending a rocky beginning for the citywide organics program.
A years-long fraud investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police’s anti-rackets branch has resulted in fraud and other charges for the former head of BioNorth Technology Group, Frank Benincasa
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
A crowd of former Wescast employees and supporters rallied outside Wescast Industries in Wingham, Ont. on Thursday, requesting the severance pay they're owed.
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford visited Alliston on Thursday to unveil a $15 billion investment in an electric vehicle and battery facility.
A popular summer festival on the Barrie waterfront is returning for its 52nd year, with one of the most impressive lineup yet.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Canada’s Building Trades Unions is demanding the federal government intervene as it alleges local workers are being “sidelined” by foreign employees.
Windsor police are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect after a car theft on Tecumseh Road.
An annual festival celebrating walkable communities and neighbourhoods hits the streets this weekend and next at a time when the conversation about walkability and public safety are top of mind for many.
A hiker was airlifted to hospital in critical condition Tuesday after he fell approximately 60 metres into a canyon on Vancouver Island.
An agreement between the B.C. government and the First Nations that manage Joffre Lakes Provincial Park will see the popular tourist spot closed for part of the year to protect its "natural and cultural values."
Mounties on Vancouver Island have confirmed that two bodies recovered by United States authorities earlier this week are those of a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia.
An emaciated dachshund is now recovering thanks to a Good Samaritan who found the pup near a biking trail in Kelowna, according to the BC SPCA.
Search and rescue crews have been called in after a vehicle belonging to a missing senior was located near a rural intersection outside of Kelowna Tuesday.
Major crime detectives in British Columbia are investigating a suspected homicide after a body was found in a remote area southeast Kelowna over the weekend.
The Okotoks Oilers bounced back against the Bandits Wednesday night, defeating Brooks 4-1.
It’s not even May 1 and the fire risk for southern Alberta is already alarming.
Whoop-Up Days is still four months away, but applications to be in this year’s parade are now open.
Some members of the Garden River First Nation are demanding answers regarding the disbursement of the Robinson-Huron Treaty settlement funds.
The Ontario Provincial Police, in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service, have charged a suspect with murder following a homicide in a remote northwestern Ontario community.
A 15-year-old in Sault Ste. Marie has been charged following an incident on Bay Street on Tuesday.
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.
Uber Technologies Inc. says it has brought its ridesharing platform to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundlander Christian Sparkes has shot several films around his home province, but with his new psychological thriller 'The King Tide' he saw an opportunity to wander into one unique town that had eluded him over the years.
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