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.
Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, announced that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized to be used as a booster for children aged 5-11.
Tam said Health Canada has authorized 10 microgram booster doses for children, and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has released guidance on its use.
This is the first booster approved for children aged 5-11, with Moderna being authorized for just two doses of its vaccine for that age group.
NACI says children with underlying medical conditions or who are immunocompromised, and therefore at risk of more severe outcomes from the virus, should be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose at least six months following their second shot.
“This booster dose provides a great option to restore protection for this age group, especially for those who are at high risk of severe illness,” Tam said.
All other children in the 5-11 age group may also be offered the booster dose as of six months following their second shot, Tam said, adding that the risk of severe outcomes for them is “generally rare.”
“I like to remind parents that severe medical conditions in this age group should be rare,” she said. “So I think giving people the choice and providing parents and kids with information about the effectiveness of a vaccine and the importance of the booster can help them make this choice.”
The vaccination rate for children aged 5-11 is the lowest of any other cohort — with about 42 per cent having completed their primary series of two doses — compared to more than 99 per cent for the over-80 age group, and at least 83 per cent for every other group older than 12.
The announcement comes as Tam and Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo gave an update on both COVID-19 and monkeypox cases in Canada.
Tam said while many regions appear to be past the most recent peak in COVID-19 cases, with weekly case counts on the decline, there are some exceptions.
She said getting vaccinations up to date is a “top priority” to prepare for potential future waves in the fall, as students return to school, people return to work following summer vacations, and Canadians generally start making their way back indoors.
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.