Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
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.
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.