A man wearing a facemask walks over graffiti reading "Corona Kills" during a demonstration in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany, on Saturday.ADAM BERRY/AFP/Getty Images
7:00 p.m. ET
COVID-19 rapid test study at Vancouver airport
A study has launched to investigate the safest and most efficient way to rapidly test for COVID-19 in people taking off from the Vancouver airport.
The airport authority says the study that got underway Friday at WestJet’s domestic check-in area is the first of its kind in Canada.
The Calgary and Toronto airports have hosted studies to test passengers who are arriving, rather than departing, using the Health Canada-approved PCR test.
The study in B.C. involves researchers from the University of British Columbia and Providence Health Care, who are responsible for collecting the samples.
The airport authority says in a statement a positive rapid test result does not constitute a medical diagnosis for COVID-19 and those who test positive would have to undergo testing approved by Health Canada, with their flights cancelled or changed at no charge.
Dr. Don Sin, co-principal investigator and a professor at UBC’s faculty of medicine, says the study will help public health leaders understand how people who don’t have symptoms of COVID-19 are contributing to the spread of the illness.
“We know that asymptomatic carriers exist, but what we don’t know is exactly how common it is,” he says in a statement.
– The Canadian Press
5:30 p.m. ET
Nova Scotia reports 14 new COVID-19 cases
Nova Scotia is reporting 14 new cases of COVID-19 as the second wave of the pandemic continues to slowly intensify in Atlantic Canada.
Health officials say 12 cases are in the province’s Central Zone, while the the northern and western zones recorded one case a piece.
The new diagnoses bring the total number of active cases in the province to 125.
Premier Stephen McNeil says Black Friday weekend usually draws crowds from across the province to the Halifax area to shop.
But he says that must change this year, and is reminding all Nova Scotia residents to avoid non-essential travel in and out of western and central Halifax and parts of Hants County. Nova Scotia Health Authority’s labs completed 3,644 tests on Nov. 27. There were also 670 tests administered at the rapid-testing pop-up site in Dartmouth and three positive results. The individuals were directed to self-isolate and have been referred for a standard test.
– The Canadian Press
4:30 p.m. ET
P.E.I. doubles COVID-19 case count with two new infections
Prince Edward Island has announced two new cases of COVID-19, doubling the number of active cases in the province.
Health officials say the patients are both males between the ages of 10 and 19.
One of the new patients is a student at Charlottetown Rural High School, who travelled on bus numbers 23 and 3 on two days last week.
He also plays for the Sherwood Minor Hockey Midget A Central Team #2.
Officials say there were also potential exposures at a Wendy’s Restaurant and a Needs Convenience Store in Charlottetown.
Meanwhile, the second patient recently travelled to P.E.I. from outside of Atlantic Canada and has been self-isolating since he arrived.
Health officials say he traveled to the Island on Air Canada flight AC7462 from Toronto to Charlottetown on Nov. 26. They are advising passengers on the same flight to get tested if they have any symptoms.
A spokeswoman for the Health and Wellness Department says there are four active cases in the province.
– The Canadian Press
3:33 p.m. ET
Nothing has changed forecast that expects Canada to have 10,000 daily coronavirus cases next month: Tam
Canada’s top doctor says the country is still on a troubling track for new COVID-19 infections as case counts continue mounting in much of the country.
Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the most recent infection rates are keeping the country on track to hit as many as 10,000 new cases a day by mid-December.
Tam says Canada is currently recording caseloads at about half that level, with the most recent seven-day average standing at 5,335 between Nov. 20 and Nov. 26.
Tam says Canada is also averaging 76 deaths a day and more than 2,100 people in hospital.
“If we continue on the current pace, our longer range models continue to forecast significant increases in daily case counts and estimate that there could be up to 10,000 cases reported daily by mid-December,” Tam said in a statement. “Right now, we have a window of opportunity to act collectively together with public health authorities to bring the infection rate down to a safer trajectory.”
Tam redoubled her calls for Canadians to heed public health advice, limit their social interactions and practice physical distancing in a bid to bring surging case counts under control.
– The Canadian Press
2:23 p.m. ET
Boy under 10 among Manitoba’s 487 new COVID-19 cases
Officials in Manitoba say a young boy is among the 10 new COVID-19-related deaths recorded in the province today.
No other details about the child were released, other than that he was under the age of 10 and was in the Winnipeg region. Since the government’s last update on Friday, 487 new infections have been identified.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says in a tweet that the weekend “will bring temptations to get together with others and to run errands.”
He urged residents to resist that temptation, put off optional outings and refrain from going shopping out of province.
– The Canadian Press
1:02 p.m. ET
Newfoundland and Labrador passengers on flight from Montreal urged to get tested
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are asking passengers who travelled on a recent Air Canada flight to be tested for COVID-19 after announcing a new travel-related case of the virus. They say the case is among two new COVID-19 diagnoses confirmed in the province today.
The travel-related patient is described as a man who recently returned to the province from the United States. They say the man in his 50s located in the Eastern Health region travelled on Air Canada Flight 7480 from Montreal to St. John’s on Nov. 25. The province is asking anyone who travelled on the flight to call 811 to arrange a COVID-19 test.
– The Canadian Press
12:39 p.m. ET
Four new cases in New Brunswick, where Atlantic bubble is history
New Brunswick is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 as case numbers continue to mount in Atlantic Canada.
Health officials say all four of the cases announced Saturday are in the Fredericton region, with three of those infected between the ages of 20 and 29 and one under the age of 19.
All four of the latest patients are self-isolating, and health officials are investigating how they contracted the novel coronavirus.
The most recent cases bring the total number of active diagnoses in New Brunswick to 118.
The province pulled out of the Atlantic bubble on Friday amid rising COVID-19 cases across the region.
All visitors to New Brunswick – including from the Atlantic region – now must register before entering the province and isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
– The Canadian Press
11:30 a.m. ET
Quebec COVID-19 deaths now above 7,000; 37 reported today
The latest COVID-19 figures from Quebec show the province has surpassed the 7,000 COVID-19 death plateau and set a new single-day record for new infections.
The 1,480 new cases reported today exceeds the previous high of 1,464 new infections reported Thursday.
The province also recorded 37 further deaths linked to the novel coronavirus, including 10 in the past 24 hours and another 23 recorded over a five-day period ending Thursday.
The province has now reported 139,643 COVID-19 cases and 7,021 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, along with 1,179 new recoveries for a total of 120,906.
The number of hospitalizations rose as well, with nine more patients seeking care for a total of 678.
The number of patients in intensive care increased by three to 93.
The province conducted 29,652 tests on Thursday, the last day for which numbers were available.
– The Canadian Press
11:03 a.m. ET
Ontario reports 1,822 new COVID-19 cases, 29 deaths
Ontario is reporting 1,822 new cases of COVID-19 today, a slight decrease from yesterday’s record high of 1,855.
The province also recorded 29 more deaths related to the virus since its last daily update.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 566 of the new cases are in Toronto, and 516 are in Peel Region.
Both regions were placed in the grey or “lockdown” stage of the province’s pandemic plan on Monday, but officials have said it could take at least two weeks to see any improvements related to the tougher restrictions.
Another 145 of the new infections are in York Region, with 105 and 102 in Waterloo and Hamilton, respectively.
Today’s numbers show that 595 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the province, an increase of 54 since yesterday.
The province says 155 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units at this time, and 99 are on ventilators.
It says nearly 55,100 tests were completed since the last report, and 1,510 more cases are considered resolved.
– The Canadian Press
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Richler: Atlantic Canada had COVID-19 under control. But now the ‘bubble’ has burst
Resilience on reserve: How my First Nation and my family have endured this pandemic
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