The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada for Tuesday, April 13, 2021

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern):

9 p.m.

British Columbia’s daily case count has dipped slightly to 873 after nearing 1,300 cases for several days in the last week. 

Premier John Horgan is calling on residents to keep their “shoulder to the wheel” to get through the third wave of the pandemic. 

He says any new restrictions would be discussed by members of the provincial cabinet on Wednesday and, if necessary, introduced on Thursday by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. 

She and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that over half the province’s 9,756 active cases of COVID-19 involve variants of concern.

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5:50 p.m.

Atlantic Canada’s four premiers say they are delaying the reopening of the regional travel bubble by two weeks, to May 3 at the earliest.

The premiers said today in a statement that the rising cases in parts of the region along with the presence of virus mutations led them to take the decision.

They say they will meet again at the end of April to decide whether to further delay the reopening.

The so-called Atlantic bubble was introduced last summer as a way for the region’s residents to travel freely between the four provinces without having to isolate for 14 days.

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5:30 p.m.

Alberta has reported 1,081 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths from the virus.

Chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw says there were 705 new cases involving more transmissible virus variants identified over the past day.

The test positivity rate is at about nine per cent.

Variants now make up more than half of the Alberta’s active cases.

Hinshaw says there are 402 COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 88 in intensive care.

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3:50 p.m.

Saskatchewan is bringing in new restrictions to limit gatherings aa the province reports 288 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths today. 

One was in their 30s and the other in their 60s and both people who died were from Regina, which has become a hot spot for variants of concern. 

There are 202 people in hospital, 41 of whom are in intensive care.

The government says the change to public-health orders comes into effect today and limits people to associating with only their households. 

It also restricts church gatherings to no more than 30 people.

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1:55 p.m.

The Quebec government is reporting a first case of blood clots in a person who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

The government says in a press release that the person is recovering after treatment, and their life is not in danger.

Quebec is currently offering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people between the ages of 55 and 79 after suspending its use in younger groups.

The government says it is not reconsidering its vaccine strategy because people in the target age group have a much higher risk of complications from COVID-19 than they do from the vaccine.

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1:50 p.m.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault says he will extend a lockdown currently in effect in three Quebec regions for another week.

Non-essential businesses and schools in Quebec City, Outaouais and Chaudiere-Appalaches will remain closed until at least April 25.

Legault says the lockdown, which also includes an 8 p.m. curfew, will apply across the Outaouais and Chaudiere-Appalaches regions starting tomorrow. 

It had previously only applied in certain parts of those regions.

The three regions have the highest number of active COVID-19 cases per capita in the province.

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1:45 p.m.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has received a report of a blood clot following vaccination with the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot.

It is the first such report in Canada. 

The agency did not identify the province where it occurred or the age or gender of the patient, who is recovering at home.

The person received the AstraZeneca vaccine made at the Serum Institute of India, known under the brand name Covishield.

The agency says reports of blood clots following vaccination are rare and “the report of this case shows that Canada’s vaccine safety monitoring system works.”

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1:35 p.m.

Manitoba is reporting two new deaths of people with COVID-19 and 135 new cases. 

Three earlier cases have been removed due to data correction, bringing the net increase to 132. 

The five-day test positivity rate is six per cent provincially and 5.7 per cent in Winnipeg. 

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1 p.m.

Ontario has released more details on its plan to vaccinate adults living in certain COVID-19 hot spots.

It says community groups will help organize vaccine clinics for residents aged 18 and older in “high risk” settings within hot-spot postal codes.

The province says those groups include faith-based organizations, employers and other community organizations.

Mobile teams and pop-up clinics will be used in those places and the government says individuals can contact their local health units for details.

The hot-spot plan will first take effect in certain postal codes in Toronto and Peel Region. 

Ontario also says education workers who work or live in hot-spot postal codes in Toronto and Peel will be provided with an eligibility letter from their local school board to access a shot.

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12:40 p.m.

Manitoba enforcement officers issued 100 warnings and 13 tickets last week for suspected violations of COVID-19 public health orders.

Five tickets were for failing to wear a mask in an indoor public place Three tickets were for exceeding gathering limits.

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12:00 p.m.

Health Canada says it is investigating reports the Johnson &Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may be linked to extremely rare cases of blood clots.

In a tweet, the Canadian drug regulator says it is following the issue closely and is working with the manufacturer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other international regulators.

Health Canada also says it has asked Janssen, the pharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, to provide information on any blood-clotting cases. 

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration issued a joint statement today recommending a “pause” in using the single-dose vaccine after six women developed blood clots after being vaccinated. 

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11:55 a.m.

There are a record number of COVID-19 patients in Canada’s intensive care units.

Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer, says an average of 970 people have been in ICUs over the last week. 

The highest 7-day average previously was 880 in mid-January.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also urging Canadians to continue following public health orders in the hopes of a better summer.

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11:30 a.m.

Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin says his province will reimpose travel restrictions at the provincial boundary with New Brunswick on Thursday because of an increase in COVID-19 variant cases in that province.

Under the change people coming from New Brunswick will have to self-isolate upon arrival in Nova Scotia and complete a safe check-in form.

Nova Scotia announced six new cases of COVID-19 today and now has 45 active cases.

Three cases are in the western health zone are related to international travel, two in the Halifax area are also linked to international travel and a case in the eastern zone is related to domestic travel outside of Atlantic Canada.

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11:20 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 1,490 new cases of COVID-19 today and 12 additional deaths, including three within the past 24 hours.

The Health Department says the number of hospitalizations rose by 13, to 643. 

It says 150 people are in intensive care, an increase of eight.

Public health authorities say 56,620 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, bringing the total to 2,005,106.

Quebec has reported 329,472 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10,756 deaths linked to the disease since the start of the pandemic.

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10:55 a.m.

Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King says the goal of opening the so-called Atlantic bubble on April 19 is precarious.

King told a news conference today the Atlantic premiers are meeting to make a decision about the travel bubble and he expects a formal announcement later today.

King said the COVID-19 situation in Atlantic Canada is becoming more concerning and he anticipates opening the bubble will be delayed.

The Atlantic bubble was first introduced last summer as a way for Atlantic Canadian residents to travel between provinces without having to self-isolate for two weeks, as travellers from other parts of Canada must do.

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10:40 a.m.

Ontario reports 3,670 new cases of COVID-19 and 15 more deaths linked to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 1,016 new cases in Toronto, 613 in Peel Region, and 519 in York Region.

The ministry of health says there are 626 people in an intensive-care unit and 422 on a ventilator.

Ontario says more than 95,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Monday’s report.

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9:15 a.m.

A new case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Yukon, bringing the total number of cases in the territory to 75 since the pandemic began.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Brendan Hanley says the new case involves a Whitehorse resident exposed to the virus through contact with an out-of-territory worker who travelled to Yukon.

The affected person is self-isolating and data shows this is the only confirmed active case of COVID-19 in Yukon.

Hanley has also expanded the notice for passengers aboard the April 3 Air North flight 4N538 from Vancouver to Whitehorse and for anyone in Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport terminal between 4 and 5 p.m. that day, advising them to self-monitor and get tested if COVID-19 symptoms develop. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2021.

The Canadian Press