Date of publication: 08 Apr 2022 • 4 hours ago • 15 minutes reading Edouard Coulombe shows off the COVID rapid test kit he received at a drugstore on Van Horne Avenue and Dollard Blvd. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette
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Updated all day on Friday, April 8th. Questions / Comments: [email protected]
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Under fire for Herron’s response, Blais thanks Legault as it prepares to leave politics From Monday, residents of Quebec 60 and above are eligible for fourth doses of vaccine Put your nose and mouth to boost sensitivity to quick tests, Quebec says UK Johnson refuses to rule out further lockdown for COVID as travelers prepare for weekend chaos Canada offers more money to COVAX while vaccine dose donations stop Video: Highlights of today’s Quebec pandemic briefing Video: The journalist has an embarrassing hot-mic moment during the Boileau briefing Imports in Quebec are expected to continue to grow for two weeks: Boileau Quebec reports another 30 deaths as hospitalizations continue to rise Under fire for response CHSLD, McCann and Blais Oral therapy for COVID is on the rise as Quebec pharmacists begin prescribing it Experts urge you to be careful in reading quick tests as variations lead to the sixth wave STM passengers were reduced by 44% compared to pre-pandemic figures Expiry of vaccination proof in BC. very soon as variant BA.2 spreads: doctor Omicron gives birth to the search in the US for better children’s masks, a new standard A UK study finds symptoms of Omicron 2 days shorter than those of Delta Shanghai bankers and traders are frustrated as the lockdown intensifies Quebec COVID guide: Vaccinations, tests Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter
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4:20 p.m.
Thanks for reading
I will be back on Monday morning with another live blog. In the meantime, you can watch all of our coverage via the coronavirus page. My previous live blogs about COVID-19 are available here. 4:10 p.m.
Under fire for Herron’s response, Blais thanks Legault as it prepares to leave politics
I have dedicated much of my life to our seniors and all the caregivers in Quebec. That’s why I decided to return to #polqc in 2018 for just one term, with our Prime Minister @francoislegault, whom I will never thank enough for his support. – Marguerite Blais – Coalition Avenir Québec (@Marguerite_CAQ) April 8, 2022
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3:45 p.m.
From Monday, residents of Quebec 60 and above are eligible for fourth doses of vaccine
We have updated our Vaccination Guide to reflect the fact that Quebec has expanded access to fourth doses of vaccines (also referred to as second aid). People aged 70 and over became eligible on Wednesday, while people aged 60 and over can book for downloads from Monday (April 11th). Read our guide. 2:15 p.m.
Put your nose and mouth to boost sensitivity to quick tests, Quebec says
Quebec has provided new instructions on how to use fast tests. In a briefing on the pandemic today, officials said Quebec residents could continue to swab their noses only – or choose to swab both their noses and their mouths. Tamponade of both the nose and mouth “slightly increases the sensitivity of the test” to detect the Omicron variant, said Dr. Jean Longtin, a microbiologist in the public health department.
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Following is a new video guide from the Department of Health (in French), followed by a clip by Longtin explaining the two methods in today’s pandemic update: Sorry, but this video failed to load.
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2:10 p.m.
Chart: Current situation compared to one year ago
2:10 a.m.
Charts: Quebec cases, deaths
2:10 a.m.
Charts: The Quebec Vaccination Campaign
1:35 p.m.
UK Johnson refuses to rule out further lockdown for COVID as travelers prepare for weekend chaos
From Bloomberg News: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson refused to rule out further lockdown for COVID-19, saying only that it would be “irresponsible” to do so. The virus is currently “losing its power altogether,” Johnson told GB News, but “there could be a new, more deadly variant” that will appear in the future. “I can not rule out anything, I can not say that we will not be forced to do non-pharmaceutical interventions again as we did,” he said. Johnson interviewed two lawmakers from his own Conservative Party – Esther McVeigh and Philip Davis – for the news channel, which aired excerpts on Friday. The comments are likely to worry those Tories who want to rule out further lockdown amid concerns about mental health and civil liberties.
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There are early signs that COVID-19 infections in the UK are slowing after reaching their highest level since the pandemic began in March. “I have to be completely honest with you – there could be a new, more deadly variant, there could be a variation that affects children that we really need to limit,” Johnson said. “I am not going to remove any choice from the table. “But I do not think it will happen.” An estimated 4.9 million people in the UK were estimated to have the virus last week, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), slightly lower than the previous week. Cases appear to be falling in Scotland, but it is “too early to tell” if infections have peaked both there and in England, the ONS said on Friday. Infections have skyrocketed in recent weeks due to the emergence of BA.2 – a more contagious version of the micron variant that has become the dominant strain in England.
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The British, who are experiencing more sunny climates in the coming days, are preparing for renewed travel chaos as staff shortages and infrastructure barriers threaten long delays for airline, ferry and canal passengers. Last weekend we saw scenes of near-collapse at Dover Harbor and Manchester Airport in the north of England, as the first weekend of the Easter holidays brought a huge increase in passenger traffic to facilities that could not cope due to lack of equipment. The three days starting on Friday promise to be even busier and there is no guarantee that it will run smoothly. Between Monday and Thursday, more than 300 flights, or 3% of all departures to or from the UK, were canceled, according to consulting firm Cirium. A new problem arose on Friday with the departure of Eurostar from London St. Pancras can be delayed up to 30 minutes.
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A second wave of out-of-town holidaymakers will once again burden understaffed ticket offices and security scanners, while other travelers will return home, increasing the workload for Border Patrol officers and increasing pressure on already expanded baggage handling systems. . Airport officials said the situation could improve as more officials cleared the 10-week check-in process for so-called airport roles, while the capacity of the Dover ferry has been inflated by the arrival of additional ships. At the same time, companies said they could not promise that last weekend’s turmoil would not be repeated, telling customers to arrive early and warning that they might have to wait in line for hours. Concerns about delays have spread to government and regulators, with the Civil Aviation Authority writing to airports and airlines warning that the shutdown has reached a level that threatens to prevent people from traveling to a critical dot.
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1:30 p.m.
Canada offers more money to COVAX while vaccine dose donations stop
Prime Minister Justin Trindade says Canada is donating another $ 220 million to the global COVAX vaccine sharing alliance, the Canadian Press reports. The funds will raise Canada’s total cash contribution to COVAX to approximately $ 700 million for the purchase, delivery and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for lower-income countries. The cash is intended to help Canada meet its commitment to donate at least 200 million installments by the end of the year, including at least 38 million installments of its own domestic supplies. So far, Canada has shipped 14.2 million doses to 19 countries through COVAX and another 762,000 directly to six countries through bilateral vaccine donation agreements.
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He says another 87 million installments were purchased by COVAX with previous financial donations from Canada – but this is based on a cost-per-installment formula developed by the UK and COVAX itself says it cannot confirm the exact number. International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a recent interview that Canada will not send donations until it is certain that they can be distributed and used by the recipient country before …
