(Montreal) The increase in COVID-19 cases that threaten to overflow hospitals in several provinces has prompted the United States to advise its citizens to “avoid travel” to Canada.
The rampant spread of the Omicron variant has raised alarm bells across the border, where the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new Level 4 advisory recommending “avoid travel. In Canada, citing a “very high” level of COVID-19 in the country and urging all who need to get there to be fully immunized.
This promptly prompted the State Department to revise its travel advisory, which was at Level 3, “reconsider travel,” to move its advisory to Level 4: “Do not travel to Canada due to COVID-19.” .
In mid-December, the Canadian government issued its own advisory, recommending avoiding all non-essential international travel due to the risk posed by the Omicron variant.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with provincial and territorial premiers Monday afternoon to discuss the growing health risks posed by the variant.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford planned to push for more money for health, asking Ottawa to increase its annual share of spending from 22% to 35%, to about $ 71 billion.
The federal government has pledged a 4.8% increase, bringing the total for 2022-2023 to about $ 45 billion.
A federal official said Trudeau assured premiers that the federal government would do everything possible to help provinces and territories weather the tide.
He assured them that there were enough vaccines available for all eligible Canadians to receive their booster doses, as well as to immunize children. And he reiterated that 140 million rapid tests will be delivered to them this month, although he offered no specific timeline.
The official said Trudeau also stressed the need to promote assistance programs, such as the federal wage subsidy, to help individuals and businesses survive recent lockdowns and other public health restrictions.
Back to class
Meanwhile, students in British Columbia and Alberta returned to class on Monday after an extended winter break.
Many provinces have imposed a one-week delay in returning to face-to-face schooling, as the Omicron variant quickly spread across the country.
But officials in the two westernmost provinces have argued that virtual learning poses its own risks for children, saying it puts their mental health at risk.
British Columbia’s chief medical officer of health said returning to school was “essential” for the emotional, physical and intellectual well-being of children, and told parents that safety measures had been put in place. place to mitigate the risks posed by Omicron.
The Dr Bonnie Henry acknowledged on Friday that some families may feel uncomfortable about the decision, but maintained that students are safer in the classroom than in some of the “unstructured settings that children find themselves in outside. of the school environment ”.
Despite this, some children, parents and education workers have expressed concerns over the reopening of schools as the virus puts pressure on health systems across the country.
Alberta Education Minister Adriana LaGrange has pledged thousands of test boxes will be delivered to students and parents in that province over the next few days.
However, Edmonton Public Schools and the Alberta Teachers Association have pointed out that some children will only receive them within days of returning to class, which could further exacerbate the spread of Omicron cases.
Quebec reported an all-time high of 2,554 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, an increase of 118 from the previous day’s record of 2,436. Intensive care cases fell by nine to 248.
The province has also reported 26 additional deaths from the disease and 10,573 new COVID-19 infections, although PCR testing is reserved for certain high-risk groups. Quebec said nearly 20% of tests are positive.
Quebec has also opened appointment scheduling for third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to people aged 40 and over, as the province prepares to extend eligibility to all adults aged 18. and more next week.