Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday

The latest:

British Columbia is delaying the full return to classrooms in January to allow public health officials to assess the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and give school staff time to implement enhanced safety measures.

Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside said Wednesday staff and students whose parents are health workers, as well as those who need extra support, will return to schools Jan. 3 or 4. All other students will return to classrooms Jan. 10.

"We have to ensure we have the foundations in place to keep our schools safely open," Whiteside said.

British Columbia is not alone in adjusting the return to school. Officials in Newfoundland and Labrador said Wednesday that schools will shift to remote learning after the Christmas break, with the decision to be re-examined weekly.

Nova Scotia announced earlier this week that students will return to in-person learning, though they will be back in the classroom a few days later than originally scheduled. Manitoba had already announced a delay, saying before the Christmas holidays that a return to classrooms would be pushed back to Jan. 10.

The announcements in B.C., Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador come as students, teachers and parents in Ontario wait for word on the return to school.

-From The Canadian Press and CBC News, last updated at 7:50 a.m. ET

For more details on the situation in your province and territory — including the latest on hospitalizations and ICU capacity, as well as local testing issues — click through to the local coverage below.

In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador all saw single-day COVID-19 case number highs on Wednesday.

In Nova Scotia, health officials reported 586 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with 24 people in hospital.

Across the North, Nunavut's premier said Wednesday that his government is seeking help from the federal government as COVID-19 cases rise. The update came as the territory reported 37 additional cases, bringing the number of active cases to 74.

In the Northwest Territories, health officials said 68 new COVID-19 cases had been reported since Christmas Eve, while Yukon health officials reported 27 new COVID-19 cases in the same period.

In Central Canada, Quebec on Wednesday reported 13,149 cases of COVID-19 — a single-day high — and 10 additional deaths. Ontario, meanwhile, saw a single-day high of 10,436 cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths.