Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday
CBC
The latest:
COVID-19 hospitalizations hit new highs in Canada's two most populous provinces, officials reported Tuesday, with 4,183 total hospitalizations in Ontario and 3,417 hospitalizations in Quebec.
The updated hospital information came as many students in both provinces returned to in-person education on Tuesday, after a planned return Monday was delayed by a powerful winter storm.
Schoolchildren had been learning remotely since the end of the holiday break amid high COVID-19 transmission. For some in the Greater Toronto area, remote education continued in the aftermath of the storm, while others had a snow day before an expected return to classrooms on Wednesday.
Quebec on Tuesday reported 3,417 COVID-19 hospitalizations. According to an update posted online, 289 people were in intensive care units. The update came as the province reported 89 additional deaths and 5,143 additional lab-confirmed cases.
Health officials say the province will begin receiving the sought-after antiviral drug Paxlovid, though Health Minister Christian Dubé said the treatment isn't expected to affect the number of hospitalizations immediately.
"We are at the end of the rope," he at an afternoon news conference. "Our best weapon remains vaccination."
Dubé said while health authorities still believe the province's latest wave of COVID-19 has peaked, hospitals are at their breaking point, and it is too soon to relax any pandemic measures still in place. The briefing came as Quebec expanded its proof of vaccination system to liquor and cannabis stores.
Ontario's COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday showed 4,183 hospitalizations, with 580 people in intensive care. The province also reported 37 additional deaths and 7,086 additional lab-confirmed cases.
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's medical officer of health, said Tuesday that it's too early to know if the Omicron-driven wave has peaked in the city.
"While it is still too early to know for sure, we are seeing initial indicators that the rate of infection may have plateaued or started to decline," she said, adding that there's still a long way to go.
The level of viral activity in the community is concerning and is still putting a "significant strain" on the health-care system, she said.
In both Quebec and Ontario, access to lab-based PCR tests is extremely limited, which means the true case numbers in both provinces are believed to be significantly higher than the posted figures.
— From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 3 p.m. ET
