Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Saturday

As of Friday, there were 2,277 patients in hospital with the virus. A total of 833 people are in intensive care units, and 782 of those patients now require ventilators to breathe.

Hospitals across the province have been stretched to capacity recently amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in the third wave.

Ornge, the organization in charge of patient transport, says patients are being moved in record numbers mostly by its critical-care land ambulances, but also by its helicopters and airplanes, and with the help of local paramedic services.

In response to the recent rise in hospitalizations, the province said on Saturday that it is making changes to provide “alternate level of care” for patients in hospitals, which means patients will be placed in long-term care homes, even if it is not their preferred choice. 

Ontario said it is waiving co-payments — which refers to a payment made for a service before it is rendered — for these patients until they can be transferred to a home of their choice. In addition, those who accept these placements will maintain priority status on wait lists for their preferred home.

What’s happening across Canada

As of 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Canada had reported 1,170,122 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 86,035 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 23,919.

Manitoba logged 276 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths on Saturday.

On Friday, public health officials expanded vaccine eligibility to anyone over 18 in three at-risk Winnipeg neighbourhoods.

In Ontario, Peel Public Health announced on Saturday that it has partially closed two Amazon fulfilment centres to control COVID-19 outbreaks.

Quebec confirmed 1,106 new cases and 13 more deaths. 

Prince Edward Island imposed new travel restrictions late Friday because of rising COVID-19 case numbers in the Atlantic region. People travelling within the Atlantic region on a same-day exemption from having to isolate for 14 days are the most affected.

Nova Scotia recorded 52 new infections, its second-highest number of new daily cases since the start of the pandemic. Of Saturday’s cases, 44 of them are in the central health zone, which was placed under new restrictions on Friday. 

The recent surge in the province has prompted two hospitals in the Halifax area to temporarily reduce elective surgeries.

WATCH | Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 surge partially blamed on out-of-province visitors:

Nova Scotia is suddenly dealing with the worst outbreak it has seen in months and it’s blamed in part on people from out of province who didn’t follow the rules. 2:03

Newfoundland and Labrador saw three new cases.

Meanwhile health authorities across the province have opened vaccination appointments to people deemed clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus, such as cancer patients and people with autoimmune conditions.

In Nunavut, two cases were identified in Rankin Inlet, linked to the outbreak in Iqaluit, according to the territory’s public health officer. In a statement issued Saturday morning, public health said both individuals landed in the community Friday night on Canadian North Flight 239. 

In the Northwest Territories, three cases were confirmed in Yellowknife. Officials say the new cases are all travel-related.

What’s happening around the world

As of Saturday , more than 145.6 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s case tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than three million.

In Asia, for the third day in a row, India set a global daily record with 346,786 coronavirus cases. Hospitals in New Delhi and some of the worst-hit states have reported critical shortages of beds and oxygen supplies on Saturday.

WATCH | Hospitals in India are running out of oxygen supplies as COVID-19 cases soar:

Hospitals in India are running out of oxygen supplies, as the country reports another 332,730 COVID-19 infections, setting a record for the second day in a row. 2:01

In Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Germans to accept nationwide pandemic restrictions that came into effect at midnight, resulting in a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, further limits on personal contacts and access to non-essential stores in regions with high infection rates.

In the Americas, several U.S. states have resumed use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine on Saturday, after receiving the green light from federal health officials. The shot was temporarily paused over blood clot concerns.

In Africa, Egypt’s top health official says there has been a “slight but continual” spike in confirmed cases of coronavirus across the country in recent weeks. Health Minister Hala Zayed says authorities have registered a weekly increase by up to 10 per cent in some areas amid a third wave of the pandemic.