The Canadian Press
The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):12:10 p.m.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has reached an agreement with Pfizer for 35 million booster doses for next year, and 30 million in the year after.He says the deal includes options to add 30 million doses in both 2022 and 2023, and an option for 60 million doses in 2024.Booster shots are expected to be important as the virus continues to mutate, similar to how the flu shot is altered every year to be effective against the most dominant strain.Trudeau says these boosters will be the latest version of the Pfizer vaccine based on research and testing, and they will help Canada keep the virus under control.---12:05 p.m.Nova Scotia is reporting 44 new cases of COVID-19 including 33 cases in the Halifax area which is under nearly full lockdown.The Halifax total includes five school-based cases identified by health officials late Thursday.Five other cases have been identified in the eastern health zone along with four in the western zone and two in the northern zone.The province has a total of 150 active infections.---11:35 a.m.Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu has received her first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Thunder Bay, Ont.A spokesman for Hajdu says the minister received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this morning in her northern Ontario riding.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau were set to receive their first shots of AstraZeneca later in the day in Ottawa---11:15 a.m.Nunavut is reporting nine new cases of COVID-19 and eight recoveries today.There are now 37 active cases in the territory, 33 in Iqaluit and four in Kinngait.Premier Joe Savikataaq says all those infected are in isolation and doing well.Both Iqaluit and Kinngait are under strict lockdowns, with all schools, non-essential businesses and workplaces closed.To date, 14,915 people in the territory of about 40,000 have had one dose of the Moderna vaccine and 11,940 have had both doses.---11:10 a.m.Quebec is reporting 1,043 new cases of COVID-19 today and 15 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.Health officials say hospitalizations dropped by 27, to 684, and 172 people were in intensive care, a drop of two.The province says 88,006 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered Thursday, for a total of 2,679,907.Quebec has reported a total of 342,688 COVID-19 infections and 10,860 deaths linked to the virus.---10:45 a.m.Canada's top public health doctor says there's been an increase of more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases since last month, but there are signs that the spread of infections is slowing down.Dr. Theresa Tam says average case counts have more than doubled over the past month, with upwards of 8,400 infections reported daily over the last week.But Tam says there's reason for hope as Canada's declining reproduction rate, which represents how many people are infected by each new case.She says this measure has fallen below the key threshold of one for the first time in weeks, meaning the rate of transmission is trending downwards.---10:30 a.m.Ontario is reporting 4,505 new cases of COVID-19 and 34 more deaths linked to the virus.Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 1,257 new cases in Toronto, 1,232 in Peel Region, and 412 in York Region.She also says there are 247 new cases in Ottawa and 224 in Durham Region.The province says nearly 134,000 people received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine since Thursday's report.---10:25 a.m.Ontario is reporting its first case of a rare blood clot in a person who received the Oxford-AstraZenenca COVID-19 vaccine. The province's top doctor says the patient is a man in his 60s who had received his first dose.Dr. David Williams says the man has been treated and is recovering at home.Ontario says it's the fourth case of the rare clotting condition in Canada out of more than 1.1 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses administered across the country.---9:20 a.m.Pregnant women in Ontario are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.The province says the change is in light of new information showing women who are pregnant are at high risk of severe illness.The health minister's office says pregnant women are now considered among those with highest need for shots.They can now book through the provincial call centre — at 1-888-999-6488 — or through local public health units.---This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2021. The Canadian Press
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