COVID-19 live updates: Quebec may lower vaccination age to 65 in Montreal this week, Dubé says

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Updated throughout the day on Tuesday, March 9. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

3:20 p.m.

How France is encouraging people to get vaccinated

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3:10 p.m.

Videos: Legault on light at the end of the tunnel; Arruda on variants in Montreal

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2:40 p.m.

Legal challenge mounted against Canada’s federally mandated quarantine hotel policy

From The Canadian Press:

A constitutional rights advocacy group is mounting a legal challenge to the Canadian government’s quarantine hotel policy.

The Canadian Constitution Foundation has filed an application with Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice along with five individuals, seeking an end to the policy.

A government order that went into effect on Feb. 14 mandates that anyone entering Canada from abroad must stay in a federally approved hotel for the first three nights of a 14-day quarantine.

Travellers may leave the hotels once a COVID-19 test taken at their point of entry comes back negative.

The Canadian Constitution Foundation argues in its legal application that hotel quarantine requirements are “overbroad, arbitrary and grossly disproportionate.”

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It argues the hotel policy detains people without COVID-19 symptoms who would be able to safely quarantine outside of government-approved accommodation at minimal or no expense.

The Ministry of the Attorney General did not immediately provide comment on the legal action.

All five individuals who are part of the legal challenge had to travel outside Canada for compassionate purposes and stay in the quarantine hotels on their return, the CCF said.

2:10 p.m.

Quebec may lower vaccination age to 65 in Montreal this week, Dubé says

As Quebec enters the second year of the pandemic, Premier François Legault praised Quebecers’ “incredible solidarity” in following public health directives over the past year.

“Everyone has come together in a spirit of national unity and that makes me proud,” he said.

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Speaking at a press conference in Quebec City this afternoon, Legault also thanked health workers for their hard work.

He said he is saddened by the number of people who have died of COVID-19.

The premier noted that Ontario has had fewer deaths per capita than Quebec, but pointed to some U.S. states, including Massachusetts, have fared worse than Quebec.

“We could have done better,” Legault acknowledged, saying the province could have beefed up resources in long-term care homes, known as CHSLDs in Quebec.

He said governments, including his own, failed to deal with a severe labour shortage in CHSLDs.

Legault said he understands the concerns of people who demonstrated on the weekend in Quebec City in favour of opening up sports.

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“Sports is important for youth, for mental health,” he said.

But the premier said that the province is following public health recommendations when it comes to restrictions on sports and in-classroom learning.

He said Quebec will announce a tentative plan to reopen sports on Friday.

Legault noted that some restrictions will be eased once people over 65 are vaccinated, raising the possibility of allowing people to visit one another “within a few weeks.”

Asked about when Montreal could see an easing of restrictions such as the curfew, Legault said the measures will be re-evaluated in one week – on March 16.

Health Minister Christian Dubé said officials are watching the number of variant cases in the Montreal region before deciding how to proceed.

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Until now, Montreal has managed to keep the number of variants down, he said.

Dubé provided an update on the province’s vaccination campaign.

He said for the moment, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be dedicated to mass vaccination centres, the Moderna vaccine will go to pharmacies, and the AstraZeneca will be used when home vaccinations are required.

Dubé said the vaccination campaign is going well.

At the moment, in Montreal and Laval, people aged 70 are eligible for vaccines.

Dubé said he expects that age limit to be lower by the end of the week – perhaps to people aged 65 and older.

Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s director of public health, told the press conference that, in order to stop the spread of variants, the province will be “more aggressive” in closing classrooms when outbreaks occur.

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1 p.m.

Quebec teachers’ unions take province to court over air quality in classrooms

A federation representing Quebec teachers’ unions is seeking a court order that would require the provincial government to retest air quality in schools.

Read our full story.

12:30 p.m.

‘Mr. Biden, Bring My Vaccine’

Comedian Randy Rainbow “interviews” President Joe Biden.

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Noon

MUHC seeks subjects for COVID-19 study

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11:35 a.m.

Canada does not know when it will start receiving Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Trudeau says

From The Canadian Press:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today said that Canada has been warned of manufacturing problems plaguing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The viral vector vaccine developed by J&J’s subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, was authorized by Health Canada as safe and effective last week.

Canada pre-ordered 10 million doses of the vaccine, which is the first and only one in Canada’s vaccine plan that requires only one dose.

But Trudeau said Canada still doesn’t have a date for when it should receive the first deliveries.

He said several conversations with the company indicate they are facing some production delays.

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The revelation follows reports in several European countries that they expect smaller deliveries of the J&J vaccine in April, and announcements by the company that deliveries to the United States this month will be smaller than hoped.

At the same briefing, chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said recommendations to space out doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by as much as four months are being driven by real-time science.

Tam addressed concerns being raised by some in the scientific community that the use of the vaccines wasn’t studied that way when they were developed.

They say that carries risks, including that people won’t take the vaccine because they don’t trust it.

Tam said since a first dose of vaccines can provide strong protection and help slow mortality rates it is important to try to get that first shot to as many people as possible.

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She added that as more Canadians get vaccinated, guidelines on whether people need to mask or physically distance will evolve.

American officials this week said that in very specific situations, fully vaccinated people can engage with others without wearing masks.

Tam said Canada will look at making adjustments when it is safe to do so, noting that jurisdictions here are only just beginning to ease restrictive measures.

Canada still has significant community-level transmission and health officials don’t know how fully variants may take hold, she said.

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11:30 a.m.

Tories, NDP say more support needed for sectors hit hard by pandemic

Opposition parties are pushing the federal Liberals for targeted COVID-19 relief for some badly hit sectors, The Canadian Press reports.

The Conservatives advanced a motion Tuesday calling on the Liberals to implement supports for the hospitality, tourism and charity sectors decimated by the pandemic.

“We cannot allow the pandemic to permanently kill these jobs,” Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said.

The Conservatives also want airlines to commit to providing consumer refunds, restrict executive pay and restore regional routes in exchange for repayable loans.

The Liberals have already promised some sector-specific support and have accused the Conservatives of deliberately holding up those programs by stalling on passing measures through the House of Commons.

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O’Toole said his party is doing its job by pressing to ensure the existing programs are meeting existing needs, which he said they aren’t.

“There are thousands of family-owned businesses today holding on by a thread,” he said. “They need access to programs now.”

The New Democrats also reiterated their ideas for small business relief Tuesday.

Among them, a call for Ottawa to pick up the tab for employment insurance and Canada Pension Plan contributions to provide an incentive for businesses to hire workers and an extension of the federal wage subsidy program until the pandemic is fully over.

“There seems to be a big focus on big business, but there’s been an ignoring of the place and the struggles of small businesses,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said.

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11:10 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:10 a.m.

Quebec administered more than 16,000 vaccine doses yesterday

11:05 a.m.

Hospitalizations fall as Quebec reports 650 cases, 12 deaths

Quebec has recorded 650 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

In addition, 12 new deaths were reported, including four over the previous 24 hours.

Among the other deaths:

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 293,860 cases and 10,493 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 276,602 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

10:50 a.m.

Canadians continue to spend less, prefer contactless payments, survey suggests

A majority of Canadians are continuing to spend less than they did prior to the pandemic, a new survey suggests.

The Léger poll of 1,501 adult respondents conducted from Dec. 3 to 16 also found Canadians are demonstrating an ongoing if somewhat diminishing reluctance to physically handle cash, payment terminals and ATMs.

Read our full story.

10:45 a.m.

Quebec to table budget March 25 as pandemic enters second year

Finance Minister Eric Girard has announced plans to table the next provincial budget on March 25.

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The budget decisions will be difficult. After spending relatively freely in its first two budgets — the Liberals left them significant surpluses — the Coalition Avenir Québec government is now staring at the same historic deficits as other jurisdictions.

Read our full story, by Philip Authier.

10:40 a.m.

Quebecers most eager to get vaccinated – and most wary of AstraZeneca jab, poll suggests

A new poll by Abacus Data has found Quebecers are the most eager to get vaccinated as soon as possible – but also the most “uncomfortable” with the idea of getting the AstraZeneca jab.

10 a.m.

Aislin

9:45 a.m.

Quebec’s AstraZeneca recommendations include caveats

In yesterday’s live blog, I should have mentioned that the Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec included some caveats in its recommendations on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

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From The Canadian Press:

Quebec’s immunization committee recommended that in a scenario of limited vaccine availability, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should be given to the highest priority groups, while it said AstraZeneca could be offered to those that come slightly lower on the list.

The AstraZeneca vaccine “should not be routinely offered to people who present a very high risk of disease, complications and/or who would not respond well to any vaccine, including residents in (long-term care) and (private seniors homes), people with immunosuppression and the most exposed health workers,” according to the committee’s report released Monday.

9:30 a.m.

Maimonides residents concerned about the timing of their second vaccine dose

Beverly Spanier called it a miracle when she was among the first Quebecers to receive the vaccine against COVID-19 on Dec. 14.

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But she’s not so happy about getting the second jab on Tuesday, when residents of the Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Côte St-Luc will again be among the first in the province to receive the final dose.

Read our full story, by Marian Scott.

9:30 a.m.

Curfew is hard on Quebec cinemas, but they’re glad to be open

Business is nowhere near what it used to be for Quebec cinemas, but owners say they’re happy guests are able to see films on the big screen again.

Read our full story, by Katelyn Thomas.

9:30 a.m.

COVID-19 timeline: A year like no other in Quebec

It’s been a time largely characterized by contradictory information, confusing measures, isolation and loss. Here’s a look at how we got here.

Read our full story, by Katelyn Thomas.

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9:15 a.m.

Everything you need to know about getting COVID-19 vaccinations in Montreal

Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, the website and phone number to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Is the vaccine safe? Once vaccinated, can you disregard public health measures? Is vaccination mandatory? Read our FAQ, by Jason Magder.

9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

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ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.