Coronavirus: What’s Happening in Canada and Around the World on Sunday
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Israel on Sunday restricted its COVID-19 “green pass” to only allow those who have received a booster dose of vaccine or who have recently recovered from the coronavirus to enter indoor sites.
Technical issues crippled the Ministry of Health’s rollout of the updated green pass – a sort of digital vaccination passport – as millions of Israelis attempted to reissue digital documentation that would allow entry into stores, restaurants, cultural events, gymnasiums and other indoor venues.
According to Sunday’s new guidelines, those eligible for a green pass must have received a reminder. Those who have received two doses of the vaccine, or those who have recovered from the coronavirus, are only eligible for six months after the date of their vaccination or recovery.
The new criteria mean that nearly two million people will lose their vaccination passports in the coming days. The government’s coronavirus advisory cabinet was scheduled to meet on Sunday to discuss existing restrictions.
Dozens of Israelis staged protests across the country to protest the green pass system, with convoys of cars obstructing morning journeys as many Israelis returned to work on Sunday after the Jewish September holidays. Opponents of the system said it was a form of forced vaccination.
“We are totally against any forced vaccination, or any forced medication, and we are totally against anything that we do not agree with with our children and grandchildren,” said Sarah Felt, who demonstrated alongside the main highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. .
Israel rushed out earlier this year to vaccinate most of its adult population after making a deal with Pfizer to exchange medical data in return for a steady supply of doses.
This summer, Israel launched an aggressive recall campaign to boost the declining effectiveness of vaccines in its population. More than 60% of the Israeli population has received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and nearly 3.5 million of the 9.3 million Israeli citizens have received a booster dose of the vaccine. But at least two million more have only received two doses, and many will lose the privileges conferred by the green pass.
In recent months, the number of new cases of the coronavirus has increased in Israel. As of Sunday, more than 70% of the 588 severe cases of COVID-19 in Israeli hospitals were unvaccinated individuals, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
The ministry issued a statement on Sunday morning saying that due to heavy traffic to its website and green pass application, existing certificates would be valid in the coming days.
What’s happening across Canada
The first members of a Canadian Forces medical team deployed to Alberta will arrive on Monday to begin planning support for the province’s stressed healthcare workers.
Up to eight CAF critical care nurses are expected to arrive to help intensive care units across the province, according to a press release released by Public Safety Canada. He said up to 20 Canadian Red Cross health professionals will also be arriving.
WATCH | The Canadian military began planning the response to COVID-19 in January 2020:
CBC News obtained Freedom of Information documents that show the military was concerned enough about the spread of COVID-19 to begin planning a national response in late January 2020 – weeks before public health officials don’t begin to see her as a threat. 1:56
Hospitals in Alberta, as well as Saskatchewan, are struggling to keep up with the fourth wave of COVID-19.
To avoid a similar fate, Manitoba is establishing more rules for people who have chosen not to be vaccinated. Starting Tuesday, there will be limits on the size of gatherings, if only one person in that group has chosen not to be vaccinated.
In southern Manitoba, where the vaccination rate is the lowest and the infection rate is the highest, store capacity will drop to 50%.
The government of Prince Edward Island, meanwhile, plans to follow the lead of a growing number of other provinces by introducing its Vax Pass on Tuesday. From a paper document, the certification will use, by the end of October, a scannable QR code to confirm a person’s vaccination status.
WATCH | Health care systems in Alberta, Saskatchewan. are “broken”, say the doctors:
Edmonton ER doctor Dr Aisha Mirza and Saskatoon ICU and ICU doctor Dr Hassan Masri explain how hospitals and health care professionals in provinces are struggling amid a fourth wave of COVID- 19. 16:41
What is happening in the world
As of Sunday morning, more than 234.6 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Tracker. The death toll worldwide was over 4.7 million.
In the Asia Pacific region, Air New Zealand has announced that it will require all international travelers to be fully vaccinated from February 1, 2022. The airline said people aged 18 and over would need to show proof of vaccination, unless ‘they have medical reasons not to be vaccinated.
In Africa, the remote Ugandan district of Gulu is currently a COVID-19 hotspot in the East African country. Vaccine distribution efforts there have largely stalled, hampered by reluctance as well as refrigeration issues as the region suffers from repeated and sudden power outages.
In Europe, more than 5,000 people demonstrated on Saturday in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, to reject the upcoming measures used by the authorities to fight an alarming wave of infections. The new restrictions, which are expected to take effect in the coming days, will require people to wear masks in public and close stores at 10 p.m. local time. Restaurants will remain open at half capacity, but only for people with a COVID-19 pass.
In the AmericasAlaska activated emergency crisis protocols on Saturday that allow 20 healthcare facilities to ration care if needed, as the state has recorded the nation’s worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in recent days.
According to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one in 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from September 22 to 29. The second highest rate was one in 164 people in West Virginia.
Statewide, 60% of eligible Alaskans are fully immunized.
