COVID-19: Provincial & Federal Briefings - Dec. 22, 2021
Gowling WLG
An international law firm that's in tune with your world, aligned with your opportunity and ambitious for your success.
As COVID-19 continues to have a major global impact, our online resource hub is here to help you manage the challenges and mitigate the risks for your business. Visit our COVID-19 resource hub by clicking here.
A summary of developments for Wednesday, December 22, 2021 follows below.
Federal Government Update
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed Canadians today in a virtual news conference on COVID-19. Deputy Prime Minster and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Karla Qualtrough were also present. Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam attended with Deputy Chief Public Health Office Dr. Howard Njoo.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada is temporarily expanding eligibility for support programs as Canada faces an ongoing surge of the Omicron variant. Applicants are eligible for the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit and the Local Lockdown Program if they are subject to capacity limit restrictions.
Deputy Prime Minster and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland provided additional details on the expansion, announcing that wage and rent subsidy supports have been expanded to include businesses that see capacity restricted by 50% or more as a result of local public health measures. The revenue decline threshold has also been reduced from 40% to 25%. Employers will receive wage and rent subsidies between 25% and 75% depending on the amount of their lost revenue. Revenue loss will be calculated based on the current month compared with 2019.
Workers will be eligible for the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit in regions where provincial or territorial governments have imposed capacity restrictions of 50% or more, and if those workers have lost 50% or more of their income as a result of those restrictions. This benefit will provide $300 per week to supplement lost wages.
Expanded eligibility will be valid retroactively to Sunday, December 19, 2021 and will run to February 12, 2022. The cost of this expansion is expected to be $4 billion, which is covered by the amount earmarked for Omicron response in last week’s Economic and Fiscal Update. Public companies that receive wage and rent supports and increase executive pay in 2022 or pay dividends while receiving support will have their benefits clawed back.
In response to media questions, Deputy Prime Minister Freeland confirmed that businesses that were created during the pandemic will not be eligible for expanded support.
The Prime Minister reiterated that there are enough booster shots in Canada for all eligible Canadians. Canadians should get their boosters as soon as they are able.
The Prime Minister also noted that three members of his staff and three members of his security detail have tested positive for COVID-19. All public health guidelines are being followed.
Dr. Tam provided an update on the COVID-19 situation in Canada. While Delta is still spreading, the Omicron variant is responsible for rapidly rising case counts. 2,360 cases of Omicron have been confirmed in Canada. Omicron is now the predominant strain in some locations in Canada. Urgent action is required to slow spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant. Severe illness trends are worsening in the most heavily impacted provinces. On average, over 1,500 people a day were treated in hospital for COVID-19 over the last 7 days, including almost 460 in intensive care units (ICUs). An average of 17 deaths are occurring daily.
Current trends may be the result of a lag following a Delta surge in preceding weeks. However, with the rapid spread of Omicron, a sudden surge on the healthcare system is possible. Canadians should reduce contacts by limiting the size of gatherings, receive boosters as soon as possible, and use layers of protection. In particular, improving ventilation and using a well-fitting mask are critical. Over seven million eligible Canadians have not completed their primary vaccination series.
In response to media questions, the Prime Minister confirmed that closing borders at this time would not be beneficial given the state of Omicron’s spread.
Minister Freeland said that the federal government does not want people to panic or despair, but Canadians should instead be reassured that supports are in place.
Minister Duclos confirmed that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has limited resources to assist with vaccination, and most of that capacity is already being used in indigenous and remote communities. The federal government is working with the Canadian Red Cross to provide help to provinces and territories that need vaccination support.
COVID-19 Data Trends:
In the past twenty-four hours, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) reported 11,309 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 23 deaths in Canada, bringing the cumulative total of cases to 1,907,771 and a total of 30,085 deaths. There are currently 72,690 active COVID-19 cases in Canada.
Ontario
Today, the Ontario government unveiled new supports for businesses in response to COVID-19 restrictions. The government released a new Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program and announced a six-month interest-free and penalty-free period for most provincially administered taxes.
Under the Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program, eligible business may receive rebates equivalent to 50 per cent of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to current capacity limits. Online applications for the program will open mid-January 2022, with payments provided retroactively to December 19, 2021. The full list of eligible businesses will be released in mid-January 2022, but examples include restaurants, smaller retail stores, and gyms.
The province will also provide a six-month interest-free and penalty-free period for certain provincially administered taxes, including: Employer Health Tax; Beer, Wine & Spirits Tax; Tobacco Tax; Insurance Premium Tax; Fuel Tax; International Fuel Tax Agreement; Gas Tax; Retail Sales Tax on Insurance Contracts & Benefit Plans; Mining Tax and; Race Track Tax. The six-month period starts on January 1, 2022 and will end on July 1, 2022.
Also today, a number of Ontario’s public health units have announced changes to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. According to Global News, growing numbers have made it difficult for individuals to access tests in a timely manner, resulting in delays in identifying follow-up cases. Niagara Region Public Health will increasingly rely on artificial intelligence and outsourced support for contact tracing. The move will allow more resources for the delivery of booster doses. Hastings Prince Edward public health unit stated they cannot call everyone who tests positive within a 48-hour period. Instead, the unit will focus on cases from high-risk settings such as schools and long-term care.
The province reported 4,383 new cases today. There are 420 Ontarians being treated for COVID-19 in general hospital wards, with 168 individuals in the ICU, of which 108 patients are on a ventilator.
To date, 25,860,049 doses have been administered in Ontario. Currently, 90.5 per cent of the population aged 12 or older has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 87.9 per cent have received both vaccine doses. In terms of the total eligible population aged 5 or older, 86.6 per cent have received one dose and 81.1 per cent have received both doses.
Quebec
Quebec Premier François Legault held a press conference today regarding the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec. He was accompanied by the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé and the National Director of Public Health, Dr. Horacio Arruda.
The Premier announced that Quebec is being very affected by the Omicron variant. The province has gone from 2,700 cases to nearly 9,000 cases at the time of the press conference. Specialists believe that this increase will have an impact on hospitalisations.
As of Sunday, December 26, private gatherings will be limited to six (6) people or two (2) family bubbles. The same rule applies to restaurants. Private gatherings are therefore limited to 10 people until December 26.
However, the Premier invited all Quebecers to postpone their private gatherings if they can and to gather only once, either on December 24 or 25.
Premier Legault stressed the importance of protecting people aged 60 and over, since they represent 70% of those hospitalised. People who have not yet had their third dose of the vaccine are especially at risk of hospitalisation. There are still risks for people under 60, who represent 30% of the hospitalised population.
For those who will have family gatherings, the Premier has outlined four (4) ways to minimize the risk of transmission:
Regarding rapid tests, the Premier indicated that the federal government has ordered more tests and, as soon as they are received, they will be delivered to pharmacies in the province. However, these tests should be reserved for people who have symptoms of COVID-19.
Testing in Quebec has reached its maximum capacity with nearly 50,000 samples taken on December 21.
As of Monday, December 27, people aged 60 and over will be able to make an appointment for their third dose of the vaccine. Currently, only people aged 65 and over can make an appointment.
After the announcement of the new restrictions, Premier Legault announced that the government will not hesitate to add other measures if necessary.
Recommended by LinkedIn
He also spoke directly to unvaccinated people in Quebec, saying that they put all the hospitals at risk since they account for 50% of hospitalisations, while representing less than 10% of the adult population. The Premier asked unvaccinated people to stay home to avoid transmission of the virus.
Dr. Arruda reiterated that PCR tests should be reserved for people who have symptoms of COVID-19. He gave the following guidelines:
Dr. Arruda also stressed the importance of making an appointment for testing in order to avoid the spread of the virus and to avoid long queues.
From now on, positive PCR test results will be communicated by email to all those who have consented. Public health teams will no longer do contact tracing – this becomes the responsibility of those who have tested positive.
Regarding the third dose of the vaccine, Dr. Arruda announced that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are considered interchangeable. Receiving a different vaccine than the first two doses is therefore safe. This is especially important as deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be limited in the coming weeks.
Further health measures for living environments were announced in a press release (French only) published during the conference. The main measures are as follows:
Over the past 24 hours, Quebec reported 6,361 new cases, including 2 deaths. 445 people are in hospital being treated for COVID-19, including 88 people in intensive care. This represents a net increase of 30 patients in hospital and a stable number of patients in intensive care since the last governmental update.
As of today, 14,358,997 vaccines have been administered in Quebec.
Alberta
Health officials in Alberta provided a COVID-19 update in a press conference yesterday. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical official of health commented on the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in Alberta, and throughout the world. Dr. Hinshaw stated that the variant is now the “dominant strain” in Alberta, and that any individual infected with COVID-19 in the province should assume that they are infected with the Omicron variant.
The health officials also announced the introduction of new public health measures aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant. Beginning December 24th, the following new measures will come into effect:
These new restrictions are in addition to the current public health restrictions such as mandatory indoor masking and restrictions on indoor social gatherings.
Commenting on the variant’s transmissibility, Dr. Hinshaw stated, “it is more infectious than any other variant to date. It’s breaking through immune protection both from previous disease and from those who have two doses of vaccine. We know that two doses of vaccine still provide good protection from severe outcomes, but three doses are even better and also boost protection against infection.” Dr. Hinshaw further stated that it has become increasingly critical that Albertans receive a COVID-19 booster dose because of the reduced effectiveness of the vaccines at preventing infection from the Omicron variant.
Finally, Dr. Hinshaw warned that Omicron poses a “significant and unknown threat” to Albertans and that Albertans should take the most cautious approach to gatherings as possible. Outdoor gatherings, Dr. Hinshaw stated, are far preferable to indoor gatherings and Albertans should strive to meet with as few other individuals as possible to prevent further transmission of the virus.
In the same press conference, health officials also announced that Alberta is expanding its COVID-19 booster program in an “ambitious” manner. As of yesterday, all Albertans aged 18 and older who received their second COVID-19 vaccine at least five months ago can now book a third dose. Alberta Premier, Jason Kenney, stated that “there is still a lot that we don’t know about Omicron. But one thing we do know is that the most powerful protection from this highly contagious variant is to get a booster shot. I urge all Albertans to step up and protect themselves and the health-care system with a booster as soon as they can.”
Alberta Health Services provided an update on COVID-19 statistics in the province. There are 6,045 active COVID-19 cases. The provincial positivity rate is 7.1 percent. Currently, 329 individuals are being treated for COVID-19 in hospital, 69 of whom are in intensive care. To date, 7,356,384 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province. This means that 89% of eligible people 12 years and older (78.7% of total population) have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 84.9% of people 12 years and older (72.6% total population) are fully vaccinated.
British Columbia
British Columbia’s Health Services provided updates on COVID-19 statistics in the province. The most recent data shows that there were 1,308 new cases and three new COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours. 192 individuals are in hospital and 76 individuals are in intensive care. There are 6,348 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
To date, a cumulative 9,190,914 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the province, 4,120,270 of which are second doses. 91.7% of eligible people 12 years and older have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 88.9% have received their second dose.
*****
Glad to discuss further.
Wishing you all wonderful Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year. Take care and stay safe.
We will resume our COVID-19 briefings on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, unless exceptional circumstances arise.
*****
Glad to discuss further.
Authors: