Coronavirus (COVID-19) National News

NACI said Monday that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are "preferred" and that Canadians should weigh the risks of waiting for one of them before deciding whether to take a more immediate jab of either of the other two approved for use in Canada.

Pfizer and BioNTech have been consistently delivering around one million doses from Brussels each week since mid-March, but those numbers will double over the next month before increasing further in June.

The facility where some of the vaccines were manufactured was recently cited for violations including cleaning and sterilization failures, the potential for cross-contamination and failure to follow required protocols.

Data supplied to The Canadian Press by the Public Health Agency of Canada show that between Feb. 22 and April 22, 557 international air travellers tested positive for a variant of concern.

OTTAWA — Governments are looking at new limits for travel both into and within Canada, as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to set heartbreaking records.

OTTAWA — The first federal budget in more than two years extends Ottawa’s COVID-19 "lifeline" for workers and struggling businesses another few months as it aims to pull Canada through the pandemic once and for all.

Several provinces are lowering their minimum age requirement for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, allowing those 40 and older to receive the jab as unruly spread of COVID-19 continues in their jurisdictions.

Ottawa had planned to take delivery of about 1.2 million doses from Moderna as well, but that was before government officials revealed last week that the shipment would be both delayed and scaled back. 

The point man for Canada's vaccine rollout is aiming to ensure provinces aren't left scrambling when doses don't arrive as planned, as Ontario reported a record number of new daily COVID-19 infections. Maj.-Gen.

Quebec said it has given out 185,000 doses of AstraZeneca so far, and this is the first and only blood clot report, making it an extremely rare event. Nationally, Health Canada only has data up to April 3, which showed less than 500,000 doses had been given out at that point. Updated data is expected today.