COVID-19

Travelling Canadians with two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will soon no longer need to take a negative COVID-19 test to return home.

Right now, travellers trying to enter Canada must provide a negative PCR test, taken at their own expense of between $150 and $300, no more than 72 hours before they arrive at the Canadian border.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce a removal of that policy later today.

Many more people experiencing tough situations will have a warm bed to sleep in this winter.

Standing outside with the sounds of vehicles whipping down the Disraeli Freeway, Premier Heather Stefanson, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas, End Homelessness Winnipeg CEO Jason Whitford, and Families Minister Rochelle Squires stood together to announce a new initiative to aid people experiencing shelter insecurity.

On the eve of the expected announcement of Pfizer vaccine approval for children aged five to 11, COVID vaccinations continue to slowly increase with 88.2 per cent of the province now having received one shot of the COVID vaccine. Likewise, 82.7 per cent of the province is now fully immunized.

Vaccination numbers will rise with the impending approval of vaccine availability to approximately 390,000 soon-to-be eligible recipients. 

Alberta is reporting 383 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. 

Vaccinating younger kids against COVID-19 is about to be approved in Canada. 

It is expected that Health Canada officials will be announcing the approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged five to 11 years tomorrow (Friday, November 19).

Canada is expecting 2.9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered by the end of November. 

It is estimated that there will be approximately 390,000 Albertan children who will become eligible for the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine dosage. 

Public health officials advise eight new deaths in people with COVID-19 are being reported today:

There are 179 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 66,184. Out of the total number of cases, 1,404 are active.

Out of Thursday's cases, 94 are in people who are not vaccinated, 77 people are fully vaccinated, and eight people are partially vaccinated. 

New cases by region on Thursday include:

Kenora city council has approved free metered parking for the Harbourtown Centre through all of December in a unanimous decision at a November 16 Council meeting. 

The plan was recommended at a November 9 Committee of the Whole meeting to give back to the community after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adam Smith, Municipal Director of Development Services, said the free metered parking will be in conjunction with the buy local campaigns running in December.

The Northwestern Health Unit has confirmed zero new COVID-19 cases have been found in the region. 

Currently, there is one active case connected to the NWHU catchment area. 

On Thursday, Ontario reported its highest single-day case count in nearly two months with 711 reported cases. 

Of the 711 new cases on Thursday, 322 are in people who are unvaccinated and 314 are in people fully immunized. There are 47 people with an unknown vaccine status and 28 who are partially vaccinated. 

Alberta is reporting 412 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, November 17. 

There are two fewer people in the hospital with a total of 516. 

One less patient in ICU with a total of 100. 

Three deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours bringing the total in the province to 3,204. 

To date, 88 per cent of the province have received one shot of vaccine while 82.4 per cent are fully immunized against COVID-19. 

Cochrane has eight fewer active cases with 52 and Rocky View County is reporting two fewer cases for 65 active COVID-19 cases.

Health Canada has yet to approve the Pfizer vaccine for children, but Manitoba's Health Minister says our province will be ready when that announcement comes.

"We are confident approval of the pediatric vaccine will come soon," says Audrey Gordon. "We encourage all Manitobans to start having family conversations now about how vaccination works and how it will help keep our families, friends and classmates safe and healthy."

There are approximately 125,000 children aged five to 11 living in Manitoba.