Of the most recently reported hospitalizations, 78.6 per cent involved unvaccinated patients, while 10.8 were partially vaccinated.
Author of the article:
Bruce Deachman
Publishing date:
Aug 13, 2021 • 2 days ago • 6 minute read • 28 Comments

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What you should know:
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- Ottawa reports 21 new cases, 114 active cases;
- Ontario has 510 new cases on Friday
The Canadian government will require that federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Privy Council, says the government expects employers in federally regulated industries to do the same.
There are close to half a million people who work directly for the federal government, Crown corporations, the military or the RCMP.
Nearly a million more work in federally regulated industries, which includes banks and airlines.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a week ago that he had asked the clerk of the Privy Council — the nation’s top bureaucrat — to consider the mandate.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says by the fall, there will be a vaccine requirement for transportation workers.
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Travellers on commercial airlines, interprovincial trains and cruise ships will also be required to be vaccinated by that date.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, the largest federal public service union, released a statement Friday evening expressing support for the concept of vaccine requirements but called for accommodations for workers who cannot be vaccinated for “reasons protected under human rights legislation.
“Although we support the goals of the government’s proposal, it’s critical that any eventual plan put forward by the government that would collect or verify the vaccination or medical status of our members respects their legal right to privacy,” read the statement attributed to PSAC national president Chris Aylward.
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“We expect the government to continue consulting with unions on the implementation of their vaccination requirements to safeguard our members’ right to privacy and ensure that their human rights are respected,” added Aylward.
At last count, nearly 82 per cent of Canadians 12 and older had at least one dose of vaccine, while 70 per cent had been fully vaccinated.
Latest COVID-19 news from Ontario
The organization representing Ontario’s English-language public school boards has asked the province to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all eligible students, staff and visitors in schools.
In a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, says the OPSBA supports calls by medical professionals and public health experts for mandatory vaccination in schools.
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“As I’m sure you’ll agree, ensuring that we provide the safest possible environment for our students, staff, and school communities is a top priority for all of us,” she wrote.
“Swift and decisive action must be taken to ensure that our schools remain as safe as possible, and that we have the greatest chance of keeping our schools open for in-person learning, which is vital to the mental health and development of our students.”
The OPSBA represents 41 school boards and authorities that are responsible for 1.3 million students in the province.
Ontario reported 510 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, and four new deaths.
Two of those deaths, however, occurred more than two months ago. They were included as part of a data update.
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Meanwhile, there are 123 COVID patients currently in Ontario hospitals. There are 111 patients in ICU with COVID-related illnesses, 82 of them diagnosed with COVID. There are 72 patients on ventilators with COVID-related illnesses, 49 of them currently with COVID.
Of the most recently reported hospitalizations, 78.6 per cent involved unvaccinated patients, while 10.8 were partially vaccinated.
According to the province, 71.4 of the new cases were among unvaccinated patients, while 11.1 per cent had received just one inoculation.
Toronto, with 129 new cases, Peel, with 61, and Hamilton, with 51, were the province’s worst-hit regions.
The new figures raise Ontario’s total number of COVID cases since January 2020 to 554,472 and its death toll to 9,416. There are 12,526 active cases in the province.
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Of the 161 cases identified by a specific variant, 146, or 90 per cent, were linked to the Delta variant, and the remaining with the Alpha variant.
Additionally, 48,682 vaccine doses were administered in the province in the 24-hour period ending Thursday evening, for a province-wide total of 20,096,593. A total of 9,493,726 Ontarians have been fully vaccinated, an increase of 37,063 over the previous day’s total.
Latest COVID-19 news from Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health reported 21 new COVID-19 cases on Friday and no new deaths.
The new figures bring the total number of COVID cases in the city to 27,945 since the pandemic started, while the death toll remains at 593.
There are currently 114 active cases in Ottawa. Of those, four people are in hospital with COVID, one of them in intensive care.
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The city’s seven-day infection rate, meanwhile, is 9.0 per 100,000 population.
Ottawa’s seven-day positivity rate is 1.0 per cent, while the seven-day reproduction rate (R(t)) is 1.23, indicating that the virus’s spread is increasing.
As of 3 a.m. Friday, 84 per cent of Ottawans 12 and over had received at least one vaccine dose, while 74 per cent were fully vaccinated. Among all Ottawans, 73 per cent had have at least one dose, while 65 per cent had had two.
There were no new outbreaks reported Friday, leaving just the two open child care ones, at Grandir Ensemble Garderie La Maisonée, where two student and one staff member tested positive earlier this month, and St. Anthony’s Children’s Centre, where four students have tested positive.
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In other health units in the capital region, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit saw its confirmed case numbers go down by four, while Kingston’s increased by one.
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark reported four new cases, while Renfrew County had none.
Mark Goudie, president of the group that owns the Ottawa RedBlacks CFL team and the Ottawa 67’s junior team, says he’s a fan of the idea of a proof of vaccination system for large-scale events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ottawa Atletico professional soccer team also plays at TD Place Stadium.
“We’ve told the province that we think (vaccine passport could be) an important tool for us to have as part of our business,” Goudie, head of Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, said in an interview with TSN 1200 radio.
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The RedBlacks are to play their home opener at Lansdowne’s TD Place on Aug. 28. A total of 15,000 fans, or 75 per cent of capacity, will be allowed inside TD Place under Ontario’s COVID-19 rules.
The Quebec government has announced a vaccine passport will be introduced on Sept. 1. The province said the vaccine passport would be implemented in places with high capacity and a high rate of contact, including festivals and concerts.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said repeatedly the province would not introduse vaccine passports or other such measures.
The federal government said Thursday it plans to create proof-of-vaccination documentation for international travel by early fall.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said the national government was working with the provinces — which hold the data on vaccinations — to develop consistent credentials.
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Latest COVID-19 news in Quebec
Health Minister Christian Dubé says more people are getting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since Quebec unveiled its plan to impose a vaccine passport starting in September.
Dubé said in a tweet Friday that a steadily increasing number of people got their first doses in the last three days, for a total of 26,000.
Quebec reported 426 new COVID cases Friday, and no new deaths.
That brings the province’s overall case count to 380,833 since the pandemic began, and its death toll to 11,242.
There are 80 COVID patients hospitalized in Quebec, including 27 in intensive care.
Additionally, the province administered 47,771 vaccine doses in the most recent 24-hour reporting period, for a province-wide total of 11,665,257.
About 73 per cent of Quebecers over 12 are now considered adequately vaccinated.
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