Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Jan. 23 – CBC News

The latest:

Sunday shoppers streamed back into Quebec stores for the first time in three weeks as a measure meant to curb soaring COVID-19-related hospitalization rates in the province came to an end amid declining patient numbers.

The positive signs were not confined to the province. Virus-related hospital admissions either decreased or held steady in other jurisdictions, such as Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Ontario reported a drop of 229 patients in hospitals with COVID-19, though officials noted that not all health-care facilities share data on weekends.

Quebec, meanwhile, said 12 fewer patients were hospitalized Sunday. But the two long-standing virus hotspotsstill had more than 7,000 hospitalizations between them as of Sunday.

The numbers came as most Quebec stores reopened their doors following a three-week ban on Sunday shopping imposed by the government in a bid to curb hospitalization rates that soared once the pandemic's Omicron-driven wave took hold. The province closed non-essential businesses for three Sundays starting Jan. 2, making exceptions only for pharmacies, convenience stores and gas stations.

The move one of a suite of measures implemented to bring hospitalizations under control appeared to be bearing fruit, as the number of patients in provincial facilities has declined for four days in a row.

Quebec is also set to expand its vaccination passport program as of Monday, making it mandatory to show proof of immunization in order to enter a number of retail settings.

They include big-box stores with areas of 1,500 square metres or more. As of Jan. 18, proof of vaccination also became mandatory to enter the province's liquor and cannabis stores.

Vaccines and other protective measures were the focus of fresh comments from Canada's top doctor on Sunday.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam issued a statement saying vaccines and virus treatments are keeping Canadians better protected against the ongoing pandemic even as she predicted more difficult weeks ahead.

"Among adolescent and adult age groups, vaccine coverage with two or more doses ranges from 83 per cent to 96 per cent, with room for improvement particularly on booster dose coverage for adults, which ranges from 21 to 75 per cent," Tam said.

Health Canada data from early January show fully vaccinated cases were 80 per cent less likely to be hospitalized and 80 per cent less likely to die as a result of their illness.

With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted,experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will reportfiguresthat separatethe number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those there for another medical issue who alsotest positive for COVID-19.

For more information on what is happening in your community including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions click through to the regional coverage below.

You can also read more from thePublic Health Agency of Canada, whichprovides a detailed look at every region,includingseven-day averagetest positivity rates,in itsdaily epidemiological updates.

InBritish Columbia,a "Freedom Convoy" of big-rig trucks is slated to roll out from theprovince Sunday en route to Ottawa for a demonstration against the federal government's vaccine mandate for truckers. The convoy is separate fromtheroad safety convoyin B.C. that started Saturday.

In the Prairies, anorthern First Nation inManitobaisfacing criticism forits lockdown measuresafter a group of mothers left to buy groceries on Thursday and an attempt was made to prevent them from returning to the community. InSaskatchewan, hospitalizationsrose by eight on Sunday, while ICU admissions remained at 26. InAlberta, the Omicron wave has left Edmonton-area schools dealing with their most challenging staffing issues in the pandemic, with about 10 per cent of staff absent.

In the Atlantic provinces,four more people are in hospital in Newfoundland and Labrador because of COVID-19 on Sunday; Prince Edward Island registered its sixth death of the pandemic;Nova Scotia says there are 85 people in designated COVID-19 hospital units, including 11 people in intensive care; and more than 1,000 people marched inNew Brunswick to protest government-imposed restrictions and vaccination mandates;drivers also slowedtraffic along theborderbetween Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

In the North,Northwest Territorieshealth officials sayits modelling suggeststhe peak of the Omicron wave "may have already passed mid-January" in the territory.Hundreds of people protested inYukon against public health measures over the weekendandNunavutreported 26 new cases on Sunday.

As of Sunday, more than349.6 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.59million.

In Europe, police in Belgium fired water cannons and tear gas in Brussels on Sunday to disperse protesters marching against COVID-19 vaccinations and restrictions.

InAsia, South Korea posted7,630 new cases its second highest daily number despite extended restrictionsand a high vaccination rate, raising concerns of further spread during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

InAfrica,the World Bank has approved a loan of $750 million US to South Africa linked to COVID-19, aiming to help protect the poor and support economic recovery from the pandemic, the National Treasury said.

In theAmericas,the world-famous Carnival festivities in Rio de Janeiro will be held in late April rather than the final weekend of February, as the number of coronavirus cases in Brazil spikes and the Omicron variant spreads.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Jan. 23 - CBC News