Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
How will classrooms be kept safe? PHAC says back-to-school guidelines coming
As schools get ready to welcome students back to the classroom in September they鈥檙e outlining measures to keep everyone safe from COVID-19, but there鈥檚 growing concern about what that means for the youngest cohort.
Canada hasn鈥檛 approved a vaccine yet for children under the age of 12. And only about 37 per cent of children between the ages of 12 and 17 have been fully vaccinated.
That means precautions are needed. And the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) plans to release guidance for schools, including those with children under the age of 12, in the next few weeks, agency spokesperson Anne G茅nier said on Wednesday.
鈥淚t takes into consideration important factors such as transmission dynamics in school settings and child/youth populations, community vaccine coverage, as well as indicators like COVID-19 epidemiology, healthcare and public health capacity, and risk reduction measures in place,鈥 G茅nier said.
In the meantime, various pandemic rules remain and schools are laying out plans.
鈥淲e鈥檙e now starting to hear about back-to-school protocols across the country,鈥 Toronto-based infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch said Wednesday on CTV's Your Morning. 鈥淢any of them have a focus on masking, distancing, ventilation etc. These are all measures that can create safer indoor environments.鈥
The key will be how well they鈥檙e implemented, he said.
鈥淭hat will determine whether or not schools are a major focus and a major driver of COVID-19 as we enter the fall.鈥
Bogoch said he expects Health Canada may approve a vaccine for children under the age of 12 in the late fall, early winter.
In July, PHAC said in an emailed statement that 鈥渁ll manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in Canada are conducting or planning studies in adolescents and younger children,鈥 and that the organization, expected data 鈥渋n the coming months.鈥
鈥淎t this time, no submission has been received for the approval of any COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12 years of age,鈥 the statement said.
Meanwhile, Canada鈥檚 Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, released modelling on Friday that indicates COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise as a result of the more contagious Delta variant.
To date, there have been about 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 in Canada and about 7,795 are active. About 59.89 per cent of the country鈥檚 38.1 million people are fully vaccinated.
It鈥檚 important for people to be vigilant and to take precautions due to the rapid spread of the variant and the expected flu season in the fall.
鈥淲e certainly know kids can get infected [with COVID-19] and we know they can transmit this infection,鈥 Bogoch said.
And while children don鈥檛 tend to get as sick as older people, some are hit hard by COVID-19.
鈥淵ou still can鈥檛 ignore that there are a small percentage of kids that do get acutely ill,鈥 Bogoch said.
And according to recent studies, it鈥檚 estimated that 1.8 per cent of kids may have long-term symptoms, he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies and bats
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Anne Hathaway confirms 'Princess Diaries 3': 'Miracles happen'
You might be thinking, 'Shut up!' but it鈥檚 officially true: the 'Princess Diaries' franchise is finally growing.
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.
Local Spotlight
Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.
From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.
A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.