COVID-19: Canada and World – Winnipeg Free Press

Boxes of personal protection equipment maintained by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services are shown stacked in a warehouse in Jefferson City, Mo., on Dec. 1, 2023. (Brad Bashore/Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services via AP)

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

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States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Preview

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

Read

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Preview

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

Read

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Preview

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 9 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

Read

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

EU court annuls approval of French pandemic aid to Air France and Air France-KLM

The Associated Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

BRUSSELS (AP) — Low-cost airlines Ryanair and Malta Air won a court case Wednesday against the European Union's decision to approve billions of euros in state aid by the French government to Air France and holding company Air France-KLM during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryanair has filed several court challenges against measures introduced by EU countries to help some airlines weather the fallout of coronavirus restrictions.

The bloc's 27 members must seek approval from the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, when granting financial support to companies. Many countries across Europe did so to help keep their airlines afloat during the pandemic.

Back in 2020, French authorities notified the European Commission of an aid measure of 7 billion euros ($7.67 billion), which was supposed to benefit Air France solely, to the exclusion of all the other companies in the Air France-KLM group. A year later, France told the European Commission about plans for 4-billion-euro ($4.38 billion) recapitalization of Air France and the holding company.

States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 12 minute read Preview

States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

Jennifer Peltz And David A. Lieb, The Associated Press 12 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., many states like Ohio scrambled for masks and other protective gear. Supplies were so limited in 2020 that the state bought millions of medical gowns from a marketing and printing company and spent about $20 million to try to get personal protective equipment made in-state.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, Ohio and other states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into the stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

Read

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023

2 COVID-19 deaths reported in Beijing as virus surges

The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

2 COVID-19 deaths reported in Beijing as virus surges

The Associated Press 6 minute read Monday, Dec. 19, 2022

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese health authorities on Monday announced two additional COVID-19 deaths, both in the capital Beijing, that were the first reported in weeks and come during an expected surge of illnesses after the nation eased its strict “zero-COVID” approach.

China had not reported a death from COVID-19 since Dec. 4, even though unofficial reports of a new wave of cases are widespread.

With the latest reported deaths, the National Health Commission raised China’s total to 5,237 deaths from COVID-19 in the past three years, out of 380,453 cases of illness — numbers that are much lower than in other major countries but also based on statistics and information-gathering methods that have come into question.

Chinese health authorities count only those who died directly from COVID-19, excluding people whose underlying conditions such as diabetes and heart disease were worsened by the virus.

Read

Monday, Dec. 19, 2022

Medical workers tend to residents at a gymnasium converted into a fever clinic in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Thailand’s king, queen test positive for COVID-19

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Thailand’s king, queen test positive for COVID-19

The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's king and queen have tested positive for COVID-19, and so far have only mild symptoms, the royal palace said Saturday.

Doctors prescribed treatment for King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 70, and Queen Suthida, 44, and requested them to refrain from duties for a while, the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement.

Their symptoms are “very mild,” the statement said.

Earlier Friday and Thursday, the couple visited Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, where she was admitted after she fell unconscious due to a heart problem on Wednesday.

Read

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022

FILE - Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida wave to supporters after presiding over the opening of a new mass transit station in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov. 14, 2020. Thailand's king and queen have tested positive for COVID-19, and so far have only mild symptoms, the royal palace said Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Rapeephat Sitichailapa, File)

B.C. government continues the pandemic wage top-up for care home workers

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

B.C. government continues the pandemic wage top-up for care home workers

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022

VICTORIA - The British Columbia government is extending its COVID-19 wage top-ups for staff at seniors facilities, but the restriction that limited those workers to one work site has been lifted.

The province began the temporary wage increases for clinical staff in long-term care and assisted-living facilities shortly after the pandemic began.

John Horgan promised during the last election that the government would continue to spend more than $10 million a month on the level up for wages and make it permanent, if the NDP was re-elected.

However, the province says in a statement issued Friday that it is renewing its commitment to "temporarily fund the increases."

Read

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry speaks in the press theatre at the legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. The British Columbia government is extending its COVID-19 wage top-ups for staff at seniors facilities, but the restriction that limited those workers to one work site has been lifted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

COVID-linked deaths seen in Beijing after virus rules eased

Dake Kang, The Associated Press 9 minute read Preview

COVID-linked deaths seen in Beijing after virus rules eased

Dake Kang, The Associated Press 9 minute read Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022

BEIJING (AP) — Outside a funeral home in eastern Beijing, dozens of people were bundled up in parkas and hats against the freezing temperatures Friday evening as workers in full protective suits wheeled out coffins one by one.

When an employee with a clipboard shouted the name of the dead, a relative trundled up to the coffin to examine the body. One of the relatives told The Associated Press their loved one had been infected with COVID-19.

Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases.

That surge comes as the government last week dramatically eased some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 containment measures. On Wednesday, the government said it would stop reporting asymptomatic COVID-19 cases since they’ve become impossible to track with mass testing no longer required.

Read

Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022

A resident buys vegetable from a street vendor in Beijing, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. A week after China dramatically eased some of the world's strictest COVID-19 containment measures, uncertainty remained Thursday over the direction of the pandemic in the world's most populous nation. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Senate passes defense bill rescinding COVID vaccine mandate

Kevin Freking, The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

Senate passes defense bill rescinding COVID vaccine mandate

Kevin Freking, The Associated Press 8 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to rescind the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military and provide nearly $858 billion for national defense passed the Senate on Thursday and now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

The bill provides for about $45 billion more for defense programs than Biden requested and roughly 10% more than last year’s bill as lawmakers look to account for inflation and boost the nation’s military competitiveness with China and Russia. It includes a 4.6% pay raise for servicemembers and the Defense Department's civilian workforce.

The Senate passed the defense policy bill by a vote of 83-11. The measure also received broad bipartisan support in the House last week.

To win GOP support for the 4,408-page bill, Democrats agreed to Republican demands to scrap the requirement for service members to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill directs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind his August 2021 memorandum imposing the mandate.

Read

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and other Republican senators tell reporters they want the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military to be rescinded under the annual defense bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Prosecutors: Family used sham ministry to get COVID loans

The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Family members who ran a sham ministry have been charged with defrauding the federal government of COVID-19 relief funds in a scheme to buy a $3.7 million luxury home in a development at Walt Disney World, authorities said.

Evan Edwards, 64, and his 30-year-old son, Joshua Edwards, were arrested Wednesday on charges of bank fraud, conspiracy, making a false statement to a lending institution and visa fraud, according to a six-count federal indictment.

An online docket for the federal court in central Florida didn’t list an attorney Thursday who could speak on behalf of the Edwardses in their criminal case.

The criminal charges come more than 1 1/2 years after the federal government obtained a civil judgment ordering the Edwardses to forfeit $8.4 million related to COVID relief fraud. Federal prosecutors said at the time they had defrauded the Small Business Administration out of millions of dollars in relief funds on behalf of ASLAN International Ministry Inc.

Ontario to open bivalent COVID-19 vaccine bookings for kids 5 to 11 on Dec. 21

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Ontario to open bivalent COVID-19 vaccine bookings for kids 5 to 11 on Dec. 21

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

TORONTO - The Ontario government is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine to children aged five to 11.

The province says kids in that age group will be eligible for a bivalent dose starting Dec. 21.

The announcement comes after Health Canada authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster for kids five to 11 last week.

Public Health Ontario data shows 40 per cent of kids aged five to 11 have completed a primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Read

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

A father walks into a vaccination clinic with his two children during the first day of vaccination for children aged five- to 11-years old in Montreal, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021.The Ontario government says it is expanding eligibility for the COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine to kids aged five to 11 later this month.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Foxconn to ease COVID-19 curbs in Chinese iPhone factory

Zen Soo, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Foxconn to ease COVID-19 curbs in Chinese iPhone factory

Zen Soo, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

HONG KONG (AP) — The company that assembles Apple Inc.’s iPhones has announced it is easing COVID-19 restrictions at its largest factory in China that led thousands of workers to quit and drastically slowed production.

Foxconn Technology Group said in a statement on one of its official WeChat social media accounts that it would end the so-called “closed loop” system at the facility in Zhengzhou, central China, that required workers to say in their workplaces and dormitories to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections.

The move announced Wednesday came about a week after China began easing harsh COVID-19 curbs despite signs the number of infections is rising.

Following a spate of protests across the country last month many “zero-COVID” restrictions were lifted. That means people no longer need to take frequent COVID-19 tests to travel on public transport. If they do test positive for the virus, they can isolate at home if they have only mild or no symptoms instead of being sent to a quarantine center.

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Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

Six-month COVID-19 vaccine delay would have cost $156B: study

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Six-month COVID-19 vaccine delay would have cost $156B: study

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

A study from the C.D. Howe Institute estimates Canada would have lost $156 billion in economic activity in 2021 had COVID-19 vaccines been rolled out six months later than they were.

That would have been equivalent to about 12.5 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product.

“The results show that vaccination was highly beneficial to population health and also cost-effective from an economic perspective,” the think tank said in a report released Thursday.

Rosalie Wyonch, a senior policy analyst and author of the report, said vaccines were effective at reducing the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. There were also much larger benefits on the broader economy, she added.

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Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

A person draws out a vaccine in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. A study from the C.D. Howe Institute estimates Canada would have lost $156 billion in economic activity in 2021 had COVID-19 vaccines been rolled out six months later than they were. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free tests

Zeke Miller, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

White House reveals winter COVID-19 plans, more free tests

Zeke Miller, The Associated Press 6 minute read Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is once more making some free COVID-19 tests available to all U.S. households as it releases its contingency plans with coronavirus cases ticking upward this winter.

After a three-month hiatus, the administration is making four rapid virus tests available per household through covidtests.gov starting Thursday. COVID-19 cases have shown a marked increase after the Thanksgiving holiday, and further increases are projected from indoor gathering and travel around Christmas and New Year's.

Cases are up across 90% of the country, White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said Thursday during a briefing. Deaths and hospitalizations are also on the rise, with nearly 3,000 deaths reported last week. Most of those have been concentrated in people age 65 and older, Jha said.

“We don’t want this winter to look like last winter or the winter before,” Jha said.

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Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

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