The latest:
The World Health Organization says the number of newly reported coronavirus cases fell in the last week, continuing a declining global trend that first began in August.
In its latest assessment of the pandemic, the UN health agency reported that there were 3.1 million new COVID-19 cases, a nine per cent fall, and about 54,000 deaths in the last week, roughly similar to the week before. WHO said there were declines in case numbers in all world regions except for Europe, where the number was about the same as the previous week.
COVID-19 cases fell by about 43 per cent in Africa, by about 20 per cent in both the Middle East and Southeast Asia and 12 per cent in the Americas and the Western Pacific. The largest decline in deaths was seen in Africa, where numbers decreased by about a quarter.
WHO also said nearly a third of African countries managed to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of their populations by the end of September. The WHO chief has repeatedly urged rich countries to pass on giving booster doses until at least the end of the year.
On Monday, the European Medicines Agency gave its endorsement to EU countries offering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot to people 18 and over.
| Ontario allows asymptomatic COVID-19 rapid testing in schools:
Ontario will now allow rapid testing of asymptomatic students for COVID-19 — but only under certain conditions. Quebec is expanding rapid testing to more schools while other provinces announce their own protocols. 2:01
What’s happening across Canada
| Alberta reintroduces contact tracing and isolation protocols for schools:
Alberta reintroduces contact tracing and isolation protocols for schools, and introduces more testing, as COVID-19 continues to rip through the province, including unvaccinated children. 1:49
What’s happening around the world
As of Wednesday morning, more than 235.9 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus-tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.8 million.
COVID-19 test-kit maker Ellume is recalling some at-home tests after learning that they were reporting a higher-than-expected rate of false positive results indicating someone has the virus when they do not.
The Australian company has said the tests were shipped to U.S. retailers and other distributors from April through August. It published a list on its website of the lot numbers on test packages affected by the recall.
Also in the U.S., surging demand for COVID-19 tests from employers has exacerbated a nationwide shortage of rapid tests in recent weeks and is driving up costs for state and local testing programs, according to industry executives and state officials.
In Europe, Poland’s daily COVID-19 cases have risen by around 70 per cent in the past week to over 2,000, a government official said, warning the country that a fourth wave of the outbreak is gathering pace.
In Asia, Singapore’s health ministry reported 3,486 new cases, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.
