Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on April 8

The latest:

• Track how many people have beengiven the COVID-19 vaccineacross Canada.
• Quebec imposes earlier curfew forMontreal and Laval, extends measures in other hot spots.
• B.C. announces record high of1,293 new COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths.
• COVID-19 vaccine bookings in Sask. open to people 55 and older starting Friday.
• Canada receives 1stshipment of COVID-19 vaccines through global vaccine initiative.
• Alberta plans to open vaccination clinics at Cargill meat plantthat had massiveoutbreak.
• Ontario sees 3,295 new COVID-19 cases, record-high vaccinations as stay-at-home order kicks in.
• Have a question about COVID-19? You can send your questions toCOVID@cbc.ca

Some provinces are strengthening public health measures amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, withQuebec on Thursday tightening restrictions in regions of concern and B.C. announcing a new workplace closure order to deal with outbreaks.

In Quebec, Montreal and the suburb of Laval areseeingtheircurfew return to 8 p.m. starting on Sunday,Premier Franois Legaultannounced at an afternoon newsconference.

Legault said even though transmission rates are currently stable in the Montreal area, he wants to prevent the situation from worsening.

"The level of contagion is very high and we expect it to accelerate even more," Legault said.

As well, stricter lockdown measures that are in place in Quebec City, Lvis,Gatineauand Beauceare beingextended.

Schools, restaurant dining rooms, gyms, hair salons and other non-essential businesses will now remainclosed in those regions until at least April 18.Religious gatherings will also belimited to 25 people and the overnight curfew will remain at8 p.m.until at least that date.

Quebecon Thursday reported 1,609 new cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths. A provincial dashboard put the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations at 566, with 132 people reported to be in the province's intensive care units.

Meanwhile, British Columbiareported a record high of1,293 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry saidthe spread is fuelled by social gatherings that then spread into workplaces.

"It is not OK to have friends and family over right now. It is not OK to go on a weekend getaway. That is not essential nor is your ski trip just because you have a pass. It is not OK to have a wedding, a birthday. All of these need to be postponed for now," she said.

Henry announced a new workplace closure order that will allow WorkSafeBC to operate under the Public Health Act. When three or more employees at a workplace test positive for COVID-19, it will be closed down for 10 days.

Essential workplaces like police departments, fire stations and grocery stores are exempt.

The province also reported twoadditionalCOVID-19 deaths on Thursday.There are currently 336 people in hospital, with 101 in intensive care, officials said.

- From CBC News and the CanadianPress, last updated at 7p.m. ET

What's happening across Canada

WATCH | Ontario essential workers facing financial crunch asstay-at-home order begins:

Essential workers facing financial crunch as Ontario issues another stay-at-home order

3 years ago

Duration 0:53

Sean McKenny, president of the Ottawa and District Labour Council, says workers in restaurants, grocery stores and big box stores are facing the potential of reduced hours and less income as Ontario issues another stay-at-home order.

As of 7p.m. ET on Thursday,Canada had reported 1,036,029confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 64,430considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at23,211.

Health officials inOntarioon Thursday reported3,295 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 additional deaths. According to data published by the province, hospitalizations stood at1,417, with 525 people in intensive care units "due to COVID-related illness."

The latest figures came after a stay-at-home order came intoeffect across Ontario in response to worsening COVID-19 trends in the province.

"The reality is, despite everything we've done so far, the COVID-19 situation in Ontario is getting worse as these new variants continue to spread," Premier Doug Ford said at a briefing announcing the order on Wednesday."Our hospitals are reaching capacity and patients in the GTAmust now be sent to other parts of the province for care."

Under the stay-at-home order, stores that sell goods such as groceries, cleaning supplies and pharmacy products can remain open but only to sell essential items. Non-essential retail can open for curbside pickup or delivery only.

• Why comparing COVID hospitalization numbers between provinces isn't apples-to-apples
  
• Toronto working with hospitals to bring vaccines to hot-spot neighbourhoods, city says

In Atlantic Canada,New Brunswickreported seven new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. There are 20 people in hospitaldue to COVID-19, the most in the province since the pandemic began, including 13 in intensive care.

WATCH | Coronavirus variant driving N.B. outbreak:

N.B. sees 7 new coronavirus cases as variant takes hold

3 years ago

Duration 1:01

New Brunswick has the largest number of people in hospital with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, said Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical health officer, noting the outbreak is largely driven by the highly transmissible variant first reported in the U.K. She also said the age of the patients is getting younger.

Meanwhile,Nova Scotiareported five new cases on Thursday, whileNewfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island each reported one new case.

Across the North, there were no new cases reported inYukon, theNorthwest Territoriesand Nunavut on Thursday.

Yukon's chief medical officer of health said Wednesdayit's too early to lift COVID-19 restrictions in the territory. This despite the fact that Yukon has no new COVID-19 cases and about 68 per cent of residents have received at least one vaccine dose.

Dr. Brendan Hanley says there are too many cases involving variants in neighbouring jurisdictions and there's a territorial election taking place.

WATCH | Manitoba premier gets vaccinated:

Manitoba premier gets COVID-19 vaccine

3 years ago

Duration 0:57

Brian Pallister received his first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday. Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer, administered the shot. The premier says he's proud to do his part to keep his family and community safe from COVID-19.

In the Prairie provinces,Manitobareported139 new cases and three additionaldeaths on Thursday. The province also announced its first death linked to the B117 coronavirus variantfirst reported in the U.K., aman in his late 70s from the Winnipeg health region who died in late March.

Saskatchewanreported205 new cases andtwoadditionaldeaths on Thursday. There are 206 in hospital due to COVID-19, including 41 people in intensive care.

Starting Friday morning, anyone in the province 55 and over will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.

Meanwhile, Albertareported1,429 new cases and threenew deaths on Thursday. Hospitals were treating 340 patients for the illness, including 83 people in ICU beds.

People infected with highly contagiousvariants now make up about 45 per cent of all active cases in the province, health officials said.

Vaccination clinics are set to open atthe Cargill meat-packing plant in southern Alberta,officials announced earlier in the day. An outbreaklast springsaw at least 950 employees nearly half its workforce test positiveand was linked to three deaths.

- From The Canadian Press and CBC News, last updated at 7 p.m. ET

What's happening around the world

As of Thursday evening, more than133.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported around the world, according to a Johns Hopkins University case-tracking tool. The global death toll stood at nearly 2.9million.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday warned of the risk of a permanentdivergence in the global economy, and urged major economies to strive to provide significant amounts of new fiscal support to secure a robust recovery.

In a statement to the steering committees of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Yellen underscored the need to continue supporting the world's poorest countries as they grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and high debt burdens.

She urged the World Bank to support developing countries and ensure they get timely access to COVID-19 vaccines, and said the U.S. supported accelerated negotiation to replenish the World Bank's International Development Association fund for the poorest countries.

The African Union has dropped plans to buy COVID-19 vaccines from the Serum Institute of India and is exploring options with Johnson & Johnson, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on Thursday.

The institute will still supply the AstraZeneca vaccine to Africa through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, said Dr. John Nkengasong, but the African Union would seek additional supplies from Johnson & Johnson.

In the Asia-Pacificregion,new coronavirus cases in India hit a record Thursday at 126,789, while deaths rose 685 in the past 24 hours, the highest since November.

Dozens of cities and towns are imposing night curfews to try to contain the surge but the federal government has refused to impose a second nationwide lockdown for fear of hurting the economy.

Indonesia's health minister said the schedule for around 100 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines faced delays.

Health officials in South Korea saidthey will decide whether to resume administeringAstraZenecavaccines to people 60 and younger over the weekend. The injections were paused while regulators in Europe reviewed a possible link between the shots and rare blood clots.

Australia, meanwhile, has moved torestrict the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine by recommendingit not be given to people under 50. The announcement came after drug regulators held a series of urgent meetings earlier in the day.

The Philippines suspended use of AstraZeneca's vaccine for people under 60to investigate reports aboutblood clots.

InEurope,Spain plans to join other European nations in limiting use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said after meeting with regional health chiefs Wednesday that authorities will limit the use of the vaccine in those over 60.

The decision came after the European Medicines Agency said it had found a "possible link" between the shot and the rare clots.

• EU regulator places no new restrictions on AstraZeneca vaccine due to 'possible' blood clot link

Last week, Germany and France limited the vaccine to elderly groups, and earlier Wednesday British authorities recommended that the vaccine not be given to adults under 30. Belgium said Wednesday it would not allow its use for people under age 56.

The EMA advised no such age restrictions, saying the benefits of the vaccine far exceed the very rare cases of thrombosis.

In theAmericas,Mexico's president says he plans to get the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to boost confidence in the shot.

The vaccine is one of several being used for people over 60 in Mexico's current round of vaccinations. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, 67,say the benefits far outweigh any risks of a rare blood-clotting disorder.

In Brazil, the country saw anew record of 4,249 coronavirus deaths in a day.More than 345,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, making it the second-deadliest outbreak of COVID-19 after the United States.

In theMiddle East,Iran has hit a new coronavirus infection record for the third straight day, reporting 22,586 new cases. The country is grappling with a spikeafter millions defied government guidance againstgathering and travelling during Nowruz, the nation's biggest holiday.

The new case count Thursday pushes Iran's total during the pandemic over twomillion. The additional 185 reported deaths increased the confirmed total to 63,884 deaths in the country of 83 million.

The Gulf Arab kingdom of Bahrain has announced that starting next month, residents who can prove that they've been vaccinated against the coronavirus will be able to attend gyms, indoor restaurants, mass sporting events, conferences, spas and cinemas.

- From Reuters and The Associated Press, last updated at 9:05p.m. ET