Health Canada has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine for use in Canada. Up to 168,000 of the drug developed by US biotech firm Moderna are due to arrive in Canada before the end of the month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said deliveries could begin within 48 hours of approval. The vaccine approval follows the greenlighting of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine on December 9th. Moderna anticipates starting shipments to Canada within the next 48 hours. Up to 168,000 doses are set to arrive by the end of December, and two million by the end of March.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says "the whole research community" is working on the newly detected strain of the virus that causes COVID-19. They're trying to determine whether it's more of a threat to public health than the more familiar strains of the virus. Hajdu says the appearance of the new strain in the United Kingdom is a reminder that international travel is a bad idea during the pandemic. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new strain appears to spread much more easily. The Canadian government temporarily shut down flights from the U.K. Sunday evening. Public Safety Mi

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says this is a perilous time, and Canada is set for an even stronger resurgence of COVID-19. She is urging all Canadians to obey public health advice to keep the situation from getting worse and to protect health-care workers. Dr. Tam says so far, officials have not detected any cases of the new strain of COVID-19 sweeping southern England. Ottawa has temporarily banned flights from the UK. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says officials are considering bringing in even stricter border-protection measures.

The Trudeau government is restricting travel from the U.K. in an effort to prevent a new strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 from making it to Canada.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the move comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. and will last for 72 hours.The move doesn't apply to cargo flights or stops where passengers do not disembark, according to a Notice to Airmen. It comes after a closed-door meeting with members of the Incident Response Team.The ministers of health, transport, foreign affairs, intergovernmental affairs and public safety were all in attendance.Several European countri

As COVID-19 vaccines roll out in Canada, the country's chief public health officer says health authorities are keeping track of any negative reactions to the shots. But so far, Doctor Theresa Tam says there have been no serious side effects. She says 10 per cent of recipients might have soreness, or some fatigue. Some who've received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in other countries have reported serious allergic reactions, prompting the drug maker to warn people with allergies not to get it. Canada will have 100 freezers in place across the country for Moderna vaccine: Anita AnandAmerican biote

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s frustrated China doesn't understand the rule of law and continues to imprison Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Trudeau says China is only hurting itself by using such coercive diplomacy by arbitrarily detaining the pair. Kovrig and Spavor were arrested December 10th, 2018 and eventually charged with violating China's national security, which Canada and its allies have reject as trumped-up charges. They say China is retaliating for the arrest by Canada of a Chinese high-tech executive on an American extradition request. Huawei's Meng Wanzhou is s

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is ending a very bad year in much better shape than its international counterparts. This is could be Trudeau's final news conference of the year. Trudeau told reporters at the news conference that Canada is on a stronger health and financial footing than other countries, including the United States. Trudeau says Canada is set to receive 125,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech per week in January, for a total of 500,000 doses next month. As well he says 168,000 doses of Moderna's vaccine candidate are scheduled to arrive by the end of the month, pending regula

Canada's chief public health officer says recent data suggesting opioid-related deaths are at an all-time high is a sobering reminder of how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the overdose crisis. Dr. Theresa Tam says there were more than 1,600 opioid-related deaths in Canada between April and June, the highest number recorded in a quarter since national surveillance began in 2016. Dr. Tam says prior to the pandemic's onset, some parts of the country were seeing early signs that opioid-related deaths were on the decline, but the COVID-19 crisis seems to have reversed those gains. She sa

Poor weather conditions have led the RCMP to suspend the ground search for five missing Nova Scotia fishermen for a second day. But they will search the Bay of Fundy shoreline using a helicopter from the province's Department of Lands and Forestry. The 15-metre scallop dragger Chief William Saulis had six fishermen aboard when it is believed to have capsized in three-metre waves near Delaps Cove on Tuesday morning. The company that owns and operates the boat, Yarmouth Sea Products, has said the crew did not issue a distress call and it appears the vessel capsized, with its automatic emergency