More than 15,000 Canadians have now died of COVID-19. The death toll reached 15,001 this morning as Quebec reported another 2,265 infections and 37 deaths. But it is likely higher than that because Ontario did not report its latest numbers today. Quebec has reported 8,060 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The rollout of vaccines is continuing across the country, with doses of the Moderna shots due to be delivered in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunuvut today.

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over COVID-19, has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment on Monday, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.She has been convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. Dozens of her supporters and diplomats gathered outside Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court on Monday morning before the trial began, according to HKFP. The police, however, pushed journalists and observers away from the entrance. The New York Times re

British Columbia health officials are reporting the province's first knowncase of the U.K. COVID-19 variant. The affected individual returned from the U.K. on Dec. 15 to their home in the Island Health authority. The person tested positive four days later after developing symptoms during their quarantine. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that the variant strain was detected through testing by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. They say it's important to note that although the U.K. variant can spread faster, there's no ind

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the first doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine have landed in Canada. He tweeted the news with a photo of border agents watching workers preparing to unload a Federal Express cargo plane. Health Canada authorized the use of the vaccine just yesterday, making it the second vaccine to receive the regulator's approval after the Pfizer-BioNtech offering was approved on Dec. 9. Moderna is expected to deliver 168,000 doses by the end of next week. The federal government has ordered 40 million doses overall from Moderna, enough to vaccinate 20 million Canadians. Whi

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the COVID-19 pandemic has created a holiday season nobody wanted. But in his annual Christmas message, Trudeau says there is hope for the New Year. He says everyone can agree 2020 has been tough, but Canadians have met the challenging times with generosity, kindness and hope. He says throughout 2020, neighbours have helped neighbours, kids have given up play dates to be safe, front-line workers have put themselves at risk and businesses have retooled to help in the fight against COVID-19. Trudeau says Canadians should give thanks for what unites us.

Quebec's police watchdog has completed its investigation into the New Brunswick police-involved killing of Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman.The watchdog, known as the Bureau des enquetes independantes, said Wednesday it had forwarded its report to New Brunswick's Public Prosecutions Services and to the coroner in the case, on Dec. 16.Quebec's independent police watchdog investigated the case because New Brunswick does not have its own police oversight agency.Moore was shot by a member of the Edmundston Police Force during a wellness check on June 4, after the young woman had alleg

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.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, have issued a joint statement regarding updates on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response in British Columbia. "Today, we are reporting 444 new cases of COVID-19, including five epi-linked cases, for a total of 47,510 cases in British Columbia. "There are 9,481 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. There are 357 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 84 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation. "A total of 36,094 people who tested posit

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.