Today's coronavirus news: Ontarians can now book shots for kids aged five to 11 - Toronto Star

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Tuesday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

8:40 a.m. Israel on Tuesday began administering the coronavirus vaccine to children age 5 to 11.

The country recently emerged from a fourth COVID wave and daily infections have been relatively low for the last few weeks. But Health Ministry statistics show that a large share of the new infections have been in children and teenagers.

Children age 5 to 11 make up nearly half of active cases. Officials hope the new inoculation campaign will help bring down the numbers and perhaps stave off a new wave.

Israeli media reported low demand for the shots on the first day they were available to this age group. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accompanied his son David, 9, on Tuesday to get his jab in a bid to encourage parents to have their children vaccinated.

8:25 a.m. The prime minister of France, who tested positive for COVID-19 Monday, is being singled out on social media and beyond as the prime example of what not to do in the pandemic.

Multiple videos are being circulated widely of a maskless Jean Castex vigorously shaking hands with elected officials in an enclosed space at a Paris mayoral congress on Nov. 16. Angry users are pointing out that that goes against the official line that everyone should continue taking preventative measures.

They also noted that Castex had called French territory Guadeloupe “irresponsible” in the enforcement of COVID measures when he cannot abide by the rules himself.

Gabriel Attal, the French government’s spokesman, had leaped to Castex’s defense at the time the video first began circulating. “We are all only human,” he said.

But the Castex's positive test is a potential embarrassment for the French government and President Emmanuel Macron ahead of April’s presidential election.

8:05 a.m. The provincial registration system has begun booking COVID-19 appointments for kids aged 5 to 11.

6:04 a.m. The German military is poised to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for troops as COVID-19 infections continue to rise across the country.

The Defense Ministry on Tuesday confirmed a report in the German military blog Augen Geradeaus that officials and soldiers' representatives agreed late Monday to add the coronavirus shot to the list of vaccines soldiers must get. The measure still needs to be formally added to military regulations, the ministry said in a statement.

There were 1,215 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday reported within the military and the ministry's civilian staff.

The nationwide tally of newly confirmed cases rose by 45,326 in the past 24 hours, the country's disease control agency said Tuesday. A further 309 deaths from COVID-19 were reported, taking the total toll since the start of the outbreak to 99,433.

5:45 a.m. With the province opening up COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children aged five to 11 Tuesday, you may be wondering when, where and how to book a shot for your kid.

Last week, Health Canada gave the go-ahead for the use of Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine, which consists of a dose one-third the size of the adult version and will require two shots, which in Ontario will be at least eight weeks apart.

The province has received its first shipment of over 400,000 doses that are now ready to be administered through a variety of clinics.

The Star’s Kenyon Wallace and May Warren combed through all of the vaccine booking information out there to date to bring readers a comprehensive guide for those looking to vaccinate their children.

5:40 a.m. Ontario families can book COVID-19 vaccine appointments for kids aged five to 11 starting Tuesday.

The provincial booking portal will open for those appointments at 8 a.m.

People can make appointments through the online portal and contact centre, public health units' booking systems, some pharmacies and primary care providers.

The province has said it expects to start administering the first shots on Thursday.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said 400,000 doses of the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were expected Monday, with more than 600,000 more to come in a later shipment.

Children turning five in the remainder of 2021 are also eligible to start booking shots today.

5:30 a.m. Promises to follow all public health guidance on vaccines amounted to not much politically for the federal Conservatives Monday as Parliament resumed with a cloud of suspicion still hovering over the party’s approach to COVID-19.

That fully-vaccinated Conservative MP Richard Lehoux was diagnosed with COVID-19 over the weekend became swift political ammunition for rival parties.

The Liberals seized upon the potential he’d infected other Conservative MPs who may not be vaccinated, and in turn they were putting everyone at risk as MPs crammed into the House of Commons for the return of Parliament.

But how many unvaccinated MPs remain is still the issue.

Read more from the Star’s Stephanie Levitz.

5:15 a.m. The Public Health Agency of Canada says it hopes to keep the number of wasted doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada under five per cent.

That would amount to 3.7 million of the 73.7 million vaccines that have been distributed to provinces and territories, used by the federal government or held in the central vaccine inventory as of Nov. 18.

The federal, provincial and territorial governments aim to keep vaccine wastage as low as possible.

The Public Health Agency of Canada would not release the total number of wasted doses to date, but a Canadian Press survey of provincial governments shows an average of about 2.6 per cent of distributed doses in responding jurisdictions have been discarded.

5 a.m. Almost half of Canadians plan to abandon social distancing during holiday gatherings and hug, kiss and shake hands with friends and family, a new poll shows.

The poll by Leger in collaboration with The Canadian Press found that 45 per cent of Canadians say they will "greet others with a handshake, hug or kiss" at Christmas parties and other holiday gatherings.

In Ontario, the number prepared to ditch social distancing over the winter vacation rose to 50 per cent, compared to only 37 per cent in B.C.

Among 18- to 34-year-olds, the proportion comfortable with hugging friends and relatives over the holidays rose to 52 per cent.

Christian Bourque, Leger's executive vice-president, said the finding suggested that Canadians may be becoming complacent about the risk of COVID-19 because they are vaccinated.

Forty-nine per cent of Canadians confessed they were not afraid of catching the virus.

At the same time, 81 per cent of Canadians asserted that they would respect all "remaining" safety measures during the holiday season.

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Today's coronavirus news: Ontarians can now book shots for kids aged five to 11 - Toronto Star
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