Boosters promoted as subvariant Kraken rears head

In the face of the most contagious COVID-19 subvariant yet, Manitobans need to get up-to-date on booster shots and wear masks to protect young children from respiratory viruses, the president of Doctors Manitoba says.

Alberta premier backs off on promise to seek pardons for COVID-19 health violators

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, less than three months after promising to seek pardons for COVID-19 health violators, says she will now let justice take its course while also announcing she is regularly contacting Crown prosecutors about these cases.

“The way our system of justice works is we do have an independent justice department and independent Crown prosecutors,” Smith told reporters Thursday when asked why she has not followed through on the pardon commitment.

“As we continue to see some of these cases go through — some of them get dropped, some of them fail — (prosecutors) have to consistently recalibrate, but I do want to make sure they have an independent process for assessing that.

“But I ask them on a regular basis, as new cases come out, is it in the public interest to pursue and is there a reasonable likelihood of conviction?”

EU court: Tourists may get refunds over COVID measures

BERLIN (AP) — Travelers whose package tours were ruined by the imposition of restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may be entitled to at least a partial refund, the European Union's highest court said Thursday.

The European Court of Justice weighed in after being asked for its opinion by a court in Germany.

The Munich court is considering the case of two people who bought a two-week package vacation for the Spanish island of Gran Canaria starting on March 13, 2020, just as the pandemic hit Europe. They are seeking a 70% reduction in the price because of restrictions that were imposed there two days later and their early return.

When the restrictions were imposed on March 15, beaches were closed, a curfew put in place and the plaintiffs were allowed to leave their hotel room only to eat, the EU court said. On March 18, they were told to be ready to leave at any moment, and two days after that they had to return to Germany.

Mississippi reports 14th death of a child due to COVID-19

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A 14th Mississippi child has died from COVID-19, the state's department of health said Wednesday.

The infant under the age of one was the most recent child to die in Mississippi. The child was the first person under 18 to die from COVID-19 in the state in 2023. According to state department of health data, eight children between the ages of 11 and 17 have died since the first cases of the virus were identified in 2020, making that age range the most prone to pediatric deaths in the state so far.

Dr. Paul Byers, the state epidemiologist, said the death should serve as a reminder for residents to get vaccinated and to make sure that they are up to date on booster shots to protect against the virus.

“Vaccination not only protects you, but it also protects those around you who may not be eligible for vaccination or who may be at higher risk for complications due to age or underlying health problems,” Byers said in a news release. “It is important to stay up to date and receive the most recent bivalent booster when eligible in order to provide the best protection against infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19.”

Provinces look to cleanse storerooms of expired hand sanitizer sent by Ottawa

Provinces are awash with expired hand sanitizer that Ottawa sent during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government spent $376 million on more than 21 million litres of hand sanitizer, which the Public Health Agency of Canada distributed throughout the pandemic. More than eight million litresweredistributed to provinces and territories, the agency said in an email Wednesday.

But now, most provinces have excess expired sanitizer and getting rid of it through disposal or repurposing comes with a hefty cost.

Saskatchewan is expecting to spend more than $100,000 to get rid of more than 350,000 litres of hand sanitizer that’s sitting in a Regina warehouse. Manitoba spent more than $462,000 to repurpose its nearly 734,000 litres and British Columbia spent more than $645,000.

China preparing to expand airline service to United States

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese air travel regulator is preparing to allow airlines to fly more routes between China and the United States following the lifting of anti-virus travel restrictions, state TV reported Wednesday.

U.S. and Chinese airlines are among some 40 carriers that have submitted applications covering some 700 flights per week involving 34 countries, China Central Television reported on its website. It gave no timeline for when normal flights might resume.

China suspended most airline flights and other travel into and out of the country following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

Most restrictions on movement have been dropped. On Sunday, the first passengers were allowed to fly into China without being quarantined after arrival.

One teacher for 35 students: parents give school failing grade

ONE Winnipeg elementary teacher’s class list of Grade 4, 5 and 6 students has grown to 35, the result of which is an overcrowded room in stark contrast to the settings public health officials touted early on in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan, South Korea protest China visa stoppage in COVID spat

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and South Korea defended their public health restrictions on travelers from China on Wednesday, a day after China stopped issuing new visas in both countries in apparent retaliation.

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said he finds it “significantly regrettable” that China stopped issuing short-term visas to South Koreans and called for China to align its pandemic steps with “scientific and objective facts.”

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno criticized China for “one-sidedly” restricting visa issuances to Japanese nationals “because of a reason that is not related to COVID-19 measures.”

China’s Foreign Ministry threatened countermeasures last week against countries that had announced new virus testing requirements for travelers from China following a surge in COVID-19 infections there. It remained unclear whether China would expand the visa suspensions to others that have imposed stricter virus testing on passengers from China.

Federal COVID aid OK’d to pay for roads, natural disasters

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State and local governments will soon gain new flexibility to spend billions of federal coronavirus relief dollars on things not directly related to the pandemic, including new roads and bridges and aid to people affected by wildfires, floods and other natural disasters.

The broadened spending authority for the previously approved pandemic aid was one of many of provisions wrapped into a recently enacted $1.7 trillion spending bill for the federal government's 2023 budget year. It comes after city, county and state officials lobbied for more than a year for greater flexibility in how they can use a $350 billion pool of aid approved by President Joe Biden and the Democratic-led Congress in March 2021.

The American Rescue Plan act included federal aid for all levels of government — from states and territories down to tiny towns and villages — that was intended to help cover the costs of responding to COVID-19, shore up government finances and invest in longer-term projects to strengthen communities.

Though the program had considerable flexibility as originally implemented by the U.S. Treasury Department, some uses for the money remained limited. The newly expanded spending options are expected to take effect by late February, after the Treasury releases updated guidance.

China halts visas for Japan, South Korea in COVID-19 spat

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese embassies stopped issuing new visas for South Koreans and Japanese on Tuesday in apparent retaliation for COVID-19 measures recently imposed by those countries on travelers from China.

It wasn’t clear whether China would expand the visa suspensions to other countries that have imposed virus testing on passengers from China following its COVID-19 surge.

The embassies in Tokyo and Seoul announced the suspensions in brief online notices.

The Seoul notice, posted on the embassy's WeChat social media account, said the ban would continue until South Korea lifts its “discriminatory entry measures” against China. The announcement covered tourist, business and some other visas.

China economy recovering but hampered by virus outbreaks

BEIJING (AP) — Wang Jian is anxious to get back to work teaching basketball to children now that China has lifted anti-COVID-19 restrictions. But his gym in the eastern city of Shenyang has been closed for a month because all its coaches are infected.

The most optimistic forecasts say China's business and consumer activity might revive as early as the first quarter of this year. But before that happens, entrepreneurs and families face a painful squeeze from a surge in virus cases that has left employers without enough healthy workers and kept wary customers away from shopping malls, restaurants, hair salons and gyms.

“I hope the situation will turn around in March or April with no more COVID shocks,” said Wang, 33, who went without a paycheck for four months when the gym closed during virus outbreaks. “If parents worry about possible reinfection, they simply won’t send their children for training.”

The abrupt decision by President Xi Jinping's government to end controls that shut down factories and kept millions of people at home will move up the timeline for economic recovery, but might disrupt activity this year as businesses scramble to adapt, forecasters say.