Coronavirus: Tokyo 2020 Olympics thrown into more doubt by Canada and Australia stances

A study in Qatar estimates that previous COVID-19 infection imparts 56% protection against future symptomatic infection caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, down from about 90% for other SARS-CoV-2 strains.The study, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medici

COVID-19 update since Sunday, the Saskatchewan government reported 5,401 provincial PCR confirmed cases and 22 new deaths between Jan. 30 and Feb.

Super Bowl this weekend. The DHS said in a bulletin sent to local and state law enforcement agencies that it has received reports that truckers are planning to "potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities" in a protest against vaccine mandates and other issues. DHS said the convoy could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend, possibly disrupting traffic around the Super Bowl, and reach Washington in March in time for the State of the Union, according to a copy of Tuesday’s bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. It said that the protest could be disruptive and tie up traffic but that there have been no calls for violence. Meanwhile, the truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions is tightening the screws on the auto industry, forcing Ford, General Motors and other car companies to shut down plants or otherwise reduce production on both sides of the U.S.

Middlesex-London Health Unit said Thursday that anyone who visits any of its vaccine clinics will be able to choose between the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.However, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada for children aged five to 11 years old. COVID-19 vaccine and booster tracker: How many Canadians are vaccinated? The MLHU’s decision impacts all of the health unit’s mass vaccination clinics, as well as the pop-up vaccination clinics hosted by the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service and the Community Hub COVID-19 vaccination clinics in schools.Since late December, the MLHU had been prioritizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people age 29 and under and providing the Moderna vaccine to clients 30 and over, citing limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine.The health unit is hoping the ability to choose will help increase vaccine availability and uptake, noting that only 51.9 per cent of eligible residents aged 18 and older had received a third dose as of Jan.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in a homicide from January. According to police, the department is working to identify the people responsible for the death of an 18-year-old woman on Jan. 13, 2022.

CULPEPER, Va. - President Joe Biden on Thursday touted how his "Build Back Better" policies would limit the cost of prescription drugs and make life more affordable for U.S. families during an appearance in Virginia.Biden’s visit to the town of Culpeper, Virginia, came on the heels of the release of the U.S.

Boris Johnson ending Covid isolation rules is a "distraction" from the PM's lockdown party scandal, said Professor Devi Sridhar who is a member of the Scottish Government Covid-19 Advisory Group.

2022 Academy Awards are just over a month away and while the night is sure to be unforgettable with surprises and snubs, one thing will not be in the cards: covid-19 vaccinations.Hollywood’s biggest night won’t require COVID-19 vaccinations proof for anyone attending the event.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is only asking for attendees to show a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the ceremony. Nominees, presenters and stars will gather on March 27 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater to celebrate the best and brightest in film.This year’s SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards, on the other hand, will both require vaccinations.A rep for the SAG Awards (to be held on Feb.

The Queen is being monitored despite not showing any COVID-19 symptoms after her son Prince Charles contracted the virus for a second time Thursday.

Middlesex-London Health Unit reported seven deaths and 115 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, compared with three deaths and 189 cases last Thursday.The deaths involved three men and four women ranging in age from their 60s to 90s. Three were associated with long-term care.LHSC, meanwhile, is caring for 91 inpatients with COVID-19, 22 of whom are in adult critical care.As noted, LHSC is caring for 91 COVID-19 inpatients, with 22 inpatients in adult critical care.

NEW CASTLE, Del. - Delaware State Police is investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that took place on Wednesday evening. According to police, the incident happened near Frenchtown Road in the area of Quigley Boulevard around 5:58 p.m. A 21-year-old woman, who has not yet been identified, was walking on the right shoulder of eastbound Rt. 273.

DARBY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Briarcliffe Fire Company has been shut down for at least the next 30 days as Delaware County officials investigate the alleged use of racial slurs on a recent virtual meeting. The fire company, located in Darby Township will not be receiving fire calls during the suspension. The suspension comes after a Jan. 27 virtual meeting between township fire companies and commissioners about a potential consolidation. According to a letter from the Goodwill Fire Company obtained by FOX 29, following the end of the meeting, a group of people remained on the call. The letter says there was then a group of people that could be heard discussing the meeting using foul language, and identifies those involved in the conversation as members of the Briarcliffe Fire Company. The conversation, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, allegedly included racial slurs when discussing members of other fire companies and township residents.One of the Briarcliffe Fire Company members was also accused of making a joke about, Fanta Bility, a young girl who was killed in a shooting in Sharon Hill last fall.Derogatory and otherwise offensive comments were also allegedly made about other township officials.Township officials say the incident is under investigation, and that a criminal referral is expected to be made to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office. MORE HEADLINES:In their letter, the Goodwill Fire Company Board of directors expressed their concern for the fire companies and safety of the community. "This is not appropriate and does not belong in the township," the letter read. Darby Township officials are scheduled to speak on the issue at 2 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly agreed to a trade that would send Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that backup center Andre Drummond will also be heading to Brooklyn as part of the deal, and the 76ers will receive Paul Millsap as part of the deal. Wojnarowski reports that the picks Philadelphia is sending to Brooklyn include an unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a protected 2027 first-round pick.Harden and Simmons have dominated trade deadline headlines in recent weeks as the disgruntled Simmons had yet to suit up for the 76ers this season. Meanwhile the Nets were caught up in the rumor mill as they faced a risk of potentially losing Harden to free agency after the season and losing him for nothing. With Thursday's trade, the Sixers pick up a former league MVP in Harden to pair with MVP candidate Joel Embiid.

Stormont's Minister for Health has said he needs to talk to other ministers before decisions can be taken about further relaxation of Northern Ireland's Covid-19 restrictions.

TOKYO – Tokyo Olympic organizers seem to be leaning away from starting the rescheduled games in the spring of 2021. More and more the signs point toward the summer of 2021.

Tokyo Olympic organizers seem to be leaning away from starting the rescheduled games in the spring of 2021. More and more the signs point toward the summer of 2021.

TOKYO – Tokyo Olympic organizers seem to be leaning away from starting the rescheduled games in the spring of 2021. More and more the signs point toward the summer of 2021.

Some key sponsors of the games -- including General Electric Co. and Procter & Gamble Co. -- have agreements that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2020

GENEVA –

Money talks, which is the short answer for why it took this long for the swells at the International Olympic Committee to listen to reason.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed for one year on March 24, the first such delay in the games’ 124-year modern history, as the COVID-19 pandemic wrecked the world’s last sporting showpiece still standing this year.

Update 3/24/20: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has now confirmed that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until 2021, following a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. "We agreed that a postponement would be the best way to ensure that the athletes are in peak condition when they compete and to guarantee the safety of the spectators," he told reporters, per The Guardian.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee say they have agreed to delay the Tokyo Olympics for one year because of the spread of the coronavirus around the world.

Common sense and perspective has finally prevailed following the decision to postpone this summer's Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee has confirmed the postponement of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games until the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced the change.

Update 3/24/20: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has now confirmed that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until 2021, following a meeting with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. "We agreed that a postponement would be the best way to ensure that the athletes are in peak condition when they compete and to guarantee the safety of the spectators," he told reporters, per The Guardian.

IOC President Thomas Bach has agreed "100 percent" to a proposal of postponing the Tokyo Olympics for about one year until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday.Abe said after his telephone talks with Bach that he requested a postponement "taking into consideration the current circumstances" and to secure an environment in which athletes can perform at their best and crowds can be safe and secure.He added that he hoped to reschedule the Olympics as a proof of human victory over the coronavirus pandemic.Abe held telephone talks with Bach after the IOC said it would make a decision on the Tokyo Games over the next four weeks.Abe said he expects the pandemic to be over by next year and the

TOKYO – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will propose a one-year postponement for the Tokyo Olympics during talks with IOC President Thomas Bach, Japan’s NHK public television reported Tuesday.

TOKYO (AP) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will propose a one-year postponement for the Tokyo Olympics during talks with IOC President Thomas Bach, Japan’s NHK public television reported Tuesday.

Olympic chiefs have taken the decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games, a senior figure claimed last night.

The upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, will not go on as planned, an International Olympic Committee member has revealed to . Dick Pound said that “on the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided.” It’s believed that the global sporting competition will be pushed back to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus outbreak that has affected 195 countries. 

The upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, will not go on as planned, an International Olympic Committee member has revealed to . Dick Pound said that “on the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided.” It’s believed that the global sporting competition will be pushed back to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus outbreak that has affected 195 countries. 

After countless live events, concerts, and television productions have been due to the outbreak, the fate of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has finally been revealed.On Sunday, March 22, President Thomas Bach said he was going to to decide the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin July 24, but had ruled out canceling the games. However, according to , the worldwide competition will be postponed, likely to 2021, with more information to come within the next four weeks.On Monday morning, March 23, the German, Brazil, and Norway Olympic Committees had all publicly urged the IOC to postpone the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee is beginning discussions about postponing the 2020 Olympic Games, set to be held this summer in Tokyo. In a letter to athletes released Sunday by IOC president Thomas Bach, the executive said that the committee was beginning discussions with the Tokyo organizing committee, Japanese authorities, the national Olympic committees and other stakeholders (including, presumably, Olympic sponsors and media partners) about the situation.

TOKYO – The Tokyo Olympics are going to happen — but almost surely in 2021 rather than in four months as planned.

Canada won’t be at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics unless the Games are postponed by a year.

Dina Asher-Smith has reacted with dismay and anger to news that Olympic chiefs have put off a decision on the Tokyo Games for up to a month.

Canadian athletes have mixed feelings about the International Olympic Committee’s four-week deadline to determine the fate of the Tokyo Games.

Olympic chiefs admitted for the first time last night that the Tokyo Games could well be postponed - but promised they would not be cancelled.

LAUSANNE – The IOC will look at postponing the Tokyo Olympics during four weeks of talks announced Sunday amid mounting criticism by athletes and sports officials during the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Olympic Committee is giving itself one month to decide how to proceed with this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

OSLO – The Norwegian Olympic Committee wants the Tokyo Games only to take place once the coronavirus outbreak “is under firm control” worldwide.

TOKYO – The Olympic flame has arrived in Japan from Greece. Next comes the torch relay around the country, which is scheduled to start on Thursday from Fukushima prefecture in northern Japan. Organizers have asked crowds to be restrained, but have been imprecise about what that means. Greek officials last week stopped a relay there on the second day and did not resume because of crowd size.

Despite mounting global efforts to contain the spread of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president Thomas Bach remain steadfast in their determination to host the Tokyo Olympics.