Expert urge cautions as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted

Canada’s top doctors still recommend wearing a mask — even as provinces ditch mandates  It’s a precarious position to be in for business owners as some may not quite be ready to take masks off. Jennifer Jones, the co-owner of Seagull Classics, says it may be too soon for some customers.“I am a little worried about it,” she says, as her parents were walking around the store. The business has been a staple in the beaches in Toronto for the past 34 years.

As we get ready for the mask mandates to be lifted, not everyone is ready to take them off. Some experts also question if the move is being made too fast for Ontario to lift mask mandates. Frazer Snowdon has more.

Holly Willoughby seems to be feeling a little better after stepping outside for the first time since it was revealed she had caught Covid. The This Morning star had to quit the ITV show this week and also missed hosting last weekend's Dancing on Ice after coming down with the virus and needing to self-isolate.

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Holly Willoughby has taken to Instagram to update her fans on her health after a recent positive Covid test left the star unable to present on ITV.In the serene snap, Holly can be seen relaxing in front of a lush green hedge as she basked in the sunlight. Her signature blonde locks were styled in a loose up do and she sported a bare face as she soaked up the sun.The presenter wore a white bathrobe and cupped her hand round her face as she closed her eyes, enjoying a moment of peace after her recent illness.Holly wrote in the caption: “Just what the doctor ordered,” and signed off with a sun emoji.Fans and friends alike were stunned by Holly’s natural beauty as she enjoyed the rare British sunshine and took to the comments to boost her confidence.Television personality Vanessa Feltz called her “sweetheart” and told the mother-of-three that she was “glad to see her up and about”.One envious fan asked: “Drop the skincare routine now, please.”Another said: “You are naturally beautiful, hope you’re feeling better,” while one kind follower wrote: “Sunshine is good for the soul, have a great weekend and keep on smiling”.Holly had posted hours before as a plug for her new brand Wylde Moon, but her makeup free snap was the first sign of the ITV star all week.Her bout of Covid left the ITV presenter unable to host both her usual slots, This Morning and the Dancing On Ice semi final, alongside her longtime pal Phillip Schofield.Phillip presented the ice-skating competition by himself and posted a sweet message on his Instagram before he was due on air.

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Scotland’s children have started receiving their first Covid jabs as the country continues to battle through the pandemic.

BEIJING (AP) - China's health authorities reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the first since January 2021, as the country battles its worst outbreak in two years driven by a surge in the highly transmissible omicron variant.The deaths, both in northeastern Jilin province, bring the country's coronavirus death toll to 4,638.Both fatalities occurred in elderly patients and were the result of their underlying conditions, Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission, told a news briefing on Saturday. One of them had not been vaccinated for COVID-19, she said.The majority of new 2,157 community transmissions reported Saturday came from Jilin.

Ontario hospital with COVID-19 as the province continues efforts to control the spread of the virus.That’s according to new data, released by the provincial government on Saturday. Studies show mask mandates ‘consistently’ reduce COVID transmission, Ontario science table says The data also said 185 people in Ontario were being treated for COVID-19 in an intensive care unit (ICU).Both the number of people in hospital and ICU dropped on Saturday compared to numbers reported a day earlier.On Friday, the province reported 615 people in hospital with 193 in intensive care.

Friday’s edition of “The View” was a bit out of the ordinary.

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China reported two Covid-19 deaths today, its first in more than a year, underlining the threat posed by an omicron outbreak that has triggered the country's highest case counts since the pandemic's outset.

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby has shared a selfie as she basks in the March sun after she tested positive for Covid-19 last week. The positive test forced the presenter, 41, to pull out of the live semi-final show of Dancing on Ice just hours before it aired as well as her hosting duties on This Morning this week. Mum-of-three Holly took to her Instagram on Saturday to share a selfie in the garden as she took in the spring sun.The blonde beauty went makeup-free with her hair pulled back and she had her eyes closed as she tilted her head towards the sun.

#CovidIsNotOver #covidwave #COVID19nz pic.twitter.com/8orfKHMTwz

Keith Richards has offered his own thoughts on Eric Clapton‘s vocal defiance of coronavirus safety measures.Speaking on Rolling Stone’s Music Now podcast, the Stones legend discussed his past with Clapton and how he felt about vaccination efforts to combat the pandemic.“I just want to get rid of this damn thing, and the only way I can see is everybody does as doctor says,” he said.“I love Eric dearly. I’ve known him since forever and we’ve had ups and downs,” the guitarist added.

CNBC News reported.

active cases shrink to 1,379. So far, 4.24 crore people have recovered from Covid -19 in the country since March 2020 while 5,16,352 have died due to respiratory infection. As many as 3,383 people got recovered from Covid-19 in the past day.

omicron -- few of those infected had been seriously sick since mid-2021. Many who developed severe symptoms survived, even patients above the age of 60 and those with other underlying diseases.

COVID-19 in Alberta, the province’s chief medical officer of health tweeted on Friday afternoon.“My sympathy goes out to all who have lost a loved one,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw tweeted.The total number of COVID-19 fatalities since the virus arrived in the province a little over two years ago is now 4,023.Despite the latest deaths, the number of people with COVID-19 in Alberta hospitals continues to trend downwards.As of Friday afternoon, Alberta Health said there were 966 people with COVID-19 in hospitals, down one from a day earlier.

B.C. health officials have released a written report with daily COVID-19 numbers on Friday, March 18. Legislative bureau chief Keith Baldrey has analysis of the numbers and has details of the BA.2 subvariant associated with Omicron

David Tennant opened the 2022 Red Nose Day fundraiser by giving a special tribute to Zoe Ball who is missing the show due to getting Covid.

A pair of new studies that sized up how COVID-19 vaccines affected hospitalizations, including during the Omicron variant surge, found that mRNA vaccines were highly effective against severe illness and that unvaccinated people were 12 times more likely to be hospitalized compared with those who had received a booster, with the risk especially high in Black patients.

Even when insurance companies waived charges for COVID-19 hospitalizations, 10% of patients still had out-of-pocket costs of $2,000 or more for care that took place in the 6 months after they were released, finds a new study in the American Journal of Managed Care.The same team published a study Feb 14 in JAMA Network O

COVID-19 have died as the number of hospitalizations linked to the virus continued to drop Friday.The latest deaths, reported on the province’s online COVID-19 dashboard, bring Manitoba’s COVID-19 death toll to 1,726. Manitoba goes mask-free, many businesses, people remain cautious The number of people hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 fell to 382 as of Friday morning, 13 fewer than had been reported 24 hours earlier.As of Friday, 13 people are in ICU with the virus, down four from Thursday.Numbers released by the province Thursday show COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped 15.6 per cent from the previous week and ICU admissions linked to the virus were down 68.2 per cent over the previous week.Manitoba lifted all remaining COVID-19 public health orders Tuesday, including a mask mandate that had required face coverings to be worn in public spaces.

Ontario rejects Waterloo board’s request to have mask mandate extended in schools Of the 23 inpatients with COVID-19, 13 are being treated for COVID-19 while 10 are being treated for something other than COVID-19 but were found to have an incidental infection.At least 167 staff cases are currently active at LHSC, unchanged from Thursday but up from 155 on Wednesday.At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, officials reported 64 cases among health-care workers and two cases among patients or residents, both of Parkwood Institute Main Building.

COVID-19 testing requirements for fully-vaccinated people crossing the border from the U.S. to Canada “could be huge” for the city beaten down economically by the pandemic.Jim Diodati says Canada’s number one leisure destination pre-pandemic had been seeing close to 14 million visitors per year which equated to about 50 per cent of revenues for the city and its businesses.However, closures to Niagara’s casinos, hotels, restaurants and general hospitality sector affected close to 32,000 (16 per cent) of residents in the entire region through job losses requiring the provincial government to inject millions in support programs to revitalize tourism in early 2021.

Jesse Espersen fills his SUV with 16.536 gallons of Super+ gas at 7.559 per gallon for a total of 125 dollars at a Mobil station in Los Angeles, CA. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) The national average cost for a gallon of gasoline is likely to continue to fall in the coming weeks, though prices in California will remain elevated due to supply issues, according to an industry expert.As of Thursday, the national average is $4.289 a gallon, down from Wednesday's average of $4.305, according to AAA data.  Gas prices in Westchester are above six dollars as prices at the pump continue to raise across the Southland on Sunday, March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.

COVID-19 data as she has done throughout the pandemic.“With key indicators continuing to improve or remain stable and the majority of public health measures now lifted, today will be the last day I tweet the daily COVID-19 numbers,” Christine Elliott said Friday.She noted that updated data will still be available on the province’s website. Ontario COVID numbers: 615 people in hospital, 193 in intensive care Throughout the pandemic, Elliott would tweet the latest COVID-19 figures daily, providing an update on the epidemiological situation in the province.The province has shifted towards “living with and managing COVID-19,” a plan which includes lifting all public health measures by the end of April.On Monday, the mask mandate will lift for most public settings in the province.With key indicators continuing to improve or remain stable & the majority of public health measures now lifted, today will be the last day I tweet the daily #COVID19 numbers.There are no changes to available data.

Jean Charest says when it comes to lifting federal COVID-19 mandates, leaders should listen to health experts and not replace that advice with their own judgment.Federal Conservatives and their supporters have long been calling for the removal of vaccine mandates for domestic air travellers, public servants and those working in federally regulated industries.Tory MPs say rapid testing should be allowed for those who choose to be unvaccinated. They have dismissed the mandates, announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before last summer’s federal election, as driving division in the country and threatening people’s livelihoods.Recently, Conservatives have pointed to provinces’ choices to drop their vaccine passport rules along with remaining health restrictions, following the Omicron-driven wave of the pandemic when infections soared.

FILE-A Dairy Queen employee displays an ice cream cone at a DQ restaurant in New York. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - With spring days away, Dairy Queen is giving customers a special treat with the return of their popular Free Cone Day giveaway.On Monday, March 21, customers can get a free, small vanilla ice cream cone at Dairy Queen locations nationwide — except locations inside malls. The free cones are limited to one per person while supplies last and may not be valid for delivery or mobile orders. RELATED: Dairy Queen giving away free ice cream on March 20Dairy Queen was among several companies in 2021 that changed or canceled their giveaway events based on the pandemic.

COVID-19 state of emergency on Monday, the rest of the municipalities in Waterloo Region intend to follow suit next week, although the region itself will not be lifting it.“The removal of the emergency declaration is a key milestone for the township, our residents and businesses as we continue forward in our journey to recovery from the pandemic,” North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton said.

COVID-19. Ontario lifts mask mandate in most settings March 21, all directives to drop by April 27 “As we continue on this path, we are able to take a more balanced and longer-term approach to the province’s pandemic response, including in Ontario schools, by removing many of the measures that have been put in place over the past two years.,” the letter reads.“This does not mean COVID-19 has disappeared.”The MOH says students and staff should continue to self-screen while it also has plans to update the screening tool.It also says it will continue to provide masks for both students and teachers should they wish to continue wearing them while those who are more at risk should be made aware of new anti-viral options.The letter also notes that good hygiene should be promoted and that there are increased cleaning measures in place.The letter from the province describes its prevention and response measures as being “robust”.“There remain circumstances where masking is recommended or required, and it will be important to foster an environment that is kind considerate and inclusive for those who choose to continue to wear a mask,” the letter reads.

NEW DELHI :

COVID-19 as hospital numbers continued to fall Friday.There was a total of 1,021 pandemic-related hospitalizations, a decrease of 13. This comes after 76 patients were admitted in the past day, while 89 were discharged.There were 45 intensive care unit cases, a drop of five.The province added 1,170 new novel coronavirus cases, though health authorities say the daily tally doesn’t represent the current situation since access to government-run screening sites remains limited.

Scientists have sounded the alarm on Long Covid's impact on concentration and memory.

COVID on Friday, with 193 in intensive care units, as figures continue to trend downward.This is down by 29 for hospitalizations and a decrease of six in ICUs since the previous day. Last Friday, there were 717 hospitalizations with 238 in ICU.The province recently began distinguishing between those who were admitted to hospital directly because of COVID, and those who were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for the virus.Of the 615 people in hospital with COVID-19, 44.5 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 55.5 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.Of the 193 people in ICUs with the virus, 79 per cent were admitted because of COVID, while 21 per cent were admitted for other reasons.

GENEVA :

COVID-19 health restrictions lifting, many Canadians are finally able to envision a return to normal life. But, as they face burnout, staff shortages and daunting procedural backlogs, some health workers say it isn’t so easy to move on.

After nearly a month of decline, COVID-19 infections around the world have started to creep up again. New cases have shot up by eight per cent globally compared to the previous week, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, experts are not sure Canada will see another wave even with loosened public health measures.

Coronavirus infections have continued to increase in England, Wales and Scotland, though the trend is “uncertain” in Northern Ireland, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In England, around one in 20 people in private households are estimated to have had the virus in the week to March 12, or 2.7 million people – up from one in 25, or 2.1 million people, in the week to March 5.

UN News, “So, the idea that ‘we are through with it’ in the northern hemisphere and now we have to wait until next winter, I think (for example) when we look at increasing rates in the UK, we need to be very vigilant and cautious with this."

TV presenter Zoe Ball has revealed she’s been forced to pull out of tonight’s Comic Relief after testing positive for Covid-19.The 51 year old radio DJ took to Instagram to announce the sad news, as she shared that Alesha Dixon would be standing in for her on the big night. Alongside a snap of a positive test, former Strictly It Takes Two host Zoe wrote: “pook ! fell at last hurdle and have had positive lat flows this am- noooooooo.” She continued to her 600,000 followers: “Gorgeous @aleshaofficial is going to work the double shift tonight on @ComicRelief, i owe you lady love.” Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter The mum of two then gave a special shout out to the rest of the Comic Relief team who will be entertaining viewers.

All travel rules have been axed in Scotland and across the UK in a major moment for the travel industry.

WASHINGTON (AP) - With the nation yearning for a new normal after its long struggle with the coronavirus, U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra warned Thursday that vaccines, tests and treatments will be "stuck on the ground" unless Congress provides the additional funds the White House has demanded."We have reached a pivot point," Becerra said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Moderna has sought emergency use authorisation from US health regulators for a second Covid-19 booster shot, as a surge in cases in some parts of the world fuels fears of another wave of the pandemic.

Central government also asked states and UTs to send adequate numbers of samples to INSACOG to ensure timely detection of new variants while maintaining adequate testing as per the protocols for testing laid by ICMR.