Ottawa, Oct 6 (IANS) Canada has confirmed 1,406 cases of monkeypox, including 38 hospitalisations, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.
Of the confirmed cases, 674 are from Ontario, 521 from Quebec, 162 from British Columbia, 41 from Alberta, three from Saskatchewan, two from the Yukon and one each from Nova Scotia, Manitoba and New Brunswick, the health agency added on Wednesday.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunisation (NACI) recommended in an updated guidance document that those at highest risk should receive the two doses "when vaccine supply is adequate".
The rollout of second doses in Canada is starting this week. The second dose, only for people who do not have symptoms, can be administered 28 days after the first, Xinhua news agency reported.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that can spread from person to person through close contact with an infected person, including through hugs, kisses, massages or sexual intercourse, according to experts.
Shortly before 9 a.m. on Wednesday frontline Richmond RCMP officers responded to the area of No. 1 Road and Tucker Avenue after reports of an 11-year old boy being struck. The boy was pushing his bicycle in a marked pedestrian crosswalk and struck by a gray minivan. This minivan then proceeded to sideswipe another vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Environment Canada says 11 daily maximum temperature records were set Wednesday across parts of Vancouver Island, the central coast, southern Interior and southeastern B.C. At 26.9 C, the Pemberton area broke a record that has stood since 1908.
The premier says the leaders expect to sign a memorandum agreement on climate approaches for the region. Horgan says B.C. and the U.S. West Coast states are facing similar climate-related issues, including wildfires, weather events and wild salmon declines, and the jurisdictions are looking for ways to work together.
On Tueaday a series of vehicle owners contacted the Port Moody Police Department reporting that their tires had been slashed overnight sometime between October 3 at 9 p.m. and October 4 at 9 a.m. These incidents occurred on View Street and Highview Place and are all believed to be connected.
B.C. Premier John Horgan says the New Democrat government's crime-fighting agenda involves more than increasing arrests of alleged violent offenders. Horgan says he agrees with Attorney General Murray Rankin who told the legislature on Tuesday that a focus on more arrests of prolific offenders to curb crime would be "futile."
Gasoline prices in Canada continue to creep higher ahead of the Thanksgiving long weekend. And while the price of crude oil slumped in September, with the international benchmark Brent sagging as low as US$84 in recent days after spending most of the summer months over $100 per barrel, it jumped on Wednesday after the OPEC Plus alliance of oil-exporting countries decided to sharply cut production.
