Ottawa, July 21 (IANS) The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed a total of 604 cases of monkeypox in the country as of Wednesday.
The cases included 320 from Quebec, 230 from Ontario, 40 from British Columbia, 12 from Alberta and two from Saskatchewan, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Canadian federal government said on Wednesday that it will fund to support community-based organisations in addressing monkeypox.
According to the PHAC, provinces and territories are reviewing case data in their jurisdictions, and those meeting the case definition will be reported to the PHAC to be included in the national investigation.
The National Microbiology Laboratory is performing diagnostic testing for the virus that causes monkeypox. In addition, the laboratory is conducting whole genome sequencing, an enhanced fingerprint analysis, on Canadian samples of monkeypox, the PHAC said.
Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis that may cause infections in humans and the disease usually occurs in forested parts of Central and West Africa. It is caused by the monkeypox virus which belongs to the orthopoxvirus family, according to the World Health Organization.
At approximately 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1, a Burnaby RCMP officer was seated in his parked police vehicle when he was approached by a teen making offensive gestures directed towards the officer. The suspect did this repeatedly, in a blatant attempt to engage with the officer.
Pipers across Canada and the Commonwealth will play a tune composed for the occasion, while communities in every province are celebrating with events such as street parties, the unveiling of commemorative gardens and even Jubilee puppet shows.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has criticized the government for not acting on those promises sooner, as thousands of Ukrainians — some without a previously arranged place to stay or much money — have already arrived in the country.
As property sales continue to fall in the Fraser Valley and active listings continue to grow, the region is edging towards more balanced levels not seen since the pre-pandemic period.
The extension of the measures was met with pushback from industry groups contending that the public health requirements could hamstring Canadian tourism during the important summer season.
The session also saw the legislature return to its pre-COVID-19 operations of face-to-face interactions after two years of virtual news conferences and hybrid sittings.
