A man gets off a COVID-19 vaccination bus in Riga, Latvia, on Thursday, when a new one-month lockdown kicked in affecting nonessential business and services. Latvia has seen 1,406 infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days, among the most in the world, with 51 per cent of the country's population vaccinated at this point. (Gints Ivuskans/AFP/Getty Images)

Trudeau 'confident' other countries will accept Canadian traveller proof of vaccination

The federal government announced Thursday that Canadians should use their provincial or territorial proof-of-vaccination documentation to travel internationally.

The standardized COVID-19 proof of vaccination includes the holder's name and date of birth, the number of doses received, the type of vaccine, lot numbers, dates of vaccination and a QR code that includes the vaccination history. Canadians can also request the proof by mail.

Fully vaccinated residents can download a QR code built to the SMART Health Card standard, which includes the Government of Canada "wordmark" or logo. The SMART Health Card standard is a set of guidelines, approved by the International Organization for Standardization and endorsed by Canada, to store health information and is used by a number of tech companies, including Apple.

Officials told CBC News that they considered other options, including federally issued credentials, but decided that would have "limited value" given that provinces and territories administered the shots and held the data.  

They also said the global health travel advisories will soon adopt a destination-based approach, so that Canadians can better prepare travel plans.

Ultimately, it will be up to foreign governments to decide whether to admit Canadians who travel outside the country.

"We are very confident this proof-of-vaccination certificate that will be federally approved, issued by the provinces with the health information for Canadians, is going to be accepted at destinations worldwide," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference.

The standardized proof of vaccination can also be used when the requirement for proof of vaccination to travel domestically kicks in at the end of the month, although travellers can continue to use their old provincial proof of vaccination if their province is not yet issuing the standardized credentials.

Meanwhile, Canada will receive enough vaccine from Pfizer for all children aged five to 11 to get a first dose once Health Canada approves it for that age group, according to Trudeau. 

The prime minister didn't specify when the 2.9 million doses would arrive in Canada, but promised it would be "as soon as possible" after the approval is granted.

Pfizer-BioNTech submitted preliminary data on the kids' vaccine to Health Canada in early October but only formally asked the agency to approve it this week. For children between the ages of five and 11 in the trial, the company used doses that are one-third the amount given to adults now.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam has said that there are indications that the product for children is "a next-generation formulation," meaning the existing stock of vials being administered to those 12 and above may not suffice.

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IN BRIEF

Emotional Sask. chief medical health officer pleads while presenting COVID-19 modelling

Dr. Saqib Shahab broke down Wednesday during a COVID-19 media teleconference when discussing new modelling for Saskatchewan, with the province's chief medical health officer pleading with residents to just hold the fort a little while longer in doing everything they can to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The modelling — released by the government shortly before the news conference — suggests that even if booster shots are made available to more people, if current behaviour persists, the number of Saskatchewan COVID-19 patients in ICUs could reach well beyond 200 by Jan. 1. Saskatchewan normally has 79 available ICU beds in total. 

"We've always worked hard and we've pulled together and it's been a divisive time many times," he said, his voice breaking. "In the past, there's [been a] mention that: 'Dr. Shahab just pleads to the public and he doesn't direct an order,' but I have no shame in pleading to the public.

"It is very distressing to see unvaccinated, young, healthy people ending up in ICU and dying," he added. "I'm watching this from a distance, but the pressure this puts.… We talk about doctor burnout. To see young lives lost to a vaccine preventable disease — how can we accept this?"

Shahab cautioned in particular against holding large Halloween parties in the days ahead.

Earlier in the news conference, Shahab was asked if he had recommended gathering limits prior to Thanksgiving to the Saskatchewan government, but he declined to answer specifically.   

"From my side, all options are presented to government and it is up to government to accept options that they think are appropriate for that point in time. But again, my preference is that we be proactive rather than reactive," Shahab said.

The president of the Canadian Medical Association, who is from northern Saskatchewan, said in a statement Thursday the province should employ circuit-breaker measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

As the fourth wave of the pandemic in Saskatchewan continues, the province surpassed Ontario in per capita COVID-19-related deaths this week. The province has recorded 67.2 deaths per 100,000 people since the pandemic began, according to data from the federal government.

That leaves Saskatchewan's rate a shade below Alberta. There is a significant gap between the two Prairie provinces and the provinces with the highest rates, Quebec and Manitoba.

Meanwhile, there is some degree of confusion as to the potential transfer of patients out of province, as well as to when a large supply of rapid antigen tests will become available.

Saskatchewan reported  245 new cases and 500 recoveries on Wednesday. A total of 322 people are being treated in hospital for COVID-19 illness, with 82 in intensive care, while the death toll increased by five to 793 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

World roundup: WHO keeps up pressure on G20 countries to share vaccines, plus developments in U.S., Ukraine, Poland

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was consulting an expert panel Thursday to finalize its official recommendations on boosters and mixing of vaccine doses.

That's occurring a day after the Food and Drug Administration recommended booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. And for the first time, a federal government agency said Americans can choose a different shot from their original inoculation as a booster, a practice followed in Canada and select other Western countries.

Specifically, the FDA authorized a third Moderna shot for seniors and others at high risk from COVID-19 because of their health problems, jobs or living conditions — six months after their last shot. One big change: Moderna’s booster will be half the dose that’s used for the first two shots, based on company data showing that was plenty to rev up immunity again.
 
The agency also recommended that everyone who’d gotten the single-shot J&J vaccine — some 15 million Americans — get a booster at least two months after the initial dose since it has consistently shown lower protection than its two-shot rivals.

As for mixing and matching, the FDA said it’s OK to use any brand for the booster regardless of which vaccination people got first. The interchangeability of the shots is expected to speed the booster campaign, particularly in nursing homes and other institutional settings where residents have received different shots over time.

The guidance on mixing was influenced in part by a study that showed recipients of the single-dose J&J vaccination had a far bigger response if they got a full-strength Moderna booster or a Pfizer booster rather than a second J&J shot.  

The agency previously authorized boosters of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech SE at least six months after the first round of shots to increase protection for people aged 65 and older, those at risk of severe disease and those who are exposed to the virus through their work.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday called on the world's 20 richest countries next week at their planned summit to step up donations of COVID-19 doses to the global south where vaccinations lag.
 
Gordon Brown, WHO ambassador for global health financing, said that if the world's richest countries cannot mobilize for a vaccine airlift to developing countries, an epidemiological and economic "dereliction of duty will shame us all."
 
There is still a shortfall of 500 million vaccine doses to reach WHO's 40 per cent vaccination target in all countries by year-end, while 240 million doses are lying unused in the West, said Brown, a former prime minister of Britain.

WHO officials also expressed concern about eastern Europe, where several countries are dealing with problematic waves. In Ukraine, long lines were seen Thursday at COVID-19 vaccination clinics after a surge in daily cases and related deaths past previous highs led authorities to tighten pandemic restrictions.
 
Some 22,415 new infections were registered over the 24 hours to Thursday, exceeding the previous record of 20,341 on April 3. Health Ministry data also showed there were 546 new deaths, more than the Oct. 19 high of 538.

In a country of 41 million, government data shows around 8.4 Ukrainians have received a first shot, while 6.7 million are fully vaccinated.

In Poland, the country of around 38 million people reported 5,559 new coronavirus infections and 75 deaths on Wednesday, when the country's health minister said restrictions were likely coming, citing a near-doubling of cases from the previous week.

Stay informed with the latest COVID-19 data.

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(With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press, Reuters)