By Canadian Press

Trudeau and Tam to hold first federal update on COVID-19 of the new year

Jan 5, 2022 | 9:32 AM

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam will join Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this morning for the first federal COVID-19 update of the new year.

The update follows Trudeau’s phone call yesterday with B.C. Premier and Council of the Federation chair John Horgan, where the prime minister said he would hold a call with the premiers next week to discuss how governments are keeping citizens safe.

The surge in cases brought on by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced multiple provinces to postpone non-urgent surgeries, reduce access to COVID tests and delay the return to in-person learning for students.

Trudeau’s office says he and Horgan also discussed the Canada Health Transfer, and agreed to continue discussions with all provincial and territorial governments to ensure Canadians are supported by effective health-care systems.

Trudeau repeated his call for Canadians to get vaccinated against the virus as he received a booster shot at an Ottawa pharmacy Tuesday.  

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Quebecers 55 and over became eligible to book appointments for a third dose on Tuesday, while Saskatchewan announced it will open up fourth doses to people who are immunocompromised, provided it has been three months since their third shot.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2022. 

The Canadian Press