Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- Antiviral drug could be an effective COVID-19 treatment for high-risk patients, study shows
- Health care workers on Vancouver Island advised not to test themselves for COVID
- U.S. House votes to end foreign air traveller COVID vaccine requirement
An increasing number of health agencies have changed how they're reporting data on the coronavirus. A look at the current numbers in Canada for reported cases, deaths from COVID-19 and for hospitalizations can be found here.
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
- A new study has found that a single-shot antiviral drug, called pegylated interferon lambda, could be an effective treatment for COVID-19, particularly for high-risk patients. Results of the phase 3 clinical trial, published on Wednesday, showed that COVID patients who received the drug were half as likely to be admitted to hospital.
- The Vancouver Island Health Authority is advising its health care workers not to test themselves for COVID-19 unless they are at heightened risk for the illness.
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Pandemic recovery
- The federal government is offering premiers $46.2-billion in new health care funding over 10 years, a figure that is significantly less than what they had demanded, but which they appeared resigned to accepting. Premiers have requested increased funding since 2020, as health systems buckled under the strain of the pandemic.
- The U.S. House of Representatives voted to end a requirement that most foreign air travellers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the country’s few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place.
- Canada Goose cuts annual forecasts after a spike in COVID-19 cases in China dulled store traffic. Luxury goods companies in China have suffered from intermittent lockdowns, but Canada Goose said Beijing’s decision to dismantle its zero-COVID policy late last year only added to the company’s headaches.
- The Quebec government says it’s looking to find a buyer for Medicago, the Quebec-based COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer that will be shut down by parent company Mitsubishi Chemical. Medicago’s Covifenz vaccine is plant-based and was approved by Health Canada one year ago for adults aged 18 to 64.
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Globe opinion
Marcus Gee: How misinformation can kill you
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More reading
- A report from British Columbia’s coroner says a prominent anti-vaccine and COVID critic died in 2021 of a drug overdose, although he also tested positive for the illness post-mortem.
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- When will COVID-19 be endemic? The four factors that will shape the virus’s future
- Wastewater is filling the COVID-19 data gap
Thank you for subscribing to our Coronavirus Update Newsletter. As the pandemic eases, we plan to wind this down and eventually cease sending, but have many other newsletters to keep you informed, including Globe Climate, Carrick on Money and Breaking News.
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