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Top headlines:
- As provinces lift COVID-19 restrictions, vulnerable people worry about their safety
- Ontario will lift mask mandates by end of March if COVID-19 keeps declining, says province’s chief medical officer
- Industry groups demand end to COVID-19 travel testing as eased restrictions take effect
In the past seven days, 39,840 cases were reported, down 6 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 474 deaths announced, up 7 per cent over the same period. At least 4,601 people are being treated in hospitals.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 13th among countries with a population of one million or more people.
Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.
Coronavirus explainers: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Tracking vaccine doses • Lockdown rules and reopening
Photo of the day
Children wear masks and cooling packs as they arrive at the Accident and Emergency department during a coronavirus disease outbreak in Hong Kong on March 3.TYRONE SIU/Reuters
Coronavirus in Canada
- In Quebec, wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 will become a matter of personal choice rather than an obligation as soon as mid-April, the province’s interim public health director said. And life in long-term care homes is slowly returning to normal for residents, despite the continued presence of COVID-19.
- Ontario’s chief medical officer announced today that mask mandates will be removed by the end of March, as long as positive public health trends continue. Dr. Kieran Moore also acknowledged there may be more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases per day in the province. Ontario is reporting 834 people in hospital with COVID-19 and 267 in intensive care.
As pandemic restrictions ease across Canada, families with immunocompromised members worry about their safety.
- Doctors are urging the public not to forget those who are most at risk, such as the millions of Canadians who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed. According to Statistics Canada data, one in seven Canadians aged 15 and over have a compromised immune system.
- But two years in, it may be harder than ever to convince large numbers of people to continue to make sacrifices for the well-being of others. “There is compassion fatigue,” says Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, a family physician in Ottawa. “Even the people who are compassionate are exhausted and feeling pretty demoralized at this point.”
GiveSendGo: The co-founder of the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo, which organizers of the trucker convoy protests used for fundraising, said today he believes the Ottawa protests were largely “peaceful.”
Coronavirus around the world
- Hong Kong’s subway operator, bus and ferry companies, and one of its biggest supermarket chains are cutting back services due to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak that has seen daily infections explode this year.
- Today the European Medicines Agency authorized Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for children aged six to 11, and recommended booster shots of Pfizer’s vaccine for those aged 12 and over.
Coronavirus and business
The travel industry is again calling on Ottawa to end all COVID-19 border testing requirements as the travel sector struggles to recover two years into the pandemic.
- “Fully vaccinated Canadians and inbound visitors should no longer be subject to out-of-pocket testing expenses and outdated measures when returning home,” WestJet communications vice-president Richard Bartrem said.
Also today: SNC-Lavalin reports higher than expected fourth-quarter losses amid fallout from COVID-19 pandemic
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- Where do I book a COVID-19 booster or a vaccine appointment for my kids? Latest rules by province
- What is and isn't 'paid sick leave' in Canada? A short primer
- Got a vaccine 'hangover'? Here's why
Sources: Canada data are compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins University and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data are from Johns Hopkins.
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