Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- Data collection might be common online, but parents wouldn’t have expected that to be the case for the technology used for online schooling during lockdown. But a new report shared with The Globe and Mail shows that’s just what happened
- Pfizer plans to sell patented medicines, including COVID-19 treatments, to 45 of the world’s poorest countries at a not-for-profit price
- New research on long COVID-19 shows the risk for older adults is far greater, and can happen even after a breakthrough infection for vaccinated people
In the past seven days, there were 300 deaths from COVID-19 nationally, down 25 per cent over the same period. At least 4,520 people are being treated in hospitals and 327 are in the ICU.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 14th 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
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
- When governments made the abrupt switch to online learning during the pandemic, millions of students in Canada and around the world had their personal information sent to advertisers and data brokers, a new report reveals.
- Two new reports on long COVID are demonstrating the potential harm of the virus, long after people have stopped testing positive. A report from the CDC found that up to a year after an initial coronavirus infection, 1 in 4 adults aged 65 and older had at least one potential long COVID health problem, compared with 1 in 5 younger adults.
- Apple is anticipating the manufacturing schedule and initial production volumes of its new iPhones will be hurt by the lockdowns in China.
Pandemic recovery
- In Davos, pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced it will be making all of its patented medicines available at a not-for-profit price to 45 of the world’s poorest countries. The deal will include medicines and vaccines that treat infectious diseases, certain cancers, and rare and inflammatory diseases, including COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid.
- Saskatchewan has reached a $32-million agreement on long-term care with the federal government, one that Trudeau said will improve care for seniors by screening of staff, making dining areas safer and increasing cleaning and housekeeping.
More reading
An internal investigation into U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson found widespread drinking, violations of COVID-19 restrictions and abuse of cleaning staff at Downing Street, for which he apologized on Wednesday. “I am humbled and I have learned,” he told the House of Commons. “I also want to say above all that I take full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch.”
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
- Waste water is filling the COVID-19 data gap
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