Good evening, we’re updating the coronavirus newsletter to better reflect the pandemic as it changes. What would you like to see included? Send your thoughts to audience@globeandmail.com
Top headlines:
- Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole criticized the election as unnecessary amid a pandemic. In his opening day remarks he said the vote marks an effort to “confuse and divide people with respect to their health-care decisions”
- Daily rallies mark a new level of frustration with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic
- Nursing school graduates in Quebec are choosing the private sector over working in hospitals after the demanding working conditions during the pandemic prompted them to make difficult decisions
In the past seven days, 10,906 cases were reported, up 30 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 32 deaths announced, down 56 per cent over the same period. At least 502 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,407,756 others are considered recovered.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 9th 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
In the newspaper library of the National University in Bogota today, people wait in a recovery room after receiving their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine as the Colombian government begins the vaccination campaign for people between 20 and 24.LUISA GONZALEZ/Reuters
Coronavirus in Canada
- Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, delayed the closing of testing centres, and said those who test positive for COVID-19 must continue to isolate. But, anti-Kenney protests have created a new political culture in the province.
- In Quebec, unbearable workloads, such as mandatory overtime and cancelled vacations, are pushing nurses and recent grads out of the profession during the pandemic. Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Montreal in protest of the government’s decision to impose a vaccine passport system.
- Many Ontario businesses, especially in the service sector, are now struggling with staff shortages since the move to Step 3 of the reopening plan was made last month. The province is reporting 511 COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths from the virus on Sunday.
- Two universities in Saskatchewan have joined a growing number of postsecondary institutions in the country requiring staff and students to be vaccinated.
Canada will buy another 40 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine over the next two years, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.
- Earlier in the week, Moderna signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal government that will see Canada host Moderna’s first foreign operation.
- Canada already has enough vaccines to fully inoculate all those currently eligible.
Campaign trail: Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole isn’t saying if he’s mandating vaccines for Tory candidates as they get ready to knock on doors while election campaigning.
Election timing: New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau should have focused on pressing issues such as the fourth wave of COVID-19 instead of sending Canadians to the polls.
Jump in the lake: Open-water swimming has enjoyed a boom during the pandemic, with new enthusiasts heading to their local beaches – and learning about related safety and environmental concerns in the process.
Coronavirus and business
Canada’s labour market is complicated: Small-business owners cite labour shortages as the No. 1 factor restraining sales. On the other hand, two million people are jobless and want to work.
- And, the future looks murky; the federal Liberals recently announced a four-week extension to a variety of business and worker supports until late October. And, the country finds itself in the early stages of a fourth pandemic wave, driven by the Delta variant.
And: Has Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee retailer, lost its buzz because of the pandemic?
Also today: With the vast majority of large companies choosing hybrid workplaces, are they just settling?
Globe opinion
- Liz Worth: Tarot isn’t just about the future, but making sense of the present. No wonder the pandemic is bringing it back
- Editorial Board: Canadians didn’t ask for an election. But like the pandemic, here it is
- Brad Wheeler: Hamilton’s Arkells reopen the Toronto concert scene with infectious rock in the best way possible
- The pandemic in review: Artist Sylvia Nickerson imagines the hard year of a health care worker
More reporting
- Proof of vaccination will be required for Canadian travellers on commercial airlines, interprovincial trains and cruise ships
- Driving concerns: When will Ontario start enforcing expired licences and stickers again?
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- Waiting for a second dose? We answer your COVID-19 vaccine questions
- 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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