Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Dr. Theresa Tam offered some recommendations for Canadians to figure out how risky situations are, now that many provincial and local governments have dropped mask mandates and other health protections.
- Returning to the office might seem daunting – until you remember all the people you used to enjoy seeing every day, and now get to see again.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested positive for COVID-19, a day after attending an unmasked White House event with President Biden.
There were 287 deaths announced in the past seven days, up 10 per cent over the same period. At least 4,729 people are being treated in hospitals.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 15th 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
A man holds a sign reading 'No to mandatory vaccination' near Germany's lower house of parliament, on the day the Bundestag is set to vote on a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the general population, in Berlin, Germany, on April 7.LISI NIESNER/Reuters
Coronavirus in Canada
- One of Ontario’s top science advisors recommended people in the province wear mask indoors for the next few weeks to help ease the “tidal wave” of cases currently in the province. The government maintains this isn’t necessary, as an increase in cases was expected.
- Quebec saw a slight increase in hospitalized patients and slight drop in ICU patients, as well 28 more deaths from COVID-19.
- In Nova Scotia, there’s been a jump in cases and hospitalizations, as the province confirmed they’ll soon be making a second booster shot of the vaccine available for those 70 and older.
- The B.C. government will now be providing COVID-19 updates on a weekly rather than daily basis. Meanwhile, public-health efforts to prioritize vaccinating drug users in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside were generally successful, a new study finds, though the at-risk group still lagged behind the rates of the general B.C. population.
- Alberta health officials are cautioning that COVID-19 transmission appears to be on the rise. But the health minister says the province is not considering more public health measures because hospitalizations are not expected to reach levels that would put further stress on the health-care system.
- Saskatchewan’s chief medical officer says the province is experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 that is likely to last until mid-May or early June before cases start to level off.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam had advice for how Canadians can assess their personal COVID-19 risk now that many governments have dropped their health protections.
- “Is it outside? Is it inside? Is it crowded? Who am I going to be with?” are the starting questions. But other recommendations will sound familiar: Masks. Vaccination. Staying home when sick. Online tools. And of course, wastewater data.
Rapid tests: Experts say rapid tests are an easy and convenient way to help Canadians make better choices about their health and the safety of others, but be cautious about false negatives.
Boosters: A look at who is eligible for second boosters across the country.
Coronavirus around the world
- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID-19, a day after appearing unmasked at a White House event with President Joe Biden.
- Under-counting of COVID-19 cases has been happening across the globe, says the WHO, but in African countries, the number is approximately 97 times more than reported confirmed cases, with over two-thirds of Africans infected since the pandemic began.
Coronavirus and business
Returning to the office has begun in earnest, and with it, the reminders of the small joys that come from seeing the people who you used to interact with all the time, but have missed over the last two years.
- In Halifax, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto, The Globe got a chance to speak to people in their respective cities about the relationships they’ve recently re-established.
Globe opinion
- Globe editorial board: “What’s the best way to beat the latest wave of COVID: action, or wishful thinking?”
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- Where do I book a COVID-19 booster or a vaccine appointment for my kids? Latest rules by province
- 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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