Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Dr. Theresa Tam warns Canada is in a period of pandemic transition that might see further waves of COVID-19 cases this year.
- A Montreal-based research centre estimates there were between 18,000 and 32,000 new COVID-19 infections a day last week in Quebec.
- Opinion: COVID-19 is on the rise again, but politicians are acting like the pandemic is over
In the past seven days, there were 269 deaths announced, up 7 per cent over the same period. At least 4,002 people are being treated in hospitals. 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 • Lockdown rules and reopening
Photo of the day
A sign advising visitors to don face coverings stands outside the main entrance to UCHealth University of Colorado hospital, April 1 in Aurora, Colo.David Zalubowski/The Associated Press
Coronavirus in Canada
- British Columbia is preparing to provide an update Tuesday on potentially making a fourth COVID-19 dose available to vulnerable people in the province.
- COVID-19 hospitalizations are down slightly in Ontario today, to 804 from 807 a day earlier. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care rose by one, to 167.
- Quebec is reporting 17 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus and a 37-patient rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations. A study by Montreal-based research centre CIRANO estimates there were between 18,000 and 32,000 new COVID-19 infections a day last week across the province.
Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said during a briefing today that Canada is observing a steady increase in the BA.2 variant.
- Tam says continuing genomic surveillance will remain crucial for monitoring variants of concern.
- “We anticipate that progress will not be linear, and there will likely be more bumps along the way, including resurgence in cases this spring, and likely also in the fall and winter,” Dr. Tam said
Coronavirus around the world
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it is ending a policy that limited asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- More than a third of high school students surveyed in the United States experienced stress, anxiety or depression, and nearly a fifth said they seriously considered suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported on Thursday.
Coronavirus and business
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, an association of manufacturers and exporters worries the country will fall further behind competitors in peer nations without more support from Ottawa.
- They’re pushing the federal government to add space in next week’s budget to help Canada become more productive, and lay investments to lure new companies as part of a push to simplify pandemic-strained supply chains.
- The manufacturing sector is looking for tax incentives for companies to purchase new machinery, equipment and technology, and expansion of an existing federal fund that would see it provide $2.5-billion annually to support large-scale capital projects.
Also today: Facebook parent company Meta is no longer requiring COVID booster shots for staff in U.S. offices.
And: This investor is betting on Restaurant Brands International’s growth accelerating as economies reopen and the world learns to live with COVID-19.
Globe opinion
- Jillian Horton: We’re ‘empowered’ to make COVID-19 decisions, public health officials say. So why do we feel so powerless?
- The Editorial Board: COVID-19 is on the rise again, but politicians are acting like the pandemic is over
More reporting
- Starting today, vaccinated travellers to Canada don’t need a COVID-19 test
- When will COVID-19 be endemic? The four factors that will shape the virus’s future
- Video: Canada’s chief public health officer warns the country is in a period of pandemic transition that might see further waves of COVID-19 cases this year
- Review: Netflix’s The Bubble is the surprisingly funny COVID comedy only Judd Apatow knew we needed
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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