Coronavirus Update: Injunction to clear Ambassador bridge blockade granted

Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency and the Ontario Superior Court has instructed anti-vaccine-mandate protestors blocking the ambassador bridge to clear out
2. The global trade system had never contended with anything quite like the coronavirus, and many companies anticipate business won’t be back to normal until 2024
3. How some COVID-19 issues are eerily similar to Quebec’s 1885 battle with smallpox

In the past seven days, 70,476 cases were reported, down 26 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 834 deaths announced, down 18 per cent over the same period. At least 7,497 people are being treated in hospitals.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 13th among countries with a population of one million or more people.

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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

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario is reporting 1,829 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and 435 in the ICU, down from 1,897 and 445 yesterday. There were 50 additional deaths linked to the virus.
• In Quebec, there was a big drop in hospitalizations, with 98 fewer people in hospital with COVID-19. The province also reported 39 new deaths. Elsewhere, Eric Andrew-Gee writes about the eerie similarities between COVID-19 and Quebec’s 1885 battle with smallpox.
• A child under the age of 12 has died from COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. “Today’s death continues to highlight the seriousness of a disease that knows no bounds and the importance of getting vaccinated to protect yourself and those around you,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health.
• With many of Alberta’s public health restrictions around the coronavirus ending this week and next, public health officials have called the plan “reckless” and say they’re worried decisions are being driven by politics instead of evidence-based data.

In Ottawa, with pressure building from various factions to loosen restrictions for travellers, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the government is reviewing the rules and expects to announce changes next week.

• In other news, Elton John’s farewell tour dates in Montreal and Toronto for March have been cancelled, with the artist expressing “great regret.” Canadian shows taking place later in the year remain on his website.

Coronavirus around the world

• In a new report, the CDC noted waning effectiveness of booster shots for COVID-19, with the vaccine preventing hospitalizations in a majority of cases, but losing potency after four months.
• There was another delay in the rollout of vaccines for kids under age five, with the FDA saying they needed to wait for more data from Pfizer.
• The European Medicines Agency is looking into the effect of mRNA vaccines on menstrual disorders, with women reporting both heavier periods and the absence of menstruation altogether after getting the shots.

Coronavirus and business

Many companies are anticipating that due to the supply chain clogs created by the pandemic, business won’t be back to normal until 2024.

• The challenges started in 2020, when companies cancelled production plans for the following year. Issues were compounded by staff shortages and factory shutdowns.
• For consumers, it might mean things are permanently changed in terms of pre-pandemic availability of goods. Jens Bjorn Andersen, chief executive of transport and logistics group DSV, said the dislocation had been so complete that, whatever emerges, the sector will not look the same as it did before COVID-19.

Also today: U.S. CPI jumped 7.5% in January – the fastest pace since 1982. How should the U.S. tackle the inflation crisis?

And: The pandemic has prompted some Canadians to buy homes in Nova Scotia without ever having set foot in them.

Globe opinion

• Cathal Kelly: “Over the past few decades, we’ve invented all sorts of tourism. But adding the pandemic, the Olympics and China together has invented a new one – anti-tourism.”
• Mark D. Wiseman: “As we work to move beyond the effects of COVID-19 let’s use the momentum to be forward-focused – and to facilitate expert collaboration so that we don’t make the same mistakes.”

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More reporting

• A nasal spray treatment for COVID-19 that was developed in British Columbia has been approved for sale in India, where it could be shipped to pharmacies as early as Friday – though the product has so far received limited support in its home country.
• How has COVID-19 affected dating? Stacey Lee Kong takes a look at all the trends that have emerged over the past two years as Valentine’s Day creeps up on us once again.

Information centre

• N95, medical or cloth face masks: Which is best against the Omicron COVID-19 variant? Canada’s latest guidance explained
• Everything you need to know about the Omicron COVID-19 variant
• 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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