Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- Two of Ontario’s party leaders have tested positive while on the campaign trail, throwing a wrench in their plans and showing the challenges COVID-19 still poses.
- The WHO is reporting that globally, deaths from the virus are down, but cases are on the rise.
- Politicians aren’t taking the low-cost, pro-active measures needed to minimize the impact of the next wave. The Globe’s editorial board asks: Why not?
In the past seven days, there were 382 deaths from COVID-19 nationally, down 20 per cent over the same period. At least 5,058 people are being treated in hospitals and 358 are in the ICU.
Canada’s inoculation rate is ninth 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
- On the Ontario election campaign trail, both NDP leader Andrea Horwath and Green Party leader Mike Schreiner tested positive for COVID-19, just days after debating the other two party leaders in person.
- In Quebec, the coroner spoke out for the first time since a report was released regarding the 47 deaths at a long-term care home during the early days of the pandemic, saying blame could be shared by many parties.
- Nova Scotia is lifting its mask mandate for public schools next week, citing improving data on the number of new COVID-19 cases in the province.
- The CDC in the U.S. said reports of myocarditis linked to COVID-19 vaccines were found to be much lower in five- to 11-year-old boys than in adolescents and young men.
- In its weekly analysis, the WHO reported a decrease in deaths from the virus, but an increase in cases worldwide.
Pandemic recovery
- One food trend that’s come from the extra time in nature thanks to the pandemic? Foraging for wild plants.
- Meanwhile, real estate agents have continued to see people selling their city homes and opting for something larger in the country.
Globe opinion
- Editorial board: Another wave of COVID-19 is coming this year. Why isn’t Canada preparing to beat it?
More reading
Germany’s highest court approved rules requiring health workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Thursday, solidifying a limited mandate that came into effect in mid-March. While there was public opposition to the law, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach welcomed the ruling, saying that “the state is obliged to protect vulnerable groups.”
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
- Wastewater is filling the COVID-19 data gap
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