Coronavirus Update: Police make arrests in Ottawa as convoy protesters ignore orders to leave

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

Top headlines:

1. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said financial institutions have started freezing bank accounts belonging to protesters involved in blockades, based on information provided by the RCMP, while police have started making arrests in Ottawa.
2. Health Canada approved a new vaccine, Nuvaxovid, making it the fifth COVID-19 vaccine in Canada’s arsenal. Medical experts are hopeful it could win over vaccine-hesitant people.
3. British Columbia’s long-term care facilities saw a spike in the use of anti-psychotic medications during the first year of the pandemic as residents were heavily restricted in their ability to enjoy regular daily routines.

In the past seven days, 56,401 cases were reported, down 24 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 694 deaths announced, down 18 per cent over the same period. At least 6,364 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

• Capacity limits are lifting in Ontario restaurants, gyms and cinemas where patrons must be screened for vaccines, and sports arenas and theatres can be filled up to half capacity. There are 1,342 people with COVID-19 in hospital in the province, and 356 in ICU, down from 1,403 and 364 last week. Thirty-six deaths are being reported due to the coronavirus. In Windsor, the mayor received a bomb threat over COVID-19 measures. Across the province, many hospitals will be keeping mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for staff and some visitors.
• Quebec’s Health Department says there are 1,902 people in hospital with COVID-19, after 120 patients were admitted in the past 24 hours and 213 were discharged. The province is also reporting 22 deaths due to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the number of unfilled jobs in Quebec continues to balloon, especially in industries that had significant public health restrictions during the pandemic, like hospitality, food service and retail.
• In Alberta, many health restrictions were lifted this week, including eliminating the face mask requirement for kids 12 and under in school. The health minister says hospitalizations started dropping two weeks ago and have continued their downward trend, but certain populations, including First Nations, believe the decision to change course was premature. Meanwhile, the world juniors men’s tournament that started in the province in December, but was postponed due to COVID-19 after four days, has been rescheduled for the summer.

In Ottawa, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said financial institutions have started freezing bank accounts belonging to protesters involved in blockades based on information provided by the RCMP.

• Freeland’s comments follow the RCMP sending letters Wednesday to financial institutions with a list of names that included protest organizers and to cryptocurrency exchanges with digital wallet addresses, encouraging them to cease transacting with them.
• She also said crowdfunding platforms and payments providers have started the process to register with Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), the country’s anti-money laundering intelligence agency, as required by the emergency order.

Emergencies Act: During debate in the House of Commons Thursday, Trudeau said using the emergencies law was a measure of last resort to bring an end to the illegal and undemocratic blockades that had harmed Canadians for nearly three weeks. Hours later, the federal government was told it would face court action over its decision, as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association announced it was seeking a judicial review of the government’s invocation of the act.

Canada: Unvaccinated truckers bringing COVID-19 vaccines, medical devices into Canada are exempt from border rules, Health Canada says.

Coronavirus around the world

• Despite the Olympics taking place outside their doors, many people in and near Beijing are watching the Games the same way most of the world is – on their phones.
• Moderna Inc. applied for patents in South Africa relating to its COVID-19 vaccine, spurring worry that the company could eventually seek to prevent a new African vaccine manufacturing hub from making its own version of the mRNA shot.

Coronavirus and business

DoorDash’s estimates for quarterly revenue solidified its position as a pandemic darling, indicating that people’s taste for delivery has not waned alongside increasingly opened-up cities.

• Other pandemic winners, like gaming company Roblox and e-commerce firm Shopify Inc., have come under pressure this week on disappointing forecasts, triggered by more people returning to their pre-pandemic routines.
• “The food delivery business is here to stay … (but) the ones that will actually stand out are the ones that can offer the best prices for these deliveries,” Swissquote senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya said.

Globe opinion

• Doug Saunders: Our protests are a weak copy of Europe’s. We should learn from their response
• Cathal Kelly: As our world views splinter, the Canada-U.S. sports rivalry is something that can still bond us together

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 Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, including the new rules coming in Feb. 28
• Where do I book a COVID-19 booster or a vaccine appointment for my kids? Latest rules by province
• Where to find rapid tests in Canada, for free and for sale
• 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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