Good evening. The coronavirus newsletter now publishes Mondays and Fridays.
Top headlines:
- Pregnant women who received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were not more likely to experience miscarriage, stillbirth or other severe health events compared to unvaccinated pregnant women, a new study says
- ‘It’s hard to explain how much we’ve seen and how much we’ve been through’: A growing number of health professionals have been harassed and abused by individuals promoting COVID-19 conspiracies online and in person – despite a federal law that makes it illegal
- The Canadian economy was losing between $2.6-billion and $5.2-billion a week as a result of the countrywide trucker convoy blockades, newly disclosed cabinet documents show
An increasing number of health agencies have changed how they're reporting data on the coronavirus. A look at the current numbers in Canada for reported cases, deaths from COVID-19 and for hospitalizations can be found here.
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
- With pregnant women having a lower vaccination rate than the general population, a new study sheds light on the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines when administered to expectant moms. Vaccinated pregnant women were not more likely to experience miscarriage, stillbirth or other severe health events compared with unvaccinated pregnant women, according to the study. “If you get sick with the infection, it actually has really adverse effects on pregnant people,” said Julie Bettinger, senior study author and a pediatrics professor at the University of British Columbia.
- Nurses and doctors say the spread of pandemic-related conspiracy theories and false information is increasingly turning people against the health care system, causing them to reject vaccines and exposing health professionals to a barrage of abuse.
- Ottawa produced an internal estimate of the GDP impact of countrywide blockades, projecting that they caused economic losses of 0.1 per cent to 0.2 per cent of GDP per week, newly disclosed cabinet documents show. The documents also included the revelation that the Prime Minister’s national security adviser, Jody Thomas, told the full cabinet on the evening of Feb. 13 that there was a potential for a breakthrough with the protesters who had blockaded downtown streets in Ottawa for weeks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act the next day.
- Moderna is announcing that it has agreed to purchase land in a biotechnology park near Montreal, to serve as the site of its biomanufacturing facility for its mRNA vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines.
- The U.S.’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines yesterday – dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.
- The European health regulator has started a rolling review of a variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech – adding that officials plan to use bivalent shots in their autumn vaccination campaign, with most cases in the region now linked to the BA.5 variant.
- North Korea’s Kim Jong-un declared victory in the battle against COVID-19 yesterday, even though the country has never confirmed how many people caught COVID-19, apparently lacking testing supplies.
Looking for more top headlines? Subscribe to our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters to get caught up on our latest stories.
Pandemic recovery
- The pandemic has changed a lot about how we work, but it hasn’t changed when we are most productive, according to the results of a new survey. Daniel Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, says that these patterns provide a strong argument for greater autonomy and flexibility in the workplace. While research has proven that workers are equally or more productive when they get to choose their work location, he believes there’s even more productivity to be gained by providing employees with greater control over when they work.
- Outdoors activities were among the many things that got more expensive and difficult to enjoy when the pandemic hit. Here’s a list of a few relatively low- and medium-cost outdoor activities to pursue, as the pandemic heads further into recovery.
- New Zealand welcomed the first cruise ship to the country since the coronavirus pandemic began, signalling a long-sought return to normalcy for the nation’s tourism industry.
- Manulife missed analyst profit expectations after a $1.6-billion drop in earnings owing to market turmoil and extended COVID-19 restrictions in Asia.
Want in-depth analysis on what governments are doing with your tax dollars? Subscribe to our Tax & Spend newsletter.
Globe opinion
John Ibbitson: Pierre Poilievre’s goal to block COVID-19 vaccine mandates doesn’t reconcile with public harm it would cause
Campbell Clark: The convoy wasn’t leaving town – but that’s not the Emergencies Act question
David Parkinson: The Great Resignation has arrived in Canada
Want to hear more from our columnists? Subscribe to the Opinion newsletter, and get it in your inbox, Monday to Saturday.
More reading
- Now that pandemic restrictions have eased in most places around the world, travel has returned in full force, and for some, this has meant a return to solo travel.
- Canadian waste water surveillance expanding to new public health threats: Tam
- ‘Reinstating mask mandates and encouraging … booster shots could slow the spread of COVID-19 and improve staffing levels now.’ Readers react to the health care crisis, plus other letters for Aug. 11
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
- Waste water is filling the COVID-19 data gap
Thank you for subscribing to our Coronavirus Update Newsletter. As the pandemic eases, we plan to wind this down and eventually cease sending, but have many other newsletters to keep you informed, including Globe Climate, Carrick on Money and Breaking News.
Reach out to us: audience@globeandmail.com