Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Trudeau government put all vaccine ‘eggs’ in one China basket, O’Toole charges
- Spread of coronavirus in Brampton linked to systemic factors, experts say
- Ottawa extends rules and restrictions for travellers amid rising COVID-19 case counts
In Canada, there have been at least 366,906 cases reported. In the last week 35,064 new cases were announced, 1 per cent fewer than the previous week. There have also been at least 292,539 recoveries and 12,018 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 12,805,405 tests.
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 • Lockdown rules and reopening • Mask-wearing rules • Back to school guide • Essential resources
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Coronavirus in Canada
- The chairman of American vaccine maker Moderna says Canada is near the front of the line to receive 20 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it preordered. The statement comes, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces questions about the government’s ability to deliver a timely vaccine to Canadians. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has also charged that the Liberal government put too much emphasis on the collaboration with Chinese vaccine-maker CanSino.
- Brampton, Ont., makes up less than half of Peel’s population, but accounts for more than 60 per cent of the COVID-19 cases in the province’s hardest-hit region. Experts say the spread of coronavirus is linked to systemic factors in Brampton, where households are larger and there’s a higher proportion of essential service workers.
- Cases are rising steadily in Atlantic Canada. In the north, Nunavut’s case count increased by 13. As a result, the federal government is extending the restrictions placed on travellers coming from non-U.S. countries to January 21, 2020. Restrictions for visitors crossing the border from the U.S. are currently in place until December 21, but may be extended.
- In Manitoba, the RCMP ramped up enforcement at a church that was fined for holding a service last weekend. Manitoba ordered churches to close earlier this month to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases that has clogged the hospital system, saying people could only attend services virtually.
- An outbreak at Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Montreal, Que., has sent 20 residents to hospitals and killed 10 residents as of November 28. The province’s long-term care homes were also struck hard by the pandemic’s first wave.
Coronavirus around the world
- New York City will reopen its school system to in-person learning, and increase the number of days a week many children attend class, even as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday.
- The United States’ top infectious-disease expert, Anthony Fauci, said Sunday that the country may see “surge upon a surge” of the coronavirus in the weeks after Thanksgiving, and he does not expect current recommendations around social distancing to be relaxed before Christmas.
- In India, a regulator is assisting an inquiry into an alleged adverse reaction during AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine trial, but has found no reason to recommend halting it, a senior official said Sunday.
Globe opinion
- Elizabeth Renzetti: “I used to joke that I had trouble staying awake, not falling asleep. Well, the joke’s on me. What a very funny pandemic joke it is, too. For eight years – sorry, I mean eight months – I’ve joined the glassy-eyed company of the country’s insomniacs.”
- André Picard: “‘A bit, but clearly not enough.’ That is Miranda Ferrier’s pithy, but all-too-accurate answer to the question: Have we learned anything from the devastation that happened in long-term care during the first wave of COVID-19?”
- Jacquelin Best: “When confronted by the very difficult decisions created by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, our political leaders have been seduced time and time again into a dangerous kind of wishful thinking.”
More reporting
- The grace period that greeted leaders of the country in the pandemic’s fearful early months is gone. As fatigue and frustration set in, more pandemic-weary Canadians are tuning out health guidelines.
- A Calgary-based collective of food-focused businesses is exploring a silver lining in the COVID-19 era.
- Here’s what forecasters got wrong about the COVID-19 economy.
- When Canada plunged into a COVID-induced lockdown in mid-March, TD Bank chief risk officer Ajai Bambawale spearheaded the bank’s response for its over 2,000 branches across Canada and the U.S.
Information centre
- Rob Carrick’s 10-point checklist of things you should have done by now to protect or improve your money situation. Tips for minimizing damage to your credit score; how to manage retirement anxiety during difficult times; and things to think about if you’re considering home delivery.
- Here are the expectations for self-isolation; tips for managing anxiety and protecting your mental health; and what to do if you think you have the virus. Wash your hands. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face). Is flying safe?
- The best foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home; four eating tips when working from home; and five mistakes that might cause you to gain unwanted weight. Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples and how to stop stress-eating. What to cook with rhubarb (aside from pie).
- Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; how the CRA might identify CERB fraud; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered. What to do if your employees don’t return to work because they want to collect CERB.
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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