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Good evening. On Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET, the Globe’s science reporter Ivan Semeniuk and health reporter Kelly Grant will answer reader questions on Facebook Live. Send your vaccine questions to audience@globeandmail.com.

Here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

  1. Long-term care resident, nurse among first Canadians to be vaccinated
  2. Ottawa announced $485-million for international COVID-19 vaccination efforts
  3. Not-Amazon.ca – a directory of local retail alternatives – steps up to rival Amazon and Walmart

In Canada, there have been at least 460,738 cases reported. In the last week 44,183 new cases were announced, 1% fewer than the previous week.

There have also been at least 373,253 recoveries and 13,431 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 14,349,701 tests.

Open this photo in gallery:

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 reopeningCanada’s vaccine distribution planDeveloping/approved vaccinesPfizer’s vaccine, explained Essential resources


Photo of the day

Open this photo in gallery:

A health-care worker administers a Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a patient at the Michener Institute in Toronto on Dec. 14, 2020.CARLOS OSORIO/AFP/Getty Images


Coronavirus in Canada


In Ottawa, the federal government announced $485-million in new money to help the international effort to ensure access to a coronavirus vaccine among less wealthy countries.


Coronavirus around the world


Coronavirus and business

The owner of three cornerstone Bay Street health clubs in Toronto filed for creditor protection last week in a bid to make a deal to keep the centres going until the pandemic ends.

Also today: In Florida, 3.6 million Canadians visited last year, making up a quarter of its foreign tourists. Now, with the border closed, the loss of Canadian ‘snowbirds’ is being felt by vacation rentals, restaurants and shops.

And: Canada Post moved up deadlines for pre-Christmas parcel delivery within Canada in response to high holiday volumes.


Globe opinion

  • Cathal Kelly: “Now that there is a vaccine, people who aren’t high on the danger list will attempt to buy a spot at the front of the line. What wasn’t so obvious was that the NHL would be the first person/organization to get curb-stomped over it.”
  • André Picard: Focusing on ‘immunity passports’ could distract us from the real goal
  • David Eddie: Let me draw from my philosophy degree here to handle the anti-maskers...

More reporting


Information centre

Sources: Canadian 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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