Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- There are a lot of unknowns about how a new COVID-19 wave will play out in the coming weeks, but clinicians and scientists say many of the lessons learned from previous ones can help mitigate its impact
- Waste water signals, test positivity and hospitalizations in Ontario indicate the province is currently experiencing a new COVID-19 wave driven by BA.5 subvariant, according to the advisory group
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
- According to federal waste water surveillance data, last updated on July 5, six out of 22 recorded sites across the country showed a possible increase in COVID-19 levels in waste water, compared with the seven days previous. Health reporter Wency Leung asked experts for advice Canadians can follow for the summer surge.
- Ontario appears to be in another wave of infections driven by the BA.5 Omicron subvariant. The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table says waste water signals, test positivity and hospitalizations from the virus are rising and the virus is showing exponential growth in some regions. And, health care workers in the province have faced an increase in violence and assault incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new poll from Canada’s largest union.
- Pharmacists in the U.S. are now authorized to prescribe Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid to eligible patients, in a bid to improve access to the treatment. Paxlovid cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 88 per cent in nonhospitalized, high-risk adult patients in Pfizer’s clinical trial, which did not include vaccinated people.
- BioNTech is looking into taking legal steps against CureVac after it accused BioNTech of infringement of intellectual property rights over its mRNA technology used to make COVID-19 vaccines.
- Soldier James Topp, the army reservist who spoke out about vaccine mandates, said he intentionally wore his military uniform to raise awareness about soldiers, sailors and aviators being forced out of the Canadian Armed Forces for refusing to get vaccinated from COVID-19.
- A new COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai that has triggered a round of mass COVID-19 testing was linked to a karaoke parlour that reopened without authorization during lockdown and failed to enforce prevention measures.
- The San Fermin bull-run festival in the Spanish city of Pamplona returned today, ending a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Pandemic recovery
- Passengers preparing to run the gauntlet of Canadian air travel while the industry attempts to rebound from the pandemic face a key obstacle on top of flight delays and cancellations: late luggage. In recent weeks, airlines have furnished the country’s biggest airport terminals with row upon row of belated bags, causing headaches for thousands of customers.
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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
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