Coronavirus Update: Ten months into pandemic, doctors are fuming over those who flout restrictions

Good evening. On Thursday, Jan. 14 at 1:30 p.m. ET, The Globe and Mail education reporter Caroline Alphonso will be in conversation with associate professor Prachi Srivastava, answering reader questions about the impact of the pandemic on education. Please send your questions to audience@globeandmail.com. Now, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. The COVID-19 death of a worker at a Cargill meat-packing plant in Alberta is being reviewed by the RCMP as a possible criminal matter
2. Amazon warehouse employees say safer working conditions are needed as the company rejects calls to disclose the number of COVID-19 cases it has seen
3. Weary, overwhelmed doctors are fuming about COVID-19 patients who flouted restrictions
4. Some hospitals are offering COVID-19 vaccines to staff who don’t interact with patients ahead of front-line workers, raising ethical concerns

In the last seven days, 56,765 cases were reported, up 9 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 1,012 deaths announced, up 10 per cent over the same period. At least 4,529 people are being treated in hospitals and 568,573 others are considered recovered.

About 65% of the 545,250 doses of vaccine distributed to provinces have been administered. That’s 0.9 doses for every 100 people in Canada.

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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 • Lockdown rules and reopening • Canada’s vaccine distribution plan • Developing/approved vaccines • Pfizer’s vaccine, explained • Vaccine questions, answered Essential resources

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Total deaths from coronavirus in Ontario have topped 5,000 and Premier Doug Ford said his cabinet is considering new restrictions. Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of a London hospital network has been fired following international travel.
• Elementary schools in Quebec returned to in-person class today, following the first weekend of a provincewide curfew. The province reported 1,869 new cases and a rise of 56 hospitalizations.
• In Nova Scotia, residents of the Northwood long-term care facility, the site of 65 coronavirus deaths, received the COVID-19 vaccine as the province expanded the first phase of its immunization program.
• RCMP in Alberta are reviewing whether the COVID-19 death of Benito Quesada, a worker at a Cargill Ltd. meat-packing plant, is a criminal matter.
• In British Columbia, a downtown Vancouver hospital confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak has spread to two more units at its cardiac centre. Meanwhile, the province has a long road to overcoming vaccine hesitancy among health care workers.

In Ottawa, the paid sick leave benefit now requires applicants to disclose if they need to quarantine because of international travel. The government ordered that anyone applying for COVID-19 benefits will need to report whether they have recently travelled outside of the country – though it isn’t clear how it will catch and penalize any cheaters.

COVID-19′s toll: Exhausted by 10 months of a pandemic now only getting worse, doctors are taking to social media to express their frustration about people flouting COVID-19 restrictions.

Vaccine tracking: Accounting firm Deloitte has been awarded a $16-million contract by the federal government to track COVID-19 vaccine doses, manage their storage conditions, and track possible but rare adverse reactions.

CEWS: Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s consulting company received payments from the federal emergency wage subsidy program, disclosures show. The program is meant to help companies respond to the economic fallout of the pandemic. Foreign airlines, federal political parties and companies that are part of large corporate groups have received payments from the program, too.

Coronavirus around the world

• After a long negotiation process, World Health Organization staff will begin their coronavirus origins investigation in China this week.
• Soccer stadiums, convention centres and racetracks have been turned into makeshift vaccination centres in Britain in a frantic effort to control a surge in COVID-19 cases.
• U.S. president-elect Joe Biden received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine on live TV.
• South Africa is seeing a spike in new infections after residents travelled for holidays to coastal areas, where the country’s coronavirus variant is dominant.
• Japan has discovered a new coronavirus variant in four travellers that differs from the highly infectious variants first found in Britain and South Africa.

Coronavirus and business

Leaders at Canada’s top banks say an economic rebound is on the horizon, but the speed of the recovery depends on getting the pandemic under control.

• Along with the promise of coronavirus vaccines, the country is benefiting from generous government relief packages that reduced delinquencies and insolvencies.
• However, the short-term outlook is bleak, given the growing numbers of Canadians contracting coronavirus.
• Once people are vaccinated, it’s likely that those with extra cash will return to spending on travel and entertainment – though a timeline remains unclear.

Also today: The Bank of Canada’s latest survey of companies shows that hiring and investment sentiment was improving before the most recent restrictions came into effect. Economic recovery remains uneven, with businesses in “high contact” industries – including hospitality and tourism – reporting a less optimistic outlook.

And: Porter Airlines once again delayed the restart of its flights, pushing plans back to March 29. The company suspended operations last March 21 because of the pandemic.

Globe opinion

• André Picard: COVID-19 vaccines are in short supply. Every dose is precious. So we have to ensure that every one of the shots is administered equitably.
• Rob Carrick: A recent survey says almost 17 per cent of Canadians polled were extremely vulnerable financially amid the pandemic. Shockingly, among them, 11 per cent had incomes of $100,000 and higher.

More reporting

• National Basketball Association: Two additional games are postponed because of COVID-19 contact tracing issues
• The International Energy Agency warns the carbon emissions will rebound as the COVID-19 pandemic fades
• Universities and colleges across Canada are urging extra precautions as students prepare to return
• First Person: Wonky online chats with a two-year-old keep me sane during the pandemic
• Complaints to Amazon warehouse management over COVID-19 safety procedures are falling on deaf ears, employees say
• Advocates are sounding the alarm over rising COVID-19 cases in Canadian prisons and jails

Information centre

• When will a COVID-19 vaccine be available in Canada? How well do they work? Here’s what you need to know.
• 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.
• Find answers to your coronavirus and employment questions.

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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