Coronavirus Update: Canada and other wealthy countries undermining efforts to ensure equitable distribution of vaccine, report warns

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Researchers warn that “shopping sprees” by high-income countries for vaccine doses impede global efforts at equitable distribution
2. U.K. abandons regional lockdowns and reverts to blanket closures as COVID-19 infections spike
3. U.S. coronavirus cases keep rising in grim march to Election Day

In Canada, there have been at least 236,842 cases reported. In the last week 19,160 new cases were announced, 3 per cent more than the previous week.

There have also been at least 197,729 recoveries and 10,179 deaths. Today, 43 new deaths were reported, compared to 26 yesterday.

Worldwide, there have been at least 46,062,525 cases confirmed and 1,195,376 deaths reported.

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

• Quebec reported 965 new cases and 26 deaths related to COVID-19 today, bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic started to 106,981.
• Ontario reported 977 new cases today, slightly fewer than the day before when new diagnoses spiked above 1,000. The bulk of those new cases came from Toronto, Peel Region, Ottawa and York Region.

In Ottawa, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reported a negative COVID-19 test result, less than 24 hours after revealing that she was self-isolating because she may have come in contact with someone infected with the illness.

Freeland, who regularly meets Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, says she was first alerted to the possibility by the federal government’s COVID-19 contact tracing app.

And: A “shopping spree” by Canada and other high-income countries to secure large quantities of COVID-19 vaccines is undermining global efforts to ensure people in developing countries aren’t pushed to the back of the line, a new report warns.

Coronavirus around the world

• Coronavirus cases continued their grim climb in the United States today with Midwestern states experiencing record hospitalizations, as increasingly bitter rhetoric kept the coronavirus front and centre during campaigning two days before the presidential election.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has abandoned his regional approach to the pandemic and imposed a four-week lockdown in England to slow the country’s alarming rate of infection. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca PLC said Britain’s health regulator had started an accelerated review of its potential coronavirus vaccine.
• Cases in Europe have surged over the past five weeks, pushing the continent past the milestone of 10 million total infections, according to a Reuters tally.

Coronavirus and business

Experts say the pandemic is an opportune time for peer-to-peer or crowdsourced delivery services specializing in non-perishable goods because many Canadians are staying home and such apps allow consumers to send items without a requiring a mask or a trip outdoors.

• A 2016 McKinsey study valued the global parcel delivery market at more than US$108-billion and said it’s growing so fast that shipping volumes could double by 2026.
• While crowd-based shipping models can be attractive because of their affordability, the report warned that such services will likely only play a minor role in the industry because they can be fraught with legal issues. It can also be difficult to source drivers during peak periods if they sign up with multiple companies.

McKinsey, however, suggested the services could excel at managing “ultra peak demand” like the December holiday rush that already prompted Canada Post to plead with consumers to get their parcels shipped early.

Olympic gymnast Jackson Payne recently founded Deeleeo, an Edmonton-based app that aims to bring convenience and affordability to the courier industry by letting anyone sign up to transport goods.

Also today: Bank of Nova Scotia says outgoing Air Canada chief executive officer Calin Rovinescu has joined its board. The bank made the announcement just days after Rovinescu said he would retire from the airline in 2021 as it struggles to rebuild the travel sector amid COVID-19.

And: A global aviation manual now under review by a UN body suggests global guidelines calling for the use of highly reliable tests when screening passengers to detect the novel coronavirus ahead of flights, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Globe opinion

• Gordon Pape: “Until recently, it appears investors were looking beyond the pandemic and hoping for signs of a rapid recovery.”

More reporting

• How to review restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vancouver

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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