Coronavirus Update: Another new coronavirus variant surfaces in Britain

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

Top headlines:

1. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine gains approval from Health Canada
2. A Toronto-based cannabis company that sold faulty masks to Quebec hospitals has its assets frozen
3. Health officials in Britain detect another new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19

In Canada, there have been at least 528,354 cases reported. In the last week 46,724 new cases were announced, 0.9 per cent more than the previous week.

There have also been at least 438,452 recoveries and 14,596 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 15,415,592 tests.

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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 • Moderna’s vaccine, explained • Essential resources

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Coronavirus in Canada

• In Quebec, the Minister of Families said masks distributed to daycares since May don’t meet provincial safety standards. And, one company, Tree of Knowledge, had its assets frozen for selling faulty masks to Quebec hospitals. Meanwhile, labour activists in the province and in Ontario are calling for greater transparency around workplace COVID-19 outbreaks. The province reported 2,247 new infections today.
• Ontario is set to receive 53,000 doses of the newly approved Moderna vaccine by month’s end. Meanwhile, 145 residents of a long-term care home in Toronto’s Scarborough neighbourhood have tested positive for COVID-19. Staffing at the home is so short that ill and dying patients aren’t receiving regular care. And, experts say the province’s lockdown won’t stop workplace transmission of coronavirus.
• British Columbia is temporarily putting a cap on the fees that food-delivery services charge to restaurants at 15 per cent (from 25 per cent to 30 per cent) as restaurants struggle to survive during the pandemic.

In Ottawa, Health Canada declared Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine safe for use, setting the stage for a second round of inoculation to begin in Canada in the coming days.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced Canada will receive more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine than previously expected next month. Canada now expects to have at least 1.2 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna delivered by Jan. 31.

Moderna’s vaccine: How effective is the vaccine? Is it safe? Here’s what you need to know.

COVID-19 and long-term care: Alarm is being raised over outside care workers and coronavirus surge in retirement homes.

Coronavirus around the world

• As the U.S. rate of infections spikes, the country will receive 100 million additional doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
• France has eased its blockade with Britain, but now a backlog of trucks at the port of Dover, England, leaves perishable goods at risk
• ‘They don’t ask, ‘Do you have soap?’ They ask if you’re bringing the Irish Spring’: Canadians send barrels full of necessities back to their Caribbean home countries, expanding a tradition to meet pandemic needs

Coronavirus and business

Canada’s GDP rose 0.4 per cent in November, according to a preliminary estimate from Statistics Canada, even as restrictions intensified as a result of growing coronavirus infection numbers.

• In October, Statscan said the GDP grew by 0.2 per cent. Economic gains in October and November brought the economy to within 3.8 per cent of its prepandemic levels – after having plunged nearly 18 per cent in the spring.
• However, economists warn that in the near term, as tighter restrictions continue in many provinces, the forecast looks rougher.

Also today: The Canadian dollar rises as the country’s economy grows more than expected.

And: In the United States, this holiday season is one of survival instead of celebration for millions of unemployed workers.

Globe opinion

• Michelle Béland: I view this coming holiday season as an opportunity to try something new: Christmas on my own terms.
• Christopher Waters: In a bid to inject some sparkle into this coming New Year’s Eve, I asked the experts how to make the night at home extra special.
• John Ibbitson: Ottawa is not Toronto – so is it necessary to lock them down, too?

More reporting

• The Supreme Court of Canada won’t hear a case linked to a challenge about air passenger refunds for flights cancelled because of the pandemic
• The Ontario Hockey League delays the 2020-21 season again owing to COVID-19. In Edmonton, the world junior championship is set to begin

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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