Coronavirus Update: Canada considering additional travel restrictions, Trudeau says

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

Top headlines:

1. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said government officials are looking at new limits for travel, as the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to set heartbreaking records
2. Toronto and neighbouring Peel Region are moving to shut down businesses with COVID-19 outbreaks, in the absence of provincial restrictions
3. Manitoba truck drivers who regularly travel into the United States are getting vaccinated in North Dakota

In the last 7 days, 60,482 cases were reported, up 5 per cent from the previous 7 days. There were 321 deaths announced, up 28 per cent over the same period. At least 4,270 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,027,464 others are considered recovered.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 17th among 84 countries with a population of one million or more people.

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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 • Tracking vaccine doses • Lockdown rules and reopening • Vaccine distribution plan • Four vaccines approved in Canada • Essential resources

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Coronavirus in Canada

• In Ontario, Toronto and Peel are moving to shut down businesses with COVID-19 outbreaks, acting more forcefully than the provincial government. The province’s hardest-hit hospitals have transferred more than 550 COVID-19 patients as the third wave threatens to overwhelm ICUs.
• In Quebec, Premier François Legault said the AstraZeneca vaccine will be made available to those aged 45 and above.
• Governments in Manitoba and North Dakota made a deal to ensure cross-border essential workers are vaccinated against COVID-19.

In Ottawa, the federal government will extend its business and income support programs until the country’s vaccination campaign is complete, but their subsidy levels will start to drop before the deadline for all Canadians to get their shots.

Also today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s border restriction, and said it is open to further limits, including banning incoming flights from specific hot-spot countries.

COVID-19 vaccines: If you live in a hot spot and are eligible for a vaccine – but are not high-risk, should you get the shot? Experts say if you qualify, get a COVID-19 vaccine – any vaccine – for your benefit and others’.

Coronavirus around the world

• Will Japan’s Olympic athletes get COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the public?
• Hospitals in India are starting to run out of medical oxygen as the country faces a coronavirus “storm.”
• Israel has recorded eight cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India and says the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is at least partially effective against it.

Coronavirus and business

Timing and severity of COVID-19′s third wave presents a unique challenge for tourism destinations around Canada, such as Banff, which benefited from a relatively busy summer season in 2020 when COVID-19 cases dropped and domestic tourism skyrocketed.

• Businesses are now deciding whether to staff up and support a bloated work force during the lockdown, or to stay lean and risk struggling to attract workers one or two months from now.

Also today: Johnson & Johnson beats estimates, reporting $100-million in quarterly COVID-19 vaccine sales

And: Procter & Gamble surpasses sales estimates as COVID-19 continues to drive demand for cleaning products

Globe opinion

• Elizabeth Renzetti: We knew before the pandemic that child care was unaffordable and inaccessible across the country. COVID-19 magnified those problems.
• David A. Green, Jonathan Rhys Kesselman, Daniel Perrin and Lindsay M. Tedds: We should understand what we can really learn from the CERB, but it can teach us very little about a basic income.

More reporting

• The EU regulator backs the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine despite finding possible link to rare blood clots
• Netflix subscriber growth slows after COVID-19 boom, shares fall 11 per cent

Information centre

• How well do vaccines 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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