Coronavirus Update: Canada’s top doctor calls for more COVID-19 rapid tests, boosters to control another wave

Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. Canada’s top doctor, Theresa Tam, underlines need for COVID-19 rapid tests and boosters to help control another wave as the Omicron variant escalates
2. How an inhaled COVID-19 vaccine might breathe life into the fight against the pandemic
3. Two COVID-19 vaccine doses not enough to fight off increased infections from Omicron variant, U.K. study finds

In the past seven days, 28,813 cases were reported, up 31 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 146 deaths announced, up 15 per cent over the same period. At least 1,312 people are being treated in hospitals.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 21st among 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

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario residents 50 and older who received their second shot at least six months ago became eligible to book booster doses starting today, but a number of technical issues were reported with the province’s online booking system.
• The president of St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, is now among those in the university community who have tested positive for COVID-19 amid a coronavirus outbreak that is tied to graduation events.
• Quebec is reporting 1,628 new cases today and three more deaths attributed to COVID-19.
• Manitoba is asking the federal government for nurses to help the province’s crammed intensive care units. The province is experiencing another increase in COVID-19 cases, and many surgeries have been cancelled so that staff can be transferred to help with intensive care.

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam, said today that Canada is about to experience a major surge in COVID-19 cases and that health officials need to step up the use of rapid antigen tests, booster shots and other public-health tools in order to prevent closings, lockdowns and overwhelmed hospitals.

• In a press briefing, Tam said she expects cases of the Omicron variant to “rapidly escalate” in the coming days.
• Also, as part of her annual report, which was tabled in the House of Commons today, Tam said gaps in Canada’s ability to collect data about the pandemic hindered the country’s response.

Inhaled COVID-19 vaccine: A pair of COVID-19 vaccines developed at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ont., are designed to be inhaled as a fine mist that is deposited into subjects’ lungs. It could be a game- changer in the coronavirus fight.

Unvaccinated family and friends: Around one in ten people surveyed by Leger in a poll commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies said they no longer speak to or associate with their contacts who are unvaccinated.

Postponed in-person exams: Some Canadian postsecondary institutions, including the University of Victoria and Queen’s University, are postponing in-person exams in response to the rise of COVID-19 cases.

Coronavirus around the world

• The World Health Organization says “the overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains very high for a number of reasons,” after it was reported in more than 60 countries.
• Two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are not enough to fight off the Omicron variant, according to scientists in the U.K.

Coronavirus and business

COVID-19 vaccine maker Pfizer said on Monday it will buy Arena Pharmaceuticals for $6.7-billion in cash to add a promising treatment candidate that targets diseases affecting the stomach and intestine.

• Arena is developing several treatments for gastroenterology, dermatology and cardiology. Its lead candidate, etrasimod, is being tested in a late-stage study in ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that causes ulcers in the digestive tract.

Also today: Oil falls as new concerns about Omicron COVID-19 variant weigh on prices

Globe opinion

• André Picard: We have a lot to learn about COVID-19 immunity
• Brooks Fallis: We have the tools to combat Omicron and preserve personal freedoms. Now we need the political will

More reporting

• NBA postpones Chicago Bulls game against the Toronto Raptors due to COVID-19 outbreak on the Bulls
• NHL postpones Calgary Flames’ next three games due to COVID-19 outbreak
• India’s Harnaaz Sandhu crowned Miss Universe against backdrop of Omicron’s arrival in Israel
• Will we need COVID-19 vaccine booster shots forever?

Information centre

• Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
• Waiting for a second dose? We answer your COVID-19 vaccine questions
• What is and isn’t ‘paid sick leave’ in Canada? A short primer
• Got a vaccine ‘hangover’? Here’s why

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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