Coronavirus Update: Canadians travelling abroad for holidays face ‘risky and unstable’ situation

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

Top headlines:

1. Canada’s Health Minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, is warning Canadians that travel abroad is “risky and unstable” and international trips and returning home is increasingly unpredictable and complicated.
2. Ontario says it will offer booster COVID-19 vaccines to adults over 18 who are six months past their second booster starting Jan 4.
3. With most Canadians immunized against COVID-19, life is shrinking for those who continue to refuse the shot – but also for their vaccinated partners.

In the past seven days, 25,325 cases were reported, up 25 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 143 deaths announced, up three per cent over the same period. At least 1,391 people are being treated in hospitals.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 20th 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 will offer all adults who are six months past their second dose a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine starting Jan. 4, the province said Friday. Also starting Jan. 4, the vaccine certificate rules for restaurants and other higher-risk businesses will no longer allow the acceptance of the old printed versions without a scannable QR code. Here’s what you need to know about Ontario’s vaccine passport. Meanwhile, the province is reporting 1,453 new cases of COVID-19 today and 11 more deaths.
• Quebec reported 2,013 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths linked to the novel coronavirus on Friday. It was the first time the province reported more than 2,000 new COVID-19 infections in nearly 11 months.
• Two groups in Manitoba will be able to get booster COVID-19 shots ahead of the recommended six month interval. Adults 60 years or older and adults 18 years or older living in a First Nations community will be eligible for a booster if they received their second shot on or before July 10
• British Columbia’s chief coroner questioned why the toxic-drug crisis has not been treated with the same, urgent, all-hands-on-deck response as the COVID-19 pandemic in the province, given that illicit drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for British Columbians who are 19 to 39.

Canada could see 26,600 daily COVID-19 cases by mid-January if Omicron becomes the dominant variant, according to federal Public Health Agency projections.

• Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, urged those who are eligible to get vaccinated and to get their booster vaccine shots. She encouraged everyone to adhere to public health guidelines – including masking and improving ventilation – and to keep any holiday gatherings small. She cautioned that not enough is known about how severe the Omicron variant will be.
• “I’ve been saying that the winter period is going to be a bumpy road towards a brighter spring, if you like,” Dr. Tam told reporters. “So this is another bump on the road.”

Half-vaccinated couples: For some couples where only one partner is vaccinated, the vaccine divide fuels tension and resentment. Others are experiencing censure from the outside world. Their social lives are narrowing, with holidays complicated for a second year in a row.

Doctors calling for more measures: Doctors are urging Canadian health officials to take immediate steps to contain a looming COVID-19 surge, including expanding booster-shot eligibility and providing better access to rapid tests.

MP in isolation: Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien has gone into self-isolation after attending an in-person event where she may have come in contact with several COVID-19 cases.

Globe opinion

• Andrew Coyne: Is the case for vaccine mandates like the case for seatbelt laws? No, it’s much, much stronger
• Gus Carlson: Businesses object to outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate

More reporting

• The return of the holiday party: Here’s what hosts and guests can do to stay safe and limit the spread of COVID-19
• How does a virtual holiday party sound? Most employees say they’d rather not, according to the latest survey.
• Leadership advice gets reframed for the pandemic era in these three books by women
• Station Eleven’s Mackenzie Davis knows you don’t want pandemic fiction, but she swears her HBO Max series is different

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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