Coronavirus Update: Health care workers being redeployed to Ontario, Prime Minister says

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

Top headlines:

1. Government health care workers will be redeployed to Ontario, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a video update Sunday, as hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care units continue to reach record heights
2. Without the close contacts who used to populate our daily lives, people are increasingly relying on live-in partners to fill these roles – and straining their relationships in the process
3. Half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported

In the last 7 days, 59,018 cases were reported, up 8 per cent from the previous 7 days. There were 308 deaths announced, up 28 per cent over the same period. At least 3,938 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,009,955 others are considered recovered.

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

Open this photo in gallery:

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

Photo of the day

Open this photo in gallery:

Coronavirus in Canada

• Just one day after Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced sweeping new police powers and prohibited use of playgrounds, the measures were reversed. Meanwhile, the province set a new record for virus-related hospitalizations, with 2,065 COVID-19 patients currently in hospital, which is taking its toll on health care workers.
• A recent outbreak at the Longlake Chateau retirement residence in B.C., where staff and residents were vaccinated, shows that the vaccines are working, because the symptoms were nearly non-existent, health officials say.
• Quebec is reporting 1,537 new COVID-19 cases and an increase in hospitalizations.
• The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, which helps settle refugees in and around the city, is using its resources to connect former refugees to vaccines.

As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks.

• Here’s a list of the inoculation plans throughout Canada.

Border crossing: Since February, Ottawa has required a hotel quarantine for up to three days for most people flying into Canada from abroad. But what about those who drive across the border?

Transit: Ridership on public transit is down since the start of the pandemic, and may never return to normal levels. But this may also be an opportunity to create more efficient transit services for everyone, planners and analysts say.

Coronavirus and business

Outdoor equipment should be an easy sell in a year of pandemic restrictions. But after a history of mismanagement and losing money, Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) is still trying to make a comeback.

• Six months after joining MEC, execs are in the midst of a turnaround plan. They have to salvage a 50-year-old Canadian brand with an uncommonly opinionated customer base and woo back those who’ve become disillusioned. All this while a global pandemic continues to rage.

Also today: A sample of voices from across the restaurant supply chain reveals how the pandemic has altered lives, laying bare both the inequities and strengths of the ecosystem.

And: Many vacation industry insiders believe Canada will be well on its way to relative travel normalcy by early fall.

Globe opinion

• The Editorial Board: At one point, it took only a cursory glance at Donald Trump’s America to see what worse looked like. Not anymore.
• Gary Mason: There may not be an aspect of Canada’s pandemic response more pathetic, more inept, more reflective of our overall dismal strategy for dealing with COVID-19 and its deadly variants than our policies around travel, both international and domestic.

More reporting

• Are your kids home from school? Here are 10 books to spark their imaginations this spring
• First Person: When the dining-room table is your one-room schoolhouse, chaos ensues
• It can be hard to be positive at work nowadays. Here’s an argument for why you should still try
• Both Loblaw and Canadian Tire benefited from a surge in demand for their products during the pandemic, and paid out millions in bonuses to top executives
• This is your brain on trees: Why is urban nature so good for our minds, and what happens when a pandemic isolates us from it?

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.

What are we missing? Email us: audience@globeandmail.com. Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Send them to our Newsletters page.