Coronavirus Update: Only two-thirds of Canada’s available doses administered

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

Top headlines:

1. Just two-thirds of available vaccine doses in Canada have been administered as provincial governments struggle to ramp up their inoculation programs
2. Ontario is declaring a third state of emergency, issuing a stay-at-home order, and expanding vaccine eligibility to target high-risk neighbourhoods in Toronto and Peel
3. Twenty-one players and four coaches on the Vancouver Canucks have tested positive for COVID-19

In the last 7 days, 44,294 cases were reported, up 29 per cent from the previous 7 days. There were 215 deaths announced, up 13 per cent over the same period. At least 2,618 people are being treated in hospitals and 942,738 others are considered recovered.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 32nd 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.

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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, Premier Doug Ford declared a third state of emergency and issued a provincewide stay-at-home order. Non-essential retail will close to in-person shopping, and big box stores will be limited to selling only essential items.
• Quebec is extending vaccine eligibility to those in Montreal who are essential workers – including teachers, daycare workers, or first responders – or who live with a chronic illness. Meanwhile, a 16-year-old from Montreal died of COVID-19, the province’s youngest victim.
• Alberta has closed down and fenced off Grace Life church for refusing to follow the COVID-19 health rules that limit capacity and mandate masks be worn. Meanwhile, several doctors say that more public-health restrictions are needed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

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Across Canada, only two-thirds of available COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered as provinces struggle to ramp up their vaccination programs.

• Most doses not administered were only delivered Saturday, but even before those shipments, vaccination campaigns across the country faced challenges – including thousands of unfilled appointments and lack of certainty in deliveries.
• Newfoundland has the slowest rollout, with 54 per cent of available doses administered, while Saskatchewan has the fastest, at 78 per cent. Ontario had administered 63 per cent of its available doses, while Quebec administered 67 per cent.
• Among G7 countries, Canada currently ranks 6th for COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per hundred people.

COVID-19 vaccines: Canada’s national immunization panel is standing by its recommendation to extend the time between vaccine doses to up to four months.

COVID-19 and travel: COVID-19 vaccine passports could be a new point of contention at the Canada-U.S. border.

3M in Canada: The first N95 masks to be made in Canada have started rolling off the assembly line in Ontario.

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Coronavirus around the world

• Europe’s medical agency recommends adding blood clotting as a possible side effect of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, but stresses that benefits of the shot outweigh risks.
• Eastern Europe is now one of the worst global hot spots for COVID-19.
• In Japan, the Olympic torch relay has been moved off public roads as the Osaka government declares a COVID-19 emergency.
• India’s vaccination drive is now challenged with reaching remote communities – before the pandemic does.

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Coronavirus and business

Bank of Montreal’s CEO says policymakers and regulators should “plan urgently” in case they need to step in to help cool overheated housing markets.

• “I think you have to make decisions on policy intervention – not today, but maybe in a few weeks, when we see the effect of the next few weeks on the housing market,” said the bank’s chief executive, Darryl White.

Also today: Toronto-area real estate agents see signs the tide is turning in the housing market – some buyers are once again feeling the pull towards downtown Toronto.

And: As Ontario moves into a new phase of lockdown on Thursday, restaurateurs say the shifting public-health orders are costing them money and driving them deeper into the debt hole COVID-19 has dug for them.

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Globe opinion

• Robyn Urback: First-wave lockdowns were marked by fear. Second wave, by frustration. And now: anger
• The Editorial Board: We can’t beat the virus without emergency paid sick leave
• Konrad Yakabuski: Postpandemic Ottawa should heed Robert Mundell’s warnings
• Lawrence Martin: How Canada benefits from Biden’s mammoth spending spree

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More reporting

• Manitoba’s budget is expected to include tax cuts and new money to fight the COVID-19 pandemic
• Yesterday, Alberta moved to impose restrictions on restaurants, stores and gyms as COVID-19 infections spike
• Yesterday, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole promised a pandemic public inquiry if his party were elected to government
• A study of more than 236,000 people in the United States who contracted COVID-19 last year has found that one in three developed a neurological or psychiatric condition
• CIBC is pushing back plans to return staff to the workplace
• Toronto’s downtown office vacancy rate hit 9.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year – the highest level since the global financial crisis of 2008
• Aviva Canada’s CEO says that pandemic insurance coverage is now a thing of the past
• A federally backed Future Skills Centre program is funding skills-training programs to buffer against future economic shocks like the one caused by COVID-19

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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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