Good evening. The coronavirus newsletter now publishes Mondays and Fridays.
Top headlines:
- Federal government supports given to businesses at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were excessive and show the outsized influence of business groups on public policy, economists say
- Six hospitals in Ontario had to close departments, including emergency rooms, over the weekend, as hospitals across Canada buckle under the strain of staff shortages due to COVID-19 infections and pandemic-related burnout among health-care workers
- Two Omicron-adapted vaccines made by BioNTech are expected as soon as October, the German biotech firm said today
An increasing number of health agencies have changed how they're reporting data on the coronavirus. A look at the current numbers in Canada for reported cases, deaths from COVID-19 and for hospitalizations can be found here.
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
- Nearly two and a half years ago, the federal government faced an unprecedented task of shutting down the economy to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. That shutdown led to a series of pandemic relief benefits aimed at softening the blow to workers and businesses. Economists are now assessing the successes and failures of these programs in retrospect. City of New York University economics professor Miles Corak said while the CERB was “terribly successful,” the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy was a “huge failure.”
- Pending regulatory approval, BioNTech expects to begin deliveries of two Omicron-adapted vaccines in time for booster campaigns come autumn, the company said, adding it also expects demand to grow as the new vaccines are released.
- Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital, which serves French speakers in Ottawa, shut down its emergency department from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday because of what it called “an unprecedented shortage of nurses” caused by work absences related to COVID-19 infections, fatigue and vacations. It was one of the six hospitals across Ontario that were forced to close a department over the weekend. Ontario’s health minister says that the situation isn’t unprecedented, and blamed the “ebbs and flows” of health-care workers taking vacation during the summertime.
- U.S. President Joe Biden left the White House yesterday for the first time since becoming infected with the coronavirus last month.
- Hong Kong will shorten the COVID-19 hotel quarantine period for all arrivals to three days from seven – taking another step to gradually unwind stringent pandemic rules that have isolated the Asian financial hub.
Looking for more top headlines? Subscribe to our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters to get caught up on our latest stories.
Pandemic recovery
- Some passengers are venting over Air Canada’s policy to deny passengers compensation if a flight is cancelled because of staff shortages due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s passenger rights charter, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), mandates airlines to pay up to $1,000 in compensation for cancellations or significant delays that stem from reasons within the carrier’s control. But Air Canada says the crew constraints are a safety-related issue, and compensation does not apply in those instances.
Want in-depth analysis on what governments are doing with your tax dollars? Subscribe to our Tax & Spend newsletter.
Globe opinion
Matt Malone: The ArriveCAN app needs to go
Elaine Chin: Employees don’t want to come back to the office. Maybe they’re right to stay away
Justin Giovannetti: New Zealand shows how a housing crisis can become a catastrophe
Want to hear more from our columnists? Subscribe to the Opinion newsletter, and get it in your inbox, Monday to Saturday.
More reading
- Quebec’s nursing homes are betting big on the ‘Green House’ model of long-term care. Will it work, and could the rest of Canada follow?
- ‘I am over 60. I am uncertain of the outcome if I collide with COVID.’ Is a pandemic endgame in sight? Plus other letters to the editor for Aug. 8
- Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the younger generation is now more prepared and willing to have conversations about advance care and end-of-life planning
- Novavax cuts full-year revenue forecast as vaccine sales slow
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- When will COVID-19 be endemic? The four factors that will shape the virus’s future
- Wastewater is filling the COVID-19 data gap
Thank you for subscribing to our Coronavirus Update Newsletter. As the pandemic eases, we plan to wind this down and eventually cease sending, but have many other newsletters to keep you informed, including Globe Climate, Carrick on Money and Breaking News.
Reach out to us: audience@globeandmail.com