Coronavirus Update: Pfizer insists on extracting more doses per vial, challenging Canada’s vaccine program

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

Top headlines:

1. Pfizer-BioNTech is pushing Health Canada to amend its COVID-19 vaccine label and formally recognize that each vial contains six doses rather than five.
2. A Canada-China effort to develop a COVID-19 vaccine began to fall apart just days after it was announced, according to documents.
3. In the latest blow to the struggling airline industry, Air Transat has cancelled all flights out of Toronto until April 30.

In the last 7 days, 35,734 cases were reported, down 19 per cent from the previous 7 days. There were 1,071 deaths announced, down 1 per cent over the same period. At least 3,933 people are being treated in hospitals and 683,951 others are considered recovered.

About 79 per cent of the 1,122,450 doses of vaccine distributed to provinces have been administered. That’s 2.3 doses for every 100 people in Canada.

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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 • Lockdown rules and reopening • Canada’s vaccine distribution plan • Developing/approved vaccines • Pfizer’s vaccine, explained • Essential resources

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario is ramping up COVID-19 safety inspections on farms ahead of the new growing season. Meanwhile, a Canada Post worker in a Mississauga facility hit by a major coronavirus outbreak has died from COVID-19.
• Quebec will exempt people experiencing homelessness from the province’s curfew after a court finds the measure endangered safety. Meanwhile, experts differ on the merits of the province’s strategy that focuses on giving a first COVID-19 vaccine dose to as many people as possible before giving anyone a second.
• B.C. is “ramping up” genome sequencing in an attempt to better understand the new variants’ spread, after the province detected three cases of the South Africa strain.
• Saskatchewan’s top doctor expressed concern after a group of protesters gathered outside his home last weekend questioning the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Doctors in hard-hit areas in northwestern New Brunswick urged people to follow COVID-19 guidelines, saying the current situation risks becoming unmanageable. The Edmundston region is under lockdown, and accounts for nearly half the 339 active reported COVID-19 infections in the province.

Pfizer-BioNTech is pushing Health Canada to amend its COVID-19 vaccine label and formally recognize that each vial contains six doses rather than five, which would allow the company to send fewer vials to Canada but could complicate the vaccination program.

COVID-19 data: Crimes recorded by police services in Canada dropped during first eight months of pandemic, but service calls for mental health and wellness checks rose, according to new Statistics Canada data.

COVID-19 antibodies: Canada has been unable to get a national picture of the country’s immunity to COVID-19, despite promises from the federal government that it would conduct mass blood tests to find out how common the antibodies are.

Coronavirus around the world

• “I know doctors and nurses who do not trust the vax”: Vaccine hesitancy in France is trending upward, worrying epidemiologists and microbiologists.
• Global coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million, according to a Reuters tally, with 25 million of those cases residing in the U.S.
• As Britain surpassed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters, “I am deeply sorry for every life that has been lost.”

Coronavirus and business

Air Transat is halting all flights out of Toronto and some from Montreal for the remainder of the winter travel season, blaming stricter travel regulations.

• The flights are suspended just two weeks after Air Canada announced it would lay off 1,700 workers and cut more routes amid a challenging business environment for the aviation industry.
• The federal government implemented a new requirement in January that all travellers seeking to enter Canada provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the federal government is contemplating further restrictions.

And: The U.S. Federal Reserve maintained its key overnight interest rate, leaving in place a pillar of the country’s pandemic fiscal support.

Also today: Realtors believe the hot spring housing market is starting early in Toronto, as sellers are quick to list and bidding contests are flaring up in some spots.

Globe opinion

• Robyn Urback: A type of institutional naiveté – a wide-eyed belief in the inherent goodness and an “asking nicely” strategy – are alarmingly present in federal government decision-making. But, is it working?
• Konrad Yakabuski: Canada’s pharmaceutical industry began climbing the global ranks back in 1987, when the Canadian government struck a bargain with Big Pharma. Now, Trudeau must strike another similar deal.
• The Editorial Board: Additional travel regulations are needed now more than ever, with new, more contagious and virulent variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 spreading across the globe, Canada included.

More reporting

• The Canadian military reported a surge in COVID-19 infections, with nearly 250 members testing positive for COVID-19 since the end of December.
• Recipe: Cardamom knots are to lockdown 2.0 what sourdough and cinnamon buns were to our first confinement.
• Warm up while at home: Comforting stew recipes for chilly winter nights.
• Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist Bill Gates says he has been taken aback by the volume of “crazy” and “evil” conspiracy theories about him.

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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