Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- Does COVID-19 disrupt the immune system?
- U.S. proposes once-a-year COVID-19 shots for most Americans
- First Person: My husband has long-COVID. Strangely, it’s improved our marriage
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
- The theory that a COVID-19 infection might cause some type of immune dysfunction is being seriously considered by medical experts. One reason researchers think that COVID could alter immune responses is because it’s well known that this happens with some other common viruses.
- Alberta Opposition Leader Rachel Notley says if her NDP was to win the spring election, it would scrap a COVID-19 review panel led by former Reform Party leader Preston Manning.
- Data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows the number of deaths linked to COVID-19 in the province since the beginning of the pandemic has surpassed 5,000.
- Critically ill COVID-19 cases in China are down 72 per cent from a peak early this month, while daily deaths among COVID-19 patients in hospitals have dropped 79 per cent from their peak, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.
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Pandemic recovery
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year vaccine shot. The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell, with only 16 per cent of those eligible having received the latest boosters authorized in August.
- Crude oil prices have started the year with a rally amid signs of more buying from China after it eased COVID-19 restrictions and concern that sanctions on Russia could tighten supply.
- Canadians might be unwittingly contributing to a pandemic-related rise in child labour worldwide by buying more imports produced by children, a report from an international aid charity is warning.
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Globe opinion
Gary Mason: Preston Manning’s COVID-19 panel appointment is a $253,000 travesty
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More reading
- “It’s not a thing you’re supposed to say, but when my husband got long COVID, it created some wonderful things for us,” writes Alexandra Loeb in a First Person essay. “I don’t recommend it, of course, and maybe I’m a Pollyanna finding a silver lining in this very dark cloud, but honestly, it’s opening up a lot for us, for him, for me.”
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.
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