Coronavirus Update: Who are the unvaccinated Canadians?

Good evening, we’re updating the coronavirus newsletter to better reflect the pandemic as it changes. What would you like to see included? Send your thoughts to audience@globeandmail.com

Top headlines:

1. The unvaccinated: Who are the Canadians holding out on getting their shot?
2. Ontario’s COVID-19 back-to-school plan maintains many safety protocols, including masks and social distancing
3. Did you get two different vaccine doses? The vaccination status of 3.6-million Canadians may not be recognized when travelling abroad

In the past seven days, 5,858 cases were reported, up 63 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 47 deaths announced, down 10 per cent over the same period. At least 368 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,399,467 others are considered recovered.

Canada’s inoculation rate is 6th among 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.

Coronavirus explainers: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Tracking vaccine doses • Lockdown rules and reopening

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Coronavirus in Canada

• Ontario students from Grades 1 through 12 will be required to wear masks and maintain physical distancing indoors when they return to the classroom next month, the provincial government announced. Also, a new Ontario study has found no increase in preterm or stillborn births during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Alberta’s NDP is calling for a public inquiry into the United Conservative government’s decision to end isolation requirements, contact tracing and asymptomatic testing.
• Manitoba is loosening some COVID-19 restrictions and removing its mask mandate as the province moves toward the next step of reopening. Premier Brian Pallister said Manitobans will be able to enjoy more freedoms when the rules change on Aug. 7.
• The positivity rate for COVID-19 testing in Quebec has reached 1.4 per cent – the highest it’s been since late May. The province has reported an average of 139 new cases a day over the past seven days, up from an average of 57 a week prior.

3.6 million Canadians who received mix-and-match vaccines may face travel troubles as some countries, including many in the European Union, don’t recognize certain vaccines and vaccine combinations.

• That means that those with mixed doses may not be considered fully vaccinated and could require additional COVID-19 safety measures, such as testing and quarantining.

Unvaccinated Canadians: They either have a deep suspicion of government, fears about short- and long-term side effects of the shot, or a belief that COVID-19 itself won’t hurt them. A Globe and Mail analysis reveals who in Canada is holding out on vaccination.

Coronavirus around the world

• New York City will become the first major city in the United States to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for customers and staff at restaurants, gyms and other indoor businesses. Meanwhile, Florida and Louisiana were at or near their highest hospitalization numbers of the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, driven by the Delta variant. And, the U.S. has shipped more than 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 60 countries, from Afghanistan to Zambia, the White House announced Tuesday.
• Greece has withdrawn from the artistic swimming competitions at the Tokyo Olympics after four of their athletes tested positive for COVID-19, the Greek Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.
• North Korea is releasing emergency military rice reserves as its food shortage worsens, South Korea’s spy agency said. North Korea’s reported food problems come as its economy continues to be battered by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus and business

As companies approach their return to office, many are reconsidering how their workplaces will look and what purposes they will serve.

• Previously, offices were filled with individual cubicles for quiet work. With employees now opting to attend to independent tasks from home, many companies are reconfiguring their workplaces to nurture connection and creativity.
• Fran Katsoudas’s team at Cisco Systems is rethinking the purpose of their workspaces across their 420 offices in 100 countries. Before the pandemic, she said, employees would have a place to sit with their own name tags. Now, Cisco is replacing those cubicles and desks with larger tables, couches and huddle areas for employees.

Also today: As we emerge from the pandemic, here’s how to think about the next steps in your career

And: The Canadian dollar fell as concerns over the Delta variant weighs on oil prices

Globe opinion

• Ashleigh Tuite and David Fisman: Booster shots for Canadians are unlikely – for now
• Andre Picard: Do we need to worry about breakthrough COVID-19 infections after getting vaccinated?
• J. Kelly Nestruck: Winnipeg theatre still winning in the COVID-19 pandemic – even if in-person reopening lags

More reporting

• COVID-19 stress pushes South Asian men in Brampton, Ont., to form a ‘circle of care that keeps growing’
• Gov. Ron DeSantis doubles down against COVID-19 restrictions as Florida again breaks hospitalization record
• Clorox forecasts annual sales drop as COVID-19 pandemic boom fades, shares fall

Information centre

• Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
• Waiting for a second dose? We answer your COVID-19 vaccine questions
• What is and isn’t ‘paid sick leave’ in Canada? A short primer
• Got a vaccine ‘hangover’? Here’s why

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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