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:
Ontario’s vaccine appointments have doubled a day after the province’s passport announcement Cattle feed stores across Alberta report an increased interest in ivermectin after unproved COVID-19 claims The ‘Maderna’ vax: Misspelling of Moderna on a fake vaccination card leads to a tourist’s arrest in Hawaii In Canada, 24,387 cases have been reported, up 23 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 127 deaths announced, up 59 per cent over the same period. At least 1,308 people are being treated in hospitals and 1,446,614 others are considered recovered.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 12th among countries with a population of one million or more people.
Open this photo in gallery
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
Photo of the day Open this photo in gallery
Thai pro-democracy protesters hold up a sign asking for mRNA vaccines to fight Thailand's recent COVID-19 outbreak during a rally at the Asoke Intersection on September 02, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Coronavirus in Canada Ontario said the number of vaccine appointment bookings doubled since Wednesday’s COVID-19 vaccine passport announcement. Meanwhile, doctors should be cautious when giving medical exemptions, the head of Ontario’s medical regulator said. In Alberta, feed stores and a veterinarian college have reported instances of people seeking the animal form of ivermectin as an unproved way to treat COVID-19. Meanwhile, the province’s NDP calls for mandatory vaccination for non-essential businesses and return the requirement to mask in indoor essential places. A disorganized health system for seniors contributed to the high COVID-19 death toll in the province, according to Quebec’s health and welfare commissioner. During the first months of the health crisis – from March 2020 to August 2020 – no fewer than 5,157 elderly Quebeckers died, accounting for 90 per cent of total COVID-19 deaths in the province at the time. In British Columbia, Premier John Horgan said health care workers have been “true heroes” during the pandemic, following protests against COVID-19 vaccine cards. Meanwhile, the province has reinstated restrictions on gatherings in the Northern Health region because of a spike in COVID-19 cases fuelled by the Delta variant. Across Canada, students and their parents have had to deal with unpredictable school disruptions and a lot of anxiety about COVID-19 for the past 18 months.
Now, with many students set to return to in-person learning, there is still a tangled web of restrictions for parents to sort out. On The Decibel, The Globe’s education reporter discusses how schools are gearing up to keep kids stay and facilitate as normal of a return to school this fall as possible. Public-transit revenue: Canada’s municipal leaders are asking federal parties to pledge more money into local transit systems after the pandemic resulted in a decline in ridership revenue.
The pandemic election: Elections Canada says it still has a “significant need” for workers to staff polling stations across the country for the Sept. 20 federal election.
Coronavirus around the world Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde have cancelled their attendance at all public events after a family member tested positive for COVID-19. The palace said in a statement that the king and queen had decided to limit their contacts in the coming days. In the United States, a 24-year-old woman submitted a fake COVID-19 vaccination card to visit Hawaii with a glaring spelling error that led to her arrest: Moderna was spelled “Maderna,” according to court documents. Meanwhile, the U.S. plans to invest $3-billion in the vaccine supply chain, says a top U.S. health official. The European Union’s infectious-diseases agency is urging countries to focus on primary COVID-19 vaccination programs and play down the need for booster shoots. “The priority now should be to vaccinate all those eligible individuals who have not yet completed their recommended vaccination course,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said. Coronavirus and business As big companies shift long-term to fully remote or hybrid models, small businesses across the country are similarly putting their post-COVID workplace strategies into action.
Story continues below advertisement
With no human-resource or workplace-safety department to help them navigate the path toward a post-pandemic future, some are finding a few unexpected challenges and benefits as they embrace new workplace models. Also today: A growing number of U.S. companies are loosening job requirements, but hiring still remains a challenge.
Globe opinion Zackary Berger: COVID-19 vaccine passports pose an equity problem Campbell Clark: In this federal election, the Liberals are intent on vaccine wedge politics The Editorial Board: Doug Ford just did a U-turn on vaccine passports. Better late than never More reporting With an expected uptick in mail-in ballots on Sept. 20 – driven by the pandemic – how does mail-in voting work? 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.
What are we missing? Email us: audience@globeandmail.com. Do you know someone who needs this newsletter? Send them to our Newsletters page.