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A growing number of health services have changed the way they report data on the coronavirus. A look at the current numbers in Canada for reported cases, deaths from COVID-19 and hospitalizations can be found here.
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
With pregnant women having a lower vaccination rate than the general population, a new study sheds light on the safety of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines when given to expectant mothers. Vaccinated pregnant women were no more likely to experience miscarriage, stillbirth or other serious health events compared to unvaccinated pregnant women, the study found. “If you get sick with the infection, it really has an adverse effect on pregnant women,” said Julie Bettinger, the study’s senior author and a professor of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Nurses and doctors say the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation related to the pandemic is increasingly turning people against the health care system, forcing them to reject vaccines and exposing health professionals to a barrage of abuse. Ottawa presented an internal estimate of the GDP impact of the blockades across the country, projecting that they caused economic losses of 0.1% to 0.2% of GDP per week, according to recent cabinet documents. The documents also included the revelation that the Prime Minister’s national security adviser, Jody Thomas, told full cabinet on the evening of February 13 that there was a chance of progress with protesters who had blocked downtown streets in Ottawa for weeks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet invoked the Emergency Act the next day. Moderna announces that it has agreed to purchase land in a biotech park near Montreal to serve as the site of its biomanufacturing facility for its mRNA vaccines, including vaccines for COVID-19. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday relaxed its guidelines for COVID-19 – dropping the recommendation that Americans be quarantined if they come into close contact with an infected person. The European health regulator has launched a rolling review of a variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech – adding that officials plan to use bivalent vaccines in their autumn vaccination campaign, with most cases in the region now linked to the BA.5 variant. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un declared victory in the battle against COVID-19 yesterday, even though the country has never confirmed how many people have contracted COVID-19, apparently lacking testing supplies.
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Pandemic recovery
The pandemic has changed the way we work a lot, but it hasn’t changed when we’re most productive, according to the results of a new survey. Daniel Pink, author of When: The scientific secrets of perfect timing, he says that these standards provide a strong argument for greater autonomy and flexibility in the workplace. While research has proven that employees are just as or more productive when they choose their work location, he believes even greater productivity can be achieved by giving employees more control never work. Outdoor activities were among the many things that became more expensive and difficult to enjoy when the pandemic hit. Here’s a list of some relatively low- and mid-cost outdoor activities to pursue as the pandemic moves toward further recovery. New Zealand has welcomed the country’s first cruise ship since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, marking a return to normality for the country’s tourism industry. Manulife missed analysts’ profit expectations after a $1.6 billion drop in profit due to market turmoil and the extension of COVID-19 restrictions in Asia.
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Opinion of the planet
John Ibbitson: Pierre Poilievre’s aim to block COVID-19 vaccine mandates doesn’t compromise the public harm it would cause Campbell Clark: The convoy wasn’t leaving town – but that’s not the emergency law issue David Parkinson: The Great Resignation has arrived in Canada Want to hear more from our columnists? Sign up to opinion newsletter, and get it delivered to your inbox, Monday through Saturday.
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