Good evening, here are the COVID-19 updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Ontario lifting mask mandates in most public settings, including schools, on March 21
- Keep masks in schools for now, says head of SickKids
- Pfizer begins mid-to-late-stage study of COVID-19 pill for high-risk children aged 6-17
In the past seven days, 37,521 cases were reported, down 11 per cent from the previous seven days. There were 379 deaths announced, down 23 per cent over the same period. At least 4,198 people are being treated in hospitals.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 13th among countries with a population of one million or more people.
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
A South Korean election official wears protective gear as they guide voters infected with COVID-19 at a polling station for the presidential election in Seoul, today.JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images
Coronavirus in Canada
- Ontario is lifting its mask mandate in most public settings, including schools, and ending isolation requirements in most circumstances beginning March 21. Masks will still be required on public transit, in long-term care, retirement homes and other health care and congregate care settings, Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the head of SickKids is advising the province to move more slowly in removing them from schools. And, thousands of businesses in the province still haven’t received the $10,000 grant introduced for small businesses that were ordered to close in January for just shy of a month.
- In Alberta, municipalities will now need provincial approval to impose COVID-19 mask and proof-of-vaccine rules.
- British Columbia is removing COVID-19 vaccination deadlines for health-care professionals from its order that requires staff to report their vaccination status.
- The Manitoba government cracked down Wednesday on a long-standing protest against COVID-19 restrictions that was taking place near the legislature.
- Nunavut’s chief public health officer says the territory will aim to end its public health emergency on April 11, with public health measures easing every two weeks until all the restrictions are lifted.
- In Quebec, a government health research institute released new projections Wednesday indicating COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province are expected to plateau after weeks of steady declines. Quebec reported six more deaths linked to COVID-19 today, with a drop of 30 patients in hospital with the disease.
Across the country, provinces are beginning to lift mask mandates. Ontario said today it would remove the mask mandate in most public settings as of March 21, following the lead of Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Coronavirus around the world
- The Paxlovid pill is authorized for emergency use in the United States for kids 12 years or older and high-risk adults. Pfizer said it has begun a study of the antiviral COVID-19 pill for children aged 6-17 years who are at high risk.
- Hong Kong is struggling to contain the city’s worst COVID outbreak ever, causing some residents to panic. The anxiety gripping Hong Kong is not just about the explosion of infections, but also about what the government will do next.
Coronavirus and business
Canada’s big bank CEOs earned a combined $70-million, 23 per cent more than 2020, as financial institutions blew past lower profit targets set at a time of uncertainty about the pandemic.
- Senior bankers were rewarded for a year of robust profits even as economies around the world grappled with lockdowns and other public-health restrictions.
- Volatile markets kept trading desks busy, boosting revenue from them. And banks had unusually low levels of losses on loans as massive government stimulus programs backstopped many households and businesses.
Globe opinion
- Rob Carrick: Households were better off financially during the global economic crisis of 2008-09 and the pandemic. But war in Ukraine is different
- Bacchus Barua, Tegan Hill and Mackenzie Moir: Without reform, increased spending on health care will only provide temporary relief
More reporting
- Unvaccinated tennis player Novak Djokovic unable to enter U.S. for Indian Wells, Miami Open
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel restrictions for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- Where do I book a COVID-19 booster or a vaccine appointment for my kids? Latest rules by province
- 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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