Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Monday

Students in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick are heading back to their classrooms on Monday — a move that comes amid a broader easing of restrictions in the two Atlantic provinces.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday

COVID-19 hospitalizations are trending downward in Canada's two most populous provinces, which are easing some restrictions as of Monday.

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You're boosted and have recently recovered from Omicron. What's your risk of re-infection?

Does the antibody cocktail of three vaccine doses and infection-based immunity make you bulletproof against another COVID-19 infection? Here's what experts say.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Saturday

Russia's daily coronavirus case count exceeded 100,000 on Saturday for the first time since the pandemic began, the country's coronavirus task force said.

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How Canada can avoid past mistakes as COVID-19 restrictions lift

Canada is entering a new phase of the pandemic as restrictions are set to ease across much of the country. But avoiding the mistakes of the past and keeping the public onside will be extremely challenging as Omicron continues to hammer our health-care system.

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If Omicron is mild, why are so many people dying in Ontario?

While there's evidence that Ontario's rate of new COVID-19 infections has slowed from its record peaks, the daily death toll in this Omicron wave is still on the rise and approaching a level never seen before in the pandemic. 

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Early evidence that boosters seem to hold up against Omicron subvariant BA.2

With BA.2 now spreading in more than 50 countries around the world, there’s early hope that vaccine booster doses still hold up against the Omicron subvariant.

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Omicron infections have peaked nationally, Canada's top doctor says

Canada's chief public health officer said Friday that cases of the Omicron variant have peaked nationwide and the number of new infections has dropped significantly over the past week.

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Children who are severely immunocompromised should get 3rd dose of COVID vaccine, NACI says

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) made the recommendation on Friday.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Friday

Premier Jason Kenney says he wants to eliminate Alberta's COVID-19 vaccine passport program as soon as it's safe to do so, but noted that it's not yet the right time, as hospitals continue to feel pandemic pressures.

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People say they want COVID-19 to become 'endemic.' But what does that really mean?

Canada is not yet at a stage where people can live with the coronavirus and return to normal activities and it's dangerous to misuse the word "endemic" to suggest that, infectious disease experts and epidemiologists warn.

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Early physical activity helps children after concussions, study finds

New research from Ottawa’s pediatric hospital could have significant implications for older children suffering from a concussion as it encourages physical activity within days of a brain injury.

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No clear link between increase in childhood Type 1 diabetes in COVID-19

Hospitals say there’s been an increase in the number of children developing Type 1 diabetes after having COVID-19, but researchers say there isn't yet any clear explanation or connection.

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Proposed new post-pandemic standards for long-term care being released today

As hundreds of long-term care homes across the country grapple with new outbreaks of COVID-19, highly-anticipated draft national standards for these facilities are being released today.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday

Most coronavirus restrictions including mandatory face masks were lifted in England on Thursday, after Britain's government said its vaccine booster rollout successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations.

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Ontario's crackdown on COVID-19 vaccine medical exemptions seems to be working

Ontario's new rules requiring a review of medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines seem to be reining in the number of people being granted a waiver from vaccination mandates. 

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Canadian university races former Chinese partner to make a COVID-19 booster

A vaccine collaboration between McMaster University in Hamilton and a former Chinese partner stalled years ago and they are now independently racing to develop similar COVID-19 boosters, The Fifth Estate has found.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday

Hospitals in New Brunswick are feeling the strain of the Omicron wave, with four hospitals at or near capacity.

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How I unlearned my anti-vaxx upbringing and started to trust the experts

I know what it's like to grow up in a home opposed to vaccinations, writes Kelsey MacDonald. Luckily for me, a patient health-care worker made the difference.

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Why scientists are tracking BA.2, a stealth subvariant of Omicron that's on the rise

Unlocking the mysteries behind Omicron's unique set of mutations will be key to understanding how this virus evolves and spreads — particularly as a tougher-to-detect subvariant called BA.2 is taking off in various countries.

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Anxiety, depression, loneliness at highest levels among Canadians since early pandemic: survey

Anxiety and feelings of depression and loneliness among adult Canadians are at their highest levels since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a report released Tuesday by Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) suggests.

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Ontario officials tell Windsor's top doctor that now-rescinded pause on migrant workers was 'discriminatory'

Letters from top Ontario officials to Windsor's acting medical officer of health scold him for sending now-rescinded written directives to businesses to halt the arrival of temporary foreign workers, CBC News has learned. 

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Pfizer-BioNTech launch trial of Omicron-targeted COVID-19 vaccine

Pfizer and BioNTech said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some of the protection provided by the original two-dose vaccine regimen.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday

Most students in Newfoundland and Labrador are heading back to classrooms Tuesday, the second Atlantic province to return to in-person education this year.

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How does Pfizer's COVID-19 pill work and who will get it?

Have you been wondering how Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pill works? Or when it will be available? We asked health experts those questions and more.

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Conservative MPs accuse Trudeau of pushing 'vaccine vendetta' as convoy protest heads to Ottawa

Conservative MPs fiercely opposed to the federal government's new vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers have slammed what they call Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "vaccine vendetta," saying that a policy requiring truckers to show proof of vaccination will disrupt the country's supply chains.

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3 teenagers who stepped up to help others during pandemic

These three teenagers have stepped up to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering food, helping seniors with technology and providing homemade air filters.

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Trapeze, tennis and motorcycling: How Windsor, Ont., health-care workers are tackling Omicron stress

After an emotional breakdown in the middle of the pandemic and taking the stress of COVID-19 home, Louise Raymond, a certified rehab assistant at a Windsor, Ont., hospital, is among those in health care who have been managing their mental health differently during yet another wave.

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This Calgary couple is working to destigmatize cancer for Black Canadians

When Yinka Oladele’s husband was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2016, she automatically became his caregiver. But she struggled to find the information and resources she needed to navigate his diagnosis as a Black patient.

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How the COVID-19 outbreak in Bearskin Lake shows Canada needs to boost crisis response in First Nations

The federal government's response to a COVID-19 outbreak in a northern Ontario First Nation was criticized for being slow and ineffective. Indigenous leaders and experts say Canada needs to rethink how it responds to crises in First Nations.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Monday

Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is now required to access big-box and other large-scale retail stores across Quebec.

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COVID-19 can wreak havoc on your body. So will it cause health issues decades down the road?

COVID-19 can lead to a dizzying array of symptoms and sometimes causes lingering effects. What will that mean for the long-term health of millions of people who’ve been infected — months, years or even decades down the road?

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As U.S. accelerates distribution of rapid tests, critics call on Ottawa to catch up

As Canadians grapple with the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a molecular testing regime that has all but collapsed, rapid antigen tests have become a much-needed lifeline — for those lucky enough to get their hands on one. In the U.S., 875 million at-home tests will be distributed this month.

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Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are travelling abroad despite Omicron

Statistics Canada tallied more than 700,000 Canadian air passenger arrivals returning home from abroad in December despite Omicron's spread and Canada's advisory against international travel abroad.

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Why Omicron shows it's time to update our COVID-19 vaccines

COVID-19 vaccines work incredibly well at preventing severe disease, but future boosters will likely need to be tailored to target new and existing variants, strengthen immunity and ultimately help regain control over the pandemic. 

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Smoothie product sold online recalled for potential cyanide poisoning

A frozen smoothie product that was sold online across Canada has been recalled after reports of illnesses caused by cyanide poisoning.

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Using rapid tests? N.S. Health now recommends swabbing both throat and nose

Nova Scotia Public Health is now recommending those who use rapid tests to swab their nose and their throat with the same swab when collecting their sample.

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Delay of 3-year-old's cleft palate surgery 'heartbreaking,' says Ontario mom who was told it's non-urgent

Andrea Gerardi of Windsor, Ont., has been waiting nearly two years for her son to get surgery she says would improve his quality of life, but it's been pushed to an unknown date due to the pandemic. The head of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Surgeons says people across the country are also facing surgery delays.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Friday

Nepal's capital shut schools, ordered citizens to carry vaccination cards in public, banned religious festivals and instructed hotel guests to be tested every three days as it battles its biggest COVID-19 outbreak.

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Ontario sewage tests indicates COVID-19 may have plateaued but levels still high, experts say

Results from facilities testing sewage for COVID-19 across Ontario indicate that infection rates may have plateaued, yet levels of the Omicron variant still appear to remain high, experts say.

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Take 2 steps and call me in the morning: Exercise as a prescription for depression

The pandemic and revolving lockdowns have sharpened public health focus on treating mood disorders such as depression with relatively simple but effective exercise.

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Why letting users know what's in the drugs they're taking is important as opioid deaths rise

With opioid-related deaths mounting across Canada, health experts are warning that drug checking services are now more important than ever in helping users make informed decisions. One Toronto pilot program is helping do just that.

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Spain relied on tight lockdowns early in the pandemic - now it's looking to move from crisis to control

Almost two years after a tight lockdown, Spain is preparing to adopt a different COVID-19 playbook. With one of Europe's highest vaccination rates and one of its most pandemic-battered economies, the government is laying the groundwork to treat the next infection surge not as an emergency but an illness that is here to stay.

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The life-saving decisions inside an Ontario ICU

CBC News goes inside the intensive care unit of a Scarborough, Ont., hospital to witness the life-saving decisions staff have to make, where staff describe the common factors among patients.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday

Austria's parliament is due to vote Thursday on introducing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for adults, the first of its kind in Europe.

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Contaminated medical devices used in open heart surgery caused severe infection in patients

A class-action lawsuit launched on behalf of Canadians who underwent open heart surgery between January 2010 and July 2018 alleges the manufacturer of contaminated medical devices used during the surgeries failed to adequately warn hospitals of the risk.

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Vaccination plus infection offered most protection during Delta surge, U.S. study shows

Protection against the previously-dominant Delta variant was highest among people who were both vaccinated and had survived a previous COVID-19 infection, according to a report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday

New Brunswick's health minister is asking the public for assistance as the province struggles with a growing wave of COVID-19 that has sparked concern over the strained health-care system.

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P.E.I. to replace pap tests with HPV tests — but COVID is delaying the switch

Changes are coming to cervical cancer screening for Island women, with a move from the traditional pap smear to HPV testing — but it's being delayed because of COVID-19. 

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Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday

COVID-19 hospitalizations hit new highs in Canada's two most populous provinces, officials reported Tuesday, with 4,183 total hospitalizations in Ontario and 3,417 hospitalizations in Quebec.

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