Over the past few days, there have been plenty of tears and hugs in our household.
That’s what happens when you are dealing with the loss of a beloved family member overseas from COVID-19.
You cry. You hug. Rinse and repeat.
With only one university psychology course on my resume, I’m no expert in navigating the grieving process, but I’ve thought a lot about tears and the power of hugs in the last 48 hours, especially as it relates to dealing with loss in the midst of a pandemic.
I’ve learned there are three kinds of tears secreted from the lacrimal gland, located just above the eye. The first two, basal and reflexive tears, are designed to keep your eyes healthy via lubrication or ridding of harmful irritants. The tears expelled in an emotional state are psychic tears. Since COVID hit, this never-ending emotional state seems designed for psychic tears. And the tears that have flowed, whether brought on by a death linked to the virus or another pandemic-induced pain, might have actually helped, especially if you cry around those able to support you.
"Crying and opening up really is a social cue to show vulnerability and to show that something’s not right in a way that can’t be expressed with words," Gauri Khurana, a New York psychiatrist, told the Washington Post.
In our home, tears tend to lead to hugs, which gets at the importance of human touch when living our lives with two metres of separation.
In a piece I shared with my wife from the Guardian, we were struck by the fact the need for touch exists below the horizon of consciousness and that many of our core needs can’t be done without it. In other words, we are hard-wired to need touch, especially during high stress states such as a pandemic.
"Lots of studies support the theory that touch gives the brain a signal that it can delegate its resources for coping because someone else is there to bear the brunt. This relaxes the body, going some way to restoring the stress budget, if you like," says Dr Katerina Fotopoulou.
Beyond the tears and hugs that helped us through this first weekend, we were also touched by the notes from readers to this newsletter after I shared our news of my father-in-law’s passing in England.
The healing power of your words, those deeply personal thoughts and prayers, provided much comfort as I read them aloud to my wife. We made sure to then share them with family in England as part of our COVID rinse and repeat cycle of tears and hugs.
Thank you!
— Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor
THE LATEST NUMBERS
Note: Manitoba and Canada figures may not match due to differences in data sources.
THE LATEST IN MANITOBA
• Manitoba reported 113 new COVID-19 cases Monday, including 33 in Winnipeg. The Northern health region had the highest number of new cases with 58. Five deaths were reported.The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 10.8 per cent provincially and 6.8 per cent in Winnipeg, which is higher than the five per cent threshold public-health officials say is required to get control of the virus.
• Manitoba may be forced to postpone some second dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments as deliveries of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine come to a halt. In a release, the provincial government said it is likely some second-dose appointments will be delayed in Winnipeg and Brandon. The number of appointments affected and length of the delay will be determined by Manitoba once the federal government confirms the amount of vaccine delivered the week of Feb. 8. More information about the size of the next Pfizer shipment is expected later this week. Due to the disruption, no new appointments are being booked at the Winnipeg and Brandon clinics; however, appointments are being accepted for the opening of a clinic in Thompson on Feb. 1. Also this week, the province intends to offer first dose immunization at 62 personal care homes, concluding the first round of the campaign to immunize long term care residents.
• For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions, essential items and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website.
THE LATEST ELSEWHERE
• Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal government is looking seriously at tougher travel measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory hotel quarantines for air travellers returning from non-essential trips abroad. Freeland's remarks build on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's publicly expressed openness earlier this month to tighter restrictions, sparking questions about how a stricter isolation regime would work. Successful pandemic repellers from South Korea to Australia require 14-day hotel quarantines for passengers arriving from abroad. In New Zealand, which had 64 active COVID-19 cases as of Monday, passengers head straight to a hotel if they have no symptoms or a "quarantine facility" if they do. In South Korea, most non-residents must self-isolate for two weeks at a government-designated facility at their own expense and download a tracking app to ensure compliance.
• A third-party report examining how the British Columbia government responded to COVID-19 in long-term care homes during the first wave of the pandemic reveals confusion over policies and infection prevention. The report, by Ernst & Young, says specific policy orders from the provincial health officer were interpreted differently by health authorities and there were gaps in infection prevention and control as well as emergency preparedness. It also highlighted a lack of consistent provincial policy on how health authorities and facility operators handled residents who tested positive for COVID-19.
• Groups of youths confronted police in Dutch towns and cities Monday night, defying the country's coronavirus curfew and throwing fireworks. Police in the port city of Rotterdam used a water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse a crowd of rioters who also looted shops. Police and local media reported trouble in the capital, Amsterdam, where at least eight people were arrested, Haarlem, where vandals set a large fire in a street, The Hague and other towns before and after the 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. curfew began. It was the second night of unrest in towns and cities across the Netherlands that initially grew out of calls to protest against the country's tough lockdown, but degenerated into vandalism by crowds whipped up by messages swirling on social media.
• A federal appeals court on Monday struck down California coronavirus rules limiting indoor church attendance to specific numbers but allowed the state to continue to ban indoor worship during times of widespread infection. In a brief order, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out rules that limited indoor attendance to 100 and to 200 people when a county has been placed in the second and third tiers for coronavirus risk. California's blueprint for reopening has prevented indoor worship in counties where the coronavirus was widespread but limited attendance to specific numbers in counties with fewer infections. The case was brought by Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church, which asked the appeals court to overturn a district judge's ruling in December in favor of the state. The 9th Circuit was bound by a November U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down rules limiting indoor attendance at places of worship in New York to a specific number, without taking into account the size of the building.
• New York will lift some COVID-19 restrictions this week as a post-holiday spike in cases begins to wane — but the Big Apple's ban on indoor dining will remain in place, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. The governor, visiting the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, announced that New York will start making adjustments to restrictions such as allowing elective surgeries in upstate Erie County as health experts project the state's infection rate will continue to decline. Earlier in the day, the New York State Restaurant Association called on Cuomo to loosen restrictions on restaurants as neighboring states such as Massachusetts recently eliminated a curfew and eateries in Philadelphia reopened for indoor dining last weekend. While pubs and restaurants in New York City are completely barred from serving customers inside, upstate spots are operating at 50 per cent seating capacity and must shut by 10 p.m.
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
"I want to be clear: we’re using every single vaccine we can to protect our most vulnerable. But delivery delays are forcing us to be careful and cautious as we plan, to ensure we’re able to offer second doses."
— Ontario Premier Doug Ford

LOCAL NEWS
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Province to release overall vaccination plan
Manitobans will get first look Wednesday at proposed schedule for general population rollout Read More
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Top doctor tempers fervour for further loosening of rules
WHILE new COVID-19 infections in southern regions of the province trend downward, Manitoba’s top doctor is reminding the public it doesn’t take much to spark a spike. Read More
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Licence reviews probe hard-hit care homes
The results of a provincial probe into one of Manitoba's deadliest personal-care home outbreaks remain unknown, even as the health department puts the private facility's licence under review. Read More
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72 per cent of Manitobans want to be vaccinated at first opportunity: poll
Despite weeks of living under code red restrictions due to exploding COVID-19 case numbers and deaths, a sizable minority of Manitobans aren't interested in rolling up their sleeve right away. Read More
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Attention, shoppers: don't let your guards down
Experts weigh in on retail frenzy in Winnipeg amid pandemic Read More
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Eateries, gyms left with empty feeling
Operators don't understand why they can't be trusted like big-box stores Read More
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This couldn't have been what public health officials wanted. Read More
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Roussin delivers grim — but realistic — message on further reopenings
Manitobans may have to get used to the current level of restrictions for awhile — unless there's a significant drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the next few weeks. That’s the message chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin gave Monday as he repeated several times what could happen if we reopen the economy too soon. Read More
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Group advocates for vaccine for those with an intellectual disability
Inclusion Winnipeg has joined a national effort to push for people who have an intellectual disability to be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccine. Read More
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Crew relieved as made-in-Manitoba series wraps fourth season despite pandemic restrictions Read More
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Patchwork of volunteers continues sewing personal protective gear Read More
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It’s easy to be too ambitious with resolutions — especially after a year where much of our life has felt “on hold.” But given what we’ve endured, New Year’s resolutions are going to look different than ever before and may be trickier to manage. Read More
NATIONAL NEWS
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A parliamentary pile on over national vaccine rollout kicks off new Commons sitting
OTTAWA - The seats were nearly empty Monday as the House of Commons returned in hybrid form, but the opposition was full of fighting spirit over the Liberal government's handling of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Read More
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Canadian provinces push back vaccination plans as Pfizer deliveries grind to a halt
Some provinces were forced to push back vaccination for health-care workers and vulnerable seniors on Monday as deliveries from a major manufacturer ground to a temporary halt. Read More
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Travel concerns pressing as more transmissible COVID variants emerge: experts
More than two weeks after Canada implemented a rule that incoming airline passengers must show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding a plane, the country still appears to be seeing some travel-related cases and the federal government is exploring ways to make it harder to go on trips. Read More
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Freeland hints at potential hotel quarantines for returning travellers
OTTAWA - Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the federal government is "looking seriously" at tougher travel measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, including mandatory hotel quarantines for air travellers returning from non-essential trips abroad. Read More
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Too soon to know if Canada's COVID-19 case decline will continue, Tam says
MONTREAL - It's still too soon to know whether the recent downward trend in new COVID-19 cases will continue, Canada's chief public health officer said Sunday as several provinces grappled with outbreaks that threatened to derail their fragile progress. Read More
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'#ScienceUpFirst:' Social media campaign targets COVID-19 misinformation with science
EDMONTON - Microsoft founder Bill Gates did not create the virus that causes COVID-19 and he is not forcing microchips into your body through vaccinations. Read More
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The end of hugs: How COVID-19 has changed daily life a year after Canada's first case
MONTREAL - On January 25th, 2020, Canadians were still living their lives like they always had: commuting to the office, visiting friends, dining out, hugging loved ones, vacationing. But the announcement that day of Canada's first COVID-19 case set in motion a chain of events that would soon change everything. Read More
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'It wasn't called COVID at the time:' One year since Canada's first COVID-19 case
TORONTO - The patient, when he came into the hospital ER with what seemed to be mild pneumonia, wasn't that sick and might otherwise have been sent home. Read More
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Too many new pet owners, not enough vets make getting animal care a problem
CALGARY - Dr. Liz Ruelle says it was a difficult decision to close her veterinary practice to first-time patients after being swamped with requests by new pet owners who turned to animal companionship during the pandemic. Read More
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Doctors group condemns protest at home of Saskatchewan chief medical health officer
REGINA - An association representing physicians in Saskatchewan is denouncing a protest staged outside the home of the province's chief medical health officer while an Alberta man has been charged with making threats against the Northwest Territories top doctor. Read More
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Alberta man charged with threatening Northwest Territories public health officer
YELLOWKNIFE - A 28-year-old Alberta man has been charged with making threatening statements toward the chief public health officer of the Northwest Territories. Read More
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Two Edmonton high schools move online after high COVID-19 caseloads confirmed
EDMONTON - Two Edmonton high schools have moved classes online after a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases among students and staff. Read More
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Dentists, teachers disappointed they won't be prioritized for vaccine in B.C.
VANCOUVER - Dentists, bus drivers and teachers are among the essential workers who are disappointed they won't be given priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in British Columbia. Read More
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B.C. to stretch second doses of COVID-19 vaccine to day 42 amid production delay
VICTORIA - British Columbia is extending the interval between the two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the province's top doctor said Monday. Read More
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Ont. public health units beef up infection control, testing as U.K. variant spreads
TORONTO - Public health officials in Ontario are taking further measures to trace a more contagious strain of COVID-19 that's been found in a number of regions since it was first detected in the Toronto area a month ago. Read More
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Ontario focuses on COVID-19 vaccines for long-term care residents amid dose delay
TORONTO - Ontario is pausing COVID-19 vaccinations of long-term care staff and essential caregivers so that it can focus on administering the shots to all nursing home residents amid a shortage of doses. Read More
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Military to support vaccination efforts in northern Ontario Indigenous communities
TORONTO - The Canadian military is set to help with COVID-19 vaccine distribution in northern Ontario, as officials investigate the death of a teenager who had the virus and worked at a long-term care home in the province's southwest. Read More
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New COVID-related death at Saint John care home brings provincial total to 14
FREDERICTON - Health officials in New Brunswick confirmed Monday that two residents of a long-term care facility in Saint John died last week after testing positive for COVID-19. Read More
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After going weeks with no COVID cases, Nunavut community sees new infections
ARVIAT, Nunavut - The centre of Nunavut's COVID-19 outbreak is now facing a second outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Read More
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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US virus numbers drop, but race against new strains heats up
Coronavirus deaths and cases per day in the U.S. dropped markedly over the past couple of weeks but are still running at alarmingly high levels, and the effort to snuff out COVID-19 is becoming an ever more urgent race between the vaccine and the mutating virus. Read More
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Mexico's president says he's tested positive for COVID-19
MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that the symptoms are mild. Read More
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UK vaccination drive expands as virus toll nears 100,000
LONDON - Britain is expanding a coronavirus vaccination program that has seen more than 6 million people get the first of two doses — even as the country’s death toll in the pandemic approaches 100,000. Read More
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Dutch police use tear gas, water cannon amid rioting
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Groups of youths confronted police in Dutch towns and cities Monday night, defying the country's coronavirus curfew and throwing fireworks. Police in the port city of Rotterdam used a water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse a crowd of rioters who also looted shops. Read More
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Asia Today: Australia OKs Pfizer vaccine, to begin in Feb.
SYDNEY, Australia - Australia’s medical regulator has approved use of its first coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for inoculations to begin next month. Read More
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Chicago teachers vote to teach from home, defying district
CHICAGO - The Chicago Teachers Union said Sunday that its members voted to defy an order to return to the classroom over concerns about COVID-19, setting up a showdown with district officials who have said that refusing to return when ordered would amount to an illegal strike. Read More
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Paris' virus-battered Fan Museum thrown life-line
Paris City Hall has instructed the landlord seeking to close down the city's indebted Fan Museum to extend its deadline for payment, the museum said Monday. Read More
COVID-19 BASICS
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By the numbers: COVID-19 tests, cases, vaccinations, hospitalizations and more
By the numbers: COVID-19 tests, cases, vaccinations, hospitalizations and more
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What's open, what's closed: Government, entertainment, sports and more during the pandemic
What's open, what's closed in Winnipeg during the coronavirus pandemic
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