A roundup of COVID-19 developments for Monday April 26, 2021

Every battle needs a battle cry, so in this third wave let it be know that Victoria Day is on the line.

“It’s possible to save the long weekend,’’ Dr. Brent Roussin declared today in unveiling a return to hard time for the next four weeks.

I thought public health orders were supposed to save lives, not holidays. Silly me.

While I appreciate why Manitoba’s chief public health officer is offering a carrot while wielding a stick, his messaging depends on taking a vacation from the reality of COVID-19, especially now that various variants are on the loose in the province.

COVID doesn’t take days off. It didn’t care about Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. It doesn’t have any plans for the first long weekend of the summer beyond spreading infections.

Moreover, suggestions in the past that we could save those holidays or raising hope today of salvaging the long weekends to come ignore the fundamentals Roussin is so fond of referencing. What we long for — holiday escapes on planes, trains or automobiles, big parties at the lake, long overdue celebrations with friends at our favourite restaurant — won’t be in the cards until a lot more of us have shots listed on our immunization records. Or, to be more accurate, shouldn’t be in the cards as long as we have code-red restrictions in place. Unfortunately, that’s been the cold hard reality since COVID struck our province.

In the case of Manitoba, the earliest date for that fundamental milestone is not until early June. Given the pace of our vaccine rollout that has yet to hit the long-promised 20,000 daily dose maximum, I won’t be holding my breath or making any grand holidays plans.

— Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor

THE LATEST NUMBERS

COVID-19 NEW DAILY CASES IN CANADA

CANADA COVID CASES OVER TIME

Note: Manitoba and Canada figures may not match due to differences in data sources.

THE LATEST IN MANITOBA

• Along with tightened public-health restrictions that will come into force on Wednesday, provincial health officials announced 210 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death Monday. There are 2,093 active cases in Manitoba with 148 people in hospital, 37 of them in intensive care. The new death is a woman in her 60s from Winnipeg health region linked to the B.1.1.7 variant. A total of 157 new cases were announced in Winnipeg, followed by 19 in Prairie Mountain, 15 in the Northern Health region, 12 in Interlake-Eastern and seven in Southern Health. The five-day test positivity rate is 7.6 per cent in Manitoba and 8.2 per cent in Winnipeg

• For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions, essential items and other guidance, visit the provincial government’s website.

• For up-to-date information about which Manitobans are eligible for vaccination, click here. Only individuals who meet the criteria on that page can make an appointment; provincial officials ask that you do not call if you are not yet eligible to avoid tying up phone lines.

THE LATEST ELSEWHERE

• Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh both say Canada should send aid to India as it struggles with a deadly surge in COVID-19 cases. Procurement Minister Anita Anand said Friday Canada will be ready with personal protective equipment, ventilators and any other items that might be useful, but as of Monday the federal government had yet to provide more details.

• Turkey’s president says a full lockdown will start this week to fight coronavirus infections, marking the country’s strictest measure since the pandemic began. The lockdown is set to begin Thursday and last until May 17. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday all businesses will have to close unless otherwise stated by the interior minister. Supermarkets can stay open, except on Sundays. Permission will be needed for intercity travel. All schools will switch to online learning. Turkey had so far instituted partial lockdowns. After the country lifted partial restrictions in March, infections and deaths soared.

• The White House is making plans to share as many as 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 10 million in the coming weeks — but exactly where they will go remains to be seen. The first 10 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses, a product not yet approved for use in the U.S., must be reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration before they can be exported, press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. Last week, after a phone call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden noted the U.S. had already sent 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses north of the border and suggested more would be forthcoming.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

“It’s pleasing to see small declines in cases and deaths in several regions, but many countries are still experiencing intense COVID-19 transmission, and the situation in India is beyond heartbreaking.”

— WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

LOCAL NEWS

Carol Sanders:

Health orders an attempt to ‘dampen’ third wave

Province bans most private gatherings, imposes other measures as case numbers suggest autumn-like catastrophe brewing Read More

Malak Abas:

Restaurant owners, staff relieved province didn’t shut down patios

Restaurant owners are breathing a sigh of relief after Monday’s announced changes to public-health restrictions kept patio gatherings on the permitted list. Rather than instate a full lockdown, ... Read More

Dan Lett:

Pallister out to lunch

New rules surrounding restaurant patios, outdoor gatherings proof premier won't learn from pandemic past Read More

Katie May:

Province issues guidance as more schools head online

Although the province intends to keep schools open during the pandemic's third wave, several Manitoba schools have already decided to switch to remote learning because higher numbers of students and s... Read More

Kevin Rollason:

Pallister pledges greater enforcement following anti-mask rally

Hundreds of anti-mask protesters at The Forks got a response from the provincial government on Monday — but it wasn't what they were asking for.Just one day after as many as 400 people gathered ... Read More

Danielle Da Silva:

Province prioritizes more vaccine hot spots

Seven Oaks West, Northern health region added to high-risk vaccine priority list Read More

Dylan Robertson:

Need for speed

Data show province rolls out rapid-testing at slow pace Read More

Taylor Allen:

CFL players breathing easier

League's announcement concerning 2021 season gives hope Read More

Editorial:

Heightened restrictions might not be enough

Watching Ontario Premier Doug Ford as he twists in the wind of public disfavour, Manitoba’s Brian Pallister on Monday slightly tightened restrictions on gatherings where the COVID-19 virus may b... Read More

NATIONAL NEWS

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press:

New COVID-19 restrictions coming to some provinces

The Ontario government has asked for military relief to help handle a rising COVID-19 crisis in its hospitals as several other provinces tightened health restrictions Monday to avoid a similar fate. A... Read More

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press:

Canada to receive first J&J vaccines this week

While experts debate the reasons behind growing antidepressant use, there is shared concern over medication alone being the response to young people’s calls for help. Read More

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press:

Judge dismisses bid to halt hotel quarantines

OTTAWA - A group of air travellers has lost a Federal Court bid for an interim injunction to prohibit hotel quarantines for returning passengers.Justice William Pentney said in a written ruling that t... Read More

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press:

NDP, Conservatives support foreign aid to India

OTTAWA - The leaders of the federal Conservatives and NDP say Canada should send aid to India as it struggles with a deadly surge in COVID-19 cases, while the Liberal government has yet to announce an... Read More

The Canadian Press:

Canadian Andreescu announces positive COVID test

Canadian tennis star Bianca Andreescu says she has tested positive for COVID-19. Andreescu made the announcement on social media Sunday. She added she won't be playing in the upcoming Madrid Open. And... Read More

The Canadian Press:

Two positive COVID-19 cases at women's curling

CALGARY - Two positive COVID-19 cases have been identified ahead of the upcoming LGT world women's curling championship, the seventh and final competition to be held in a so-called bubble setting at t... Read More

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press:

Meat-plant workers to get vaccines: minister

CALGARY - Alberta is to begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to thousands of meat-packing employees across the province starting this week, but a union leader says some workers are reluctant to receive a ... Read More

Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press:

Vaccine key to Wood Buffalo COVID-19 crisis: mayor

While not everyone is convinced this hallowed ground is an appropriate place for exercise, some say just apply a little common sense. Read More

The Canadian Press:

B.C. reports infant death due to COVID-19

VICTORIA - British Columbia has confirmed that COVID-19 was a factor in the death of an infant from the Interior Health region, the province's top doctor says. The baby was being treated in hospital i... Read More

Terri Theodore, The Canadian Press:

Vet shortage in B.C. puts animals at risk: society

VANCOUVER - A shortage of veterinarians in British Columbia threatens food security and is responsible for animals suffering and dying, according the group that speaks for animal doctors in the provin... Read More

Rob Ferguson - Queen's Park Bureau, Toronto Star:

Ontario considering boosting vaccines in COVID-19 hot spots

Ontario is on the verge of boosting vaccine supplies to COVID-19 hot zones in a bid to slow the surge in hospitalizations. Read More

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press:

Ontario preparing for military medical help

TORONTO - Ontario prepared Monday to receive medical support from the military as the province reached grim new milestones in COVID-19 hospitalizations and spread.The federal government said the Canad... Read More

The Canadian Press:

Newfoundland sending health-care help to Ontario

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador is sending nine health-care workers to Ontario on Tuesday to help the province deal with a third wave of COVID-19 that is threatening to overwhelm hospital... Read More

Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press:

Halifax schools to shut as N.S. COVID cases climb

HALIFAX - Nova Scotia set another single-day high for COVID-19 cases Monday with 66 new infections, prompting the closure of all schools in the Halifax area. Premier Iain Rankin told reporters the vir... Read More

Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press:

Variant first reported in India confirmed in N.B.

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick on Monday reported a COVID-19 case involving a variant first identified in India.Health officials said the case in the Fredericton region involves a previously reported inf... Read More

Emma Tranter, The Canadian Press:

Nunavut confirms first cases of B.1.1.7 variant

IQALUIT, Nunavut - Nunavut has confirmed its first cases of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom, but the territory's chief public health officer says following strict public-he... Read More

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Sheikh Saaliq And Aijaz Hussain, The Associated Press:

Virus 'swallowing' people in India; crematoriums overwhelmed

NEW DELHI - With life-saving oxygen in short supply, families are left on their own to ferry people sick with COVID-19 from hospital to hospital in search of treatment as India is engulfed in a devast... Read More

Lorne Cook, The Associated Press:

EU launches legal action against vaccine-maker AstraZeneca

BRUSSELS - The European Union's executive branch said Monday that it has launched legal action against coronavirus vaccine-maker AstraZeneca for failing to respect the terms of its contract with the 2... Read More

James McCarten, The Canadian Press:

White House to share AstraZeneca doses with world

WASHINGTON - The White House is making plans to share as many as 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 10 million in the coming weeks — but exactly where they will go remains to be seen. The... Read More

Busaba Sivasomboon, The Associated Press:

Thailand's prime minister fined for breaking face mask rule

The biggest item on the menu is $12 billion over five years to increase the amount paid out through Old Age Security, but there are other credit promised for aging at home and those with disabilities Read More

Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press:

Alaska governor shares vaccine with B.C. town

HYDER, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has offered COVID-19 vaccines to residents of the small British Columbia town of Stewart, with hopes it could lead the Canadian government to ease restriction... Read More

Martin Crutsinger, The Associated Press:

Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rebound in March

The teenager is from Brampton, one of the hardest-hit regions in the country. The mayors of Brampton and Mississauga tweeted their condolences late Sunday night. Read More

Josh Boak, The Associated Press:

Biden expanding summer food program for 34M schoolchildren

Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press:

Help Wanted: In pandemic, worry about finding summer workers

BOSTON - The owner of seafood restaurants on Cape Cod has eliminated lunch service and delayed the opening of some locations because his summertime influx of foreign workers hasn’t arrived yet.More th... Read More