Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- Health care in Canada is more fragile than ever, more than two years into the pandemic. The Globe asked five Canadians what their most recent trip to the emergency department looked like
- A new study highlights the temporary effects of COVID-19 vaccines on menstrual cycles
- The growing mantra for a post-pandemic future in urban areas became ‘build back better.’ In Canada, though, few city residents can see evidence of radical change where they live
An increasing number of health agencies have changed how they're reporting data on the coronavirus. A look at the current numbers in Canada for reported cases, deaths from COVID-19 and for hospitalizations can be found here.
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
- More than two years into the pandemic, many hospital emergency rooms are showing signs of buckling, with lengthy wait times, and in some cases, closings. Before COVID-19, most Canadians waited up to 3.9 hours in emergency to see a doctor for an initial assessment in 2018 to 2019, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Here’s what an ER visit in Canada looks like now, according to five Canadians.
- A new study published in the journal Science Advances, shows that 42 per cent of people with regular menstrual cycles experienced heavier bleeding after vaccination. Additionally, 39 per cent of respondents on gender-affirming hormone treatments, 71 per cent of people on long-acting contraceptives and 66 per cent of post-menopausal women experienced breakthrough bleeding after one or both of their shots. Likewise, the findings line up with smaller studies that have reported menstrual changes after vaccination with more robust controls.
- In the Yukon, those between the ages of six months and five years will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine beginning July 25.
- Australia will reinstate support payments for casual workers who have to quarantine due to COVID-19, the Prime Minister said, as a fresh wave of Omicron-driven infections sweeps the country.
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Pandemic recovery
- The growing mantra for a postpandemic future became “build back better” as cities grappled with business bankruptcies, lack of public space and how to optimize street usage while traffic levels dropped. To critics, the build-back-better slogan is looking increasingly empty. In Canada specifically, few city residents can see evidence of radical change where they live.
- When COVID-19 forced most white collar and tech sector workplaces to go remote, many companies were forced to re-evaluate their staff perks. Now, it seems, human-friendly job perks are the future.
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Globe opinion
Steven Tobin and Parisa Mahboubi: Canada keeps making labour market mistakes by missing recession-era opportunities
Fahad Razak, Anjali Sergeant, Camille Orridge and Tom Closson: Canada’s health care leadership does not look like the population it serves. That’s a problem, but also an opportunity
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More reading
- U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says he plans to retire by end of Biden’s term
- A month after contracting COVID-19, De Grasse withdraws from world 200 metres
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- When will COVID-19 be endemic? The four factors that will shape the virus’s future
- Waste water is filling the COVID-19 data gap
Thank you for subscribing to our Coronavirus Update Newsletter. As the pandemic eases, we plan to wind this down and eventually cease sending, but have many other newsletters to keep you informed, including Globe Climate, Carrick on Money and Breaking News.
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