Today’s coronavirus news: Ontario reporting 4,447 COVID cases; Ontario students return to virtual classrooms Monday; Checkpoints will be set up at interprovincial border crossings
The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Monday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.
10:54 a.m. The Region of Peel and MiWay are now offering a round trip shuttle service for those getting vaccinated at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre Sportsplex.
Starting April 19, a shuttle will be running every 40 minutes from the Mississauga City Centre transit terminal to the mass vaccination clinic at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre on Rose Cherry Place.
This three-week pilot will have transit running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day until May 9.
Read the full story here on the Star.
10:01 a.m. Ontario is reporting 4,447 COVID-19 cases with 19 deaths. The seven-day average is up to 4,348 cases per day or 209 weekly per 100,000, and 24.0 deaths per day. Labs report 42,873 completed tests & 10.5% positivity.
Locally, there are 1,299 new cases in Toronto, 926 in Peel, 577 in York Region, 233 in Ottawa and 227 in Hamilton.
As of 8 p.m. Sunday, 3,904,778 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.
9:20 a.m. Starting Monday Nova Scotians 60 and older can book appointments for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
The vaccines are available at community clinics and participating pharmacy and primary care clinics.
Health officials say some AstraZeneca vaccine appointments remain open for people who are 55 to 64 years old.
Meanwhile, the province reported a total of nine new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday after two school-based cases were identified later in the day.
Both cases were in the central health zone, at St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary School in Halifax and South Woodside Elementary School in Dartmouth.
Both schools have been closed until Thursday and officials are advising all students and staff to seek testing.
9 a.m. Wealth is usually a cushion in times of crisis. The more you have, the softer the blows you need to absorb.
But for the super rich during this pandemic, their wealth has been more like a propeller, lifting them to even greater heights.
Since March 2020, Canada's billionaires - of which there are about four dozen - have collectively increased their wealth by more than $78 billion. As a group, that's about a 40-per-cent jump in a single year. For them, COVID-19 has been a boon, not a crisis.
The fact that this massive increase in billionaire wealth has come in the midst of record unemployment, small business closures and unprecedented levels of government debt has invigorated and renewed calls for Canada to implement some kind of wealth tax.
I think we're starting to get to a breaking point," said Alex Hemingway, an economist and public finance policy analyst at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives whose latest report on Canada's billionaires was released Wednesday. People feel that something needs to be done."
Wealth inequality has been growing for decades and was a matter of concern long before COVID-19 hit. Although not as severe as it is in the U.S., wealth inequality is higher in Canada than the U.K. and most of Europe; in 2016, the richest one per cent of Canadians owned more than a quarter of the country's total wealth. But the pandemic, as it has in so many different ways, has both highlighted and exacerbated the problem.
Read the full story from the Star's Brendan Kennedy
8:50 a.m. The vaccine rollout in Japan has been very slow with less than 1% vaccinated, causing concern about the postponed Tokyo Olympics that are scheduled to open in just over three months.
Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the vaccine rollout, said last week that even if the Olympics go on, it's possible the venues will be empty. This is partly because of the low vaccination rate.
Fans from abroad are already banned from the Olympics, and it's hard to imagine venues even half-filled with mostly unvaccinated fans. Many non-Japanese entering Japan are expected to be vaccinated.
Will Japanese Olympians be vaccinated ahead of the public?
8:35 a.m. Greece on Monday lifted quarantine restrictions for travellers from most European countries, as well as Israel and the United States as it prepares to reopen tourism services next month despite an ongoing emergency in pandemic-related hospital care.
Air travellers from those countries will no longer be subject to a seven-day quarantine requirement if they hold a vaccination certificate or negative PCR test issued within the previous 72 hours, the Greek Civil Aviation Authority said.
The countries made exempt are EU member states, the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Israel, and non-EU members Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that are part of a European travel pact.
Government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni described the new travel rules as a pilot measure" as Greece reopens more of its economy, noting that tourists are also subject to domestic travel restrictions.
Greece remains under partial lockdown after widespread restrictions were imposed in early November, but has struggled to contain an urban spike in infections that have kept intensive care facilities close to capacity.
8:10 a.m. Sales are steadily improving at Coca-Cola Co. as vaccinations allow for the opening of stadiums, restaurants and theatres in many regions globally.
Coke historically had booked half its sales from restaurants, stadiums and other public places. The pandemic broadsided the company.
As of March, case volumes had returned to 2019 levels, the beverage giant said. First quarter volume growth was particularly strong in China, which was locked down last year.
Sales rose 5 per cent in the January-March period this year, the Atlanta company said Monday. But the recovery is uneven. Case volume declined in North America and Europe, where many dining rooms and other venues remain closed.
Sales of soft drinks were fueled by new products like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Sales of juice and milk also rose. But bottled water sales declined globally. Coffee sales dropped 21 per cent as many of the company's Costa retail stores remained closed.
8 a.m. I'm so happy. We've waited so long," Hue Lu says in Cantonese after receiving her COVID-19 vaccine along with her whole family at the Jane and Finch mobile vaccine clinic on Sunday. It only hurt a little, but I feel great."
Tomorrow, Lu will have to go back to work, lifting heavy objects at the food processing plant, but today the family is expressing a huge sigh of relief, especially daughter Reva Mai, 18, who penned a piece for the Star's #InTheirOwnVoices series about the layers of inequities faced by her immigrant family exasperated by COVID-19.
Even though it's just the first step, I feel a weight lifted," Mai says, adding that she has felt guilty that her parents are both doing essential work to pay for her family's expenses and her university education. My parents feel safer and happier, and so am I."
Living in a multi-generational home of seven at Jane and Finch - with dad in a factory and mom at the plant where outbreaks have been rampant - today is a rare happy family-bonding experience in a neighbourhood hit by the highest COVID-19 infection rates and lowest vaccination numbers.
Over the phone, family members were heard sharing jokes in Cantonese and giggling. We're just so happy," Mai says. And thankfully the pop-up site was easily accessible for the family. It's walkable and there is a bus stop nearby," she says, noting that transit in Jane and Finch has also always been a barrier for many immigrant, essential workers in the area.
Read the full story from the Star's Evelyn Kwong
7:52 a.m. A vaccine clinic is being held Monday at Parkway Forest Community Centre at 55 Forest Manor Road in North York from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The clinic is for residents of M2J postal code who are 18+. The first 750 eligible people will be given an appointment.
7:30 a.m. And now we'll move into modified pigeon pose," an instructor calls over Zoom as dozens of seniors pull their foot to their thigh for a hip stretch from their living rooms and bedrooms.
This Thursday fitness class for seniors has run for years, and to keep it going during the pandemic, its members learned some new tech skills with the help of Human Endeavour.
Many seniors have been members of the Vaughan-based organization that supports newcomers since it was founded in 2005. A few participants told the Star they attend the exercise, dance and music classes weekly, if not several times a week.
We knew that we can't let these seniors disconnect themselves from the groups where they have friends and affiliations," he said.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, founder Noor Din thought of a way to continue the scheduled seniors programming that is usually a highlight of many of their days.
Within a month, Human Endeavour provided tablets for its community members so that classes could carry on virtually. And in the process, bridged a technology gap for hundreds of seniors in the GTA.
Read the full story from the Star's Angelyn Francis
7:25 a.m. Thousands of students in Calgary and in northern Alberta are shifting to online learning today because of rising COVID-19 infection rates.
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said last week that Calgary students in grades 7 through 12 would make the move to remote classes.
School divisions in Fort McMurray also announced Friday that students in those same grades would be learning from home.
LaGrange said soaring infection rates have put schools under "operational pressures," sometimes resulting in severe staff shortages.
Alberta currently has the highest rate of active COVID-19 cases in the country, with more than 400 infections per 100,000 people.
Last night, Premier Jason Kenney announced the province is lowering the minimum age to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to 40 from 55.
Kenney said on Twitter that bookings for the younger ages will start Tuesday.
"This decision is based on growing scientific knowledge about the vaccine," he said.
There has been vaccine hesitancy around AstraZeneca because of a slightly elevated risk of an extremely rare blood clot disorder, which has so far affected two Canadians - one in Quebec and one in Alberta.
On Saturday, the province announced an Alberta man in his 60s was diagnosed with a blood clot linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. Alberta's chief medical health officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said the man received treatment and is recovering.
7:20 a.m. More than 900,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have now been administered in Toronto. That includes people who have received two doses. Over the past week 121,188 doses were administered, and a total of 311,866 doses over the past two weeks.
7:12 a.m. COVID-19 has drastically curtailed fundraising in Ontario schools, with money raised over the past year most likely to be used to help families with food or other needs during the pandemic, a new report has found.
Research and advocacy group People for Education, in a survey of schools to be released Monday, looked at the impact the pandemic has had on fundraising and extracurricular activities across the province, because we want to understand what has happened in the education system over the last year," said executive director Annie Kidder.
Fundraising amounts were much lower in 2020-21 than the year prior, with high-income" elementary schools bringing in $15,197 on average, compared to $21,260 in 2019-20, the report says.
In low-income elementary schools, fundraising dropped to an average of $6,978 in 2020-21, from $10,872 in 2019-20.
The average amounts were much less than they were last year, and definitely there was still a very big difference between schools in high-income areas and schools in low-income areas," Kidder told the Star.
Read the full story from the Star's Kristin Rushowy
6:34 a.m. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called off a trip to New Delhi amid surging coronavirus cases in India, as the U.K. kept a worried eye on a new variant first identified in the vast Asian country.
The British and Indian governments said Monday that in the light of the current coronavirus situation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be able to travel to India next week" as planned.
The two governments said Johnson and Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi would speak later this month and planned to meet in person later this year.
The long-planned trip would have been Johnson's first foreign visit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than a year ago. It was originally scheduled for January but postponed when infections soared in Britain.
India reported 273,810 new infections on Monday, its highest daily rise since the start of the pandemic and now has reported more than 15 million infections, a total second only to the United States.
The Health Ministry also reported 1,619 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, pushing the toll over 178,769. India has the fourth-highest number of deaths after the U.S., Brazil and Mexico - though, with nearly 1.4 billion people, it has a much larger population than any of those countries.
New Delhi, where Johnson and Modi had been due to meet, was placed under a weeklong lockdown Monday as the explosive surge in cases pushed the Indian capital's health system to its limit.
The soaring cases and deaths come just months after India thought it had seen the worst of the pandemic.
Johnson said it was only sensible" to postpone the trip, given what's happened in India, the shape of the pandemic there." He said he hoped Modi would be able to come to Britain for the Group of 7 summit in June, to which India has been invited as a guest.
5:55 a.m. Canada will have to wait a little longer for a promised influx of COVID-19 vaccines.
The federal government says it expects about 1 million shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to arrive this week, as the two pharmaceutical firms continue delivering doses on a regular schedule.
Ottawa had planned to take delivery of about 1.2 million doses from Moderna as well, but that was before government officials revealed last week that the shipment would be both delayed and scaled back.
The government has blamed a backlog in quality-assurance testing for the reduction, which will cut the number of doses Canada can expect this month in half and postpone their delivery by at least a week.
Ottawa is not expecting any deliveries of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Johnson and Johnson vaccines over the next seven days.
The federal government says it nonetheless remains confident that all adults will be fully vaccinated by the end of September, with several companies promising to speed up their deliveries in the coming months and Pfizer promising additional doses to help compensate for the Moderna shortfall.
5:50 a.m. The federal government will this afternoon unveil its spending plans to manage the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis and chart an economic course in a post-pandemic Canada.
The Liberals' first budget in two years is expected to outline the government's plans for a national child-care system, including what strings will be attached to any spending.
There are also expected to be measures to boost the supply of affordable housing and money aimed at greening the economy as the Liberals look to chart a path for promises on climate change.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is being asked by provinces for more health-care money to manage the ongoing pandemic and future costs, while hard-hit businesses, charities and workers are looking for a pledge to keep aid flowing beyond the summer when many programs are slated to end.
There is also a political element to the budget, as the government needs to find at least one other major party to support the document in confidence votes in the House of Commons.
Without a parliamentary dance partner, the government would fall and the country would be plunged into a federal election campaign.
5:45 a.m. Students across Ontario will return to the virtual classroom today as school buildings remain shuttered following the spring break.
The provincial government announced the move to remote learning early last week as it dealt with a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
It has also announced a suite of new measures meant to curb the spread of COVID-19, including limiting interprovincial travel.
Checkpoints will be set up at interprovincial border crossings starting Monday, and only those coming into Ontario for work, medical care, transportation of goods and exercising Indigenous treaty rights will be allowed through.
The province held firm to that measure over the weekend, despite walking back other public health rules that were announced at the same time Friday.
Premier Doug Ford on Saturday reversed his decision to shutter playgrounds, following a swift backlash from parents and public health experts alike.
They said the move was unlikely to curb the spread of COVID-19, as evidence suggests most transmission happens indoors.
On Saturday the province also quickly rescinded new powers given to police officers, saying officers will no longer be able to stop any pedestrian or driver during the stay-at-home order to request their home address and their reason for being out of the house.
Instead, police must have "reason to suspect" that a person is out to participate in an organized public event or social gathering before stopping them.
5:44 a.m. Global shares were mixed and U.S. futures declined Monday amid cautious optimism about a global rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.
Investors are awaiting a raft of earnings reports this week that will provide further fodder about how businesses are faring.
France's CAC 40 added 0.3% in early trading to 6,305.64, while Germany's DAX inched down less than 0.1% to 15,457.17. Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% to 7,028.72. U.S. shares were set for a slow start to the week, with Dow futures down 0.3% and the future for the S&P 500 0.2% lower.
Japan's benchmark closed less than 0.1% higher at 29,685.37, in the first Tokyo market reaction to a weekend by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga with President Joe Biden over the weekend. Suga also spoke with the Pfizer chief executive, asking to ensure a more steady supply of the company's COVID-19 vaccine. Japan has lagged the U.S., Israel and some European nations in a vaccine rollout, with barely 1% of its population inoculated so far.
The government measures against COVID-19 infections already in some urban areas, including Tokyo, are being expanded to other areas of Japan, starting Tuesday, but the cities of Tokyo and Osaka are considering strengthening them to a state of emergency." Japan has never had a lockdown, and its laws would need to be changed for such action.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 inched up less than 0.1% to 7,065.60, while South Korea's Kospi also was little changed, at 3,198.84. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.5% to 29,106.15. The Shanghai Composite gained 1.5% to 3,477.55.
5:40 a.m. Celina Blanchard would much rather be serving customers one of her classic margherita pizzas and a glass of Barolo.
Instead, since December, the owner of Roncesvalles favourite Pizzeria Lambretta has kept her restaurant closed, as COVID-19 cases surged and lockdowns restrict restaurants to takeout and delivery.
Staying open just for takeout wouldn't be worth it. I'd be losing even more money," said Blanchard with a sigh.
The only thing that's kept her from slipping further into debt? The federal government's Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy.
With the third wave of COVID spinning rapidly out of control and CERS set to end June 5, Blanchard is urging the federal government to extend the program past its expiry date.
It would be the final nail in the coffin for a lot of places without it. I don't know how I'd pay my rent," said Blanchard.
Read the full story from the Star's Josh Rubin
5:37 a.m. New Delhi was being put under a weeklong lockdown Monday night as an explosive surge in coronavirus cases pushed the India's capital's health system to its limit.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a news conference the national capital was facing shortages of oxygen and some medicine.
I do not say that the system has collapsed, but it has reached its limits," Kejriwal said, adding that harsh measures were necessary to prevent a collapse of the health system."
According to India's health ministry on Monday, Delhi reported 25,462 cases and 161 deaths in the past 24 hours.
India overall reported 273,810 new infections on Monday, its highest daily rise since the start of the pandemic and now has reported more than 15 million infections, a total second only to the United States.
The Health Ministry also reported 1,619 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, pushing the toll over 178,769. India has the fourth highest number of deaths after the U.S., Brazil and Mexico - though, with nearly 1.4 billion people, it has a much larger population than any of those countries.
The soaring cases and deaths come just months after India thought it had seen the worst of the pandemic, but experts say even these figures are likely an undercount.
Similar virus curbs already have been imposed in the worst-hit state of Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital, Mumbai. The closure of most industries, businesses and public places Wednesday night is to last 15 days.
5:35 a.m. Mired in an ongoing crisis, Premier Doug Ford's government denied it is moving to shut down the legislature at Queen's Park this week as critics and experts call for strengthened protections from COVID-19.
On Sunday, the Opposition NDP sent a news release saying it had been notified of a government proposal to close up shop as of Wednesday, ending the ability to pass new laws, including support for workers.
In the statement, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said her MPPs will refuse to co-operate" until the Ford government fully rescinds controversial new policing powers and provides paid sick days for essential workers while shutting down all non-essential workplaces.
I think it's shocking that Doug Ford decided to bring a police state to Ontario and then shut down the legislature," Horwath said in an interview Sunday.
It's frightening. It's chilling, actually, that they would think that's the right way to address COVID-19."
She was joined by leaders of the Liberal and Green parties in saying the legislature should remain in session.
Read the full story from the Star's Jennifer Pagliaro
Monday 5:33 a.m. Demand for walk-in children's mental health services in northern Ontario has more than doubled since the pandemic began. In Ottawa, 30 per cent more youth are accessing counselling and addiction services. In Hamilton and Toronto, suicide attempts by some young people are becoming more severe, causing higher rates of hospitalization than normal.
The way Ontario children are accessing the mental health care system throughout the pandemic tells a story of an increase in anxiety and stress symptoms, and of unprecedented demand that some agencies and hospitals are struggling to keep up with. Wait-lists for intensive mental health care, which were already lengthy before the pandemic, are now doubling in some parts of the province.
You have more kids who are coming into the system who are needing more help," said Kimberly Moran, president and CEO of Children's Mental Health Ontario.
The existing bottleneck on intensive care, she added, is getting more clogged as a result.
Read the full story from the Star's Nadine Yousif
Sunday 10:30 p.m. Ontario will lower the minimum age for the AstraZeneca vaccine starting on Tuesday as the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the province shows no sign of slowing down.
The province will start offering the vaccine to anyone aged 40 and older at pharmacy and primary care settings, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott's office. The AstraZeneca shot has until now been available only to people 55 and older.
The change came on Sunday after an earlier discussion between Elliott and her federal counterpart, Patty Hajdu, who vowed to mobilize all federal resources and co-ordinate with lesser-hit provinces to send health-care workers and other support to Ontario as it battles record-breaking COVID-19 numbers.