Coronavirus

CBC News reports: Quebec Premier François Legault said Tuesday the province would be imposing a health tax on Quebecers who refuse to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks. “We’re looking for a health contribution for adults who refuse to be vaccinated for non-medical reasons,” Legault said at a news conference, in which he also …

CTV News reports: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday the government has secured enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for all eligible Canadians to receive a booster as well as a fourth dose, according a statement from Trudeau’s office. Trudeau made the comments in a call with Canada’s provincial and territorial premiers, as the country grapples with rising infection and hospitalization …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Pope Francis on Monday warned that antivaccine misinformation was undermining recovery from the pandemic and denounced a “cancel culture” intolerant of traditional values that he said was impeding cooperation among the world’s societies. The pope’s remarks came in his annual speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, in which he typically highlights urgent international …

The Guardian reports: The Australian Border Force is investigating whether Novak Djokovic incorrectly declared he had not travelled and would not do so for two weeks before his flight to Australia, in the latest twist in the tennis star’s visa cancellation saga. Questions have been raised about the declaration completed by an agent for Djokovic, with social media posts seemingly …

NBC News reports: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. State Department on Monday advised against travel to neighboring Canada because of a rising number of COVID-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads. The CDC elevated its travel recommendation to “Level Four: Very High” for Canada, telling Americans they should avoid travel, while the State Department …

Reuters reports: The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, the highest daily total for any country in the world as the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant showed no signs of slowing. The previous record was 1.03 million cases on Jan. 3. A large number of cases are reported each …

The Daily Dot reports: The death of actor Bob Saget is already proving to be fodder for anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists. They’re convinced he was killed by the COVID-19 vaccine. Saget’s cause of death hasn’t been revealed, but to anti-vaxxers, his death could only have been caused by the vaccine. The sole shreds of evidence for such rumors appears to be …

The Toronto Sun reports: A group of Ontario doctors accused of dispensing vaccine exemptions like candy to the anti-vax crowd are fighting for their “right” not to co-operate with an investigation by their regulatory body. But one of the lawyers usually by their side was conspicuously absent in Superior Court Friday. Constitutional lawyer Rocco Galati, who represents Dr. Rochagné Kilian …

The Associated Press reports: Starting Saturday, private health insurers will be required to cover up to eight home COVID-19 tests per month for people on their plans. The Biden administration announced the change Monday as it looks to lower costs and make testing for the virus more convenient amid rising frustrations. Under the new policy, first detailed to the AP, …

The New York Times reports: Some people with a weakened immune system can get a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine as early as this coming week, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were updated last week. The C.D.C. endorsed a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for moderately or severely immuno …

Reuters reports: COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States reached a fresh high of 132,646, according to a Reuters tally on Monday, surpassing the record of 132,051 set in January last year, amid a surge of the highly contagious Omicron variant. While potentially less severe, health officials have warned that the sheer number of infections caused by the Omicron variant could …

Reuters reports: French politician Stephane Claireaux, who is a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling La Republique En Marche party, said on Monday that he had been attacked over the weekend by protesters demonstrating against France’s COVID health pass. Claireaux is member of Parliament for the constituency of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas territory in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, …

CBS News reports: Tennis star Novak Djokovic on Monday won a court battle to stay in Australia to play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated against COVID-19, but the government threatened to cancel his visa a second time. Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstated Djokovic’s visa, which was canceled after his arrival last week because officials decided he …

The Hill reports: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) on Sunday said large businesses should not comply with the Biden administration’s “oppressive” vaccine or testing mandate. “This mandate of [the Occupational safety and Health Administration], the federal government, needs to be struck down. And that’s why we’re fighting against it. And I expect the Supreme Court, hopefully, to rule against the …

The Guardian reports: The Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has tested positive for Covid-19. In a statement on Sunday evening, the office of the New York progressive said she was “experiencing symptoms and recovering at home. “The congresswoman received her booster shot this fall and encourages everyone to get their booster and follow all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance”. …

Reuters reports: The Australian government had not given tennis star Novak Djokovic an assurance that a medical exemption that he said he had to enter Australia without a COVID-19 vaccination would be accepted, government lawyers said in a court filing on Sunday. The filing ahead of a court hearing on Monday was in defence of the government’s decision to bar …

Reuters reports: Citigroup Inc staff in the United States who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 14 will be placed on unpaid leave and fired at the end of the month unless they are granted an exemption, according to a company memo seen by Reuters on Friday. The U.S. bank announced its plan to impose new vaccination rules …

The New York Times reports: The pace of daily new infections of the coronavirus has nearly doubled in the past week, surpassing two million known cases a day, underscoring just how quickly the Omicron variant has spread around the world. On April 25 last year, the global average hit a high of more than 827,000 cases, a level that has …

Axios reports: Royal Caribbean International on Friday canceled trips on four ships due to spiking rates of COVID-19, the company said in a statement. The cancellations are the latest blow to the cruise industry as it responds to a surge of cases driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. “As a result of the ongoing COVID-related circumstances around the world, …

The Insider reports: Tennis star Novak Djokovic had a vaccine exemption to enter Australia because he recently recovered from COVID-19, his lawyers said in court documents. The number one men’s tennis player’s visa was revoked on Wednesday when he arrived at Melbourne Airport to compete in the Australian Open. Australian border force officials said that Djokovic had “failed to provide …