TORONTO -- Canada has had more than 378,100 total cases of COVID-19, with more than 12,000 associated deaths. Here’s what else you need to know to start your day.

1. Federal deficit: The federal government is unveiling a new round of financial supports to respond to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, as the latest projections show the national deficit is headed for a new high: at least $381 billion

2. Child care: The federal government is proposing millions of dollars in new spending as a down payment on a planned national child-care system that the Liberals say will be outlined in next spring's budget.  

3. Vaccine rollout: Just one-in-six Canadians are confident in the federal government's rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine once one becomes available, according to the latest data from Nanos Research.  

4. Neurological effects: According to a new study from Berlin, the most common path for the novel coronavirus to invade the brain is through the nose.  

5. Monolith mystery: David Surber, with nothing but co-ordinates found by sleuths on Reddit, drove over six hours into the Utah desert in search of the metal monolith, making him one of the few people who saw it in person before it vanished this weekend.  

One more thing…

A thousand words: A Houston doctor who has worked for more than 250 days straight was seen comforting an elderly man wanting to be with his wife in a photograph that captured the emotional toll of COVID-19 on patients and the resiliency and compassion of health-care workers.   

Emotional moment in the ICU