Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Germany is ending free coronavirus tests for its citizens beginning in October, in part to encourage more people to get vaccinated, officials said Tuesday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany now has enough vaccines for its whole population - more than half is already fully immunized - and that studies showed they are effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19, including from infections with the delta variant.
“The not-so-good news is that the speed of vaccination has declined significantly,” Merkel said after a Tuesday meeting with the country's 16 state governors.
After a sluggish start and only really gaining speed from March onward, Germany's vaccination campaign has lost speed in recent weeks. In response to the drop in demand, officials have begun pushing for more vaccinations at megastores and in city centers, or offering incentives to get people to get shots.
Merkel said the government hopes 75% of the population will get the shot, but so far only slightly over 55% are fully immunized. She urged Germans who are already vaccinated to encourage others to do so too.
While federal and state officials agreed that people who are fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or have recently tested negative should continue to be treated equally in most situations, they also decided that antigen tests will stop being free for most people from Oct. 11. Exemptions will be made for those who can't currently be vaccinated in Germany, such as pregnant women.
Some German politicians had criticized the plan, arguing that it amounts to a tax on the poor. Others say ending free testing is a way of punishing individuals who refuse to get vaccinated.
But Bavaria's state governor, Markus Soeder, said it would not be fair to those who are vaccinated if they have to keep paying for others' free tests to access indoor dining, go to hairdressers and gyms, or stay in hotels.
“Everybody can decide for themselves whether to get vaccinated or not,” he told reporters. “But in a free country, everybody bears responsibility for that.”
He said people who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 should not be subject to another lockdown if infection rates rise in the fall.
Merkel appeared to agree, saying that “as long as the vaccine is effective, we can't simply say that people who are vaccinated (...) can't exert their rights as citizens.”
While Germany has a relatively low number of confirmed virus cases compared to other European countries, cases are rising again. Authorities fear unvaccinated Germans, especially young people, may contract and spread the virus in the coming weeks and months.
On Monday, the country's disease control agency registered 2,480 new daily cases, about 700 more than a week earlier.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.