Slowing vaccine deliveries and pandemic-era Ramadan: In The News for April 12, 2021.

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Monday, April 12, 2021.

What we are watching in Canada…

OTTAWA — The recent flood of COVID-19 vaccine doses into Canada is expected to taper off this week, with a little more than 1 million shots scheduled for delivery over the next seven days.

Canada had received millions of new shots in recent weeks thanks to deliveries from various pharmaceutical firms.

But the Public Health Agency of Canada says the only shipment expected this week will come from Pfizer and BioNTech, which have been consistently delivering more than 1 million doses weekly since March.

The federal government is hoping this week’s lull in deliveries will be an exception to the rule over the next few months. 

Public Procurement Minister Anita Anand has promised millions more shots in the coming weeks.

The rush to get vaccines into arms has grown more urgent as Canada continues to see a massive spike in the number of new COVID-19 infections.

Thousands of new cases were reported on Sunday, including a record 4,456 in Ontario alone.

Canada’s top doctor has said the country is approaching the peak of the pandemic’s current wave. 

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Also this…

MONTREAL — Business owners in Old Montreal will be assessing the damage this morning after an anti-curfew protest turned violent.

Hundreds gathered in defiance of an 8 p.m. curfew that took effect in Montreal and Laval on Sunday night.

A mostly young crowd danced to music from loudspeakers while lighting fireworks and chanting, “freedom for the young.”

But the festive atmosphere quickly soured as a few protesters lit a garbage fire in Montreal’s Jacques Cartier Square.

Police fired tear gas and rushed the crowd, prompting dozens of protesters to scatter and cause mayhem down the cobblestone streets of Montreal’s historic tourist district.

The protesters lit garbage fires at many intersections and seized projectiles from city streets, hurling them at nearby windows and shattering many.

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And this…

MONTREAL – Canadian Muslims say they’re preparing for their second pandemic-era Ramadan, which will likely begin tomorrow.

And they’re anticipating the holy month with a mixture of hope and sadness.

The president and founder of the As-Salam mosque in downtown Montreal, says Ramadan is normally a time for members to share meals with each other and people in need.

But this year, like the year before, those meals will be takeaway because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other Muslims in Quebec say public health restrictions — including a nighttime curfew — mean they won’t be able to pray as a group, which is an important part of their religious practice.

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What we are watching in the U.S….

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Crowds of mourners and protesters gathered in a Minnesota suburb where the family of a 20-year-old man says he was shot by police during a traffic stop, before getting back into his car and driving away, then crashing several blocks away. 

The family of Daunte Wright said he was later pronounced dead.

The death sparked protests in Brooklyn Center into early Monday morning as nearby Minneapolis was already on edge midway through the trial of the first of four police officers in George Floyd’s death. 

John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, told a middle-of-the-night news conference that marchers had descended upon the Brooklyn Center police department building after the Sunday afternoon shooting. 

Rocks and other objects were thrown at officers but the protesters had largely dispersed as of 1:15 a.m. Monday.

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What we are watching in the rest of the world…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has blamed Israel for an alleged sabotage attack at the Natanz nuclear facility. 

Saeed Khatibzadeh made the comment Monday, warning Iran would take revenge for the attack. 

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the incident, though Israeli media almost uniformly say a cyberattack caused it. 

Few details have been released about what happened early Sunday morning at the facility. 

The event initially was described as a blackout caused by the electrical grid feeding its above-ground workshops and underground enrichment halls.

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In entertainment…

LONDON — “Nomadland” has won four prizes, including best picture, at the British Academy Film Awards. 

Director Chloe Zhao is now only the second woman to win the best director trophy, and star Frances McDormand was named best actress. 

“Nomadland” also took the cinematography prize on Sunday.

Emerald Fennell’s revenge comedy “Promising Young Woman” was named best British film, while the best actor trophy went to 83-year-old Anthony Hopkins for playing a man grappling with dementia in “The Father.” 

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ICYMI…

It’s trade deadline day in the NHL.

General managers across the league have until 3 p.m. ET to make deals as they look to load up for the playoffs or rebuild for the future.

The NHL’s pandemic-shortened 56-game season has presented a number of unique challenges, including a flat salary cap and quarantine periods.

Any player acquired by a Canadian franchise from a U.S.-based club will have to quarantine for seven days before joining their new teammates.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who lead the North Division, made a splash yesterday by adding veteran forward Nick Foligno from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a three-team deal, and acquiring backup goalie David Rittich from the Calgary Flames.

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And this..

TORONTO – A Toronto area man believed to be Canada’s first double-lung transplant recipient as a result of COVID-19 says he hopes his experience serves as a lesson to those doubting the seriousness of the virus.

Timothy Sauve spent two months in the intensive care units of two different Toronto area hospitals after contracting the virus in December.

While his lungs were scarred beyond repair, the virus didn’t damage any of Sauve’s other organs, making him a candidate for the rare procedure that saved his life in February.

The doctor who led the team performing the operation says the procedure has only been done 40 or 50 times worldwide, and while it was a success, it’s unlikely to become a common treatment for severe COVID cases.

However, Dr. Marcelo Cypel says the rise of variants of concern that are causing severe disease in more younger patients may increase the number of transfer referrals going forward. 

Sauve says people are letting their guard down at this stage of the pandemic, but they don’t realize what COVID can do to a person.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Monday, 12, 2021.

The Canadian Press