Ont. reports 927 new COVID-19 cases and 6 more deaths; highest case count since early Sept.
Ontario reported over 900 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths on Friday, the highest single-day case count in nearly three months.
The province logged 927 new infections today, up from 748 yesterday and from 793 a week ago.
Covid: New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern
We’re back in familiar territory – growing concern about a new variant of coronavirus.
The latest is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far – and it has such a long list of mutations that it was described by one scientist as “horrific”, while another told me it was the worst variant they’d seen.
It is early days and the confirmed cases are still mostly concentrated in one province in South Africa, but there are hints it may have spread further.
Immediately there are questions around how quickly the new variant spreads, its ability to bypass some of the protection given by vaccines and what should be done about it.
There is a lot of speculation, but there are very few clear answers.
Israel warns of ‘emergency’ after detecting new virus strain
JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel is “on the threshold of an emergency situation” on Friday after authorities detected the country’s first case of a new coronavirus variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi.
The Health Ministry said the traveler and two other suspected cases, all of whom had been vaccinated, were placed in isolation.
A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.
The Norwegian postal service Posten has released an annual Christmas video featuring Santa Claus falling in love with another man to mark the 50th anniversary of Norway’s decriminalisation of 
