Your weekly COVID-19 update

Every Tuesday, the Maclean's daily newsletter will catch you up on what you need to know about Canada's fight against the coronavirus. This week, Patricia Treble focuses on one story worth watching, and you can get a sneak peek here. You'll also get the same mix of Maclean's stories you expect every day if you scroll down below.

In a sign of just how quickly cases are dropping in most of Canada, our national seven-day rate has fallen below that of the United States, according to Our World in Data. For all of the pandemic, Canada’s per capita rate had been much lower than that of its southern neighbour. But on April 9, those positions flipped as our third wave intensified and vaccination rates in the U.S. drove its rate below that of Canada’s. Now, as of June 7, those positions have reverted, in part because Canada’s vaccination rollout is operating at triple the speedof the U.S. effort. Not only has Canada already surpassed the United States in terms of first doses, but it is now narrowing the wide gap in terms of second doses: on June 7, Canada devoted 38 per cent of all shots to second doses.

On Monday, when it reported 622 new cases of COVID-19, the Ontario government announced that it was moving ahead up the first step of of its reopening plan by three days, to Friday. On that day, non-essential retail stores will reopen, outdoor dining can restart and many outdoor activities can resume, though with restrictions. The province is averaging 729 cases a day, down from 1,175 a day at the end of May.

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