Global National: Dec. 19, 2020 | Christmas gatherings cancelled in UK as new lockdowns announced

In our top story: A new, faster-spreading strain of COVID-19 is bringing holiday plans to a halt in parts of Britain this weekend. The new variant was first reported earlier this week. It is common for viruses to mutate, but what is known about the virus is that it is not considered deadlier but is 70 per cent more transmissible. In London, for example, the strain has been linked to 62 per cent of new COVID-19 cases. As a result, the British city, along with east and southeast England, will move into a new Tier 4 alert level, forcing families to cancel Christmas plans because it means no gatherings outside their immediate households. As Crystal Goomansingh reports, all of the U.K. will soon see lockdowns put in place.

Back in Canada, several hot spots are seeing tightening restrictions as the country on Saturday surpassed half a million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have the most active cases in the country, according to Friday's tally. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is holding two days of emergency meetings as infections mount in the province. But as Morganne Campbell reports, despite an appeal by officials for people to stay home, many are heading out to fulfill their holiday needs.
There is hope that a vaccine will make a difference in the fight against COVID-19. But after the virus has run rampant for nearly a year, officials say there's still a lot to do. As David Akin reports, vaccination programs are now underway across the country even as many regions struggle to cope with rising case counts.

In the U.S., millions of doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are already on their way to hospitals, just a day after it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use. The country's death toll from the virus is close to 315,000 and doctors and nurses are in full crisis mode. On Saturday, Congress met in a rare session, debating an aid package to help millions of Americans struggling. Jennifer Johnson reports.

The global pandemic is top of the agenda for Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne. The minister had a frank conversation with Global's Mercedes Stephenson about the challenges facing this country. She joins anchor Robin Gill to discuss what Champagne's thoughts are about navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic and the other issues most pressing for him, including the detainment of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in China.

It's been nearly a year since the World Health Organization first reported a mysterious pneumonia-like illness that was making people sick in China that eventually was called COVID-19. Ever since, front-line health-care workers have been on a steep learning curve, battling an unknown and invisible enemy. Jeff Semple reports from inside one of Toronto's hospitals about how doctors are developing novel ways to fight back.

When humans return to the moon, NASA has plans to bring a Canadian on board and that's not the only first in the works. That crew may also be able to send the first text messages from space. Paul Johnson explains how scientists in B.C. are working out the long-distance logistics.

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