Global National: Dec. 20, 2021 | Holiday plans upended as provinces expand Omicron restrictions

In tonight's show: As COVID-19 case numbers driven by the Omicron variant explode across Canada, more holiday plans are crumbling away as provinces escalate pandemic measures. Mike Drolet looks at how Quebec changed its restrictions hours after they kicked in.

With the variant tightening its grip on Canada, more people are trying to get their hands on rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. As Mike Le Couteur explains, uneven distribution and confusing guidelines are hampering the hunt for the season's must-have item.

The growing spread of Omicron is also renewing fears about COVID-19 again ravaging Canada's long-term care homes. Jamie Mauracher looks at the toll this is taking on the families of the most vulnerable.

And as infections rise, so are the questions over this variant. Does it matter which brand of booster you get? Will a vaccine be produced to specifically fight this variant? What are the symptoms of catching Omicron? Is it more transmissible in the air or by touching surfaces? Jeff Semple gets the answers from infectious diseases physician Dr. Anna Banerji.

In British Columbia, although crews are still working to repair the Coquihalla Highway after floods and mudslides damaged parts of the pivotal route, it has now reopened to essential commercial traffic. John Hua reports on how it's bringing relief to truckers and the province's strained supply chain.

Plus, archaeologists studying the ruins of Pompeii in Italy face painstaking efforts to reconstruct the ancient Roman's city destroyed frescoes. So what it will it take to make their research simpler? Redmond Shannon explains how they are enlisting the help of robots to help them repair history.

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/8463635/quebec-shutting-down-covid-19-surge/

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