Global National: March 31, 2021 | Canadians urged not to gather for Easter long weekend

On this episode of Global National: With COVID-19 cases rising sharply due to the spread of variants, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec are ramping up public health restrictions. As Abigail Bimman reports, for the second in year in a row, Canadians are being urged not to turn the Easter long weekend into a super-spreader event.

Should Canada change its strategy for COVID-19 vaccinations? Are stricter lockdown measures needed? Global National's Dawna Friesen asks these questions to public health and infectious diseases expert Dr. Ronald St. John, as anxiety grows that Canada's vaccine rollout can't keep up with the spreading coronavirus variants.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is 100 per cent effective in children aged 12 to 15, according to a press release from the pharmaceutical giant. As Eric Sorensen explains, while no shot has been approved for use in Canada for this age bracket yet, the preliminary results of the clinical trial are raising hopes for the future.

Plus, the Canadian federal, Ontario provincial, and Toronto municipal governments have entered a joint venture with French drugmaker Sanofi to expand a flu vaccine manufacturing facility. Travis Dhanraj explains how much it will cost, when the expansion will be completed and what it means for Canadians.

With the pandemic raging on and travel restrictions still in place, some Canadians have been saving up their hard-earned money. As Anne Gaviola explains, that could trigger a spending boom reminiscent of the Roaring '20s.

Also, ahead of April Fools' Day, the German automaker Volkswagen announced it was rebranding as Voltswagen as it focuses more on electric vehicles. Then it reversed course on the name change, saying it was just a joke. But as Mike Armstrong explains, the prank is generating more criticism than laughter.

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