Coronavirus (COVID-19) National News

NEW YORK — After dodging COVID-19 for almost half of the NBA season, the Toronto Raptors have been dealt a big blow. The NBA called off Toronto's game against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Sunday night due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

MONTREAL — The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants in Quebec jumped by more than 100 on Sunday, on the eve of a ramp-up in the province's mass vaccination plan.

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — Another Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team has been forced to pause its season due to COVID-19.

JERUSALEM — Mass gatherings took place in Jerusalem on Sunday as Israelis celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim in violation of coronavirus restrictions.

EDMUNDSTON, N.B. — Health officials in New Brunswick say a 90-year-old resident has died as a result of underlying complications including COVID-19. Officials say the person lived at Villa des Jardins, an adult residential facility in Edmundston.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s capital entered a two-week lockdown on Sunday, joining other states in adopting measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as intensive care beds begin to fill in important cities.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Many Republican lawmakers have criticized governors’ emergency restrictions since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Now that most legislatures are back in session, a new type of pushback is taking root: misinformation.

Executives who engage in so-called "vaccine tourism" show both an ethical disregard for those less fortunate and a surprising lack of business acumen, experts argue.

Israel on Sunday announced plans to vaccinate tens of thousands of Palestinians who work inside Israel and its West Bank settlements, at a time of vast disparities in access to vaccines between the Israeli and Palestinian populations.

MONTREAL — Before flying to visit relatives in Taiwan during a family health scare earlier this year, Dr.