Global National: Dec. 21

Ontario company BTNX produced millions of COVID-19 rapid tests which were distributed in schools, hospitals and grocery stores across Canada. The federal government paid $2 billion for 400 million kits. But Jeff Semple explains why this brand of test may not have worked as well as advertised. COVID-19, RSV and influenza cases are on the rise this holiday season, putting pressure on hospitals across Canada. How some facilities are breaking the rules to accommodate patients, and how health officials fear the situation has become unnecessarily serious due to the dwindling number of Canadians getting vaccinated. It’s a crime all too familiar to the U.S., but not in the Czech Republic. A student has gone on a shooting rampage at Charles University in Prague, killing at least 14 people and injuring 25 others. Police say the gunman is also dead. How police suspect the gunman was behind another death off-campus; and what investigators have ruled out. And while most of Canada normally experiences a white Christmas, that’s not the case this year. What’s behind the unusually warm and dry weather, and how people feel about the lack of snow.