While speaking at a rally in Alabama this weekend, former U.S. President Donald Trump was booed by supporters after he said he recommended they get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I believe totally in your freedoms, I do, you gotta do what you gotta do,” Trump said, receiving cheers with the statement.
“But I recommend taking the vaccines. I did it, it’s good, take the vaccines,” he continued.
When supporters began to boo him, Trump waved a hand, saying, “That’s OK, that’s alright. You got your freedoms. But I happened to take the vaccine. If it doesn’t work, you’ll be the first to know.”
Trump received sharp criticism while in office for consistently down-playing the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the health risks associated with the virus.
His record on vaccination has also received criticism.
Trump has encouraged Americans to get vaccinated several times before. However, he received his own vaccination in private in January instead of taking the chance to set an example for Americans by receiving it in public, as many other politicians have done.
According to several surveys, Republicans are less likely to be vaccinated than Democrats, a partisan divide that highlights how the COVID-19 response has become politicized.
An analysis done by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a non-profit that does polling, found that counties that voted for Trump in the 2020 U.S. election had a 35 per cent vaccination rate in early July compared to the 47 per cent vaccination rate of counties that voted for President Joe Biden.
Another survey done by Public Religion Research Institute, which conducts research on the intersection of religion and public policy, in late July found that the group most likely to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, at 46 per cent, was Republicans who consume far-right television programs.
The results found that Republicans who have embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory — a wide-ranging fiction that believes the word is run by Satan-worshipping pedophiles and that Trump will save America from them — were also significantly more likely to reject the vaccine, at 37 per cent, than Republicans who do not believe in QAnon.
Trump’s weekend rally took place in Cullman, Ala., which declared a state of emergency last Thursday due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Local authorities had expressed concern prior to Trump’s rally that it could become a super-spreader event.
David Lavery, a former Canadian Forces soldier who helped approximately 100 people flee Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul, has been 'picked up' by the Taliban this week, according to multiple sources who spoke to CTV National News on the condition of anonymity.
The Canada Revenue Agency will be eliminating approximately 600 temporary and contract employees across the country by mid-December.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will be heading to Washington, D.C., for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
Some travellers who checked baggage on certain WestJet flights between 2014 and 2019 may now claim their share of a class-action settlement approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court last month and valued at $12.5 million.
A 47-year-old Terrebonne man has been charged following a case of road rage in broad daylight last summer on the Ile-aux-Tourtes bridge.
Fears about the next Donald Trump administration have led to more interest in moving to Canada, including from high-profile individuals, according to an immigration lawyer.
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
With Canada Post workers on strike, many individuals and businesses are facing the challenge of sending and receiving mail. Here are the answers to some of Canadians’ most-asked questions.
The two biggest children’s hospitals in Montreal - the CHU Sainte-Justine and Montreal Children's Hospital - are asking parents to avoid bringing their children to the emergency room if possible due to a surge in patients.
The criminal charges against former Ontario legislator Randy Hillier related to his participation in the 'Freedom Convoy' protest have been stayed after a judge ruled his case had taken too long.
A 47-year-old Terrebonne man has been charged following a case of road rage in broad daylight last summer on the Ile-aux-Tourtes bridge.
Regina voters in two wards made history Wednesday night, electing two women of colour to serve on council for the first time in the city's history.
The "Roaring Lion" returned to the walls of Ottawa's Fairmont Château Laurier, nearly three years after the historic portrait of Sir Winston Churchill was stolen.
A former elementary school principal in Waterloo, Ont. has pleaded guilty to charges that include luring and transmitting sexually explicit material to someone believed to be under the age of 16.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will be heading to Washington, D.C., for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new rule from the Biden administration that would have expanded access to overtime pay to millions more salaried workers across the U.S.
The United Nations and other international organizations are bracing for four more years of Donald Trump.
A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Friday temporarily limited the scope of a ruling that Louisiana's law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments in all classrooms next year is unconstitutional.
A medieval statue of the Virgin Mary and Child returned to Notre-Dame cathedral on Friday evening, five years after the devastating 2019 fire.
The South African government said on Friday it has put together a team including mine rescue experts to come up with a plan to bring to surface illegal miners who remain under a disused gold mine.
Canada's Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault is apologizing after shifting claims about his Indigenous identity came under scrutiny.
Top officials in both Canada and the United States are pushing for the need to finalize the Columbia River Treaty to manage water flowing between the two countries before the administration change in America.
Canada's parliamentary budget officer says the federal government is overestimating the impact its new immigration plan will have on the country's housing shortage.
Despite decades of calls for more attention to patient safety in hospitals, people undergoing surgery still have high rates of complications and medical errors, a new study finds.
The two biggest children’s hospitals in Montreal - the CHU Sainte-Justine and Montreal Children's Hospital - are asking parents to avoid bringing their children to the emergency room if possible due to a surge in patients.
U.S. President Donald Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services "is an extraordinarily bad choice for the health of the American people," warns the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
A species of marine worm that scientists lost sight of for almost 70 years has finally resurfaced, thanks to some eagle-eyed sleuthing and a seahorse less than an inch long. When researchers analyzed images of tiny seahorses taken by scuba divers, they found evidence of photobombing worms in the hundreds, living alongside the seahorses in coral colonies from Japan to Australia.
The moon has some new stories to tell. Scientists have published the first detailed analyses of the historic cache of lunar soil and rock that China retrieved from the far side of the moon this year.
Premier Doug Ford's government has signed a $100-million deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet to remote residents in rural and northern Ontario.
Plenty of people loved Hugh Grant's character in the 1999 rom-com 'Notting Hill,' but Grant is not one of them. He talked about playing William Thacker, opposite Julia Roberts as Anna Scott, during a conversation for Vanity Fair’s 'Scene Selection.'
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
Toronto's Taylor Swift era is in full swing and fans are making the whole city shimmer with their outfits.
Counseling and health services firm Equinox on Friday disclosed a data breach involving the personal health information of some current and former clients, as well as staff and has notified the individuals likely to have been affected.
A U.S. federal judge said Kraft Heinz must face a proposed nationwide class action alleging that it defrauded consumers by claiming its Kraft macaroni and cheese, one of its best-known products, contains no artificial preservatives.
Some travellers who checked baggage on certain WestJet flights between 2014 and 2019 may now claim their share of a class-action settlement approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court last month and valued at $12.5 million.
Bored of the usual lump of cheddar? You could do a lot worse than swapping it out with a piece of Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado, a soft, raw ewes’ milk cheese that was on Friday named 2024’s winner at an annual contest to find the world’s best cheese.
A Calgary man has won $5 million from a Lotto 6-49 ticket, but it's not his first lottery win.
The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights -- albeit staged -- for the first time in two millennia under a US$1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote 'a more conscious tourism.'
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul had to wait an extra four months for his high-profile match with 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, but fight night has arrived.
Like Wonka’s famous golden ticket, the Pittsburgh Pirates are offering a scrumdiddlyumptious prize in exchange for a rare, one-of-a-kind baseball card of their star pitcher Paul Skenes.
Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is the CFLs outstanding player.
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
When a Tesla crashed on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto last month, the first people on scene knew there were occupants inside but couldn't immediately get them out.
Almost four out of five Canadian drivers switch to winter tires when the weather calls for them, according to a new survey.
When George Arcioni began renovating his kitchen last summer, he didn’t expect to find a stack of letters hidden in the wall behind his oven.
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
Some Calgary residents caught what appeared to be a meteor streaking across the sky early on Wednesday morning.
Four years ago, Phill Hebb started up 'Phil’s Unique Birdhouses' and since then, they’ve made their way all across Canada and into the United States.
A New Brunswick fashion designer recently won the top prize at a national event for a dress she made using an unconventional material.
Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
Emergency crews were called to a BC Ferries terminal in the Gulf Islands early Friday morning after a pickup truck crashed through a railing and plunged into the water.
A group of teachers says British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal has agreed to expedite a complaint of antisemitism against their union as more allegations surface.
Some travellers who checked baggage on certain WestJet flights between 2014 and 2019 may now claim their share of a class-action settlement approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court last month and valued at $12.5 million.
Peel police are searching for a Toronto man who allegedly sold fake sporting and concert tickets to a victim, which resulted in a loss of over $38,000.
The FBI has released a new image of Ryan James Wedding, the Canadian ex-Olympian allegedly behind a deadly international drug ring.
A Toronto couple bought two tickets to one of Taylor Swift's tour stops in the city, but unfortunately their love story didn't last and now they're fighting for who gets the seats.
Alberta RCMP have charged a fifth person in the death of Calgarian Tara Miller.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will be heading to Washington, D.C., for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
Canada Post workers are on strike after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with their employer.
We're learning more details about the city's plan to build two Sprung Structures to house asylum seekers and refugees, including what exactly the structures are, and how they will be used.
As postal workers across the Ottawa Valley walk picket lines rather than sidewalks, small businesses like Dianne Rodger Jewellery are concerned about getting holiday orders out.
The Canada Revenue Agency will be eliminating approximately 600 temporary and contract employees across the country by mid-December.
A 47-year-old Terrebonne man has been charged following a case of road rage in broad daylight last summer on the Ile-aux-Tourtes bridge.
A 73-year-old woman was sent to hospital Friday after she was struck by a vehicle in the city's l'Île-Bizard–Ste-Geneviève borough.
On Monday, Tele-Quebec released the highly anticipated documentary film “Alphas,” a look at the world of online influencers in what is known as the manosphere.
An Edmonton woman was charged in the drowning of a five-year-old girl last month.
RCMP are warning Fort McMurray residents about a wanted man in the community.
Police have released images of a man wanted in connection with the shooting of a convenience store worker in central Edmonton on Thursday.
All three Maritime provinces are working on alternatives to ensure residents receive vital mail, like government cheques, after Canada Post workers hit the picket lines Friday morning.
The RCMP in Nova Scotia is seeking information about a shooting in North Preston, N.S.
A Nova Scotia couple fulfilled their wildest dreams Thursday night when they got engaged at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto.
A Winnipeg pawn shop owner is speaking out after a violent robbery at his McPhillips Street location.
When George Arcioni began renovating his kitchen last summer, he didn’t expect to find a stack of letters hidden in the wall behind his oven.
A hectic blur. That is how the opening day of Canada Life Centre—originally MTS Centre—is remembered by many who were involved in bringing the arena to downtown Winnipeg 20 years ago.
Despite the cancellation of a planned flag raising, a group of demonstrators gathered at Regina city hall Friday to mark Palestine’s Independence Day.
A Saskatchewan man is facing a child pornography charge following investigation by the provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit.
Regina voters in two wards made history Wednesday night, electing two women of colour to serve on council for the first time in the city's history.
A former elementary school principal in Waterloo, Ont. has pleaded guilty to charges that include luring and transmitting sexually explicit material to someone believed to be under the age of 16.
A woman who was hit by a vehicle in Cambridge, Ont. is speaking out about the scary experience.
Canadian Union of Postal Workers said approximately 55,000 workers are striking, claiming little progress has been made in the bargaining process.
A Saskatoon rubber manufacturer is taking the province to court, claiming millions of dollars in damages for breach of a contract as part of a dispute that's lasted more than two years.
Saskatoon firefighters responded to a garage fire on the 100 block of Avenue U South Thursday night.
A Saskatchewan man is facing a child pornography charge following investigation by the provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit.
Newly released documents show the Royal Canadian Mounted Police collected wreckage after an unidentified object was shot down over Lake Huron in February of last year.
A 72-year-old teacher from Blind River has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault involving two victims under the age of 16.
The Timmins rock band Miners and Sons have made history. The group performed a rock concert in the world’s deepest base metal mine below sea level, breaking a Guinness World Record.
Within hours of charges being dropped in a London court on Tuesday, Loubani attended Fragiskatos’ office once more, and repeated the incident – expressing no concern of being charged.
The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) says that work undertaken without a permit has cost some beach front property owners in Grand Bend a pretty penny.
A couple in the Middlesex County village of Kerwood, west of London, says their neighbourhood has so many cats that it’s negatively impacting their quality of life - they say that their township, Adelaide Metcalfe, is allowing the problem to get worse.
Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday afternoon to celebrate the first phase of the Sky Towers development on Grove Street West in Barrie, which will add more than 500 new units to the City’s housing market.
One person was left with signs of hypothermia after being rescued from Kempenfelt Bay in the early hours of the morning.
Chris Forrester’s mother took the witness stand on Friday in the second-degree murder trial of a man accused of killing her son three years ago.
A memorial stone and oak trees have been protected from excavation along the corridor where the two-lane highway is expanding to four in Kingsville.
There was no shortage of support for Canada Post workers while passing by strike lines in Windsor and Tecumseh.
The federal government has expanded a security program that aims to fight hate crime.
Some travellers who checked baggage on certain WestJet flights between 2014 and 2019 may now claim their share of a class-action settlement approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court last month and valued at $12.5 million.
Intense flooding that hammered British Columbia's coast last month has led to more than $110 million in insured damage claims.
A Nanaimo nurse has agreed to a seven-day suspension for accessing patient records without authorization.
British Columbia's independent police watchdog has cleared officers of wrongdoing in a crash where three people were killed south of Kamloops in July of last year.
A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.
The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.
A back-and-forth question between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi when it comes to calling a Lethbridge-West byelection has no distinct answer nearly five months later.
Two hundred students from across southern Alberta set sail at the University of Lethbridge Thursday, in cardboard boats.
Lethbridge police say charges have been laid against five people in connection with a high-risk incident that unfolded at a motel on Thursday.
About 700 Canada Post workers are walking the picket lines in communities across northeastern Ontario.
After receiving reports of a dangerous and erratic driver, police in Sault Ste. Marie charged the driver of a vehicle on Highway 17 this week.
No injuries were reported Friday after Sault police responded to a report of someone with a firearm on Queen Street East. One person has been arrested.
Newfoundland and Labrador's return on investment for sponsoring a professional English soccer team was not quite as rosy as previously claimed.
Police in Newfoundland say a man was electrocuted Saturday by a downed power wire about 10 kilometres north of St. John's, N.L.
On Thursday morning, Dave Penny officially ended a suggested hundred-day isolation period that followed his diagnosis and stem cell treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. On Thursday night, Penny returned to a stage at a downtown St. John's bar, regaling a small crowd with songs and stories with a distinctive Newfoundland flair.
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