Australia’s coronavirus hot spot — the state of Victoria — is reporting a record 317 newly confirmed cases in a day. The tally for Thursday surpassed the state’s previous high of 288 on July 10. Here’s the latest on the pandemic from around the world.
The latest:
- Fauci calls White House criticism of him ‘bizarre’ as U.S. coronavirus infections spike.
- Province should have been ready before asking all Montreal bar-goers to get tested, says mayor.
- Study suggests fewer than 1% of British Columbians had COVID-19 by the time restrictions eased.
- Atlantic premiers indicate they’re in no hurry to expand regional travel bubble.
- Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive again.
- Lives remembered: Honouring the Canadians who have died from COVID-19.
Australia’s coronavirus hot spot — the state of Victoria — is reporting a record 317 newly confirmed cases in a day. The tally for Thursday surpassed the state’s previous high of 288 on July 10.
The previous one-day Australian record was 212 cases set March 28 by New South Wales state during the first peak of the pandemic. New South Wales reported only 10 new cases Thursday. Two men in their 80s died in Victoria in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll for the pandemic to 113.
Victoria’s government is reducing the number of non-urgent surgeries allowed in hospitals to increase beds available for COVID-19 patients. State officials had planned to restore hospitals to normal medical services by the end of July before infections began to rise in recent weeks.
Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said of the latest caseload: “It’s a big number. It needs to turn around.”
As of 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, the global coronavirus case count stood at 13,579,581, with 584,794 deaths and 7,597,786 cases considered recovered, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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Meanwhile, Australian authorities said a COVID-19 patient apparently became infectious within a day of contracting the coronavirus. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd gave no details of how the patient was infected in New South Wales state or whether that patient infected anyone else before the coronavirus was diagnosed.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, the country’s peak decision-making body for public health emergencies, reported such a short incubation was “unusual,” but “not implausible,” Kidd said.
People usually develop symptoms within five to seven days but may become infectious a day or two before their symptoms develop, Kidd said. A person becoming infectious within 24 hours was unlikely to be evidence of the virus changing, Kidd said.
It more likely reflected differences in individual reactions to the virus, he said.
What’s happening with coronavirus in Canada
As of 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Canada had 108,829 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 72,485 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 8,848.
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Some business owners and experts in employment law say Toronto’s mandatory mask bylaw is creating issues because it’s unclear for some and puts the onus on businesses to enforce it.
The city is leaving it to business owners and operators to create a policy, post signage and ensure people are wearing masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. If they aren’t doing that, they can be issued a $1,000 fine. Right now, the city says it’s concentrating on education rather than enforcement and hasn’t issued any fines.
But some people are taking advantage of what seems to some like a murky and somewhat confusing bylaw — for example, groups creating fake medical exemption cards and staging anti-mask protests.
- No arrests, few fines under Canada’s federal quarantine laws, says public health agency
- Trudeau pens op-ed with world leaders calling for equal access to coronavirus vaccine
- Health charities in Canada hit with historic loss in revenue during COVID-19
- Ontario’s police watchdog called in after man fatally shot after dispute over wear