Health officials in provinces across Canada are reminding people to stick with public health measures, even as some regions see a drop in new cases of COVID-19. Here’s what’s happening in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.
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Speaking during his daily COVID-19 update on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new $350-million emergency community support fund meant to help vulnerable Canadians, as he said the pandemic has worsened inequalities throughout the country.
That fund is aimed at helping community organizations, charities and non-profits, which have had to change how they help groups like seniors and those experiencing homelessness, Trudeau said.
“Their mission has always been to support people in their time of need, and that hasn’t changed,” Trudeau said. “But COVID-19 is putting a tremendous amount of pressure on those organizations, because more people need help.”
Trudeau also said the government is launching a calculator for businesses to use when applying for the emergency wage subsidy, which gives employers up to $847 dollars per employee each week. That calculator, which will be hosted on the Canada Revenue Agency website, will allow companies to determine exactly how much the subsidy will cover.
Applications for the program will open on April 27, he said. At a later press briefing, Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos said the government anticipated 90 per cent of applications would be processed by May 5.
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Trudeau also spoke of the difficulties Canadians have gone through while practising physical distancing for nearly six weeks. He said there are early signs that those measures have helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. Health officials in provinces across Canada are reminding people to stick with public health measures, however, even as some regions see a drop in new cases of COVID-19.
Ontario on Monday released updated modelling that suggested community spread of COVID-19 appears to have peaked. But the health experts who presented the updated information noted that the spread of the virus in long-term care is still growing.
“We’re at peak in the community, but still in that accelerating upswing of the curve in long-term care,” said Adalsteinn Brown, dean of the University of Toronto’s public health department.
Morrison: “We are going to need to live with COVID-19 … there’s not a switch where things will quickly return to normal. There has to be a balance going forward.”
She says it’s a challenging to lift restrictions and manage the virus when there is no vaccine.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that rushing to ease coronavirus restrictions will likely lead to a resurgence of the illness, a warning that comes as governments start rolling out plans to get their economies up and running again.
“This is not the time to be lax. Instead, we need to ready ourselves for a new way of living for the foreseeable future,” said Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.
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He said governments must remain vigilant to stop the spread of the virus, and the lifting of lockdowns and other physical distancing measures must be done gradually and strike the right balance between keeping people healthy and allowing economies to function. UN agencies on Tuesday made an appeal for more funding to help the most vulnerable, saying: “In this race against an invisible enemy, all countries must fight back, but not all begin from the same starting line.”
As of 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Canada had 38,206 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. The provinces and territories that provide public information on recoveries listed 13,132 cases as recovered or resolved. A CBC News count of coronavirus-related deaths based on provincial data, local public health information and CBC’s own reporting has recorded 1,884 coronavirus-related deaths in Canada. There have been two reported COVID-19-related deaths of Canadians abroad.
- Visit CBC’s coronavirus case tracker for a look at what’s happening in your region and details on what the numbers can (and can’t) tell us about the outbreak in Canada.
According to a case tracking tool maintained by U.S-based Johns Hopkins University, there are over 2.5 million confirmed cases worldwide of the novel coronavirus, which causes an illness called COVID-19.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says COVID-19 is a “serious health threat” in Canada. “The risk will vary between and within communities, but given the increasing number of cases in Canada, the risk to Canadians is considered high.”
The novel coronavirus, formally known as SARS-CoV-2, was first reported in China in late 2019. There are no proven treatments or vaccines for the virus, though researchers around the world are racing to find answers as to what might be effective against it.
Read on for a look at what’s happening in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in the provinces and territories
British Columbia is expanding eligibility for COVID-19 testing. The province has reported a total 1,699 coronavirus cases, with 86 deaths. Read more about what’s happening in B.C.
A massive meat-packing plant in southern Alberta is temporarily shutting down as the result of COVID-19. Trudeau said Tuesday that meat prices could potentially increase due to that closure, but it’s not likely to lead to a domestic shortage. Read more about what’s happening in Alberta.
Saskatchewan’s top doctor says people shouldn’t expect physical distancing measures to be lifted soon. “We should understand that until such time that there is an effective vaccine, or treatment, or until such time that most of us have some level of immunity, we will have to maintain physical distancing,” Dr. Saqib Shahab said Monday, as the province reported one new case. Read more about what’s happening in Saskatchewan.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said he’d like to see the province lead in reopening, if the testing capacity and protocols are in place to do it safely. “I don’t know if you’re into acronyms, but I like this one: First In Restoring Safe Services Together. That’s our goal.” Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba.
Ontario’s numbers climbed to 11,735 as the province announced 551 new cases Tuesday morning, a day after models suggested community spread has peaked. The number of cases in long-term care homes in the province is still on the rise, though. Read more about what’s happening in Ontario, including an analysis of the latest projections and what they mean for people in the province.
WATCH | Ontario COVID-19 cases may have peaked in general population:
Quebec saw 102 additional deaths on Tuesday, becoming the first province with