Coronavirus: Here’s what’s happening in Canada and the world Thursday

Coronavirus: Here’s what’s happening in Canada and the world Thursday

The latest:

The prime minister spoke about the struggles of Canadians abroad and the need to step up testing for COVID-19 on Thursday, a day after announcing an $82-billion COVID-19 response package that includes measures ranging from wage subsidies and income supports to a temporary boost to the child benefit program.

Canada has more than 770 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, an illness caused by a new coronavirus that first emerged in China. The number of cases has been increasing daily, sparking concern about the capacity of Canada’s health-care systems and prompting provinces to cancel classes, call for the closure of some businesses and introduce rules to promote social distancing.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday that almost 54,000 tests have been performed to date. Speaking outside Rideau Cottage on Thursday, Justin Trudeau acknowledged that the need for test kits is growing.

“While we ramp up, we’re making sure Canada is ready to keep up,” Trudeau said of test kits. The prime minister — who is still in self-isolation after his wife tested positive for COVID-19 — said the health minister and deputy prime minister would work with provinces and territories to make sure they have what they need, though he didn’t offer details or a timeline for how testing capacity would be increased.

Trudeau’s message largely focused on measures the government had already announced, including support for parents and funding to help research into potential vaccines and treatments. 

On Wednesday, Trudeau announced a joint deal with the U.S. to close the border to non-essential travel, a move meant to clamp down on COVID-19 while still allowing the flow of critical supplies between the two countries. 

Finance Minister Bill Morneau told CBC News Network on Thursday that Canadians who are not covered by the unemployment system can expect emergency funding in two to three weeks, though he said not all funding will be released at the same time. 

He said the government is working “every day” to see if there are ways to release the money faster.

“We’re working on multiple fronts at the same time,” he said, calling the economic turmoil around the pandemic an “unprecedented” situation.

WATCH | Morneau takes questions on Ottawa’s COVID-19 funding:

Canada and the U.S. aren’t the only nations clamping down on border crossings. As the world responds to the pandemic, countries are introducing a range of measures to try and slow the spread of the virus.

Hard-hit Italy is still on lockdown as it scrambles to slow cases and properly treat the infected. Australia and New Zealand recently announced broad border restrictions. And China, where the virus was first reported, said that even though it is making headway against the virus, it’s not yet in the clear.

The risk of new coronavirus cases occurring in China’s Hubei province, the epicentre of the country’s outbreak, has not been eliminated and infection risk still persists at community and clinic levels, a government official said on Thursday. Li Yang, an official from Hubei’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, made the comments at a press conference. They come after new local transmissions in China fell to zero on Wednesday. 

For most of those people, the novel coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. The vast majority of people recover from the virus but some people who are infected — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — are at higher risk of facing a more severe illness, including pneumonia.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

As the worldwide death toll crept toward 10,000 and the number of infections topped 220,000 (including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered), officials around the world urged people to come together, while staying physically apart.

“When you love someone, you should avoid taking them in your arms,” French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in parliament. “It’s counterintuitive, and it’s painful; the psychological consequences, the way we are living, are very disturbing — but it’s what we must do.” Read on to get the latest on what’s happening in Canada, and some of the developments from around the world.

Here’s what’s happening in the provinces and territories

British Columbia on Wednesday declared a state of emergency, a move that allows the province to do things like secure supply chains. The province had already declared a public health emergency, but Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the state of emergency is part of an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to tackling the novel coronavirus. Read more about what’s happening in B.C.

In Alberta, the premier says social distancing measures will likely be needed until the end of May, saying the “velocity” of the virus’s spread around the world suggests “we can expect this to pose a very real threat to public safety for at least two or three months.” Read more about what’s happening in Alberta, including the latest from the province’s chief medical officer of health.

Saskatchewan also declared a state of emergency to tackle COVID-19. The province banned public gatherings of more than 50 people, said restaurants and bars need to keep half their seats empty and said businesses that are allowed to remain open — including grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations — must have processes that maintain “one-to-two-metre” separation. Read more about what’s happening in Saskatchewan.

Manitoba opened its first drive-in COVID-19 testing site on Wednesday. The site, located in Selkirk, allows patients with a referral to drive up and be screened. Then, if needed, they can get the necessary test without getting out of their car. Manitoba has not yet reported any community transmission cases, but the province’s top doctor says “we’re very, very likely” to see community transmission as more cases are imported. Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba here.

Ontario’s health minister said the province is “very aware” of the need to step-up COVID-19 testing capacity after reports of wait times of up to four days for results. Christine Elliott said the wait is “not acceptable” and the province is working to ramp things up. Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday addressed the issue of panic buying, saying the call to place limits on certain products is a decision for retailers, but one that he is open to. In Toronto, officials announced Thursday that a TTC mechanic had tested positive, though the transit agency noted the individual was not a front-line worker. In Ottawa, 14 people, including Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, have tested positive for COVID-19. Read more about what’s happening in Ontario here.

Quebec announced its first COVID-19 related death on Wednesday. The province’s director of public health said it was an elderly woman in the Lanaudière region who had been in contact with a person who had travelled. Though the woman had been in contact with someone who went abroad, Dr. Horacio Arruda said that doesn’t mean there is broader community transmission. “We’re not there yet.” Arruda noted that just because case numbers rise, “that doesn’t mean we’re losing the battle.” Read more about what’s happening in Quebec here.

New Brunswick’s premier urged people in his province to be cautious and embrace social distancing. Blaine Higgs said “this is not a drill” and called on people to avoid things like playdates and getting together with friends. The province says additional nurses are going to be staffing a key telehealth line starting Thursday after complaints about long waits. Read more about what’s happening in New Brunswick here.

Nova Scotia hospitals are strictly limiting visitors, with the health authority saying “multiple people waiting in hallways, family rooms or waiting rooms is not acceptable given requirements to social distance.” There are some exceptions, including around end-of-life care, pediatric patients and women in labour, the health authority said. Read more about what’s happening in Nova Scotia here, including detail on more business closures.

P.E.I. has asked non-essential businesses to close as part of its plan to fight COVID-19. Things like grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, hardware stores and car repair locations can stay open, the premier said. Read more about what’s happening on P.E.I. here.

Newfoundland and Labrador has declared a public health emergency, and ordered several types of businesses — including gyms, movie theatres, arenas and bars — to close. “This is an unprecedented time,” Health Minister John Haggie said Wednesday. Read more about what’s happening in N.L. here. 

There were no confirmed cases in any of the territories as of Wednesday, but officials were still taking action. Nunavut declared a state of public health emergency, as did the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

As of 11:30 a.m. ET, there were 772 presumptive and confirmed cases in Canada, with nine deaths and 11 listed as recovered.

• Ontario: 257 cases, including five listed by the province as resolved and one death.
• British Columbia: 231 confirmed cases, including five recovered and seven deaths.
• Alberta: 119 confirmed cases.
• Quebec: 94 confirmed cases, including one recovered and one death.
• Saskatchewan: 16 confirmed and presumptive cases.
• New Brunswick: Two confirmed and nine presumptive cases.
• Manitoba: 17 confirmed and presumptive cases. 
• Nova Scotia: Five confirmed and nine presumptive cases.
• Prince Edward Island: One confirmed case.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Three presumptive cases.
• Repatriated Canadians: Nine confirmed cases.

Presumptive cases are individuals who have tested positive, but still await confirmation with the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. Not all provinces are listing figures on those who have recovered.

Here’s what’s happening in the U.S.

From Reuters and The Associated Press, updated at 9 a.m. ET

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday urged Congress to move quickly to pass a massive $1 trillion US economic relief measure by early next week, saying he expects bipartisan support for the bill to get cash payments to Americans.

Mnuchin, in an interview on Fox Business Network, said the federal government was focused on being able to provide liquidity to companies and that it had no problem issuing more debt, but that it expected loans to businesses to be paid back.

The treasury secretary’s remarks come after Donald Trump described himself as a “wartime president” fighting an invisible enemy. Trump signed an aid package — which the Senate approved earlier Wednesday — that will guarantee sick leave to workers who fall ill.

The president also tapped his authority under the 70-year-old Defence Production Act to give the government more power to steer production by private companies and try to overcome shortages in masks, ventilators and other supplies.

Yet he seemed to minimize the urgency of the decision, later tweeting that he “only signed the Defence Production Act to combat the Chinese Virus should we need to invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future.”

“Hopefully there will be no need,” he added, “but we are all in this TOGETHER!”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control as of Wednesday was reporting 7,038 cases and 97 deaths, but those figures are updated once daily and lag some other tallies — including a Johns Hopkins University tracker that puts the U.S. figure at 9,415 cases with more than 150 dead and more than 100 recovered.

WATCH | Does Canada have enough ventilators to deal with COVID-19:

The mixed messaging came as Trump took a series of other extraordinary steps to steady the nation, its day-to-day life suddenly and fundamentally altered.

The Canada-U.S. border, the world’s longest, was effectively closed, save for commerce and essential travel, while the administration pushed its plan to send relief cheques to millions of Americans.

WATCH | Trump on Canada-U.S. border:

Trump said he will expand the nation’s diagnostic testing capacity and deploy a Navy hospital ship to New York City, which is rapidly becoming an epicentre of the pandemic, and another such ship to the West Coast. And the Housing and Urban Development Department will suspend foreclosures and evictions through April to help the growing number of Americans who face losing jobs and missing rent and mortgage payments.

But as Trump laid out efforts to help the economy, markets plummeted. Gone were nearly all the gains that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had made since Trump took office.

The administration announcements came on a fast-moving day of developments across the capital, its empty streets standing in contrast to the whirlwind of activity inside the grand spaces of the White House and the Capitol.

The U.S. military said Thursday it is pausing the movement of any new troops into Afghanistan and is quarantining 1,500 troops and civilians who recently arrived in order to protect them from the new coronavirus. Troops who are already in the country may have their deployments extended so missions can continue.

Here’s what’s happening in Europe

From Reuters and The Associated Press, updated at 9:20 a.m. ET

Italy is on track to surpass China in the number of coronavirus-related deaths, a gruesome milestone that is being blamed on the country’s large elderly population, its overwhelmed health-care system and the delayed imposition of complete lockdown measures across the epicentre, Lombardy.

Italy registered 2,978 deaths on Wednesday after another 475 people died. Given Italy has been averaging more than 350 deaths since March 15, it is likely to overtake China’s 3,249 dead when Thursday’s figures are released.

UN and Italian health authorities have cited a variety of reasons for Italy’s high toll, key among them its large elderly population, who are particularly susceptible to developing serious complications from the virus. Italy has the world’s second-oldest population after Japan’s and the vast majority of Italy’s dead — 87 per cent — were over age 70.

In addition, virtually all of Italy’s dead had one or more underlying medical condition, such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension or renal insufficiency.

Schools in Italy are likely to remain closed beyond April 3, Italy’s education minister said on Thursday. “As Prime Minister (Giuseppe) Conte said, I think we are going toward an extension of the April 3 deadline,” Lucia Azzolina told SkyTG24. Schools and universities were closed on March 5.

As of late Wednesday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported almost 71,000 cases, with 3,309 deaths. 

The palace of Monaco says its ruler, Prince Albert II, has tested positive for the new coronavirus but that his health is not worrying. Albert, 62, appeared to be the first head of state who has publicly said he contracted the virus. In a statement Thursday, the palace said he is being treated by doctors from the Princess Grace Hospital, named after his U.S. actress mother. 

In France, the Costa Luminosa trans-Atlantic cruise ship, which has recorded several cases of COVID-19 among its passengers, has docked in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille on Thursday morning. More than 1,400 people, including more than 75 Canadians, are on the cruise. French authorities have allowed the ship to dock and stay up to four days under strict conditions. It is not known whether passengers will be allowed off given the current stringent restrictions in France amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And in Sweden, more than 1,000 laid-off SAS airline workers are being offered fast-track health care training to help fight the coronavirus. Sophiahemmet University will run a three-day pilot for 30 people at the end of March with the hope of eventually extending the course to hundreds more.

Europe is scrambling to slow the spread of the virus, with countries introducing a range of measures including tighter border controls, school and business closures and plans designed to boost ailing economies.

The British government plans to introduce a bill in Parliament on Thursday that will give authorities stronger powers to respond to the pandemic. The bill gives police and immigration officers powers to detain people and put them in appropriate isolation facilities if necessary to protect public health.

Here’s what’s happening in Asia

From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, updated at 7 a.m. ET

The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China stands at 80,928 on Thursday, with the overall death toll at 3,245 as of the end of Wednesday, up by eight from the previous day. In Hubei province, there were eight new deaths, with the city of Wuhan accounting for six of them. Beijing recorded 21 new cases of infections from abroad on Wednesday, mostly people travelling from Spain and Britain. 

South Korea saw more than 150 new cases on Wednesday, Yonhap reported, saying most were in Daegu and Seoul. President Moon Jae-in pledged $39 billion US in emergency financing for small businesses and other stimulus measures on Thursday to prop up the coronavirus-hit economy.

Cases are also ticking upward in Japan, which had reported 936 cases as of Thursday evening local time, not including the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise passengers. 

In Taiwan, officials said they would ban most foreigners as cases there rose by 23 to 100 on Wednesday, with most of them imported. In Indonesia, the president said the country needs to immediately widen its testing for coronavirus to ensure detection of more infections. On Wednesday, the Southeast Asian nation saw its biggest daily jump of 55 infections, for a total of 227 cases. 

Here’s a look at some other COVID-19 developments 

• Stock markets were more subdued Thursday after days of significant swings amid the economic turmoil caused by the novel coronavirus, as well as plummeting oil prices. Read more about what’s happening in the business world.
   
• Canada’s big banks said Tuesday that they would work with borrowers amid the COVID-19 outbreak. TD Bank said in a news release the big six banks would “provide financial relief to Canadians impacted by the economic consequences of COVID-19.” Read more about what the big banks are planning.
   
• The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is urging people to watch out for coronavirus-related scams and to think twice before sharing personal information. Jeff Thomson, a senior RCMP analyst with the anti-fraud centre, says fraudsters are “quick to pick up on world news.” Read more about what to watch out for.
   
• Theatres are closed, concerts are cancelled, but for some artists, that doesn’t mean performances won’t happen. Singers like Pink, John Legend and Chris Martin are streaming concerts for people practising social distancing or living under quarantine. Canadian artists were also stepping up, with funding help from the National Arts Centre. Read more about what’s happening in the world of entertainment.
   
• More countries in Africa closed their borders Thursday as the local spread of coronavirus threatened to turn the continent of 1.3 billion people into an alarming new front for the pandemic. “About 10 days ago, we had about five countries” with the virus, WHO’s Africa chief, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, told reporters. Now, 34 of Africa’s 54 countries have cases, with the total close to 650. It’s an “extremely rapid evolution,” she said. In fact, the first sub-Saharan Africa case was announced Feb. 28.
   
• In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei planned to pardon 10,000 more prisoners — among them an unknown number of political detainees — to combat the coronavirus. The country, where more than 1,200 people have reportedly died from the virus, has already released 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave.

WATCH | Respirologist weighs in on human trials of COVID-19 vaccine:

Published at Thu, 19 Mar 2020 10:57:32 +0000