Coronavirus Update: Balance is key to enjoying the summer, even without immunization

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

1. A smart balance can allow you to enjoy summer safely, even if most of us are not immune to COVID-19
2. Remote work is here to stay thanks to a Canadian’s app. One potential spoiler – Microsoft
3. Moving its festival online, Luminato leaves the light on

In Canada, there have been at least 95,057 cases reported, which is more than double the number from 41 days ago.

There have also been at least 53,614 recoveries and 7,773 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 1,960,274 tests.

Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus explainers: Updates and essential resources • Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening plans in each province

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Coronavirus in Canada

There are currently at least 1,728 hospitalized cases, a 18% drop from a week ago. Of those 260 are in intensive care.

• The federal government says it will provide $14-billion to help provinces as their economies begin to emerge from COVID-19 lockdowns. The leaders in the hardest-hit provinces, Ontario and Quebec, expressed concerns about the level of funding and how it would be doled out.
• COVID-19 has swept through several federal prisons, with the worst outbreak occurring in B.C.’s Mission Institution. Family members of inmates, along with the union representing prison guards, are expressing a growing concern about segregation-like conditions in prisons and the potential for violence after lockdowns are lifted.

The federal government is investing $1.1 million to support national disability organizations to help them reach out to people amid COVID-19. Ottawa announced a $548-million program to send cheques for between $100 and $600 to Canadians with disabilities.

Coronavirus around the world

Worldwide, there have been at least 6,802,836 cases confirmed, 3,043,539 recoveries and 396,658 deaths reported.

• President Jair Bolsonaro threatened to pull Brazil out of the World Health Organization after it warned about the risk of lifting lockdowns before slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus. He said the illness was “killing a Brazilian per minute.”
• Compared to last year, when many tens of thousands came to the northern French beaches of Normandy to cheer the dwindling number of veterans and celebrate three-quarters of a century of liberation from Nazi oppression, the coronavirus lockdown turned this year’s remembrance into one of the strangest and quietest ever.
• Indonesia reported on Saturday its biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections, with 993 new cases, taking its total number to 30,514, a health ministry official said.

Question and answer

Question: Ontario’s data does not identify where cases are from - congregate vs. community settings. What is being done to trace/track where and how the disease is spreading?

Answer: You’re quite right, getting detailed data from some provinces (like Ontario) is like pulling teeth but, increasingly, researchers and the media are collecting and analyzing data independently. A recent Globe and Mail analysis found that 32 per cent of cases are currently occurring in congregate settings and the balance, 68 per cent, are happening in the community. Where exactly, we’re not sure, but it looks like they are mostly happening in low-income neighborhoods (where people tend to live in crowded conditions in high-rises that make physical distancing near-impossible) and in workplaces like warehouses and manufacturing plants where employees toil in close proximity. Ontario, to its credit, has now shifted its testing strategy to focus on these “hot zones.”

The Globe’s health columnist André Picard answered reader questions on social distancing and many additional topics.

Distractions

For the summer bookworm: 46 books to see you through a summer in lockdown

Summer is all about escape. But this year, with many of us stuck at home, our best chance of escape might be to crack open a book.

Whether it’s a mystery novel, science fiction, graphic novel or something entirely different: here are our critics’ picks of what to read for the season.

More Globe reporting and opinion

• Women are having a harder time than men returning to Canada’s labor force as persistent childcare issues force them to stay at home. and jobs in the male-dominated goods sector return faster than those in the service industry, data show following COVID-19 shutdowns.
• Why now is not the time for major dividend portfolio changes: I have searched for, but not found, what sort of portfolio you would create today in light of COVID-19.
• Kelly Cryderman: “Most people feel torn individually between yearning for a level of normalcy and wanting to guard against a devastating and still-mysterious virus. It’s not surprising our governments wrestle with the same conflict.”
• Marcus Gee: “Canada has its own divisions of race, class and income. The coronavirus has laid them bare for all to see."
• Eric Reguly: “As the lockdowns come off, the chances of a second wave of COVID-19 infections can only rise. Meanwhile, corporate debt rises, pinching the equity. This will not end well.”

Information centre

• Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered.
• How to minimize damage to your credit score; how to manage retirement anxiety during difficult times; and things to think about if you’re considering home delivery.
• Here are the expectations for self-isolation; tips for managing anxiety; and protecting your mental health.
• How to get physical distancing right; measures condo buildings are taking to encourage physical distancing; and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
• Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples; foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home.
• How to break a bad habit (like touching your face) and what to do if you think you have the virus.

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Have questions about the coronavirus? Email audience@globeandmail.com.