Coronavirus Update: Confirmed cases in 40 states on the rise in the U.S. ahead of Fourth of July weekend

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

Top headlines:

1. Ahead of the Fourth of July, cases are rising in 40 states
2. Ethics watchdog launches inquiry into Trudeau over cancelled WE contract
3. Brazil set to exceed 1.5-million cases

In Canada, 105,025 cases have been reported. In the last week 2,154 new cases were announced, 4 per cent fewer than the previous week. There have also been 68,651 recoveries and 8,663 deaths. Health officials have administered 3,042,489 tests.

Worldwide, 10,869,739 cases have been confirmed and 521,298 deaths.

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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Nearly 30 per cent of genome sequencing data from samples of coronavirus collected by the WHO show signs of mutation. The WHO has collected 60,000 samples so far.

• However, the WHO said there is no evidence this has led to a more severe disease.
• The mutated strain had been identified as early as February, and had been circulating in Europe and the Americas.

Coronavirus in Canada

• A team from the emergency management agency in Ontario has been deployed to Windsor in response to farm outbreaks, while the premier says he was wrong about migrant workers “hiding” from tests. In June, the province reported 96 cases at a single Windsor farm, and three migrant farm workers have died. Ottawa’s mayor will introduce a motion mandating masks in indoor public spaces.
• The premier of Nova Scotia vowed to keep a close eye on cars entering province with American plates following an outpouring of social media complaints. The Atlantic “bubble” came into effect today.
• Siksika Nation in Alberta is investigating 258 possible cases.

In Ottawa, the government cancelled the contract with WE Charity to deliver the $900-million student grant program, a week after initial accusations of cronyism emerged.

• Separate statements said the decision was mutual, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters the charity made the call.
• Questions were raised about the charity’s plans to hire 450 volunteers through the program, and to pay teachers to recruit students. Volunteer Canada declined to work for the charity over wage concerns.
• Late Friday, the federal ethics and conflict of interest commissioner announced that there would be an investigation – the third into the Prime Minister. The government said it will collaborate with the office. Earlier the Prime Minister said his government will study how the process unfolded.

Yesterday, opposition Conservatives asked the procurement watchdog to review several sole-sourced contracts between the government and WE.

Also today: The Prime Minister won’t commit to a trip to Washington D.C. next week to mark the new North American trade treaty, citing aluminum tariffs and coronavirus concerns.

Coronavirus around the world

• In Brazil, coronavirus cases are set to exceed 1.5-million and more than 60,000 have died in the country. Despite the case numbers, cities continue to reopen.
• The United States is approaching the Fourth of July weekend with confirmed case numbers rising in 40 states. Today, 52,300 new cases were reported, according to Johns Hopkins data. As Florida reports 9,488 new cases today, the mayor of Miami imposed a nightly curfew.
• As pubs and hair salons reopen in Britain, there is growing worry that the pandemic is far from over and that the government is moving too quickly to kick-start the economy. The country has more than 311,000 cases, and just over 44,000 deaths.
• In France, a court ordered an investigation into three current and former government ministers over their handling of the pandemic.

Also today: The European Commission said it has given conditional approval for the use of antiviral remdesivir in severe cases following an accelerated review process.

Globe opinion

• André Picard: “With no end in sight to the COVID-19 carnage, we need to ask ourselves how it is possible for a country [the United States] with unlimited financial, medical and communications clout to screw up its response so badly?”
• Jared Diamond: “Unrest over COVID-19, social inequality and police brutality has made this Fourth of July unlike any other in recent history. Can Americans use it as an opportunity to transform themselves?”
• Cathal Kelly: “If a bunch of hospitality workers serving the meals get sick and one of them dies, the NHL owns that. If a COVID cluster pops up and the league decides to tough it out because it’s Game 7 of the conference final, the NHL owns that.”

More reporting

• For the first time since 1945, the Major League Baseball has cancelled the All-Star Game. Here are five things to watch for as the Toronto Blue Jays open summer training camps. But health officials say the Jays aren’t guaranteed to get a travel exemption for the abbreviated season.
• Finland’s flagship airline, Finnair, raised $575-million as it tries to bolster its finances to survive the pandemic.
• Home sales in Vancouver rebounded last month, with 2,443 homes sold in the Vancouver region – an 18-per-cent increase over the previous June. [For subscribers]
• The pandemic has accelerated retail trends, including the growing “casualization” of the workplace and e-commerce sales.
• What investors need to know about the biotech boom spurred by the pandemic, and how Canada’s big investors missed it.
• Amplify: Finding new forms of connection in social isolation

Distractions

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🎭 For the theatre and film geeks: Hamilton is on Disney+, the CBC Gem is good, and the best films that you missed.

• Hamilton: Audiences who couldn’t afford $500 Broadway tickets will finally – finally! – be able to actually watch what all the fuss was.
• CBC Gem: Normal People, Schitt’s Creek, and Pen15 make this is the best streaming service that most Canadians have never heard of.
• Streaming guide: Ad Astra takes over your senses; Dolemite Is My Name features an uproarious Eddie Murphy, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood might make you weepy.

Information centre

• Pandemic personal finance: Rob Carrick’s 10-point checklist of things you should have done by now to protect or improve your money situation. Tips for minimizing 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; and what to do if you think you have the virus, and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus. How to break a bad habit (like touching your face).
• The best foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home; four eating tips when working from home; and five mistakes that might cause you to gain unwanted weight. Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples and how to stop stress-eating. What to cook with rhubarb (aside from pie).
• Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; how the CRA might identify CERB fraud; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered. What to do if your employees don’t return to work because they want to collect CERB.

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