Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Ford defends back-to-school plan amid growing criticism, says he has “full control”
- Trump tells media COVID-19 vaccine could be ready before November election, contradicting the experts
- CERB ends soon – what’s next for unemployed Canadians?
In Canada, there have been at least 118,187 cases reported. In the last week 2,781 new cases were announced, 12 per cent fewer than the previous week.
There have also been at least 102,788 recoveries and 8,962 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 4,536,375 tests.
Worldwide, there have been at least 18,540,119 cases confirmed and 700,647 deaths reported.
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
Photo of the day
Number of the day
11 per cent
11 per cent of newly admitted residents of long-term care facilities could have remained at home with proper supports, according to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
- Advocates have called for additional home care funding to allow more older Canadians to stay in their homes longer, and out of institutional care. According to a June report, 81 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Canada were linked to seniors’ homes.
- Those who could stay at home needed limited assistance with many daily tasks, had little or no cognitive impairment, and had no history of recent falls, wandering away or challenging behaviours.
- The report found that those who could have stayed at home represented more than 5,000 long-term care spots.
The analysis by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the country’s health care statistics agency, is based on data from several provinces for 2018-19, before the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus in Canada
- In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said he has “full control” over the province’s plan to reopen schools this fall, after initially saying it wasn’t the government’s plan, but that of medical experts, and saying it wasn’t up to his government to decide. The plan – which does not limit the number of students in classes for young students and offers a mix of remote and in-person learning for high-school students – has been widely criticized by parents. The province reported 95 new cases today.
- The Premier of British Columbia told anxious parents he believes their children will be safe returning to school. “[W]e would not be putting their children at risk if we thought there was an overwhelming risk,” John Horgan said. The province announced its return-to-school plan last month. Meanwhile, health officials in the province warned of a possible exposure at Lions Bay Beach Park.
- Quebec reported 133 new cases, and no additional deaths today. Yesterday, the province’s blood collection agency published a study indicating about 125,000 people at the ages of 18 to 69 in the province contracted COVID-19 – more than three times official numbers.
- The union at a Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon, Manitoba called for its closure after four workers at the facility tested positive. The province reported 30 new cases today – the first major single-day increase in cases since April.
- A doctor in Newfoundland and Labrador said that without its travel ban, the province’s infection rate could be 20 times higher.
COVID-19 and kids: With Ontario and Alberta requiring non-medical masks for some students this fall, some parents might be wondering what options are best for their children. Experts weigh in on four things to consider when picking a mask for your child.
Also today: How COVID-19 has exposed the cracks in Canada’s disability aid.
Coronavirus around the world
- Contradicting government health officials, U.S. President Donald Trump said it was possible the United States would have a coronavirus vaccine before the November election. Meanwhile, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine, an early advocate of masks and other precautions, tested positive just ahead of a planned meeting with Trump.
- Vietnam continued the conversion of a sports stadium in Danang into a 1,000-bed field hospital, the health ministry said on Thursday, as it races to control and outbreak that has spread to 11 areas.
- France is struggling to administer enough tests to keep up with demand as cases rise again. Many testing labs are closed so their staff can take summer vacation, just as signs of a second wave are building.
Coronavirus and business
With the Canada Emergency Response Benefit set to end and the labour market still not fully recovered, millions of Canadians remain in need of financial assistance from the government. What’s next in support for the unemployed?
- Some CERB recipients will move to Employment Insurance, and the government already said a parallel support program will be available for gig and contract workers who do not qualify. This EI-like program is also said to include training, and allows people to “work more hours” while claiming the benefit.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said an overhaul to EI is coming. That could mean changing the qualifying criteria, which currently says workers must be “ready, willing and capable of working each day” – something that does not fully reflect the realities of the current health crisis.
Also today: In its second-quarter earnings reported today, Uber said ride-hailing trips remain down 75 per cent from last year, though up five percentage points from April. In the past, two-thirds of the company’s revenue came from rides. Meanwhile, demand for Uber Eats nearly doubled. The company posted a US$1.8-billion net loss including charges related to the laying off of 23 per cent of its global work force.
And: Canadian Tire posted a net loss attributable to shareholders of $20-million, or 33 cents a share, in its second quarter.
Globe opinion
- Trevor Tombe: ”The COVID-19 pandemic has brought fiscal challenges unlike anything in recent memory – and in Canada, that means that those already difficult debates over federal transfers will be all the more combative.”
- Robyn Urback: “The COVID-19 vaccine challenge is one part developing and distributing the thing, one part actually persuading people to get it.”
- Bev Holmes and Sharon Straus: “How is Canada’s health research system – a complex, distributed array of institutions, networks and federal and provincial government ministries – measuring up during COVID-19? There’s both cause for celebration and need for improvement”
- Darrell Bricker: “As governments, businesses and others work to get Canadians re-engaged with society and the economy they are being slowed down by anxiety barriers.”
More reporting
- Advice: I’ve developed acne and skin irritation from wearing a face mask. What can I do to prevent and treat it?
- Office catering startup Thriver wins new financing to adapt to new workplace realities
- Cargojet, a which provides time sensitive overnight air cargo services, reported its second-quarter revenue rose 65 per cent
- Restaurant Brands, the parent company of Tim Hortons, reported a 37-per-cent fall in quarterly profit
- Apple shines in pandemic with $2-trillion value on horizon
Distractions
🏋️♀️ For the bored fitness buff: Three options to change up your fitness routine
- Tempo training: Rather than dropping into the bottom of your squat/push-up/lunge/pull-up, control the descent with a slow and focused effort. Usually two to four seconds will do the trick.
- Pre-exhaust training: Pair exercises that share similar movement patterns, with one being a little easier than the other. Perform eight to 12 reps of exercise one, then, without any rest, max-out on exercise two.
- Locomotion training: The bear crawl is a locomotion exercise of particular value for the self-isolated; there are all sorts of variations to keep things fresh.
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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