Coronavirus Update: WHO reports largest single-day increase in global cases

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

Top headlines:

1. WHO says largest daily increase of cases largely driven by Brazil, U.S., India
2. Health experts warn pandemic is holding steady, despite what President Trump tells his supporters
3. ‘It’s more than a festival:' National Indigenous Peoples Day goes virtual amid pandemic restrictions

In Canada, 101,333 cases have been reported. In the last week, 2,516 new cases were announced, more than 19% fewer than last week. There have also been 63,886 recoveries and 8,430 deaths. Health officials have administered 2,536,904 tests.

Worldwide, 8,791,794 cases have been confirmed; with 464,465 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

Photo of the day

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Number of the day

183,000

The World Health Organization reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count today, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours.

• Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the U.S. next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came from India.
• Experts said rising case counts can reflect multiple factors including more widespread testing as well as broader infection.

Overall in the pandemic, WHO reported 8,708,008 cases, with 461,715 deaths worldwide, with a daily increase of 4,743. More than two-thirds of those new deaths were reported in the Americas.

Coronavirus in Canada

• Quebec’s decision to send students back to school in mid-May has been met with mostly positive reviews, and the province says it will attempt a full-time reopening of elementary and secondary schools in the fall. Since the return to class, 53 students and teachers have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• Hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces members deployed to long-term care facilities in Ontario’s Greater Toronto Area began to pack up and head home Sunday. Many of these troops had been deployed to seven long-term care homes in the GTA hit hard by COVID-19, where they found cases of abuse and negligence.
• The British Columbia legislature will return Monday for a summer sitting, complete with physical distancing requirements and only 24 politicians.

In Ottawa, The Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival wrapped up three weeks of events and activities Sunday on National Indigenous Peoples Day. It’s among many Indigenous organizations across the country that found ways to celebrate amid restrictions at a time when they say it’s especially important to do so.

Organizers of the festival in Ottawa considered postponing or cancelling it entirely after COVID-19 restrictions meant they couldn’t gather in person.

But as an anti-racism movement swept the country, bolstered by news of Indigenous deaths during police interactions, it only affirmed their decision to take the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival online, said festival producer and executive director of Indigenous Experiences Trina Simard.

Coronavirus around the world

• U.S. public health experts warned Sunday that, despite President Trump’s promise to largely maskless supporters at an indoor rally in Oklahoma on June 19, the coronavirus would not be fading away anytime soon.
• The United Nations Assistance Mission (UNAMA) in Afghanistan said it had documented 12 deliberate acts of violence between March 11 to May 23, constituting war crimes, against healthcare workers there during the pandemic.
• Spain opened its borders to all European countries, except for Portugal, on Sunday, as the country ended its state of emergency in attempt to salvage its critical tourism economy. All arriving passengers will have their temperature taken, submit information about where they have come from, and provide their whereabouts in Spain.

Coronavirus and business

Canada’s biggest engineering firms are having trouble hiring. [For subscribers]

At a time of double-digit unemployment, Montreal-based WSP Global Inc. is looking for hundreds of white-collar workers as it grapples to handle a contract backlog worth $8.5-billion and expand its international footprint.

But it is not able to get new employees in the door fast enough because the normal vetting and integration process has been stymied by government stay-at-home orders caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, chief executive Alexandre L’Heureux says.

Other engineering and construction firms say they are also having recruiting challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., for example, is seeing candidates less willing to relocate amid the uncertainty provoked by the crisis, said company spokesperson Daniela Pizzuto.

And: Canadian do-it-yourselfers building fences, repairing decks and slapping thousands of litres of paint on weather-beaten siding have helped building centres across Canada escape the worst of the pandemic economic downturn.

Globe opinion

Cathal Kelly: “I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a [MLB] ballpark, but they tend to be on the bigger side of the architecture spectrum. The Phillies’ Florida setup is more ambitious than any major-league park – main stadium, secondary fields, outbuildings, offices.If the goal is guaranteeing disinfection of this area, you’d have to tent it Christo-style and pump it full of mustard gas.”

Rita Trichur: “If you’re among the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who were granted a payment holiday for mortgages, credit cards or other loans in recent months, do yourself a favour and double-check your credit report.”

Some good news

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Vancouver ‘micro-weddings’ help couples during COVID-19

Nikki Alexis and Roni Jones originally imagined their September wedding would include 100 people, including friends and family, and a large celebration.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed that, with gatherings of more than 50 people prohibited across British Columbia.

“It wasn’t safe for us,” said Ms. Alexis, speaking after their wedding ceremony. “We knew we still really wanted to get married this year.”

The couple joined others from the area to take part in a City of Vancouver-led “micro-wedding” on Friday afternoon.

The events, which are booked through the city, feature a handful of witnesses, a commissioner and a photographer.

City staff plan to marry 40 couples outside city hall this summer across five days of weddings. July 27 has been designated for two spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer couples to celebrate Vancouver Pride.

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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