2 months ago
56 Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Saturday
Canada 'at a tipping point in this pandemic,' Trudeau says
The latest:
Trudeau announces funding for food banks, businesses that can't make rent. 'All trends are going in the wrong direction,' Ontario Premier Doug Ford says. Ontario reports 809 new cases, while Quebec confirms 1,097 new cases. India's tally of COVID-19 cases approaches 7 million. Poland makes wearing masks outside compulsory across the country. Trump to speak from White House balcony after completing COVID-19 treatment. Spain invokes state of emergency for Madrid lockdown.Canadians began the Thanksgiving long weekend amid a resurgence of COVID-19 cases that has prompted more restrictions in several hot spots.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Friday the nation was "at a tipping point in this pandemic" as he released new projections that suggested the death toll in Canada could reach 9,800 by the end of next week, a situation he said requires immediate efforts by Canadians to curtail outings and gatherings.
"Not only is the second wave underway, yesterday we hit the highest daily recorded cases — well above what we saw this spring," Trudeau said as he also announced emergency funds for food banks, groups serving vulnerable communities and businesses that can't make rent.
WATCH | Canadians find different ways to celebrate Thanksgiving during the pandemic:
"I know this is discouraging, especially going into Thanksgiving weekend," he said. "But remember this: When things were at their bleakest during the first wave, Canadians pulled together and flattened the curve."
As of 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, Canada had 180,026 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 151,335 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 9,606.
New modelling suggested there could be as many as 197,830 cases by Oct. 17, with cases rising most rapidly in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta.
Earlier Friday, Trudeau discussed a range of measures to boost the social safety net while also touting 378,000 jobs added in September, when many Canadians were able to return to work as children returned to school.
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The unemployment rate fell to nine per cent Friday, but Statistics Canada noted it was still taking mothers longer to return to the workforce than fathers. Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate would have been 11.9 per cent in September had it included in its calculation people who wanted a job but didn't look for work.
There were 1.8 million Canadians unemployed in September, with about 1.5 million of them looking for work.
In February, Canada's unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent, before COVID-19 walloped the economy and pushed it up to a high of 13.7 per cent in May, the highest rate on record. It has fallen steadily in each of the four months since then.
What's happening in Canada
Ontario reported 809 new cases on Saturday and seven more deaths related to COVID-19, a day after recording yet another daily record with 939 new cases and five more deaths.
Premier Doug Ford closed gyms, movie theatres and casinos and banned indoor dining, and he asked people to stay home as much as possible for at least 28 days.
WATCH | Ontario imposes stricter measures in Toronto, Ottawa and Peel Region:
"All trends are going in the wrong direction. Left unchecked, we risk worst-case scenarios first seen in Italy and New York City," Ford said, noting the number of contacts for every confirmed case has exploded, "sometimes in the thousands."
"Hospitalizations and the number of people in intensive care have increased by 250 per cent. If current trends continue, Ontario ICU, intensive care unit, admissions are predicted to more than triple in less than 30 days. Our hospitals will be overwhelmed and we can't let this happen."
In Quebec, health officials confirmed 1,097 new cases Saturday and 13 more deaths. The province exceeded reporting more than 1,000 new infections for the eighth time in nine days.
Premier François Legault asked Quebecers to make sacrifices and avoid socializing over the long weekend as 433 more people landed in hospital — up eight patients from the day before, with 67 people in intensive care, one less than the day before.
Nova Scotia added three new cases Saturday, leaving the province with a total of five active cases.
Harsh warnings were also issued in New Brunswick, where surges in Moncton and Campbellton pushed each region into an orange alert level and forced the closing of gyms, cinemas, casinos, spas and barbershops.
New Brunswick public health officials reported 13 new cases of COVID-19, including one involving a Campbellton high school that was temporarily closed for cleaning and contact tracing. Visits to the Campbellton Regional Hospital were also cancelled, as 18 employees remained in isolation either because they had COVID-19 or were close contacts of someone who had.
COVID-19 also continued to spike in Manitoba, where officials reported 84 new cases — 64 of them in Winnipeg — and three more deaths, two at Winnipeg long-term care homes.
The Northwest Territories announced that travellers and employees will be required to wear a mask while inside the territory's airport terminal buildings, starting next Tuesday.
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According to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the global total of confirmed coronavirus cases stands at more than 36.6 million. More than one million people have died, while more than 25.5 million have recovered.
According to a World Health Organization situation report by region, the Americas remain the most affected, accounting for nearly half of the global tally, with more than 17.51 million cases. Following the Americas are Southeast Asia and Europe, with more than 7.74 million and 6.67 million reported cases, respectively.
The United States remains the worst-hit country in the world, with the highest caseload and death toll. The nationwide caseload amounted to 7,656,064, with the death toll reaching 213,532 as of 6:30 p.m. ET Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In the U.S., the number of new infections remains stubbornly high, with roughly 47,000 cases regularly recorded on a daily basis in the past week, the highest level since mid-August. There are 30 U.S. states reporting a rise in new cases, while only two of the 50 states — Alabama and Hawaii — reported a decline.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that the U.S. death toll could climb to 233,000 by the end of October. And experts said that it will be more difficult to control and prevent the virus as the country enters the fall and winter seasons.
The second U.S. presidential debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican President Donald Trump has been cancelled. The Oct. 15 debate was scheduled to take place virtually due to safety concerns, but Trump has declined to participate. However, the president is still planning to hold his first rally since his COVID-19 diagnosis, in Miami on Monday.
WATCH | Epidemiologist on risks of Trump returning to campaign trail:
Trump is expected to speak from the White House balcony to a group supporters below on Saturday afternoon, according to a White House official. It would be his first public event since he tested positive for the coronavirus, a diagnosis made public by the president in a tweet posted early on Friday, Oct. 2.
In India, the confirmed coronavirus cases are nearing seven million, with another 73,272 reported in the past 24 hours.
The country's Health Ministry on Saturday also reported 926 additional deaths, taking total fatalities to 107,416. The number of deaths on Saturday remained below 1,000 for the seventh straight day.
India is seeing a slower pace of coronavirus spread since mid-September, when the daily infections touched a record of 97,894 cases. It is averaging more than 70,000 cases daily so far this month, while the recovery rate has exceeded 85 per cent.
But health experts have warned that congregations during major festivals later this month and in November have the potential to increase the spread of the virus.
In Germany, Berlin's legendary 24-hour bars and clubs are now facing a closing time of 11 p.m. starting Saturday. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany has increased by 4,721 on Saturday to 319,381, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.
In Spain, the Socialist-led government invoked a state of emergency on Friday to impose a partial lockdown on Madrid, one of Europe's worst COVID-19 hot spots, after a court had struck down the measures, state TV said.
Poland reported a record 5,300 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, according to Health Ministry data published on Twitter, as new restrictions, including wearing masks outside at all times, go into effect across the country.
Poland has now recorded 121,638 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,972 deaths related to the respiratory illness.
With files from CBC News, Reuters and The Associated Press
English (United States)
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