Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada on May 28
N.B. says medical worker failed to self-isolate after returning from Quebec
The latest:
- At least 150 people had contact with COVID-19-positive medical worker in New Brunswick.
- The long-term care crisis: How B.C. controlled COVID-19 while Ontario, Quebec face disaster.
- Ontario needs to be more transparent with COVID-19 data, critics say.
- Profit falls at TD and CIBC as loan loss provisions soar.
- Should I hold my breath when people get too close? Your COVID-19 questions answered.
- Why B.C.'s containment and recovery from COVID-19 is going smoother than Ontario's.
- R, a key metric to watch as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
- The lives behind the numbers: What we know about the first 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in Canada.
As Canada's total number of COVID-19 cases climbed to more than 88,500 on Thursday, New Brunswick began ramping up testing in a region of the province where it's feared a new cluster of three cases could grow.
At least 150 people have been exposed to a medical professional in the Campbellton region who has COVID-19 and saw multiple patients over a two-week period following his return to New Brunswick from Quebec. Gilles Lanteigne, head of the Vitalité Health Network, said those exposed include 50 health-care workers at the Campbellton Regional Hospital and 100 people in the community.
"We could see some transmission around the province," Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, told a briefing on Thursday, adding that two of the three new cases of COVID-19 are health-care workers.
Quebec and Ontario remain the hardest-hit provinces in terms of the number of cases and the daily increases.
Quebec has reported 563 new cases, while Ontario has reported 383 new cases. As of 5:50 p.m. ET on Thursday, Canada had 88,504 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases, with 46,844 considered resolved or recovered. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial health data, regional information and CBC's reporting stood at 6,961.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said the country is seeing a "series of regional epidemics" with Quebec and Ontario experiencing the vast majority of cases and severe outbreaks.
- Another spike in deaths likely unless Montrealers obey public health guidelines, researchers predict
Within those provinces, you have to home in on certain areas and offer assistance to hard-hit areas, said Tam, who praised a move by the health officials in Toronto to release more "granular data" about COVID-19 cases.
When asked about a recent decision in New Brunswick to reimpose some restrictions on one region after new cases emerged linked to a returning traveller who didn't self-isolate, Tam said she thinks every medical officer of health agrees on the need to be "really careful" as activities resume and restrictions are lifted.
WATCH | RCMP to look into new cluster of cases in New Brunswick:
"I think there's always been the message in different jurisdictions that there's a flexibility in the public health system to reinstate or pull back on some of the measures as they see fit, based on their own epidemiologic context," she said at a Thursday briefing.
New Brunswick had gone an extended period with no new cases, but with the new cases, it's now rolling back the easing of some restrictions in Zone 5, an area that's home to 25,000 people and includes the Campbellton-Dalhousie Region.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not hold his daily briefing on Thursday because he was opening a UN conference on financing issues around health and development and how they have been affected by COVID-19, including questions about liquidity and debt.
Trudeau told heads of state and government that "our citizens need to have confidence in international institutions that leave no one behind and are capable of overcoming global challenges."
Read on for a look at what's happening in your region, and to get the latest details on how provinces are handling the pandemic and the tentative process of lifting restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the novel virus.
Here's what's happening in the provinces and territories
British Columbia reported nine new confirmed cases of coronavirus on Thursday — including one new outbreak at Nicola Lodge, a long-term care home in Port Coquitlam — for a total of 2,558 cases in the province. There have been 164 COVID-19-related deaths in B.C., including two more in long-term care homes in the Fraser Health region.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province's health officer, announced the outbreak of COVID-19 at Mission Institution, where dozens of inmates had fallen ill, has now ended. Read more about what's happening in B.C.
Alberta reported 29 new coronavirus cases on Thursday and two new deaths. That brings the province's total number of confirmed cases to 6,955 with 143 deaths.
On Wednesday, the province reported its lowest number of active cases since the end of March, at 679. That number was down to 652 on Thursday. Read more about what's happening in Alberta, where health officials are investigating a possible case of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), an inflammatory syndrome associated with the novel coronavirus.
Saskatchewan announced two new cases of COVID-19, one in the province's northern region and one in the Saskatoon area. There are now 61 active cases out of 639 cases and 568 recoveries, with four people in hospital for treatment of the disease. Ten people in the province have died of the illness. Read more about what's happening in Saskatchewan.
Manitoba is on track to enter the next phase of its reopening on Monday, when it will allow restaurants, bars, gyms and other businesses shuttered by COVID-19 restrictions to open with stepped-up public health measures in place.
There were two new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba on Thursday, bringing the province's total to 294. Read more about what's happening in Manitoba.
WATCH | Brian Pallister talks about moving Manitoba into the next phase of reopening:
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that he's sick of "taking bullets" for unionized government inspectors who, he said, refused to go into the province's long-term care homes to carry out inspections in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic because of safety concerns.
WATCH | Release of COVID-19 hot spot data in Toronto can help prevent spread of coronavirus, says epidemiologist:
On Wednesday, the province announced it's taking over the management four of the five long-term care homes that were the subject of a Canadian Armed Forces report alleging "horrific" conditions, including poor hygiene and aggressive behaviour toward residents. Read more about what's happening in Ontario.
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Group helping youth in remote First Nations hopes to keep connection alive through COVID-19
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Physical distancing circles painted on grass coming to Trinity Bellwoods Park
In Quebec, Premier François Legault talked more about plans to recruit and train 10,000 support staff, or orderlies, to work in long-term care homes. He said they would be full-time positions with pensions and benefits.
Provincial Justice Minister Sonia LeBel confirmed that courthouses in Quebec would reopen on June 1. She said there will be a limited number of people allowed inside, physical distancing rules and Plexiglas barriers for judges.
Many long-term care homes in Quebec are in desperate need of medical personnel and continue to struggle to bring down the number of COVID-19 infections, a military report on its mission inside the province's seniors' residences says. Read more about what's happening in Quebec, which has had 49,702 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
WATCH | Military reports staffing, PPE issues in Quebec long-term care homes:
In New Brunswick, officials say they expect hundreds of people to be tested within the next couple of days after a new cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Campbellton region. Premier Blaine Higgs on Thursday said the development is "very concerning," but he remains optimistic that with contact tracing, the province will be able to curb the spread of the respiratory illness. Read more about what's happening in N.B., where the legislature, which just reopened on Monday, has been adjourned until June 9 in a bid to ensure MLAs don't contribute to spreading the virus.
New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, both with low numbers of COVID-19, were considering a proposed interprovincial bubble that would see travel resume across the Confederation Bridge in late June or early July. Higgs, New Brunswick's premier, told CBC News such a plan now depends on what health officials learn about the new cluster of cases in northern New Brunswick in the next couple of weeks.
Nova Scotia is set to allow more businesses to reopen next week, saying everything from restaurants and bars to gyms and personal services like hair salons can open on June 5 under enhanced public health protocols. "We are still moving slowly, but this is a good first step," Premier Stephen McNeil said Wednesday. Read more about what's happening in N.S., which reported two new coronavirus cases on Thursday.
Prince Edward Island's state of emergency has been extended until June 14. Read more about what's happening on P.E.I., which has no active cases of COVID-19.
New information on seasonal residents. How they will be screened and when they might arrive on PEI. The province will only be processing 500 applications per week for instance. Details tonight on Compass.<br>Long term care home visits can begin, outdoors, on June 1st. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PEICOVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PEICOVID19</a>
—@LouiseMartinCBCNewfoundland on Thursday reported one new case of COVID-19, ending the province's 20-day streak of zero new cases. The Department of Health says the new case, affecting a man between 40 and 49 years old, is related to travel. Read more about what's happening in N.L.
The chief public health officer of the Northwest Territories said she "wholeheartedly" supports the idea of people taking staycations this summer, including visits to regional hubs. But Dr. Kami Kandola said people in the territory need to "stay on our game," as the risk associated with COVID-19 has not passed. Meanwhile, in Nunavut, the public health emergency has been extended until June 11. Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has not had a confirmed coronavirus case. Read more about what's happening across the North.
Here's what's happening around the world
The novel coronavirus, which causes an illness called COVID-19, causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. The virus labelled SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in China in late 2019, before spreading around the world.
WATCH | Why Iceland has been so successful at contact tracing:
According to a Johns Hopkins University case tracking tool, as of Thursday afternoon there were more than 5.9 million coronavirus cases worldwide, with nearly 358,000 deaths reported.
The U.S. accounts for almost 1.7 million of the cases and more than 100,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.
WATCH | COVID-19: What parts of the world are big concerns right now?
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Boston Marathon cancelled for 1st time in its history because of pandemic
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Number of Americans on jobless benefits inches down for 1st time since pandemic began
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U.S. surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19: Johns Hopkins University
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U.K. police say Dominic Cummings might have made 'minor' breach of lockdown
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Disney targets July 11 to begin reopening flagship Florida theme park
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EU proposes €750B coronavirus recovery fund, but more heated debate is expected
WATCH | COVID-19: What parts of the world are big concerns right now?
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
