Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.
Top headlines:
- Canada to contribute $600-million to global vaccine organization for next five years
- In Venice, some local leaders and residents want to shape a future less dependent on travel and tourism after the pandemic
- Bank of Canada sees signs that the economic crisis from coronavirus has peaked
In Canada, 93,726 cases have been reported, more than double the number from 40 days ago. There have also been 51,739 recoveries and 7,637 deaths. Health officials have administered 1,879,149 tests.
Worldwide, 6,587,768 cases have been confirmed; with 2,850,260 recoveries and 388,460 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
Thirty-one years ago, Chinese troops took aim at their fellow citizens in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Pro-democracy student protesters were shot; tanks crushed others to death. Doctors who rushed to the scene were killed. Today, activists participated in a candlelit vigil outside Victoria Park, in defiance of a ban that police attributed to COVID-19 health concerns.ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP/Getty Images
Number of the day
US$8.8-billion
More than 30 countries, including Canada, raised US$8.8-billion to fund a global vaccination organization for the next five years.
- The money raised at the summit will fund the Gavi, an organization that runs vaccination programs for children in developing countries.
- Britain offered the most money, pledging US$2.1-billion, while the U.S. contributed US$1.16-billion, and Canada added $600-million. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donated US$1.6-billion.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the gathering it has "never been more important to build capacity to respond to disease outbreaks and work with organizations to deliver vaccines.”
Challenges ahead include ensuring a vaccine is distributed fairly and safely without rushing production.
Coronavirus in Canada
There are currently at least 1,936 hospitalized cases, a 15-per-cent drop from a week ago. Of those, 282 are in intensive care.
- Jane Philpott, a former federal health minister, will head Ontario’s effort to build a pandemic data platform. The effort is intended to "break down the barriers” and provide hospitals more data.
- Starting tomorrow, bars, restaurants and barber shops in Nova Scotia can reopen. Businesses that are reopening must follow strict heath and safety orders.
- New Brunswick reported its first COVID-19 death today. The province will continue to investigate an Ontario politician’s visit to the province, despite an apology from the city councillor in Peterborough, Ont., this week.
- Newfoundland and Labrador’s finance minister says the province needs Ottawa’s support, as it manages its net debt of $14.2-billion. "We can’t cut and tax our way out of this,” he said.
In Ottawa, new federal modelling data shows many communities are seeing very low numbers of new cases.
- The data is encouraging, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, but testing and contact tracing efforts must be better.
- Coronavirus continues to be a health threat, he said. Physical-distancing measures and wearing masks remain very important.
Staying at home: In unexpected ways, lockdown measures stemming from the pandemic have slowed life down. While rates of self-reported stress and anxiety have risen, researchers are beginning to find positive trends as well. Couples say they’re fighting less, teens say they’re having meaningful conversations more.
Coronavirus around the world
In Italy, Venetians are rediscovering their city without the usual inundation of tourists, prompting local leaders to rethink the tourism economy there altogether.
Watch: Botox is back, and it’s being offered via drive-thru in Florida. Also up and running again in the state is Universal Studios.
Watch: The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a treatment for COVID-19, was ineffective in preventing infection in people exposed to the novel coronavirus, according to a widely anticipated clinical trial released today.
Around the world: The coronavirus pandemic has rekindled a long-standing debate on whether viruses are a nation’s property, and if countries are obliged to share biological samples and scientific data that are key to developing life-saving treatments and vaccines.
Coronavirus and business
The economic crisis created by coronavirus may have peaked, the Bank of Canada said in an “economic progress report” today.
- Measures of consumer confidence have increased since May, and the government’s fiscal support measures have largely worked, the bank said.
- Many uncertainties about Canada’s recovery are ahead, the bank added, much of which will depend on the ability to contain future waves of coronavirus.
Yesterday, the bank held its key interest rate, and scaled back some emergency measures. [For subscribers]
Also today: April merchandise exports dropped nearly 30 per cent, their lowest in more than a decade, Statistics Canada said. The organization called the decline “unparalleled.” [For subscribers]
Question and answer
Question: What does “endemic” mean?
Answer: An “endemic” disease is one that is present in the community at all times but in relatively low frequency. For example, chicken pox is endemic, but very few people are infected (and they are almost all unvaccinated). Coronavirus could, theoretically, because endemic, just hang around like a number of other less harmful coronaviruses.
The Globe’s health columnist André Picard answered more reader questions. Our FAQ also includes definitions of commons terms like temporal and ocial distancing, self-isolation, and flattening the curve.
Some good news
Cat vs. coyote: A battle of wits
“I was daydreaming at my desk by the window when something caught my attention: a flicker of light, a shadow, a premonition, perhaps. I looked up in time to see the coyote flying full tilt down the cliff, over the rocks and through clumps of fern and salal toward the house. She could only be after one thing … the cat.”
Have you witnessed or performed acts of kindness in your neighbourhood? Share your stories, photos and videos and they might be included in The Globe and Mail. Email audience@globeandmail.com
Distractions
🧘 For the indecisive at-home athlete: How to pick between yoga and pilates
- If you are hypermobile, or very flexible: pilates.
- If you are stressed: yoga, and look for a restorative class.
- If you want to strengthen your core: pilates.
More Globe reporting and opinion
- My walkabout reinforced that a museum without visitors [due to COVID-19] is just an attractive warehouse – it could be filled with precious artifacts, impeccably displayed, but it’s still not much more than carefully tended storage.
- Companies beginning to reopen across the country may face premium rate hikes for third-party liability insurance as Canadian insurers weigh the risks of novel coronavirus contagion in industries with higher levels of personal contact. [For subscribers]
- COVID-19, this collective chill pill we’ve all been forced to swallow, has achieved what mental health experts have been urging for years now – in unexpected ways, it slowed life down. It cleared away the morning commute, the rush to music lessons, the dressing for success. The din of a busy world was shushed.
- Jane Goodall: “The tragedy is that a pandemic of this sort has long been predicted by those studying zoonotic diseases (those that, like COVID-19, spill over from animals into humans). It is almost certain that this pandemic started with such a spillover in China’s Wuhan seafood market that also sold terrestrial wildlife for food.”
- John Ibbitson: “Canada and the United States will almost certainly agree to keep the border between the countries closed beyond the current deadline of June 21. With the U.S. struggling to contain COVID-19, even as demonstrations rock American cities, some Canadians may wonder whether that border should reopen anytime soon.”
Information centre
- Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI, and other financial benefits; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered.
- How to minimize 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.
- How to get physical distancing right; measures condo buildings are taking to encourage physical distancing; and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
- Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples; foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home.
- How to break a bad habit (like touching your face) and what to do if you think you have the virus.
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Have questions about the coronavirus? Email audience@globeandmail.com.