Ford says inspectors ‘refused’ to go into nursing homes during pandemic peak; Ontario hits testing target for first time in 11 days

Ford says inspectors ‘refused’ to go into nursing homes during pandemic peak; Ontario hits testing target for first time in 11 days

The latest novel coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday (this file is no longer being updated). Read Friday’s coverage here.

7:21 p.m. India is the latest country whose coronavirus death toll has topped the number of lives lost in China, where the pandemic started, as hot spots shift to developing countries ill-equipped to contain its spread.

The South Asian nation’s death toll hit 4,695 on Thursday, climbing past the 4,638 fatalities from Covid-19 in China. The nation of 1.3 billion people now has the highest number of fatalities in Asia, excluding Iran, despite the largest lockdown in the world.

The country’s death toll quadrupled in less than a month, accelerating by more than 1,000 over the past week, while infections have been soaring at a similar pace. Government experts have begun to acknowledge the outbreak won’t peak until June or July.

6:36 p.m. There are 88,512 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Canada, according to The Canadian Press, including 6,876 deaths, and 46,853 resolved.

This breaks down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario; see entry at 5 p.m.)

  • Quebec: 49,702 confirmed (including 4,302 deaths, 15,618 resolved)
  • Ontario: 26,866 confirmed (including 2,189 deaths, 20,673 resolved)
  • Alberta: 6,955 confirmed (including 143 deaths, 6,160 resolved)
  • British Columbia: 2,558 confirmed (including 163 deaths, 2,153 resolved)
  • Nova Scotia: 1,055 confirmed (including 59 deaths, 977 resolved)
  • Saskatchewan: 639 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 568 resolved)
  • Manitoba: 283 confirmed (including seven deaths, 273 resolved), 11 presumptive
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including three deaths, 255 resolved)
  • New Brunswick: 126 confirmed (including 120 resolved)
  • Prince Edward Island: 27 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Repatriated Canadians account for 13 confirmed cases, all of which have been resolved
  • Yukon: 11 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Northwest Territories: five confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Nunavut reports no confirmed cases.

5 p.m. Ontario’s regional health units are reporting another 382 new COVID-19 infections, according to the Star’s latest count.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Ontario’s regional health units are reported a total of 28,512 confirmed and probable cases, including 2,275 deaths.

The total of 382 new confirmed and probable cases reported since the same time Wednesday evening was up about 60 from the previous day, but still below a string of days last week that saw more than 400 new cases reported.

The recent case growth not been felt equally in the province; the daily count of new cases has been falling outside of the GTA over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, numbers inside the region have rebounded after falling some from the peak rates seen last month.

Thursday’s tally includes 201 new cases in Toronto and 92 more in Peel Region; together, the two health units accounted for more than three-quarters of the province’s new infections.

Meanwhile, the 29 fatal cases reported in the province since Wednesday evening were in line with a recent flat trend. Still, the rate of deaths is down considerably since peaking at more than 90 deaths in a day earlier this month, about two weeks after the daily case totals hit a first peak in mid-April.

Because many health units publish tallies to their websites before reporting to Public Health Ontario, the Star’s count is more current than the data the province puts out each morning.

Earlier Thursday, the province reported 833 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 137 in intensive care, of whom 94 are on a ventilator — these numbers have fallen about 20-30 per cent this month. The province also says nearly 21,000 patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus have now recovered from the disease; that’s more than three-quarters of the total infected.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths, 2,189, may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system. In the event of a discrepancy, “data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.”

The Star’s count includes some patients reported as “probable” COVID-19 cases, which means they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

3:13 p.m. There are 88,473 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada, including 6,872 deaths, and 46,781 resolved, according to The Canadian Press.

This breaks down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario. See this file.)

  • Quebec: 49,702 confirmed (including 4,302 deaths, 15,618 resolved)
  • Ontario: 26,866 confirmed (including 2,189 deaths, 20,673 resolved)
  • Alberta: 6,926 confirmed (including 141 deaths, 6,106 resolved)
  • British Columbia: 2,550 confirmed (including 161 deaths, 2,144 resolved)
  • Nova Scotia: 1,055 confirmed (including 59 deaths, 977 resolved)
  • Saskatchewan: 637 confirmed (including 10 deaths, 559 resolved)
  • Manitoba: 283 confirmed (including seven deaths, 273 resolved), 11 presumptive
  • Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including three deaths, 255 resolved)
  • New Brunswick: 126 confirmed (including 120 resolved)
  • Prince Edward Island: 27 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Yukon: 11 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed, all of which have been resolved
  • Nunavut reports no confirmed cases.

3 p.m.: The Boston Marathon has been cancelled for the first time in its 124-year history.

Organizers said Thursday that they instead will have a “virtual event” in which participants who verify that they ran 26.2 miles on their own will receive their finisher’s medal. The race had originally been scheduled for April 20 before being postponed for five months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the title of Boston Marathon champion is contested by a few dozen elite athletes, the field includes more than 30,000 recreational and charity runners, with as many as 1 million people lined up along the course trek from Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay. That presented organizers with a social distancing problem that won’t be solved by the fall.

The cancellation is the first ever for the race, which began in 1897 when 15 men drew a starting line in the dirt in Ashland and headed for the city to commemorate the first modern Olympic Games the previous year.The 2021 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 19 and the 125th anniversary edition is scheduled for April 18, 2022.

1:41 p.m.: Ottawa and Quebec have started talking about the future of military in long-term care homes after the province called for the Canadian Armed Forces to stay in nearly two dozen facilities until September.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has asked the military to remain an additional four months so the province can hire and train thousands more workers to take over when the troops leave.

Yet the request has raised questions about the sustainability of keeping hundreds of trained military medical personnel in the homes for another four months — and what other options might be available.

Senior federal government officials who spoke the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks say Ottawa is looking at whether the Canadian Red Cross can shoulder some of the burden and whether there are ways to speed up the hiring of workers in Quebec.

The Canadian Armed Forces have almost 1,800 members deployed to support long-term care homes in Quebec and Ontario hit hard by COVID-19, with the majority in 23 Quebec facilities.

The military this week released explosive reports on what troops found in some of the homes after arriving last month, with troops alleging a notable lack of trained medical personnel in Quebec facilities.

1:35 p.m. (updated): Ford says some nursing home companies “failed” to run homes that ran into the worst trouble with COVID-19 and their shareholders should hold them accountable.

1:30 p.m. (updated): Premier Doug Ford says inspectors “refused” to go into nursing homes during peak COVID-19. “I’ve been taking bullets every day for the union,” he said.

“The media knew that the unions weren’t going in, but they weren’t reporting it,” Ford said. Ford thanks union head Smokey Thomas for getting the inspectors back into the homes.

1:16 p.m. (updated): Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton says there are 19 nursing homes considered “code red” struggling to deal with COVID-19. Fullerton says inspectors are now at all five homes cited in the Canadian Armed Forces report.

1:14 p.m. Premier Doug Ford announces he’s extending the mandate of the “Incident Management System Long-Term Care Table,” an expert panel that deals with nursing home staffing levels and infection management.

12:30 p.m.: A new COVID-19 outbreak in New Brunswick has forced the provincial legislature to adjourn only two days after it resumed sitting.

The abrupt decision came Thursday, a day after officials confirmed a health-care worker who had travelled outside New Brunswick and did not self-isolate upon return had infected at least two other people in the Campbellton area.

Campbellton is in northern New Brunswick, near the Quebec border.

Premier Blaine Higgs said the health-care worker had been in contact with “multiple patients” over a two-week period following their return to New Brunswick.

12:17 p.m.: Prince Edward Island has extended its state of emergency, while announcing new rules to allow people with seasonal cottages to head to the Island.

Premier Dennis King says the public health emergency has been extended until June 14 on the advice of the chief public health office.

King also announced that people wanting to travel to seasonal residences will have to submit an application beginning June 1, and those will be put through a risk assessment before approval.

12:09 p.m.: Quebec is reporting 74 additional COVID-19 deaths today, bringing the provincial total to 4,302.

There were 563 new cases of the virus confirmed in the past 24 hours for a total of 49,702 since the pandemic began.

The provincial government said 47 fewer people are in hospital with COVID-19, marking nine consecutive days of reductions in the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients.

Six fewer people were in intensive care, for a total of 178, and 15,618 people are classified as having recovered from the disease.

Later today, Quebec’s national institute for public health will be releasing the government’s latest projections on the evolution of the virus in the province.

In Montreal, the epicentre of the pandemic in Canada, the number of daily new cases of COVID-19 has been decreasing for one week.

11:30 a.m.: For the first time in 11 days, Ontario says its testing labs have hit the provincial target of completing more than 16,000 tests a day.

According to the province’s morning update, the labs completed 17,625 tests Wednesday, up about 2,000 from the previous day. Ontario last hit the 16,000-test target on May 16.

The provincial data also revealed another day with high demand for testing at the province’s assessment centres. About 17,500 newly collected samples were added to provincial testing queues, the second day in a row well above the target. The rate of test completion in the labs has tended to lag a day or two behind demand at the centres.

Meanwhile, as of 11 a.m. Thursday, Ontario’s regional health units are reported a total of 28,153 confirmed and probable cases, including 2,248 deaths.

The total of 330 new confirmed and probable cases reported since the same time Wednesday morning was again below a recent rising trend that saw the health unit totals above 400 per day most of last week.

The growth in new infections across Ontario has not been felt equally in the province. The daily count of new cases has been falling outside of the GTA over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, numbers inside the city have rebounded after falling some from the peak rates seen last month.

The Thursday-morning tally includes the 152 new cases Toronto and 82 more in Peel Region reported Wednesday afternoon; together, the two health units accounted for more nearly three-quarters of the province’s new infections.

The 30 fatal cases reported in the province since Wednesday evening were in line with a recent flat trend. Still, the rate of deaths is down considerably since peaking at more than 90 deaths in a day earlier this month, about two weeks after the daily case totals hit a first peak in mid-April.

Because many health units publish tallies to their websites before reporting to Public Health Ontario, the Star’s count is more current than the data the province puts out each morning.

Earlier Thursday, the province reported 833 patients are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 137 in intensive care, of whom 94 are on a ventilator — numbers that have fallen about 20-30 per cent this month. The province also says nearly 21,000 patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus have now recovered from the disease — more than three-quarters of the total infected.

The province says its data is accurate to 4 p.m. the previous day. The province also cautions its latest count of total deaths — 2,189 — may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, “data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date.”

The Star’s count includes some patients reported as “probable” COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test.

11:11 a.m.: Nova Scotia is reporting two new cases of COVID-19.

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That brings the province’s total number of confirmed cases to 1,055, which includes 59 deaths since the pandemic arrived in March.

Eight individuals were being treated in hospital Thursday, three of them in intensive care — but 977 people have recovered from the viral infection.

On Wednesday, Nova Scotia announced it would begin reopening its economy on June 5 by lifting restrictions on businesses that have an approved plan to comply with public health protocols.

The list of businesses that can reopen includes restaurant dining rooms, bars, wineries, distilleries, taprooms, hair salons, barbershops, spas, nail salons, tattoo parlours, gyms, yoga studios and climbing centres.

11:10 a.m.: Ontario’s public health units are acting to protect their regions — and the province has to listen, the Star’s columnist Bruce Arthur writes.

“It’s a mutiny,” says Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network.

“They’re actually outlining a strategy. That’s pretty amazing. That’s unbelievable. It’s a mutiny. Wow.”

Click here for Bruce Arthur’s column.

11 a.m.: Ontario is reporting that the number of tests completed Wednesday jumped to 17,615, up from 15,133 the previous day. More details to come.

10:45 a.m.: The COVID-19 pandemic is having “significant impacts” on the federal government’s ability to process immigration and temporary work or study permits.

Most of Canada’s immigration processing depends on pen-and-paper forms or in-person interviews, and the pandemic has significantly hampered both according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Read the full story from the Star’s Alex Boutilier.

8:45 a.m. (updated): The City of Toronto spray-painted circles at Trinity Bellwoods park Thursday morning to encourage people to practise physical distancing.

The pilot project comes days after thousands crowded into the downtown Toronto park last Saturday, with many people breaking distancing rules.

The circles are about 2.5 metres (eight feet) in diameter and three metres (10 feet) apart from each other, says Brad Ross, the city’s chief communications officer.

Their size and distance is expected to accommodate three people from the same household to sit crossed-legged or two people to lie in the circle.

Read the full story from the Star’s Margaryta Ignatenko.

8:15 a.m.: South Korea on Thursday reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases in more than 50 days, a resurgence that health officials warn is getting harder to track and risks erasing some of the nation’s hard-won gains.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 67 of the 79 new cases reported were from the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of South Korea’s 51 million people live.

Following an emergency meeting, the government decided to shut public facilities such as parks, museums and state-run theatres in the metropolitan area over the next two weeks to slow the spread of the virus.

Officials also advised private tutorial schools and computer gaming lounges in the area to close during the period or otherwise enforce anti-virus measures.

7:53 a.m.: Japanese automaker Nissan plans to close auto plants in Spain and Indonesia after sinking into the red for the first time in 11 years as the pandemic squashed global demand and disrupted production.

Yokohama-based Nissan’s chief executive, Makoto Uchida, said Thursday that its European production will be centred at its British plant in Sunderland.

Manufacturing now based in Indonesia will move to Thailand, as the Japanese automaker cuts global production by 20 per cent.

7:18 a.m.: TD Bank Group reported its provisions for credit losses soared to nearly $3.22 billion in its second quarter as it reported a profit of nearly $1.52 billion.

The bank’s provisions for credit losses were up from $633 million in the same quarter last year as the COVID-19 pandemic tore through the economy.

TD says its profit for the quarter totalled 80 cents per diluted share, down from $3.17 billion or $1.70 per diluted share a year ago.

On an adjusted basis, the bank says it earned 85 cents per share in its most recent quarter, down from $1.75 in the same quarter last year.

Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of 89 cents per share for the quarter, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

7:17 a.m.: The Dutch Grand Prix became the fourth Formula One race cancelled this season because of the coronavirus pandemic, after organizers chose on Thursday not to host it without spectators.

It was to be the first Dutch GP since 1985, but F1 wants to start the season with no spectators at races.

The other races cancelled this year were the season-opening Australian GP on March 15; the Monaco GP on May 24; and the French GP on June 28.

5:50 a.m.: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will co-host today a major United Nations conference aimed at developing a co-ordinated global response to mitigate the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unless countries come together now to co-ordinate a recovery plan, the UN estimates the pandemic could slash nearly US$ 8.5 trillion from the world economy over the next two years, forcing 34.3 million people into extreme poverty this year and potentially 130 million more over the course of the decade.

Trudeau is co-hosting the four-hour virtual conference with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

More than 50 heads of state and government are to participate, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron, along with representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the private sector.

5:45 a.m.: Some municipalities fear they are stuck in the middle of a lingering standoff between the federal and Ontario governments over an aid package for hard-hit civic services, as an urgent request for financial help goes unanswered.

Cam Guthrie, the mayor of Guelph who also serves as the chairman of the Large Urban Mayors’ Caucus of Ontario, said municipalities across the province issued the urgent plea to the province and federal government a month ago about the dire financial situations they find themselves in.

5:40 a.m.: The Team Canada spirit that has prevailed among first ministers during the COVID-19 crisis will be put to the test today as Justin Trudeau broaches with premiers two topics that fall squarely within provincial jurisdiction: the operation of long-term-care homes and paid sick leave for workers.

The prime minister has promised federal support in both areas but his offer has met with a mixed reaction from provincial and territorial leaders.

He has also promised to raise the issues tonight, when he conducts his eleventh first ministers’ conference call.

5:30 a.m.: A Manitoba chief says his community will hold its annual powwow next month even if provincial public-health orders continue to limit the size of public gatherings.

“It is our culture,” said Cornell McLean of the Lake Manitoba First Nation.

Thousands of people usually travel across the country to dance and reconnect during the powwow season. This year, most traditional gatherings have been cancelled or delayed over concerns about the novel coronavirus or due to restrictions on how many people can gather.

Two months ago, Lake Manitoba was one of the first reserves in the province to restrict travel in and out of the community, about 160 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Many other First Nations followed. McLean said there have been no cases of COVID-19 in the region.

He said it has been difficult for many residents as they deal with the stress of isolation, financial strain and concern over their families. Some have turned to alcohol or drugs, he said.

He believes the powwow that is being organized will bring healing.

“It’s important because we are trying to … start that healing process for our members.”

Wednesday 6:24 p.m.: The U.S. surpassed a jarring milestone Wednesday in the coronavirus pandemic: 100,000 deaths.

That number is the best estimate and most assuredly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the virus than from the Vietnam and Korea wars combined.

Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed over 350,000, with the U.S. having the most confirmed cases and deaths by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has recorded about 170,000 deaths, while the U.S. reached more than 100,000 in less than four months.

At the end March, the United States eclipsed China with 3,500 deaths. Now, the U.S. has not only the highest death total, but the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, making up more than 30 per cent of the global total.

Wednesday 6 p.m.: Ontario’s regional health units are reporting a second day in a row with fewer than 400 new COVID-19 infections, according to the Star’s latest count.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Ontario’s regional health units reported a total of 28,130 confirmed and probable cases, including 2,246 deaths.

The total of 321 new confirmed and probable cases reported since the same time Tuesday evening was again below a rising trend that last week saw the health unit report a string of days with more than 400 new cases.

That upward trend in infections was not felt equally in the province. The daily count of new cases has been falling outside of the GTA over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, numbers inside the region have rebounded after falling some from the peak rates seen last month.

Wednesday’s tally includes the 152 new cases Toronto and 82 more in Peel Region; together, the two health units accounted for nearly three-quarters of the province’s new infections.

Meanwhile, the 28 fatal cases reported in the province since Monday evening were in line with a recent flat trend. Still, the rate of deaths is down considerably since peaking at more than 90 deaths in a day earlier this month, about two weeks after the daily case totals hit a first peak in mid-April.

Read more of Wednesday’s coverage here.

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