A roundup of COVID-19 developments for Thursday Sept. 3, 2020
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I’m always interested in what it takes for Canada to make headlines internationally beyond something to do with hockey.
Today, I got another answer to that question from a Washington Post mailing that’s part of my daily COVID content consumption.
To wit, this headline that had a certain clickbait quality to it: Consider wearing a mask during sex, Canada’s chief public health officer says.
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Since it’s too early for Halloween, I did indeed click on the headline to see exactly how the Washington Post had unmasked Dr. Theresa Tam’s advice about the birds and the bees.
Apparently, the pandemic has made sex “complicated.”
“Like other activities during COVID-19 that involve physical closeness, there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus,” Tam said.
So kissing is out. Masks are in. Alcohol is problematic. And the least risky sexual activity during the pandemic, according to Tam, involves yourself alone.
At this point in the Washington Post’s coverage, I was hoping there was more coming that would arouse something in its readers, even if it was only curiosity about our country.
Alas, the story quickly shifted to the number of fatalities Canada had seen so far linked to COVID and a passing reference to an outbreak at a Quebec karaoke bar. And that was that.
I worry that after all that buildup, all those American readers and others around the globe were left wanting.
But at least there was no mention of hockey.
— Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor
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THE LATEST NUMBERS
Note: Manitoba and Canada figures may not match due to differences in data sources.
THE LATEST IN MANITOBA
• Manitoba’s largest COVID-19 outbreak at a personal care home has claimed two more lives, bringing the provincial death toll from the novel coronavirus to 16. Thirteen cases — six residents and seven staff — have now been identified at Bethesda Place in Steinbach since Aug. 16. Four of the care home’s 59 residents have died of the virus. The two latest deaths were women: one in her 80s and one in her 90s.
• Twenty new COVID-19 cases were announced in Manitoba on Thursday, including 13 in Winnipeg, six in the Prairie Mountain health region, which includes Brandon, and one case in the Interlake-Eastern health region. Public health officials say people who used ABC Taxi Cabs and Limousine Service in Brandon may have been exposed to the virus between Aug. 19 and Aug. 21. Sixteen Manitobans have died of COVID-19 as of Thursday. There are 457 active cases, including 12 people in hospital and one person in intensive care. So far, 791 Manitobans have recovered from the virus.
• A majority of parents across the province are worried about Manitoba’s back-to-school plan and worry the risks of virus transmission will increase as kids return to the classroom, a new poll from Leger and the Free Press found. According to data from Leger’s online poll, which received responses from more than 200 parents, 70 per cent of Manitoba parents are worried about their kids going back to school next week. Parents in Winnipeg tend to be more concerned about the return to school — with 79 per cent saying they feel worried — compared to 59 per cent in the rest of Manitoba.
THE LATEST ELSEWHERE
• Brazil, which at four million cases is the second-hardest-hit country in the world has handed out so much pandemic relief cash that poverty is approaching historic lows. About 66 million people have been receiving 600 reais (US$110) a month, making it the most ambitious social program the country has ever undertaken. It represents a shocking shift considering President Jair Bolsonaro has railed against welfare and aggressively dismissed COVID-19, at least until he caught the disease. Numbers from the Getulio Vargas Foundation, one of Brazil’s top universities, show that those living on less than $1.90 a day fell to 3.3 per cent in June from eight per cent last year, and those below the poverty line were at 21.7 per cent compared with 25.6 per cent. After his recovery, Bolsonaro apologized for his position dismissing the pandemic.
• Confidence in the Canadian economy took a dramatic dive over the summer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — a whipsaw pivot seen around the world but sharper in Canada than any other country surveyed in a new global public opinion poll. Sixty-one per cent of Canadians who took part in the Pew Research Center survey released Thursday described the country’s current economic situation as bad, more than twice the 27 per cent who said the same thing last year.
• Come for the biker rally, stay for the COVID-19 treatment. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem ordered the state to buy ad time on Fox News during and after her appearance at the Republican National Convention. The ads tout tourism to the state — known for such attractions as the Badlands, the Needles, the Crazy Horse monument and Mount Rushmore — saying it’s open for business despite the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which filled bars and restaurants with thousands of unmasked patrons in the western South Dakota city in early August, has been linked to 290 cases across 12 states and one confirmed death. South Dakota, which instituted no lockdown, has recorded 14,337 cases and 169 deaths.
• Thailand’s 100-day streak is snapped. An inmate at a Bangkok prison is the first person since May diagnosed with COVID-19. Officials said there was no threat of an outbreak at the prison since the virus was detected within the mandatory 14-day quarantine for new prisoners. The source of the transmission wasn’t found, so officials believe the virus is spreading via community transmission. Thailand, with a population of 70 million, has had just 3,427 cases of COVID-19 and 58 deaths.
• New Mexico is loosening quarantine requirements for interstate travellers ahead of the Labor Day weekend, exempting a 14-day quarantine for visitors who can show a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before arrival or later and relaxing occupancy limits for hotels that can demonstrate safe COVID-19 certification. There have been 25,612 cases and 790 deaths in the state.
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
“We think that the Olympics will be held with the coronavirus still around, so for us the biggest task is to explore and come up with necessary and effective measures to combat the coronavirus.”
— Toshiro Muto, CEO of Tokyo 2020, the local organizing committee for the Olympic Games
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LOCAL NEWS
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NATIONAL NEWS
The Canadian Press:
CERB 'hiccup' because of extension: Trudeau
OTTAWA - There have been some delays getting some emergency pandemic benefit cheques out the door this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Thursday.
"We're working through some of the ch...
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James McCarten, The Canadian Press:
Virus kneecapped Canadian confidence: Poll
WASHINGTON - Confidence in the Canadian economy took a dramatic dive over the summer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — a whipsaw pivot seen around the world but sharper in Canada than any other ...
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Charles Weijer:
Ethics must be central to COVID-19 research
The grassroots organization 1Day Sooner has been asking people to indicate their willingness to volunteer for human challenge studies of COVID-19. Challenge studies, in which healthy people are i...
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Lauren Krugel and Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press:
COVID-19 outbreak at Calgary homeless shelter
CALGARY - A homeless shelter in downtown Calgary is working to contain an outbreak of COVID-19 after five people staying there tested positive for the virus.
The Calgary Drop-In Centre said that as of...
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Stephanie Marin, The Canadian Press:
Parents take Quebec to court for online learning
MONTREAL - A lawyer representing a group of Quebec parents was in court Thursday trying to compel the province's Education Department to provide an online learning option for all families who want it....
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Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press:
Parents, educators push for outdoor learning
TORONTO - The ongoing pandemic has put masks and sanitizers on back-to-school shopping lists, but several parents, teachers and school staff are hunting for even more unusual materials: cut logs for t...
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Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press:
Military members asked to use COVID-19 app
OTTAWA - The commander of the Canadian Armed Forces is encouraging his troops to download the federal government's smartphone application for tracking potential exposure to COVID-19, saying he has no ...
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The Canadian Press:
Ontario reports 132 new COVID-19 cases
TORONTO - Ontario reported 132 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with the bulk of the new diagnoses concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area.Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted that the city it...
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The Canadian Press:
Pearson passengers to be tested for COVID-19
TORONTO - International travellers arriving at Toronto's Pearson airport can now be tested for COVID-19 as part of a voluntary study to explore the effectiveness of quarantines.
The month-long project...
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Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press:
COVID-19 causes trouble for CNE, PNE
TORONTO - Two of Canada's favourite summer hotspots are in for a ride as they try to keep their operations alive amid COVID-19.The Canadian National Exhibition and Pacific National Exhibition say a su...
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Nick Wells, The Canadian Press:
B.C. at 'precipice' to drop COVID-19 cases: Henry
VANCOUVER - British Columbia is at a critical point when it comes to a potential surge of COVID-19 infections, B.C.'s provincial health officer warned on Thursday.Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province st...
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Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press:
School districts will focus COVID-19 dollars
VICTORIA - School districts will decide where best to devote more than $242 million in federal funding to reopen British Columbia schools safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Education Minister R...
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Amy Smart, The Canadian Press:
Pandemic pay to flow in October: premier's office
VANCOUVER - The B.C. government says temporary pandemic pay that was promised to essential workers in mid-May should be coming in October.The stipend was promised to about 250,000 frontline workers fo...
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The Canadian Press, The Canadian Press:
Quebec reports 187 new COVID-19 cases
MONTREAL - The Quebec government will reconsider keeping bars open if the province continues to see an upward trend of new daily COVID-19 cases, Premier Francois Legault said Thursday.He told reporter...
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Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press:
COVID-19: N.S. premier says schools are safe
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's premier has accused the province's teachers' union of "creating a bunch of noise and rhetoric" by suggesting public schools are unsafe and in "chaos" because educators haven't ...
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The Canadian Press:
More buses, virtual teaching for N.L. schools
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador says it's adding more buses and hiring new teachers for remote learning as children across the province return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.The p...
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The Canadian Press:
Newfoundland signs on to use COVID-19 app
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador has signed on to use the federal government's new smartphone app that notifies users when they have been in close contact with someone infected with COVID-...
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The Canadian Press:
P.E.I. reports two new cases of COVID-19
CHARLOTTETOWN - Public health officials on Prince Edward Island are reporting two new cases of COVID-19.Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, said today the cases involve a man in his 20s...
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The Canadian Press:
Air travellers in N.B. warned of COVID-19 case
FREDERICTON - Public health officials in New Brunswick are warning travellers on two recent flights they may have been exposed to COVID-19.Officials said today an international traveller with COVID-19...
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The Canadian Press:
Hockey Canada cancels three events
CALGARY - Hockey Canada has cancelled three events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The organization said Thursday that the 2020 National Women's Under-18 Championship, Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup and t...
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The Associated Press:
Can I get the coronavirus twice?
Can I get the coronavirus twice?It seems possible, though how often it happens isn’t known.Researchers in Hong Kong recently reported evidence of a person who got the coronavirus a second time, months...
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COVID-19 BASICS
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