Connect with us

Coronavirus News

Coronavirus News

Coronavirus The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for Sept. 14 – CBC.ca


Coronavirus News

Coronavirus The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for Sept. 14 – CBC.ca

The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for Sept. 14. Health minister calls Ontario’s 313 new COVID-19 cases a ‘disturbing and significant’ increase Woodward’s Trump revelations raise questions about Canada’s response to COVID-19 The Weather Network’s autumn forecast good news for people hoping to avoid the indoors during pandemic No masks, no distancing: Schools in Denmark…

Coronavirus The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for Sept. 14 – CBC.ca

Coronavirus

The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for Sept. 14.

Coronavirus

Coronavirus

A man walks with a mascot promoting awareness of COVID-19 in Tokyo on Monday. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Trudeau, Tam urge Canadians to be vigilant as COVID-19 cases climb

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is urging Canadians to be vigilant in following public health guidelines as COVID-19 cases climb across the country. Speaking before a two-day cabinet retreat in Ottawa, Trudeau warned “we are not out of the woods” when it comes to the health crisis.

He said people need to “be there for each other” by maintaining physical distancing, washing hands and wearing masks. “The last thing anyone wants is to go into this fall in a lockdown similar to this spring, and the way we do that is by remaining vigilant,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said today the current spread of the novel coronavirus is different from the first wave. “What we’re experiencing right now is quite different from the initial escalation and that wave going up. What we have seen in the last weeks has been a slow but steady growth in cases, in particular the four big provinces, B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec,” she told CBC Radio’s The Current.

Tam said the rise in cases coincides with the coming flu season, which typically sends many Canadians to emergency rooms across the country. While the public health measures in place for COVID-19 might help reduce the number of flu cases, she urged people to get the flu vaccine. “Getting the flu shot will help protect yourself, your community and the health system from getting overwhelmed,” she said.

Acknowledging there is some fatigue with public health measures, Tam said that with the rise in cases affecting young Canadians aged 20-29, officials must step up outreach and communications efforts targeting that age group.


Click below to watch more from The National

Like an extended family, the four Atlantic provinces have walled themselves in, creating measures to restrict outsiders and COVID-19 cases. So far, it’s worked and there doesn’t seem to be much of a rush to burst the Atlantic bubble. 5:09

IN BRIEF

Health minister calls Ontario’s 313 new COVID-19 cases a ‘disturbing and significant’ increase 

Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott called today’s spike in COVID-19 cases in the province “disturbing and significant.” The province reported 313 new cases — the highest daily count since early June. Cases have been on an upswing since mid-August, with numbers above 200 since Saturday. “Whether this is the start of the second wave or not, it certainly has our attention, and we are dealing with it,” Elliott said during the province’s daily COVID-19 briefing Monday.

Premier Doug Ford said that the severity of a second wave is up to Ontarians, adding that every option is on the table, including further shutdowns. Ford said that most Ontarians are following public health restrictions, but that a small number of people are getting too relaxed, and “it’s coming back to bite us.” “I’m begging you, please, just cut out of the social gatherings. It’s just not worth it because this COVID-19 is ramping up again.”

Ford said his government has been preparing for a second wave throughout the summer months and the province now is in better shape when it comes to testing, personal protective equipment and expanding capacity in the health-care system.

What did the Canadian government know early on about the novel coronavirus? 

The revelations in journalist Bob Woodward’s new book about what U.S. President Donald Trump knew about the threat posed by COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic have prompted new questions about the Canadian government’s response to the virus, CBC’s John Paul Tasker reports. Trump told Woodward on Feb. 7 that the U.S. knew that the virus was essentially airborne and that COVID-19 was five times more deadly than even the most “strenuous” cases of the flu.

Trump has been heavily criticized for his response to the crisis, but Canadian officials were also reluctant early on to speak to the seriousness of the threat. Health Minister Patty Hajdu suggested at one point that the news media was stoking fears about the novel coronavirus. Hajdu and senior public health officials were saying publicly that the risk of transmission was low in Canada right up until early March. When the risk level suddenly jumped to “high” on March 15, the government scrambled to impose an economic lockdown.

Wesley Wark, a professor at the University of Ottawa and one of the country’s foremost experts on Canada’s intelligence agencies, said the U.S. likely had better reconnaissance on the virus than the Canadian government did in the early days. But Wark said he believes it’s “very likely” that some information about the real threat posed by this virus flowed from the U.S. to Canada, especially at the “liaison” level between U.S. officials and Canadians at the embassy in Washington.

Distinguishing between COVID-19 and smoke irritation as wildfires affect B.C. 

A senior environmental health scientist at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control says distinguishing between symptoms of COVID-19 and irritation caused by wildfire-tainted air in southern B.C. can be “tough.” Sarah Henderson told CBC News there are some telltale signs to keep in mind, though.

“There are some symptoms of COVID that we really wouldn’t expect to be associated with smoke … things like a fever, body aches, chills — those types of symptoms are unlikely to be caused by the smoke. However, there are symptoms that are very similar between the two, and that’s a dry cough, sore throat, runny nose and a headache,” she said. “If you’re having difficulty breathing, that’s a medical emergency — whether it’s COVID or smoke-related — and you should call 911.”

Henderson said if you’ve experienced poor air quality before, it can be useful to compare your symptoms to ones you may have had previously. “We’ve had these big smoke exposures in British Columbia before, so were you sensitive to the smoke at that time? If you were, maybe that’s what’s happening again,” she said. But if you’re unsure, Henderson advised using the B.C. COVID-19 self-assessment tool or calling 811 for advice on how to proceed.


Coronavirus

Stay informed with the latest COVID-19 data from Canada and around the world

AND FINALLY…

The Weather Network’s autumn forecast good news for people hoping to avoid the indoors during pandemic 

Coronavirus

It looks like most Canadians can look forward to a lengthy, pleasant fall with good leaf-viewing weather in Ontario and Quebec, according to the Weather Network’s fall forecast, released Monday. This image from 2018 shows fall leaves near the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. (Ian Black/CBC)

The Weather Network says Canadians can look forward to a lengthy, pleasant fall that won’t give way to early winter temperatures and storms, The Canadian Press reports. The network released its fall forecast Monday, and chief meteorologist Chris Scott says the predictions bode well for people hoping to take advantage of the outdoors for a few more months, especially to more easily physically distance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re expecting a fall to savour across the country this year with a nice long finish,” Scott said.

In Ontario and Quebec, two of the provinces hardest hit by the pandemic, people can expect “pretty good weather for October, even into early November.” He said temperatures will be above normal for most of the fall season in much of Ontario and southern Quebec, and precipitation will be “near normal.”

Seasonal weather predictions should be looked at as a rough outline rather than a detailed picture, Scott said, as he advised people to enjoy the autumn before a potentially intense winter sets in. “It’s a time to get outdoors and enjoy it, because when winter comes, we do think it’s going to come with a little bit of gusto this year.”

Find out more about COVID-19

Still looking for more information on the pandemic? Read more about COVID-19’s impact on life in Canada, or reach out to us at covid@cbc.ca if you have any questions.

If you have symptoms of the illness caused by the coronavirus, here’s what to do in your part of the country.

For full coverage of how your province or territory is responding to COVID-19, visit your local CBC News site.

To get this newsletter daily as an email, subscribe here

Tactical Survival Guides

14 Survival Guides and 8 Reports

Click Here to Get Instant Access 24/7

Subscribe to the newsletter news

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top Stories

To Top