It can be difficult to follow the latest developments in the rapidly-evolving battle to contain the novel coronavirus. Every day there’s a new barrage of headlines about the virus’ impact locally, and abroad. Health officials are routinely updating the public on new presumptive and confirmed cases, and world economies have been on a dizzying roller-coaster ride.
The latest on the coronavirus will be posted on this page every day. The compilation of stories will be updated frequently to help give you a one-stop spot for up-to-date and pertinent information. Bookmark this page to stay up-to-date. Click here to see an archive of all stories.
March 4 updates:
Quick facts
- Canada now has 33 cases of the new coronavirus in total.
- 20 of those cases are in Ontario.
- The number both global cases and cases in Canada, by province or territory, are listed on Canada’s public health page.
- The number of cases in Ontario is listed on the Ontario government’s health page.
- The World Health Organization releases a daily report containing all the suspected and confirmed cases in the world. See the chart here.
Today’s stories:
Ontario investigating 102 people for coronavirus, no new positive cases
- Health officials in Ontario are now investigating 102 cases of the novel coronavirus — a sharp increase from 45 cases on Tuesday. However, no new positive cases of the virus were reported in the province’s latest update on Wednesday.
- So far, there have been 20 cases confirmed in Ontario. Of those cases, three have been fully resolved and the remaining 17 are in self-isolation at home.
Bank of Canada expected to cut interest rate amid coronavirus concerns
- The Bank of Canada is cutting its key interest rate target by half of a percentage point, dropping it to 1.25 per cent in response to the economic shock from the novel coronavirus outbreak.
- The central bank may further adjust its key rate if the situation calls for it.
Trudeau creates cabinet committee to deal with coronavirus
- The new COVID-19 cabinet committee will complement the work being done by the government’s incident response group.
- The cabinet committee will continue to monitor the health and economic impacts of the virus.
TCDSB cancels all trips to Europe over COVID-19 concerns
- The Toronto Catholic District School Board says it’s cancelling all trips to Europe over concerns about the novel coronavirus.
- The board issued a statement saying parents had been expressing worries about the trips.
Italy to close all schools for 2 weeks over COVID-19
- Italy has ordered schools to close nationwide through March 15 in a bid to contain the coronavirus, saying the prudent suspension was taken after a careful analysis of how the epidemic was spreading.
- Civil protection officials said Wednesday a total of 3,089 people have tested positive in Italy and 107 of them had died — the largest number of deaths outside of China.
Shed handshakes for smiles and foot taps to avoid COVID-19 risk: doctor
- Some churches in Canada have replaced handshakes with other gestures as COVID-19 spreads around the world.
- Neil MacCarthy, who speaks for the archdiocese of Toronto, said some parishes began shunning handshakes in 2003 during the SARS outbreak and have never returned to that nicety as parishioners have used smiling, nodding, bowing or holding up the peace sign to greet each other.
How to protect yourself and others from infection as COVID-19 cases increase
- While hand-washing is the best way to clean your hands, it strips oils and dries your hands, which could make your skin crack and susceptible to germs. Make sure to moisturize when washing multiple times a day.
- There is no proof that wearing masks would protect Canadians who are not sick
Number of suspected and confirmed cases of coronavirus in the world
The World Health Organization releases a daily report containing all the suspected and confirmed cases in the world. See the chart on page 2 below.
Coronavirus cases, confirmed and suspected – WHO – March 4 by CityNewsToronto on Scribd
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