Coronavirus Update: Tam warns against vaccine misinformation as survey reveals dissenters - The Globe and Mail

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Top headlines:

Dr. Tam says misinformation online plays role in vaccine hesitancy after 14% said they were unlikely to get inoculated
Families face tough decisions as school-going children are forced to isolate from grandparents
FDA apologizes for overstating benefits of plasma treatment for COVID-19 patients

In Canada, there have been at least 125,969 cases reported. In the last week 2,814 new cases were announced, 3% more than the previous week. There have also been at least 112,047 recoveries and 9,090 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 5,544,879 tests.

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Worldwide, there have been at least 23,647,377 cases confirmed and 813,022 deaths reported.

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 • Global rules on mask-wearing • Back to school

Photo of the day

In Miami, Florida, Sherina Jones set up a community refrigerator to help address the problem of food insecurity in the community. The fridges are set up in public areas for anyone to give or take food.

CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images

Number of the day

14 per cent

Some Canadians are worried about getting inoculated against COVID-19, a Statistics Canada survey suggests.

More than 76 per cent of respondents indicated they would likely get inoculated if and when a vaccine is ready. Yet 14 per cent said they were somewhat or very unlikely to do so. Nine per cent remained unsure.
Those who indicated they were unlikely to get a vaccine were asked to identify the reasons for their reluctance. More than half cited a lack of confidence in its safety while a similar number said they were worried about potential risks and side effects.

During a news conference Tuesday, Dr. Theresa Tam warned against the spread of online untruths about vaccines. Many experts and political leaders have touted the successful development and widespread rollout of a vaccine as essential for an eventual return to normalcy, including the full reopening of economies and ending physical distancing.

Coronavirus in Canada

In Ontario, an ad by the Doug Ford government touting its school reopening plan is being criticized by opposition parties. With just weeks until the return to school, some school bus drivers say they have not received information on COVID-19 safety protocols. Meanwhile, the province’s four major teachers’ unions say a meeting with the Labour Mnister resulted in no commitment to address concerns about safety standards in the province’s school reopening plan.
Some 150 scientists and health-care professionals in Quebec signed an open letter urging the government to adjust its back-to-school plan, but provincial Health Minister Christian Dubé told reporters the plan would not change.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, there will be no limit on the number of visitors to long-term care homes after Sept. 1, and caregiver designations can increase from one to three people.
In a “limited reset” of his cabinet, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney renamed the economic portfolio and tasked Doug Schweitzer with implementing the province’s economic recovery plan, a response to the “double whammy of low oil prices and COVID-19. The province’s GDP is predicted to contract 11 per this year.
Yesterday, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 269 new cases in British Columbia over the previous three days, with younger adults driving the surge in the province.

In Ottawa, the government is committing $82.5-million for mental health support for Indigenous communities during the pandemic.

Some mental health services have moved online, posing a challenge for remote communities with limited internet access.
The government said the new funds are a response to community activism, will support increased access to services and help Indigenous partners in developing new ways to address substance use.

Also today: As millions of children across Canada head back to school, many parents are making the same decision to isolate their kids from their grandparents – at least until the risks of infection and transmission are overcome.

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COVID-19 and school: Students will soon return to the classroom and many parents, worried about measures being taken to prevent coronavirus spread, are fundraising money to purchase PPE, cleaning supplies, and air purifiers. But the fundraising efforts raise questions about widening inequalities in public education.

Coronavirus around the world

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn on Tuesday apologized for overstating the life-saving benefits of convalescent plasma among COVID-19 patients, just days after President Donald Trump praised the agency’s decision to issue an emergency authorization for the treatment.
Britain is facing pressure to encourage students to wear masks at school, at least in communal spaces, after the advice in Scotland was changed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government is ready to follow suit and advise a change if the medical evidence deems it necessary.
Two patients, in Belgium and the Netherlands, are confirmed to have been reinfected with COVID-19. The cases have fuelled fears about the effectiveness of potential vaccines against the virus, though experts say there would need to be many more cases of reinfection for these to be justified.

Coronavirus and business

Bank of Montreal posted a better-than-expected third-quarter profit of $1.23-billion, even as the bank set aside more than $1-billion to cover potential loan losses.

The bank reported $1.05-billion in credit loss provisions, the second straight quarterly increase in funds set aside to cover loans that may go bad.
BMO added $446-million in provisions for loans that are already impaired, and $608-million for loan that are still being paid back but could become delinquent in future, based on economic models.
The bank is still allowing loan deferrals for clients in Canada the U.S., mostly of which are set to expire in the fiscal fourth quarter, which ends Oct. 31.

Scotiabank reported third-quarter profit of $1.3-billion, as it sets aside $2.2-billion to cover potential loan losses

Profit at Scotiabank fell 34 per cent, down from $1.98-billion last year.
The bank set aside set aside nearly $2.2-billion to cover potential loan losses, an increase of 206 per cent from a year ago.
More than four-fifths of the increase in provisions was to cover loans that are still being paid back but could suffer future losses, based on economic models.

Also today: U.S. bank profits slump 70 per cent as coronavirus weighs on businesses and households

And: Lessons from the Great Recession: 6 personal finance takeaways that still apply

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