Since January, Health Canada is reporting 62,458 total confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 4,111 deaths.
Canada’s top doctor says over 27,000 Canadians or 43% of patients have recovered. Dr. Theresa Tam says even though the epidemic curve has been flattening, deaths will keep on increasing for some time. She explained how the increase in deaths nationwide is partly because of how people infected weeks ago, are now nearing the end of the virus’s cycle.
She adds that with so many outbreaks in long-term care facilities, any future projections will be dependent on the measures Canada puts in place to prevent dire outcomes.
Tam stressed the importance of maintaining good mental health, saying that talking can not only help you but also others who may be finding it more difficult to voice their own struggles.
“We might still be apart physically but by talking about how we feel when you are not fine, you’re not alone.”
Meanwhile, as of Wednesday morning, 545,000 Canadian small businesses have received emergency loans. The President of Canada’s Treasury Board says another 110,000 businesses have also applied for the wage subsidy.
According to Jean-Yves Duclos, 7.5-million Canadians have received at least one payment from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. Over the past two days, the Canada Revenue Agency and Service Canada reported another 218,000 Canadians applied for the CERB. 11.02-million CERB applications have been received to date, 10.84-million of them have already been processed.
The total dollar value of CERB benefits paid since mid-March sits at $28.57-billion.