Coronavirus Update: Canada behind in reporting coronavirus death data

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

Top headlines:

1. Experts say Canada’s lag in reporting mortality data hinders proper tracking of pandemic
2. Trudeau pledges $77-million toward PPE for food processors as part of broader aid package for agricultural industry
3. Britain has the most coronavirus-related deaths in Europe, surpassing Italy

In Canada, 61,961 cases have been reported, more than double the number from 19 days ago. There have also been 26,658 recoveries and 4,037 deaths. Health officials have administered 981,975 tests.

3,600,575 cases have been confirmed worldwide; with 1,173,601 recoveries and 251,761 deaths.

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

Photo of the day

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Number of the day

32,313

With a death toll of more than 32,000, Britain now has the highest official death toll in Europe, surpassing Italy. Only the United States – a population five times that of Britain – has reported more deaths.

Coronavirus in Canada

There are currently at least 3,055 cases in hospital;, up 9 per cent in the past week. Of those, 490 are in intensive care.

• Quebec previews what elementary schools will look like for students returning May 11. Gone are full classes, or shared recess. Instead, classes will be capped at 15 students, and recesses schedules will rotate to allow for physical distancing.
• In Nova Scotia, health officials reported three new deaths at the Northwood long-term care home, site of the province’s biggest outbreak. Deaths at the care home account for at least 85 per cent of all coronavirus deaths in the province.
• The government in Manitoba will issue a $200 cheque to seniors in the province.
• The legislature in Newfoundland and Labrador met today to debate pandemic-related measures. The province reported no new cases.
• In Saskatchewan, 18 of the 20 new cases announced today are from an outbreak in a remote northern community, health officials said.
• New Brunswick reported its first new case in almost two weeks.
• The legislature in Alberta will meet tomorrow to debate pandemic-related measures.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $77-million in funding for food processors to provide PPE for their workers, and retrofit facilities to make physical distancing possible.

• Slaughterhouses account for two of the largest outbreaks in Canada, both in Alberta: a Cargill facility in High River, and JBS Canada’s facility in Brooks. The two slaughterhouses account for at least 1,300 cases. One Cargill worker, Bui Thi Hiep, died of COVID-19.
• Cargill reopened its kill floor yesterday, after a two-week closing. Unions and workers called on all levels of government to close the plant, citing health and safety concerns.

The earmarked funds from Ottawa are part of a larger $252-million agricultural aid package. The aid includes funding for producers to offset costs incurred by keeping animals on their farms longer before slaughter. The package also includes a credit program for the dairy industry, and a $50-million fund to buy and redistribute surplus perishable food.

Also today: Health experts say Canada is lagging behind other countries in releasing real-time mortality data. Experts say better data is necessary to know the number of unconfirmed or indirect coronavirus deaths in the country.

• Death data is a useful way to measure the impact of the pandemic. In other countries, death counts suggest the number of COVID-19-related fatalities exceeds official counts.
• Overall mortality numbers include fatalities where the likely cause is indirectly related to the coronavirus.

Statistics Canada said the agency will release some death-count information in mid-May.

And: Almost 7.49 million people have received CERB since it launched April 6, the federal government said today.

Coronavirus around the world

• Scientists in France believe they may have discovered a case of coronavirus in a 40-year-old man who checked himself into hospital with a bloody cough and shortness of breath in December, about a month before cases were first reported in Europe.
• Based on data collected in part by the CDC, the Trump administration quietly projected a steady rise in coronavirus infections and a near doubling of deaths by June 1 in the United States.
• In his latest Plague Diary entry, The Globe’s Eric Reguly reports from Italy, where the 'new normal looks a lot like the old normal’ as the country cautiously reopens.
• Watch: Officials in Delhi have imposed a 70-per-cent tax on retail liquor purchases to deter large gatherings at stores as authorities ease the country’s lockdown.

Coronavirus and business

Canada’s exports of goods fell 4.7 per cent in March from February, according to Statscan. Imports fell 3.5 per cent.

• Canada’s trade deficit grew to $1.4-billion, up from $894-million in February. Trade in goods and services fell 5.2 per cent.

Statscan warned that the worst is yet to come when data from April, the first full month with coronavirus restrictions in place, is reported.

Question and answer

Question: I’m working from home near a window, do I need sun indoors?

Answer: Having your home-office space next to a large window can be great for your mood, your eyes and your productivity. But if the sun is shining through, it could also be harmful to your skin.

Dermatology experts say wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen – even while indoors – is necessary to block the UVA rays that might not visibly tan your skin as well as UVB, but will play a role in damaging it. Dr. Diane Wong, a cosmetic physician and owner of the Glow Medi Spa in Toronto, says there are two different types of sun protection with sunscreen. One is a UVB protectant against direct rays when you’re in the sun, and the other is UVA protection, which is more of a physical block that’s needed during the winter or through glass. If you’re sitting beside a big bright window and you’re not putting on your SPF, she says, “you have no UVA protection and you can damage your skin.”

The New York-based Skin Cancer Foundation says UVA rays are less intense than UVB, but they penetrate the skin more deeply. UVB does not penetrate through glass. Meanwhile, for some people, the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in clearing some more common skin issues like acne. Staying indoors has meant less exposure to outdoor pollutants that would normally clog pores. Limiting makeup application, which Wong describes as a “vicious cycle” for people with problematic skin, has also helped.

The Globe’s health columnist André Picard answered reader questions on social distancing and many additional topics.

An act of kindness

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Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter in the films, and other celebrities, will take part in chapter-by-chapter reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first book in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series.

All 17 chapters will be read in a series of free videos and audio recordings, part of the Harry Potter at Home series. The first chapter, The Boy Who Lived, is available on harrypotterathome.com.

Have you witnessed or performed acts of kindness in your neighbourhood? Share your stories, photos and videos and they might be included in The Globe and Mail. Email audience@globeandmail.com

Distractions

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📚For the book lover: Hunker down with a title from our spring book preview [For subscribers]

• I Can’t Get You Out of My Mind by Marianne Apostolides: Searching for answers about a failed affair and in need of money, a single mother in her 40s signs up for a research study: She is paid to live with an AI device called Dirk, which is capable of mapping her brain.
• Misconduct of the Heart by Cordelia Strube: Set in a small chain restaurant, Strube’s darkly comic novel feels from a different time. Transport yourself back to the world of a month ago in the company of Stevie, a recovering alcoholic and kitchen manager, as she tries to save her business from corporate takeover while caring for three generations of family, each with their own sets of challenges.
• All Adults Here by Emma Straub: This warm, funny novel, about adult siblings, aging parents and the intergenerational consequences of decisions made long ago, provides an escape into an alternate family for those forced into time either together or apart from their own.

More Globe reporting and opinion

• Data show that nearly 8,000 flights left Canada in the week leading up to the federal government’s travel advisory, and experts say many of those trips could have been avoided.
• “Thomson Reuters Corp. reported resilient first-quarter earnings as subscription revenue helped insulate the company from the economic damage done by the novel coronavirus, but lowered its revenue targets for the rest of the year.” [For subscribers]
• “In mid-April, the governments in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec eased up on COVID-mandated closings of nurseries, greenhouses, garden centres and farmers’ markets by declaring them essential services, allowing them to open for business provided physical-distancing measures were in place.”
• Lawrence Martin: “The pandemic is taking a greater economic toll on the U.S. than China. One of the paybacks under consideration is punitive tariffs on Beijing which could hasten the arrival of a depression in the U.S. The newly stoked confrontation could extend to a COVID-19 vaccine and its distribution.”
• David Johnston: “We are a nation of helpers, carers and neighbours. So how can we find the comfort and satisfaction that comes from that familiar feeling of engagement? The answer is, most certainly, to give.”

Information centre

• Here’s what you should do if you are newly laid off; how to apply for CERB, EI and other financial benefits; and other coronavirus and employment questions answered.
• How to minimize damage to your credit score; how to manage retirement anxiety during difficult times; and things to think about if you’re considering home delivery.
• Here are the expectations for self-isolation; tips for managing anxiety; and protecting your mental health.
• How to get physical distancing right; measures condo buildings are taking to encourage physical distancing; and what you can do to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
• Here are the essentials to stock up on and how to shop safely for groceries; the best pantry staples; foods to eat to maintain an immune system-friendly diet; and how to keep a healthy diet while working from home.
• How to break a bad habit (like touching your face) and what to do if you think you have the virus.

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Have questions about the coronavirus? Email audience@globeandmail.com.