TORONTO -- There are now more than one million cases of COVID-19 around the world with Canada’s case numbers surging past 11,000 infections and 138 deaths. Here’s what else you need to know to start your day.
1. Virus forecast: Facing questions about why the federal government has yet to release comprehensive national projections on the scale of the virus' spread, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that information is coming "soon."
2. Canadian Armed Forces: Canada's top soldier says the Canadian Armed Forces is taking "extraordinary" measures to ensure its members are healthy and able to deploy quickly should a province or territory request help to fight COVID-19.
3. Medical supply shortage: The federal government admits it "likely did not have enough" personal protective equipment stockpiled ahead of this pandemic, but says it has aggressively pushed forward with procuring more.
4. Canadians abroad: As the government pushes to repatriate Canadians stuck abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is warning that they pose a real threat to the rest of the country when they return.
5. Nursing homes with virus: The COVID-19 outbreak in Canada has shown to be particularly problematic for long-term care homes as loved ones on the outside are subjected to a life of fear with little access to the inside.
One more thing…
Indirect spread: The novel coronavirus can live on different surfaces, sometimes for several hours, after an infected person coughs or sneezes on them. CTVNews.ca takes a look at some of these surfaces and how long you can expect the virus to stay on them.
