TORONTO -- Canada is approaching 18,000 cases of COVID-19 after adding more than 1,200 cases in the past day. Globally, coronavirus cases have surpassed 1.4 million, with more than 82,000 reported deaths. Here’s what else you need to know to start your day.
1. Behind the scenes: Government documents obtained by CTV News reveal how COVID-19 prompted a cascade of ever-evolving policies, from the initial advice given based on the virus' ability to spread, to the need to inventory medical supplies.
2. Workers seek help: Since March 15, the government has received more than four million applications for financial aid, including the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit and Employment Insurance, as many people lose hours of work or their jobs altogether because of the pandemic.
3. New model: According to analysis by Harvard researchers, the best strategy for beating COVID-19 probably isn’t one extended period of physical distancing, but several staggered periods until 2022, with time in between to allow immunity to take hold in the population.
4. Across borders: A nurse in Windsor, Ont. who works in Detroit says U.S. hospitals depend on Canadian staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite attempts to keep some medical professionals on one side of the border.
5. Canadian research: In the global race to find a life-saving treatment for COVID-19, researchers at more than 40 Canadian hospitals are looking at whether the answer could be found in the blood plasma of recovered patients.
One more thing…
Hip hop, don’t stop: Politicians are calling the Easter Bunny an essential service provider as children anticipating the holiday weekend wonder whether the magical creature is also under quarantine.
