We are including all of our sources within each update for you to access (if you wish) to do some additional research. If you would like to reach out regarding clarification on our sources, or you have any questions, comments, and/or concerns, please visit the “Contact Us” page. Screenshot from WHO’s Situation Report 94 on COVID-19 As of today, the global number of COVID-19 cases is around 2.71 million. Of those cases, almost 744 000 have recovered/been discharged and about 190 000 people have died. The United States continues to be at the top of the list with about 876 000 cases and almost 2000 new deaths in the last day. Canada is currently the 13th country with the most cases worldwide. A (live) global count of COVID-19 can be found here: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/. There have been many conspiracy theories floating around claiming that a foreign government created the virus in a laboratory to be used as biological warfare or another tool of violence/harm towards other people and other countries. The WHO wrote in their situation report 94 on COVID-19 that all current evidence points to the virus having a zoonotic nature, meaning that it originated in animals, and not in a laboratory. This is because a virus constructed in a laboratory would “show a mix of known elements within genomic sequences”, which is not the case in this instance. This stresses the importance of source reliability when reading and receiving information about COVID-19. As of today, the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada is around 42 000. There are currently 25,191 active cases of COVID-19 in Canada and within Ontario, 12,879. Of the total number of cases in Canada, there were 1901 new cases today. The Government of Canada currently places the risk to Canadians as high. This doesn’t mean that everyone will become infected. This means that there is already a noticeable impact on the country’s and provinces’ healthcare system. CORRECTION FROM PREVIOUS WEEK: The declaration of emergency in the province of Ontario is still currently in place, and continues to remain in place until at least May 6th, 2020, not May 12th, 2020, as written in last week’s article. Although it may seem that the situation is worsening every day, countries around the world are beginning to “plank the curve”, which refers to the number of COVID-19 cases within the respective countries, as well as worldwide. New Zealand is an amazing example of how rigorous testing, strict physical distancing and isolation measures, and everyone working together can achieve amazing things to slow the spread of this virus. More on that here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/new-zealand-isnt-just-flattening-the-curve-its-squashing-it/ar-BB12gstI Although it has been repeated time and time again, many are underestimating the power that soap has on destroying the virus. Hands are one of the most common ways a virus can be transferred from one person to the next. Besides avoiding touching your face, washing your hands is one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to limit the spread of the virus. Image from: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/images/services/publications/diseases-conditions/reduce-spread-covid-19-wash-your-hands/eng-washthumb.jpg As the government of Canada puts it: “It takes more than actions from governments and the health sector to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, everyone has a role to play.” Practice social distancing, stay home unless you absolutely must leave, and wash your hands.
Daily situation reports from the WHO can be found here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports Rolling updates on COVID-19, from the WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen The current case count in Canada can be found here: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/tracking-every-case-of-covid-19-in-canada-1.4852102 More on the Government of Canada’s status on COVID-19 can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/being-prepared.html More COVID-19 updates in Ontario, including updates on province’s declaration of emergency: https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus#section-1 Everything you need to know about washing your hands to protect against COVID-19: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/everything-you-need-know-about-washing-your-hands-protect-against-coronavirus-covid-19 Always be sure to verify the credibility of the source you are consulting when researching information about COVID-19. Stay safe. Stay healthy.
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