Canadian cases rise as world prepares for months of COVID-19 related disruptions

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The number of coronavirus cases across Canada has grown almost every day, with another few infections reported on Thursday.

The total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 now sits at 36 — and possibly 37, if a case in Quebec is confirmed by the national lab.

Health workers are trying to get more information about the person and their travel history, and haven’t revealed their location or condition.

The rise comes after Ontario announced two new infections on Thursday, and a day after B.C.’s 13th case was revealed. The B.C. patient, a woman in her 80s, was last reported to be in critical condition and was placed under isolation at a Vancouver area hospital.

So far, the majority of cases across Canada are found in Ontario, where a total of 22 people have tested positive for COVID-19, with a number of people nation-wide having already recovered from the virus after the country marked its first presumptive case in January.

There have been no deaths in Canada because of COVID-19, but the situation is more severe south of the border. Eleven people have died because of the virus, mainly in Washington state.

Public officials in Washington came under pressure to take more aggressive steps against the outbreak, including closing schools and canceling large events. While the state and Seattle have declared emergencies, giving leaders broad powers to suspend activities, they have not issued any orders to do so.

“We have encouraged people who are responsible for large gatherings to give consideration whether it really makes sense to carry those on right now,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “Right now, we are deferring to the judgment … of these organizations.”

In California, where a state of emergency has been declared because of the virus, a cruise ship is being kept offshore until all its passengers are tested. This comes after a previous passenger died from COVID-19.

With the new virus now reported in dozens of countries, people around the world are girding for months of disruptions as COVID-19 continues its spread outside China.

The World Health Organization says there are about 17 times as many new infections outside China as in it, with widening outbreaks in South Korea, Italy, and Iran responsible for a majority of the new cases.

Countries desperate to keep the crisis from expanding within their borders have further tightened travel restrictions, with Australia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates among the latest to do so.

Australia is banning travel from South Korea, Iran, and China by anyone who isn’t an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Other countries have taken similar steps while some have issued travel advisories, warning citizens not to travel abroad or face the possibility of quarantine upon return.

Still, no country has matched China’s willingness to turn to draconian measures to keep the virus from spreading, but around the world, governments took drastic steps.

Italy has moved to close all schools and universities in an effort to stop the spread of the virus there, and has even forbade fans from attending sporting events.

Outside of China, South Korea has reported the highest number of infections.

Since the outbreak began in December of 2019, thousands of people have died and tens of thousands of people have been infected. COVID-19 isn’t just impacting people’s health either. Both the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada moved to slash their interest rates this week in an effort to dampen the economic damage being caused by the outbreak.