WHAT TO KNOW
Global COVID-19 cases have reached 3,950,467, up from 3,795,667 yesterday at 3:30 p.m. Canada is now reporting 64,922 cases, up from 63,375 cases of COVID-19 yesterday. Ontario reports 19,121 cases, up 399 (2.1%) from 18,722 cases yesterday. The province has now tested 380,854 individuals and reports 13,012 tests are currently under investigation. More information here.
A province-by-province breakdown of Canada’s COVID-19 case count can be found here.
FEDERAL
Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government’s emergency wage-subsidy program will be extended beyond its early-June endpoint. The program covers 75 per cent of worker pay up to $847 a week to try to help employers keep employees on the job in the face of steep declines in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke with premiers and addressed the importance of ensuring sufficient public health capacity to test, trace, and isolate all cases of COVID-19, in order to contain the spread of the virus and minimize the risk of another wave.
Statistics Canada reported this Friday that the Canadian economy lost almost two million jobs in April, a record high, as the closure of non-essential services to slow the spread of COVID-19 devastated the economy and forced businesses to shutter temporarily. It was the second highest unemployment rate on record.
The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced today the new Industry Strategy Council, chaired by Monique Leroux. This council will serve as an advisory board to assess the scope and depth of COVID-19’s impact on industries and inform government’s understanding of specific sectoral pressures.
PROVINCIAL
Today, Premier Doug Ford, Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance, and Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, highlighted the ongoing preparations for reopening the economy, including the work of the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee.
Over the past week, the government has begun easing restrictions on workplaces that can operate safely by following public health and safety guidelines. Today, garden centres and nurseries will be able to open for in-store payment and purchases. Hardware stores and safety supply stores will be permitted to open for in-store payment and purchases as soon as 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Today, Statistics Canada released its monthly job numbers, which showed a 689,200 decrease in employment in Ontario.
TORONTO
Yesterday, Mayor John Tory renewed a call for more federal funding to help offset the financial losses experienced by the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa, and Fire Chief and General Manager of the Office of Emergency Management Matthew Pegg, the Mayor also provided an update on the City’s continuing response to COVID-19.
As of Thursday, May 7, there were 6,914 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, with 397 cases hospitalized and 102 in intensive care units. A total of 4,364 people have recovered from this virus. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform here.
Preliminary findings of socio-demographic and ethno-racial data suggest that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been more commonly reported in areas of the city which have a higher proportion of low-income earners and recent immigrants.
At Thursday’s first virtual Board of Health meeting, there was unanimous approval of a motion for the Board to request provincial and federal support to advance the City’s work on COVID-19 response and recovery, while continuing to address housing affordability, access to social services and use of public space.
INTERNATIONAL
| Country | Total cases at 3:30 p.m. | Total cases yesterday at 3:30 p.m. | Increase from previous | Cases per million | Total recovered | Total deaths |
| Global | 3,985,176 | 3,795,667 | 189,509 | 511 | 1,374,061 | 274,675 |
| United States | 1,309,657 | 1,249,765 | 59,892 | 3,957 | 220,983 | 77,964 |
| Spain | 260,117 | 253,682 | 6,435 | 5,563 | 168,408 | 26,299 |
| Italy | 217,185 | 214,457 | 2,728 | 3,592 | 99,023 | 30,201 |
| United Kingdom | 211,364 | 201,101 | 10,263 | 3,114 | — | 31,241 |
| Germany | 170,090 | 167,575 | 2,515 | 2,030 | 141,700 | 7,439 |
| Brazil | 141,088 | 121,600 | 19,488 | 664 | 55,350 | 9,637 |
| Iran | 104,691 | 101,650 | 3,041 | 1,246 | 83,837 | 6,541 |
| China | 82,886 | 82,883 | 3 | 58 | 77,993 | 4,633 |
| Canada | 66,313 | 63,375 | 2,938 | 1,757 | 29,942 | 4,567 |
| India | 59,693 | 52,987 | 6,706 | 43 | 17,883 | 1,985 |
| Chile | 25,972 | 23,048 | 2,924 | 1,359 | 12,160 | 294 |
| Australia | 6,914 | 6,875 | 39 | 271 | 6,079 | 97 |