The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada for Nov. 18, 2020

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):

6:10 p.m.

British Columbia officials say the second wave is putting a strain on the province’s health-care system.

Health officials reported 762 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 24,422 in the province, with a bulk of them from the Fraser Valley region.

The number of people who’ve recovered from the virus is 16,914.

Officials also reported 10 COVID-19-related deaths for a total of 320 fatalities.

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6 p.m.

Two residents at a long-term care facility in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley have died following a COVID-19 outbreak.

A statement from Tabor Home says 63 residents and 40 staff in total have been infected with COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

It says enhanced control measures with help from the regional health authority in Fraser Valley have been put in place at the facility, including a rapid response team of clinical nurse educators, infection prevention and control experts, and screeners to help staff until the outbreak is over.

No information was given on how the virus entered the home.

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5:30 p.m.

Alberta has reported 732 new COVID-19 infections and 11 more deaths in its latest update.

Chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw says there are 287 people in hospital, including 57 in intensive care.

She says about 13,000 tests were done over the past day and 5.5 per cent came back positive.

The province has 10,057 active cases.

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2:50 p.m.

Another resident in Saskatchewan has died from COVID-19, bringing the province’s death toll to 32.

Health officials say the person was in their 60s.

The province reported 132 new infections and a rise in hospitalizations to 76, with 17 people receiving intensive care.

The Opposition NDP is calling on Premier Scott Moe to take more aggressive measures to stem the virus’s spread.

It wants a three-week shutdown of non-essential businesses and capacity limits on places that are deemed essential.

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2:35 p.m.

New Brunswick is reporting nine new cases of COVID-19 and 40 active infections.

Five of the new cases are in the Moncton region, two are in Saint John, and the remaining two are in the Fredericton and Bathurst areas.

In a release Wednesday, Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, says with cases rising in the province, residents must follow advice to wear masks and limit close contacts.

There have been 388 cases confirmed in New Brunswick since the onset of the pandemic, including six deaths.

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2:05 p.m.

The Manitoba government has instituted a new fine for people who do not wear masks in indoor public places.

Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says people who disobey the public health order can be fined $298.

It’s the latest in a series of enforcement measures announced by the province as COVID-19 numbers remain high.

Health officials are reporting 399 new cases and 11 additional deaths, and the rate of people testing positive has jumped to 14.2 per cent.

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12:35 p.m.

Manitoba is promising up to $10 million in COVID-19 support for agencies that provide disability, child care and child welfare services. 

Families Minister Heather Stefanson said today the money is to help pay for overtime costs, replacement staff and employee sick time. 

She says the agencies are facing challenges because the pandemic is causing some workers to fall sick.

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12:25 p.m.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says that as of Tuesday, there have been 306,468 COVID-19 cases, including 11,086 deaths, across the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

Canada’s chief public health officer said today that while many specific areas of the country are grappling with a quick rise in the number of cases, most Canadians remain susceptible to COVID-19.

Dr. Theresa Tam says that is why Canadians should keep taking precautions to protect themselves and everyone around them.

She says the latest data at the national level indicates more than 58,400 people are being tested for COVID-19 every day and that from Nov. 8 to 14, 6.6 per cent were testing positive.

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11:48 a.m.

Nova Scotia is reporting three new cases of COVID-19.

Officials said today the new cases are in the central zone and involve close contacts of previously reported cases.

The province has 24 active cases of COVID-19.

Nova Scotia has reported a total of 1,154 infections and 65 deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.

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11:45 a.m.

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting two new cases of COVID-19.

Health officials said today one case involves a woman over the age of 70 who is a close contact of a case reported yesterday.

The other new case involves a man in 40s who travelled to Alberta.

Newfoundland and Labrador has nine active cases of COVID-19 and one person is hospitalized with the disease. 

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11:15 a.m.

Quebec is reporting 1,179 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, including eight that occurred in the past 24 hours.

Health officials said today hospitalizations increased by 14, to 652, and 100 people were in intensive care, the same number as the prior day.

The province says 1,299 more people have recovered from COVID-19, for a total of 108,625.

Quebec has reported 127,233 infections and 6,710 deaths linked to the virus since the start of the pandemic.

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11 a.m.

Nunavut is reporting 10 new cases of COVID-19.

That brings the total number of infections in the territory to 70.

Eight of the new cases are in Arviat, bringing that community’s total to 54.

A two-week shutdown of non-essential businesses, schools and other services starts today across the territory.

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10:45 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 1,417 new cases of COVID-19 and 32 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said today 463 cases are in Peel Region, 410 cases are in Toronto, and 178 are in York Region.

The province says it has conducted 33,440 tests since the last daily report.

In total, 535 people are hospitalized in Ontario due to COVID-19, including 127 in intensive care.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2020. 

The Canadian Press