COVID-19 Update for Monday, April 20
Avleen K Mokha
COVID-19 refers to the disease caused by a new kind of coronavirus. Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can affect animals and humans. The family of viruses causes respiratory illnesses.
The new kind of coronavirus was found in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
The global numbers
COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in over two hundred countries across the world. The death toll has crossed 100,000.
As of today there are 2,319,066 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 157,970 deaths, reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Cases in the neighbourhood
529 COVID-19 are confirmed in the Villeray-St Michel-Parc Extension neighbourhood, as per Santé Montreal’s update on April 19.
In the Montreal region, there are 19,319 confirmed cases including 939 deaths, as per Quebec Premier’s press briefing earlier today.
The latest news
70 percent of Quebec’s COVID-19 related deaths have taken place in long-term care facilities for seniors (CHSLDs) or other seniors’ homes, according to a statement last week by Dr Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s public health director.
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that 125 medically trained personnel from the Canadian Armed Forces will arrive in the province to help CHSLDs.
In today’s press briefing, Quebec Health Minister Danielle McCann confirmed that 2,195 medical students have offered to help. However, the province still needs 2,000 workers to fill positions at CHSLDS.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said he directed all medical specialists to work full-time at senior residences for the next two weeks.
Urgent medical facilities and emergency services will stay available across the province despite the situation with CHSLDs, Legault said.
The English Montreal School Board Parent Committee published a statement asking the province to keep schools closed till September. Legault said today that the government will need two weeks to prepare re-opening schools.
“So far, we don’t expect to open schools for the next two weeks. We don’t exclude any situations after that.”
Legault said that the province is discussing with Quebec Public Health about providing daycare services for more families. However, daycare workers must maintain a distance of meters and take other precautions to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
Main resources
+1 877 644-4545: Government hotline for COVID-19
211: Multilingual social and community helpline
Click here to visit the ACCESS Montreal website for information about COVID-19 in languages other than French.
Languages include English, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Italian, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Urdu, Turkish, Portuguese, Russian, and Armenian.
