Your daily COVID-19 update

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Our best estimate right now is that for every case that’s reported, there actually are 10 other infections.” — Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. If confirmed, that would mean the current cumulative tally for the United States is actually 23 million cases of COVID-19.

The number of Canadians infected with COVID-19 has passed 104,000, while 8,500 people have died. Worldwide, 9.5 million people have been infected and 485,000 have died.

With more than one million cases, the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil is not only growing exponentially but spreading from big cities to more remote areas. Reuters spent a week with medical officials near the mouth of the Amazon River where many residents live in “isolated settlements built on stilts along the river, [and] most households survive on fishing and harvesting local fruits, earning just a few dollars a day. Social distancing is nearly impossible in wooden shacks built close together. Many lack phones and it can take a day or more to reach health clinics.”

For the first time in months, the number of cases and deaths are up in the World Health Organization’s huge European region, which includes Europe as well as the Middle East and Central Asia. WHO regional director Dr. Hans Henri Kluge warns of a “very significant resurgence” in 11 countries, including Sweden and Armenia, BBC News reports.

The Philadelphia Inquirer compared states where masks are mandatory, where they are required for specific businesses and where there are no rules. In the last two weeks, the number of new cases fell by 25 per cent in states where face coverings are mandatory, while cases rose by 84 per cent in states where the wearing of face coverings is recommended but not required.

Many survivors of COVID-19 are being left with permanent lung damage, reports the New Scientist. Early results from a study in Italy found that up to 20 per cent of those who were in intensive care units had permanent scarring on their lungs, which reduces their aerobic capacity.

Could you have a contactless vacation? Washington Post travel writer Natalie Compton wrote about her plan to bike nearly 70 km to a national park, while carrying her gear and supplies for a proper vacation. Pro tips: tell your mum your plans before posting on social media, and always pack a sleeping pad.

—Patricia Treble

As of the latest update, this is the number of confirmed cases in Canada. We're updating this chart every day.