Your daily COVID-19 update

QUOTE OF THE DAY:“I’m sorry,” — Quebec Premier François Legault as the COVID-19 death toll in his province passed the 5,000 mark. The vast majority of those who died were residents of long-term care facilities.

The number of Canadians infected with COVID-19 has passed 96,000, while 7,800 people have died. Worldwide, 7.2 million people have been infected and 408,000 have died.

As governments in Canada reopen their economies and societies, vulnerable Indigenous communities continue to worry about how to protect their residents from visitors who may bring the virus with them. “They’re holding a gun to our heads by allowing people to come in here,” says Chief Councillor Wally Webber of the Nuxalk First Nation in British Columbia, where hunting and fishing were declared essential services. As Hamdi Issawi reports in Maclean’s , more than a dozen First Nations and municipalities from B.C.’s north and central coasts urged the province to restrict non-essential travel to their territories, concerned that the warming weather and an urge to escape weeks of lockdown were bound to bring many more visitors.

A day after an expert at the World Health Organization called asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 “extremely rare,” the international organization clarified its stance, stating that, while it is still unknown how frequently asymptomatic or presymptomatic transmission occurs, they know that it does in fact occur.

Toronto’s public health unit found “no evidence of increased COVID-19 that can be linked to the gathering in Trinity Bellwoods Park on May 23.” On that warm, sunny Saturday, thousands of Torontonians packed into the downtown park, ignoring two months of physical distancing warnings of experts, including the city’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, who tweeted at the time that their “selfish & dangerous behaviour… could set us back.”

“How long before we can ___ again?” That’s the refrain on everyone’s mind. So the New York Times asked 511 epidemiologists when they expect to do a list of activities, ranging from hugging a friend or getting on a plane to getting a haircut or visiting an elderly relative in their home. The answers will discourage those hoping for a quick, fast return to the old ways. Only 16 per cent would eat in a restaurant this summer, and merely three per cent would attend a big sporting or cultural event.

Even the auction business has been affected by the pandemic. At the end of July, Sotheby’s is combining events normally broken down by genre into one big evening affair. The highlight: one of three Rembrandt self-portraits still in private hands. For those without the estimated $15-20 million needed to buy it, Sotheby’s does offer some nice photos and an essay.

—Patricia Treble

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