COVID-19 Update, 4M applications for financial aid, Nurses overwhelmed at Laval long-term care home

Anchor Hadassah Alencar

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COVID-19 Update

As of Wednesday morning, confirmed COVID- 19 cases in Montreal have reached almost 4 thousand five hundred. An increase of 430 cases from the previous day.

British Columbia is showing early signs of  “flattening the curve.” Provincial officials are hopeful the trend will continue.

The provinces’ early success is being attributed to their early strict lockdown policies and expanded public health measures.

New Zealand has also found success in enacting strict lockdown policies, including shutting their borders to foreigners since March 19. 

4M applications for financial aid 

On Monday, the government received 2.5 million applications for Employment Insurance , or EI, which is much more than the government usually receives in a year. 

Since then, the number has almost doubled

Ottawa has now received more than four million applications for financial aid.

There are two federal financial assistance programs available: the Employment Insurance (EI) and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

Nurses overwhelmed at Laval long-term care home

Nurses at a long-term care home in Laval have reported inhumane conditions for both staff and patients.

Eight patients have died and over 100 patients and nurses have COVID-19 at the facility.

Several nurses working there were transferred from the emergency room in hospitals. 

Many report the outbreak is due to lack of training or orientation, and no appropriate protective equipment for workers, such as N95 masks.