The latest COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern):
12:08 p.m.
Public health officials say new modelling suggests each person who contracts COVID-19 is spreading it to more than one person.
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says more regions have reported higher rates of infection over the past two weeks.
Tam says 26 Indigenous communities have reported two or more active COVID-19 cases.
She says there's also been a troubling rise in infection rates among Canadians under the age of 40, and 2,100 schools have reported at least one confirmed COVID-19 case.
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12:05 p.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the COVID Alert app can now provide more precise information to people who are exposed to the virus.
Trudeau says users who test positive for COVID-19 can enter the time their symptoms started, or the date they were tested.
This information is important to figure out when they were most infectious to others, and those who are exposed can better estimate the time period they were at risk.
The new features are optional.
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11:45 a.m.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is adding $200 million to its funding to fight COVID-19 in Indigenous communities.
More than half of that is going to pre-schools and day-care centres, to improve training and staffing and enhance cleaning.
About $60 million is going to First Nations to make community buildings safer with renovations, better cleaning and upgraded ventilation.
And $26 million is for Indigenous post-secondary institutions, for physical improvements and to make it easier to offer services and courses online.
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11:33 a.m.
New Brunswick is reporting one new case of COVID-19.
Health officials say the case involves someone in their 40s in the Fredericton region who travelled internationally.
New Brunswick has 39 active cases of COVID-19.
Four people are in hospital with the disease, though none are in intensive care.
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11:20 a.m.
Quebec is reporting 952 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 more deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.
The province's Health Department says four of the newly attributed COVID-19 deaths occurred in the past 24 hours.
One death previously linked to the virus is now considered unrelated.
The province has reported a total of 104,952 infections and 6,231 deaths linked to the virus — both national highs.
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11:15 a.m.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office says members of his constituency staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
The premier's office says Ford has not had any exposure the infected staff members.
The constituency office itself is being deep-cleaned and will be closed for the foreseeable future, but will continue to offer services virtually.
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10:54 a.m.
Ontario is reporting 896 new cases of COVID-19 today, and nine new deaths related to the coronavirus.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 314 of the new cases are in Toronto.
There are also 61 new cases in schools, including at least 40 among students.
That brings the number of schools with a reported case to 551 — about 11.4 per cent of the province's roughly 4,800 publicly funded schools.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2020.
The Canadian Press
