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N.W.T. shuts its borders as 1st case of COVID-19 confirmed in territory
Person in self-isolation; chief public health officer apologizes for not notifying public of raised risk.
The Northwest Territories has its first confirmed case of COVID-19.
It's the first case from all three territories, which were the last provincial and territorial jurisdictions remaining in Canada to report zero cases of COVID-19.
According to a press release sent out on Saturday afternoon by the chief public health officer, the person had travelled to British Columbia and Alberta, before returning home to Yellowknife.
The individual, and their household, self-isolated after the person developed mild symptoms three days after returning.
"The individual's condition has improved and they are recovering at home," states the news release. Those who may have had contact with the person are being contacted to self-isolate immediately.
During a press conference Saturday afternoon, Dr. Kami Kandola, the N.W.T. chief public health officer, said the government found out about the case late Friday night — about 12 hours before the information was made public.
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Lombardy region announces stricter measures
The Italian region of Lombardy has introduced stricter measures in a bid to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
Under the new rules announced late on Saturday, sport and physical activity outside, even individually, is banned. Using vending machines is forbidden.
The move comes as Italy reported nearly 800 coronavirus deaths on Saturday and saw its toll for the past month reach 4,825, the highest in the world.
Lombardy is the worst-affected region in the country with 3,095 deaths.
The region's President Attilio Fontana announced the new measures in a statement.
Businesses have been asked to close all operations excluding "essential" supply chains. Work on building sites will be stopped apart from those working on hospitals, roads and railways.
All open-air weekly markets have been suspended.
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Toronto, York Region record their 1st COVID-19 related deaths pushing Ontario's total to 5
The Toronto man and the woman from York Region were both in their 70s. They both died on Saturday.
The man had travelled to the United Kingdom. On his return, he was tested at a hospital in Toronto and immediately began self-isolation at home, according to a City of Toronto press release.
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Germany's low coronavirus mortality rate intrigues experts
Germany’s relatively low mortality rate continues to intrigue experts as Covid-19 spreads across Europe, with some questioning the methodology behind its data gathering while others argue the country’s high testing rates allow a more accurate approximation of the threat posed by the novel coronavirus.
While the pandemic has hit Germany with full force, with Johns Hopkins University noting 22,364 confirmed infections by Sunday morning, only 84 people are so far reported to have died.
This means Germany currently has the lowest mortality rate of the 10 countries most severely hit by the pandemic: 0.3% compared with 9% in Italy and 4.6% in the UK.
(This is no great mystery, Germany has the highest soil selenium in continental Europe - RJS)
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'strange pneumonia' seen in Lombardy in November, leading Italian doctor says
Remuzzi’s comments came as scientists continue to search for the origin of the coronavirus. Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan said earlier that although China was the first to report the pathogen, it was not yet certain where it actually came from.
Remuzzi said it was only recently that he had heard from Italian doctors about the disease, which meant it had existed and been spreading without people’s knowledge.
The current thinking among the scientific community is that the first infection in Lombardy was the result of an Italian coming into contact with a Chinese person in late January. However, if it can be shown that the novel coronavirus – officially known as SARS-CoV-2 – was in circulation in Italy in November, then that theory would be turned on its head.
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Merkel May Be Infected - Europe Struggles to Get Ahead of Virus as Death Toll Mounts
European leaders are scrambling to enforce unprecedented restrictions on the movement of their populations in a desperate attempt to prevent their health-care systems being overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
On a weekend that saw more than 2,000 people killed by the virus in Italy and Spain, Germany banned gatherings of more than two people and the U.K.’s Boris Johnson threatened “tougher measures” unless British people stop ignoring calls to avoid social gatherings. Officials in Rome decreed a halt to almost all domestic travel while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez extended the state of emergency in his country for another two weeks.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel put herself in quarantine as a precaution after coming into contact with a doctor who tested positive for the virus.
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