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April 9, 2021 – Canadian government update on the COVID-19 pandemic

Here is an update on recent decisions and actions by the federal government in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reminder of financial assistance programs available

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remains very concerned about the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country and the rapid spread of the variants. He reiterated that there are various assistance programs available to help those most affected by the pandemic, in particular, the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) for caregivers and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB). These programs offer financial assistance to those who are eligible, in particular employees and the self-employed. Information on these programs is available at canada.ca/coronavirus.

44 million doses by the end of June

The prime minister announced that Canada should receive close to 44 million vaccine doses by the end of June.

“By the end of May, we will receive 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine per week. And in June, we will receive close to 2 million doses per week,” he said.

Two million doses of Moderna are expected in April and 3 million in May.

“And we’re expecting to receive 7 million in June,” said Mr. Trudeau.

To date, more than 10.5 million doses have been distributed across Canada.

Message to young people

The prime minister had a message for young people regarding the third wave: “We’re seeing more and more young people being admitted to hospitals due to COVID-19,” said Mr. Trudeau. “The variants are very contagious [ …] Even if you’re young, you can still get seriously ill, very quickly.”

Cases still on the rise

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam stressed that the number of people infected with COVID-19 has now reached 1.036 million in Canada and is on an upward trend.

She reiterated the importance of continuing to follow the health directives, including mask-wearing, physical distancing and regular handwashing.