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Ontario Reveals Stark Reality of COVID-19 Deaths Projections Even in Best Case Scenario

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US Ambassador Calls on Countries to Release Religious Prisoners Amid Pandemic

The U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom called on governments to release their religious prisoners amid the current pandemic. One of the countries singled out by the ambassador was China. “It’s a good public health move for their nations and it’s morally obviously the right thing to do. We, unfortunately, have a number of religious prisoners around the world in various countries that are being held,” ambassador Sam Brownback said during a briefing on April 2. He explained that COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, could easily spread in prisons given the tight space. The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus as the CCP virus because the Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic. Brownback called on several…

Ontario Reveals Stark Reality of COVID-19 Deaths Projections Even in Best Case Scenario

TORONTO鈥擳he death toll from COVID-19 in Ontario could be kept below 15,000 if stringent isolation measures aimed at curbing the pandemic prove effective, health authorities said on Friday as the military prepared to move into northern Quebec to help remote communities there cope.

In a sobering presentation, a top health official said projections indicate coronavirus would have killed as many as 100,000 people in Ontario had restrictions not been put in place.

“If we do everything that we can think of, everything that already has been done stays in place [and] all of the other measures which are being considered put in place, I think we could reduce the death toll in Ontario to somewhere between 3,000 and 15,000,” said Dr. Peter Donnelly, head of Public Health Ontario.

Donnelly said the figures would likely be shocking to many people and safety measures that have had a brutal impact on the economy might need to be in place for many months at best.

Latest data indicate close to 12,000 Canadians have contracted the virus. Of those, 152 have died, but the numbers could be much higher given gaps in reporting methods.

Ontario released its worst-case projections for the COVID-19 as its known caseload continued climbing, with more than 460聽new cases and 18 more deaths reported. The province has now seen 3,255聽cases and 67 deaths.

Overall mortality among those 80 years and older in the province has reached 20 percent of coronavirus cases in Ontario, about 10 percent for those over 70. A hard-hit nursing home in Bobcaygeon, Ont., reported another four deaths among residents, bringing the toll to 20 at the 65-bed facility.

Canada鈥檚 top public health official, Dr. Theresa Tam, said the country聽has been seeing a sharper increase in deaths but the health-care system has been coping. The national death rate stands at about one percent of those who鈥檝e tested聽positive.

British Columbia had previously projected its聽worst case would lead to a shortage of about 182 intensive care beds and at least 38 ventilators.聽But it has also said distancing measures appear to mitigated that threat.

Donnelly said Ontario was more closely tracking the hard hit United States than B.C.

In an interview late Thursday with The Canadian Press, Health Minister Patty Hajdu said her estimate from three weeks ago聽that between 30 percent and 70 percent of Canadians will likely become infected hasn鈥檛 changed.

“Having 70 percent of people get COVID is not聽the end of the world,” Hajdu said. “It is, though, if it all happens at once and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to prevent.”

Experts say the flu-like illness poses a聽threat to the elderly and those with compromised health. The best way to curb the spread is to wash hands frequently and stay at least two metres away from others. Hospitals have reported shortages of personal protective gear for medical staff, while front-line doctors fret about having to choose who lives and who dies owing to potential shortages of crucial ventilators.

In tribute to health-care personnel, all ships in B.C. waters planned to sound their horns at 7 p.m. local time. Toronto鈥檚 CN Tower has been lighting up blue in a similar show of solidarity, while people in other places have taken to banging on pots or pans.

The pandemic鈥攊n particular the stay-at-home measures implemented to try to mitigate its spread鈥攈as taken a brutal toll on the economy and jobs.

Trudeau said the government would provide additional aid to low-income people through the GST credit this month rather than next. Qualifying adults will receive up to $300, plus $150 for each child.

Globally, the pandemic has infected more than one million people and killed close to 55,000, according to latest official tracking figures. China, where the virus is believed to have originated, has gradually been seeing life return to normal after draconian lockdown measures curbed the spread.

Italy, with almost 14,000 deaths and Spain with about 11,000, have been hit hardest. The United States, however, leads the world in cases鈥攁 quarter of a million to date鈥攁nd has reported more than 6,000 deaths.

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China Probes Alleged Fraud at Luckin Coffee, Banks Review IPO Work

HONG KONG/BEIJING—China’s securities regulator said on April 3 it would investigate claims of fraud at Luckin Coffee Inc., and sources said some of the banks involved in the Chinese chain’s successful U.S. IPO last year were reviewing their work in the listing. Shares of Luckin, which competes in China with Starbucks Corp, sank as much as 81 percent on Thursday in New York after it announced an internal investigation had shown its chief operating officer and other employees fabricated sales deals. The company said it had suspended COO Jian Liu and employees reporting to him, following initial recommendations from a special committee that was appointed to investigate issues in its financial statements for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2019. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on Friday it…