IT CAME FROM CANADA

'Murder Hornets,’ with sting that can kill, land in US

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In this Dec. 30, 2019, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, a dead Asian giant hornet is photographed in a lab in Olympia, Wash. The world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state and entomologists are making plans to wipe it out. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the Asian giant hornet has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. It is just now starting to emerge from hibernation. (Quinlyn Baine/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The world’s largest hornet, a 2-inch killer dubbed the “Murder Hornet” with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state, where entomologists were making plans to wipe it out.

The giant Asian insect, with a sting that could be fatal to some people, is just now starting to emerge from winter hibernation.

“They’re like something out of a monster cartoon with this huge yellow-orange face,” said Susan Cobey, a bee breeder at Washington State University.

“It’s a shockingly large hornet,” said Todd Murray, a WSU Extension entomologist and invasive species specialist. “It’s a health hazard, and more importantly, a significant predator of honey bees.”

The hornet was sighted for the first time in the U.S. last December, when the state Department of Agriculture verified two reports near Blaine, Washington, close to the Canadian border. It also received two probable, but unconfirmed reports from sites in Custer, Washington, south of Blaine.


In this Dec. 30, 2019, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the stinger of a dead Asian giant hornet is photographed in a lab in Olympia, Wash. The world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state and entomologists are making plans to wipe it out. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the Asian giant hornet has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. It is just now starting to emerge from hibernation. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)


The hornet can sting through most beekeeper suits, deliver nearly seven times the amount of venom as a honey bee, and sting multiple times, the department said, adding that it ordered special reinforced suits from China.

The university said it isn’t known how or where the hornets arrived in North America. It normally lives in the forests and low mountains of eastern and southeast Asia and feeds on large insects, including wasps and bees. It was dubbed the “Murder Hornet” in Japan, where it is known to kill people.

The hornet’s life cycle begins in April, when queens emerge from hibernation, feed on plant sap and fruit, and look for underground dens to build their nests. Hornets are most destructive in the late summer and early fall. Like a marauding army, they attack honey bee hives, killing adult bees and devouring larvae and pupae, WSU said.

BFH!
In this April 23, 2020, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, dead Asian giant hornets sit on a researcher's field notebook in Blaine, Wash. The world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state and entomologists are making plans to wipe it out. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the Asian giant hornet has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. It is just now starting to emerge from hibernation. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)

Their stings are big and painful, with a potent neurotoxin. Multiple stings can kill humans, even if they are not allergic, the university said.

Farmers depend on honey bees to pollinate many important northwest crops such as apples, blueberries and cherries. With the threat from giant hornets, “beekeepers may be reluctant to bring their hives here,” said Island County Extension scientist Tim Lawrence.

An invasive species can dramatically change growing conditions, Murray said, adding that now is the time to deal with the predators.


In this April 23, 2020, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, a researcher holds a dead Asian giant hornet in Blaine, Wash. The world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state and entomologists are making plans to wipe it out. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the Asian giant hornet has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. It is just now starting to emerge from hibernation. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)

“We need to teach people how to recognize and identify this hornet while populations are small, so that we can eradicate it while we still have a chance,″ Murray said.

The state Department of Agriculture will begin trapping queens this spring, with a focus on Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island counties.

Hunting the hornets is no job for ordinary people.

“Don’t try to take them out yourself if you see them,” Looney said. “If you get into them, run away, then call us!″


In this April 23, 2020, photo provided by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Chris Looney, a Washington State entomologist, places a trap used to search for the Asian giant hornet in Blaine, Wash. The world's largest hornet, a 2-inch long killer with an appetite for honey bees, has been found in Washington state and entomologists are making plans to wipe it out. Dubbed the "Murder Hornet" by some, the Asian giant hornet has a sting that could be fatal to some humans. It is just now starting to emerge from hibernation. (Karla Salp/Washington State Department of Agriculture via AP)


Invasive Asian giant hornet discovered in Washington state


Invasive Asian giant hornets, a honeybee-killing wasp with a dangerous sting, have been discovered in Washington. Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Agriculture

DENVER, May 2 (UPI) -- Washington agriculture authorities are asking residents to be on the lookout for an invasive giant wasp with an "excruciating" sting that attacks honeybee colonies, leaving thousands of bees without heads.

"The Asian giant hornet been called the most venomous, intimidating insect in the world, and it even scares away other hornets," said Timothy Lawrence, director of the Island County extension office at Washington State University.

Asian giant hornets originating in South Korea were first reported last fall near Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Then, residents in Blaine, Wash., near the Canadian border, used an invasive species app to report wasps that were confirmed to be Asian giant hornets from Japan, the state agriculture department said.


An infestation of the new giant wasps could be devastating for beekeepers who bring their hives to the state to pollinate Northwest Pacific crops like cherries, blueberries and apples.

"Commercial beekeepers have 300 to 400 hives in the area. They may not want to go to certain counties if this infestation takes hold," Lawrence said.

In Europe, the invasive yellow-legged Asian hornets, which also kill honeybees and other pollinators, has caused millions of dollars' worth of damage to crops in France and elsewhere after they gained a foothold.

The Asian giant hornets, also called "yak-killer hornets," measure about 2 inches long and have an orangeish-yellow face with large black eyes.

"They're like something out of a monster cartoon," Susan Cobey, a bee breeder with WSU's Department of Entomology, said in a statement.

The Asian giant hornet's sting is described as excruciating, and they can sting repeatedly. Their quarter-inch stinger can penetrate beekeeping protective clothing, a state agriculture department warning said.

The wasps are dangerous if their underground nests are disturbed, or if a food source is threatened. Their venom, seven-times stronger than that of honeybees, can cause anaphylactic shock, but also can be lethal to people who are not allergic if victims are stung repeatedly.


"They give a warning before they sting. They snap their mandibles and make a clicking sound," Lawrence said. "But if you stick around to notice that, you're probably already in a world of hurt."

The wasps might have hitched a ride to the Pacific Coast in a container ship, but also could have been imported intentionally as an ingredient for a folk recipe for wasp venom in alcohol, made popular by Internet bodybuilders, entomologists think.

The life cycle of the Asian giant hornet begins when a queen emerges from hibernation in April and feeds on plant sap and fruit, looking for a spot to build an underground nest, according to state fact sheets. By summer, queens have created a colony of worker wasps that spread out to seek food.

RELATED Invasive Asian hornet could cost Europe millions in damages

At the end of the summer, the hornets enter a "high-protein demand" phase when they attack honeybee colonies, killing off the adults to feast on the immature brood of pupa and larva, scientists say.

The hornets will leave piles of dead bees, most of them headless, outside their beehive. A few dozen hornets can kill an entire colony of 30,000 bees in a few hours.

Scientists will be hunting for queens this spring, wearing special reinforced suits from China, said Rian Wojahn, eradication coordinator for the pest program at the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

"The suits are made out of thick foam material with everything -- boots, gloves, hat -- attached," Wojahn said.

Trappers have set out bait bottles, filled with orange juice and rice wine, in coordination with state beekeeper clubs.

The trappers will use heat cameras to find underground nests, Wojahn said. Wasps will be sedated with carbon dioxide fire extinguishers, and pest workers will dig out the nests.

Local entomologists worry about native bees and other pollinators that also might be threatened if the Asian giant hornet gets established, said Todd

RIGHT CLICK TO ENLARGE

The major difference between wasp and hornets is size and colour. ... Hornets (right) are larger. Wasps have black and yellow rings, while hornets have black and white rings. Bees are beneficial to humans because they pollinate plants, whereas wasps and hornets help out by eating other insects

RIGHT CLICK TO ENLARGE

[PDF]
Bees, Wasps and Hornets

RIGHT CLICK TO ENLARGE

https://kottke.org/18/08/a-comprehensive-guide-to-yellow-stripey-things

In Japan, the ‘Murder Hornet’ Is Both a Lethal Threat and a Tasty Treat

© Ted S. Warren/Associated Press Asian giant hornets from Japan in a display case at the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

TOKYO — Long before the Asian giant hornet began terrorizing the honeybees of Washington State, the ferocious insects posed a sometimes lethal threat to hikers and farmers in the mountains of rural Japan.

But in the central Chubu region, these insects — sometimes called “murder hornets” — are known for more than their aggression and excruciating sting. They are seen as a pleasant snack and an invigorating ingredient in drinks.

The giant hornet, along with other varieties of wasps, has traditionally been considered a delicacy in this rugged part of the country. The grubs are often preserved in jars, pan-fried or steamed with rice to make a savory dish called hebo-gohan. The adults, which can be two inches long, are fried on skewers, stinger and all, until the carapace becomes light and crunchy. They leave a warming, tingling sensation when eaten.

The hornets can also give liquor an extra kick. Live specimens are drowned in shochu, a clear distilled beverage. In their death throes, the insects release their venom into the liquid, and it is stored until it turns a dark shade of amber.

The real thrill, however, is not in the eating or drinking of the giant hornet, but in the hunt.

Setting out in the early summer months, intrepid hunters track the insects to their huge nests, which can house as many as a thousand hornets and their larvae, in the boles of rotting trees or underground. They lure a hornet with a streamer attached to a piece of fish, and when it grabs the morsel and takes off, the hunting party goes on a steeplechase through the woods. Upon finding the nest, the hunters stun the insects with smoke, then use chain saws and shovels to extract it.

In other cases, the nests are rooted out by professional exterminators. Torao Suzuki, 75, said he removed 40 to 50 nests a year, getting stung as many as 30 times each season. “It hurts, it swells and it turns red, but that’s about it,” he said about the stings. “I guess I’m immune.”

He does not eat the bugs himself. “Even when I tell people, they’re going to sting you, they still eat them. They say it makes them potent,” he said.

Mr. Suzuki said he also sold the nests, which are popular trophies throughout the region. Lacquered brown hives, sometimes cut open to expose their complex lattice work, adorn vestibules and reception rooms in homes, schools and public offices.

Historians say the insects, which range throughout Asia but are found most commonly in Japan, were once valued along with other wasps as a cheap source of protein in poverty-stricken rural areas.

The cuisine is celebrated each November in Gifu Prefecture at a festival, known as the Kushihara Hebo Matsuri, where prizes are handed out for the largest nests, and gourmands bid for the privilege of taking one home with them.

Even at this insect jubilee, the danger posed by the giant hornet, which has killed dozens of people in Japan in recent years, is evident. A flyer for the 2018 event warned participants to be on the lookout for hornets on the loose near the fairgrounds, advising attendees to “please take ample care to avoid being stung.” Organizers, it added, “bear absolutely no responsibility” for the consequences of ignoring the warnings.

The admonitions go well beyond this single event. Every spring, government offices across the country issue advisories about the bugs, known in Japan as “giant sparrow hornets” because of their size. People venturing into the wild have learned to avoid hair spray and perfume, which can attract the frightening pests.

So it may be no surprise that the practice of hunting and eating the insects, as with many traditions in aging rural Japan, is less common than it used to be.

The Oomachi Wasp Appreciation Society in Nagano once achieved some measure of national fame for making rice crackers with the insects baked in. Production has since stopped, as the group’s members have died or become too old to make the snacks, said Sachiko Murayama, 70, who is on the board of a local business cooperative.

In Japanese cities, however, there has been a small resurgence in interest in eating bugs. Some young people are attracted to the novelty, and to the idea that insects are an environmentally friendly source of protein.

In Tokyo, the giant hornet is on the menu at more than 30 restaurants.

Shota Toguchida, who owns a Chinese restaurant in the city, said he sold shots of homemade hornet liquor for 2,000 yen, or about $19, mostly to middle-aged men.

He keeps a few bottles on the bar. “It looks surprising, but tastes great,” he said.

In the United States, where the first Asian giant hornets were spotted last fall in northwestern Washington State and scientists are urgently trying to hunt them down, no one is thinking about the insects’ culinary potential. The focus is solely on eradicating them before they can spread and wipe out bee populations.

Takatoshi Ueno, an entomologist at Kyushu University, said he was mystified by the hornet’s appearance on the American West Coast.

“It’s impossible for them to fly over from Asia,” he said, adding that they most likely came over in a shipping container. Even that, though, would be extraordinarily unlikely, he said, given their extreme aggression, which would have almost certainly drawn the attention of a ship’s crew.

They might not have come from Japan, Dr. Ueno said; they could have arrived from another country in the region. But regardless of how they arrived in Washington State, he added, it is critical that they be dealt with before they have a chance to establish themselves.

“When dealing with invasive species, whether a virus or an insect, it’s the same,” he said. “Moving quickly to completely destroy them is the best. Ultimately, it’s the cheapest and least damaging.”

For any adventurous eaters in the Pacific Northwest who might be tempted to track down and sample the species, Dr. Ueno strongly warns against it. Encounters with the insect are not for the faint of heart, he said.

“Americans have probably never seen such a large hornet,” he said, adding that “some of them might faint dead away.”

Hisako Ueno and Makiko Inoue contributed reporting.

Ontario Amazon whistleblower says company didn’t disclose coronavirus case to all


The Amazon, fulfillment centre in Brampton on July 21, 2017. 
(Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail) (Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail)

An Amazon warehouse employee in Brampton, Ont., says the company failed to tell all employees that a worker at the facility was infected with coronavirus.

"It's COVID-19, it's must-know knowledge. You have to tell your employees if there's a case," the man said.

Global News agreed not to identify the employee because he said he's certain he would be terminated if Amazon knew he had gone public with his concerns.

"You'd lose your job for sure," the veteran Amazon employee said, noting he is not a manager or supervisor with the company.

READ MORE: Employee at Balzac, Alberta Amazon warehouse tests positive for COVID-19

A senior Amazon vice president in the United States resigned last week in support of whistleblowers who have been fired by the company after calling attention to safety complaints at Amazon facilities.

The company defended the termination of user experience designers who criticized Amazon's treatment of warehouse workers. Amazon said the two employees were terminated for "repeatedly violating internal policies."

In Brampton, Amazon didn't announce the news of the new COVID-19 case to everyone, the warehouse employee who contacted Global News said. He said the information was shared with him by a fellow employee who had received a text message from the company.

"He asked me, 'Did you get the message?' I said, 'What message?'" the man recalled.

The employee said he found out about the COVID-19 case at the Amazon facility north of Toronto partway through his 10-hour shift on Friday. He has not returned to work since, citing concern for his safety and his family's.

The text message shared with Global News read in part, "We want to let you know about a confirmed case of COVID-19 at YYZ4. The affected individual was last on site at 4/28."

YYZ4 refers to the Brampton facility where the employee works. The message was received three days after the employee who tested positive for the virus last worked at the plant.

Amazon confirmed the diagnosis of an employee at its facility and said it was "supporting the individual who is recovering."

In a written statement, Amazon spokesperson Timothy Carter said the company is "taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of employees at our site."

The company claimed it makes employees at a site aware of confirmed cases. The employee who came forward insisted he and other employees were not told.

"It's COVID-19: it's a life and death situation," the employee told Global News.

He said he lives with elderly parents, who are not in good health, and is worried about transmitting the virus to them.

"A lot of people are surprised they haven't shut down the building," the employee said.

Upon finding out about the COVID-19 case when he arrived at work, he went home early. He said he would not have gone to work that day had he been advised about the case.

The employee said Amazon communicates with him through texting messaging and email frequently to offer overtime shifts, for example. He said he received no message or email to announce the COVID-19 case.

"A lot of people were angry" when they found out the case from others, not the company itself, the man said.

On the same day that the COVID-19 case was revealed to certain employees, he said Amazon reinstated its employee "points" system.

The Amazon points system penalizes employees based on lateness, absences and other reasons. If someone acquires six points in a short period of time, the employee is asked to explain the reasons, or is terminated, he said.

But from mid-March until the end of April, the employee said Amazon had suspended the management system, giving more flexibility to deal with personal issues like child care.

However, the employee said workers were informed by email that the program would be back in effect.

"While I'm staying home, I'm being pointed by the attendance policy," as well as not being paid, the man said.

Global News asked Amazon why it restarted its points program in the midst of the pandemic, but the company did not respond to the question.

According to the Government of Canada's COVID-19 information page, employees have "the right to know ... the right to refuse dangerous work."

"It should normally be sufficient for health and safety purposes to state that an (unnamed) person was in the workplace and that the person was infected."

The Amazon employee who spoke to Global News said he hopes the company is more transparent if there are future cases.

"You advertise and tell people you're one of the safest companies to work for ... and then it's not communicated," he said.

RAND PAUL IS A VIRUS CARRIER, NO ONE IS IMMUNE
'I have immunity': Rand Paul, who tested positive for coronavirus in March, spotted at the Capitol without a mask

Kayla Epstein BUSINESS INSIDER 5/5/2020

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) rides an escalator at the U.S. Capitol May 4, 2020

Alex Wong/Getty Images
Sen. Rand Paul was spotted by reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday without a mask, despite the fact that many lawmakers now wear face coverings on recommendations from the CDC.
Paul had tested positive for the coronavirus in March, but was asymptomatic.

He caused an uproar and sent two senators into precautionary quarantine when it was revealed he went to the Capitol while awaiting his test results.

He announced he was free of the virus in early April.

Paul claimed that he did not need to wear a mask because "I have immunity. I've already had the virus."

While Dr. Anthony Fauci has said people who recovered from the coronavirus would likely have some immunity, the World Health Organization has cautioned that it has yet to be determined. 

On Tuesday, weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus and subsequently recovering, Sen. Rand Paul visited the Capitol but refused to wear a mask.

When asked by reporters why he'd foregone the protective covering, Paul, an ophthalmologist who still occasionally performs surgeries, claimed he had immunity, and could not spread the virus.

"I have immunity. I've already had the virus," Paul said on Tuesday.
—Burgess Everett (@burgessev) May 5, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control has recommended that Americans wear non-medical face coverings to offer another means of protection for themselves and other people, in addition to social distancing and hand washing. Many members of Congress now wear masks in the complex, though they will frequently remove them to speak on the House or Senate floor.

The Kentucky Republican caused an uproar in March when he tested positive for the coronavirus but continued to visit the Capitol as he awaited test results. Though he was asymptomatic, two of his colleagues, Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney of Utah, self-quarantined after coming into contact with him.

"So I can't get it again and I can't give it to anybody," Paul continued. "So of all the people you'll meet here I'm about the only safe person in Washington."

In fact, when it comes to immunity to the coronavirus, there's a lot that's still unknown.
—Burgess Everett (@burgessev) May 5, 2020

In early April, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said that, "Generally we know with infections like this, that at least for a reasonable period of time, you're gonna have antibodies that are going to be protective."

But researchers have not yet definitively found that having the coronavirus will automatically impart immunity. The World Health Organization warned in late April that there was "currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection."

And because the virus is so new, researchers are still studying its transmission.

"We don't have nearly the immunological or biological data at this point to say that if someone has a strong enough immune response that they are protected from symptoms, … that they cannot be transmitters," Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told STAT News last month.

Paul's office did not immediately return a request for comment.

Paul is not the only Republican lawmaker to forgo a mask, but he is the only Senator who has so far announced he'd tested positive for the virus.

Congress' Office of the Attending Physician has recommended that members and visitors wear masks, according to a hearing notice from the House Appropriations Committee.

"The OAP recommends all individuals maintain 6-foot social distance spacing as much as practicable when in the Capitol Complex," the email said. "Additionally, on the advice of the OAP, the use of a face covering is recommended for all attendees of this proceeding."

Some Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have faced questions about why they have chosen not to wear a mask on the Hill.

"If you noticed where we did not wear masks is where we had social distancing," McCarthy said in a recent call with reporters, when asked about times on the House floor when he was not wearing a face covering.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the OAP for devising safety guidelines for returning members, and wrote, "I strongly urge my colleagues to consult these guidelines as we carefully resume in-person work."

Kimberly Leonard contributed to this report.

#KAKISTOCRACY

Fox News hosts Jeanine Pirro and Brian Kilmeade received priority treatment for PPE requests from Kushner's coronavirus team, according to a new report

Jake Lahut BUSINESS INSIDER 5/5/2020

Jeanine Pirro and Brian Kilmeade claim they did not know their queries were being prioritized. AP Photo
Jared Kushner's volunteer group charged with securing personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospitals nationwide reportedly prioritized inquiries from Fox News hosts Jeanine Pirro and Brian Kilmeade, according to the Washington Post.

Volunteers were told to fast-track any PPE queries from "VIPs" and conservative media personalities sympathetic to President Trump, according to a complaint filed by one of the volunteers.

Kilmeade passed on a lead to the administration on getting PPE "in an effort to be helpful," while Pirro kept vying for a specific New York hospital to get a "large quantity of masks," according to two sources familiar with the outreach who spoke to The Post.

The complaint was filed last month to the House Oversight Committee.

A Fox News spokeswoman told The Post Pirro and Kilmeade were unaware their tips were being prioritized.

Fox News hosts saw their PPE queries fast tracked by Jared Kushner's team of volunteers tasked with securing the equipment for hospitals nationwide, according to a Washington Post report on a complaint filed by one of the volunteers.

President Trump's senior advisor and son-in-law reportedly oversaw the team filled by consultants with no experience in health care or supply-chain procurement, according to The Post.

In a complaint filed by one of the volunteers to the House Oversight Committee, "VIPs" and Trump-friendly TV hosts are alleged to have gotten their tips on PPE fast tracked.

Fox News' Jeanine Pirro and Brian Kilmeade were named by two sources familiar with their outreach to the Kushner team.

Pirro "repeatedly lobbied the administration for a specific New York hospital to receive a large quantity of masks," while Kilmeade got in touch with the administration about where to get PPE, according to The Post.

A Fox News spokeswoman told The Post that neither host was aware their queries were being prioritized.

The report is another blow to Kushner in his outsize role dealing with the pandemic.

Kushner's loyalists have been mocked as the "Slim Suit Crowd" and a "frat party" by FEMA veterans.

Canada is dealing with the coronavirus far better than the US, which has 30% more deaths per capita. Here's why.
Canada is currently doing a much better job than the US dealing with the coronavirus.

Per capita, it has far fewer cases and a lower death rate.

WHEN THE US HAD 60,000 DEAD CANADA HAD 60,000 SICK

Both nations watched coronavirus cases spike at around the same time in mid-March. But Canada's caseload took a far gentler trajectory than the US.

There a number of reasons for this, but two of the main ones are Canada's healthcare policies — including how hospitals are run and funded — and a lack of partisan politics.

Canada's attempts to combat the coronavirus are far from perfect — it trails behind the low death rates of South Korea and Germany — but it's doing a lot better than the US.

According to Vox

As of May 5, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, Canada has 61,954 confirmed cases with 4,003 deaths, out of a population of about 37 million. The US has 1,178, 906 cases with 68,689 deaths, out of a population 328 million.

Both nations watched coronavirus spike at about the same time in mid-March. But Canada's caseload trajectory took a far gentler curve than that in the US.

These divergent trajectories are down to a number of factors. Canada's response was mostly quick and coordinated — it closed down schools and promptly told people to stay home, according to The Guardian. Its borders were shut off to every country but the US on March 16. (The US-Canada land border was also closed on March 20.)

In the US, weeks were lost as different states went into lockdowns at different points, or at different "half-hearted" levels.

Politics mattered, too. While President Donald Trump was hosting daily coronavirus briefings where he criticized governors, and wrongly suggested disinfectant could be a coronavirus cure, Canada's leaders mostly came together and took the coronavirus seriously.

Regional differences were put aside. Even right-wing leaders, like Ontario's premier Doug Ford, condemned attempts to protest social distancing, while Trump defended social distancing protesters as "good people" suffering from cabin fever, Business Insider previously reported.

University of Toronto epidemiologist David Fisman told Vox: "We have a federal government that is supporting provinces' responses. You [in the US] have a chief executive who is directly undermining the public health response."

For instance, on March 24, Trump forecast that normality would return by Easter. No politician said the same in Canada. Instead, on April 2, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for a "Team Canada" effort to stem the outbreak, before parliament debated a massive aid package proposal. Canada's deputy Prime Miniser Chrystia Freeland told reporters that "now is not the time for partisanship."

Another big difference is that Canada continued to fund public-health groups before the coronavirus hit, while the US repeatedly cut funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And unlike the US, Canada has a universal health care system. Professor Peter Berman, a public health expert at the University of British Columbia's medical school, told The New York Times that the way hospitals are run in the two countries is vital to understanding the difference in cases.

In the US, hospitals are private. In Canada, the health system is based on fixed funding and it does not matter how many beds are used. This, he said: "allows the public health authorities to essentially commandeer the hospital system. It's a command and control thing, it's not a coordination thing."

So authorities in Canada could order hospitals to prepare. In the US, he said, no one could tell hospitals what to do. But, even worse than that, the system was designed to work against such orders.

"If you have a private hospital where all the beds are paid for by patients and by insurance, when you have an empty bed, you have no revenue. So there's a strong incentive for the hospital managers, especially in trying economic times, to be reluctant to cooperate," he said.

It was this model, he said, that led to hospitals panicking about not having enough beds or equipment.

Canada's response is far from perfect. One of its big problems is the high death rate in nursing homes. On April 17, The New York Times reported around half the people who were killed by the coronavirus — at that point 1,193 — were residents in nursing homes.

But Canada can be praised for basic competence. According to Vox, it's "what you would expect from a country with a functioning political and health care system. The United States, by contrast, hasn't cleared this lowest of bars."

York University political scientist Steven Hoffman told Vox Canada's biggest health threat is now cases coming from the US.


Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.

Trump declined to wear a mask at a mask making factory — despite signs displayed that they were required — in a visit that featured music usually played at his campaign rallies

Sarah Al-Arshani BUSINESS INSIDER 5/5/2020

President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump wore only protective eyewear while visiting a Honeywell PPE facility in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday. 

Neither Trump nor the officials that were with him wore masks despite signs that instructed mask-wearing.

Trump has previously said that he would not wear a mask, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to wear a mask or cloth face-covering.

The facility also played music similar to what would be heard at a Trump rally. 

President Donald Trump toured a Honeywell facility in Phoenix, Arizona, which makes N95 respirators for health-care workers. Instead of wearing a mask, Trump only wore goggles.

Signs around the facility stated that masks are required, according to reporters present for the tour. Workers at the factory were sporting masks, according to photos from the event.
—Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 5, 2020

Trump said last month during a coronavirus press briefing that he would not wear a face mask, despite CDC recommendations for the public to wear some sort of cloth mask or face-covering.

According to Bloomberg, Trump has been hesitant to wear a face mask since the start of the coronavirus outbreak and repeatedly "suggested they were impractical, pointless and beneath the dignity of the leader of the free world."



Bloomberg added that Trump's refusal to wear face a face mask has led to confusion.

"At the very least, it confuses people," K. "Vish" Viswanath, a professor of health communication at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told Bloomberg. "At the very worst, it might even cause them to question if these rules apply to them or if the message is really that critical."
—Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 5, 2020

Vice President Mike Pence was criticized last week for also not wearing a mask while visiting a Mayo Clinic, he later apologized and said he should have worn a mask.

The visit to the factory was Trump's first major trip out of the White House in around two months, as the coronavirus has halted both non-essential travel and large gatherings like campaign rallies.

During his tour music was played similar to what would be heard at a Trump rally. Bloomberg reporter Justin Sink tweeted that "live and let die" was being played during the tour. The Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was also played at the end of Trump's speech — a song that is a fixture at the end of his rallies.

President Donald Trump participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

While speaking at the facility, Trump said: "Together we are fighting for everybody but we are fighting this terrible coronavirus. It is a tough opponent but we are winning."

During his speech, Trump thanked the owners of a local Mexican restaurant who were targeted after appearing in the VIP area at Donald Trump's Phoenix rally earlier this year.

"I can't believe I have to socially distance myself from these two people. They're probably the ones who want it from me," Trump said as he asked the couple to go on stage to make a speech.
—Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 5, 2020

Members of several tribes including Vice President of Navajo Nation Myron Lizer and Second Lady Lizer, Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis also attended the tour. According to a pool report, "Trump touted funding in the CARES act allocated for tribal governments."

He also said that the "full resources" of the federal government would be used to help protect Native Americans from the virus.

Lizer explained that coronavirus cases among the Navajo Nation are still increasing and there have been 2,400 confirmed cases and 73 deaths.

White House plots breakup of coronavirus task force
By Gabby Orr and Nancy Cook

The Trump White House is planning to wind down its coronavirus task force in the coming weeks and instead ask agencies to take control of the response efforts.

“We’re having a conversation about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work,” Vice President Mike Pence said at a briefing for reporters on Tuesday. At that point, he added, the work would be moved to agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We’ve already begun to talk about a transition plan with FEMA,” Pence said.

The undoing of the coronavirus task force comes as the president has turned his attention almost entirely toward reopening the economy as more than a dozen states allow people to slowly return to businesses like hair salons and restaurants. By the end of the week, Trump’s top economic officials are expected to unveil new ideas for tax policy and regulatory changes to bolster the U.S. economy in the third and fourth quarters of the year — even as the death toll from the coronavirus continues to rise and the virus spreads to new areas of the country.

“I believe we can be in a very different place in late May or early June,” Pence said. “We’re going to start to look at the Memorial Day window to transition back to having our agencies manage our response in a more traditional manner.”

Top officials on Tuesday said they are seeing a decrease in hospitalizations and have already received reopening plans from 41 states so far, which they consider encouraging. All these developments are being taken into account, officials said, as they determine the necessity of the task force moving forward. The future of the task force will be based on the health conditions, aides said. Pence characterized the discussion of dissolving the task force as “preliminary.”

Inside the White House, there has also been discussion of creating a new and smaller group to supplant the task force — focused on developing a vaccine and therapeutics. Pence said this project, dubbed "Operation Warp Speed," is “almost like a Manhattan Project-style effort to develop a vaccine.”

Health officials and other aides inside the White House are not happy about the upcoming dissolution of the task force, given the ongoing spread of the virus, said one source familiar with the discussions.

The unwinding of the task force was first reported by The New York Times.

$252M emergency aid package coming for farmers, food plants hit by COVID-19

CBC 5/5/2020

The Liberal government unveiled a multimillion-dollar, multipart package this morning aimed at helping farmers and food processors safely navigate the coronavirus pandemic — aid that comes amid concerns both about food security in Canada and the health of vulnerable workers.

But the funding envelope, an "initial announcement" according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, falls far short of the $2.6 billion emergency fund requested by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

Trudeau announced a new $77 million fund for food processors of varying size, including meat packers, to help businesses retrofit their factories and increase capacity to deal with the backlog of livestock that's been building up in parts of the county.

The money can be used to buy personal protective equipment for workers, adapt to health protocols, and support other social distancing measures, said the prime minister during his daily briefing outside of Rideau Cottage on Tuesday.

The money can be used to make conditions safer for workers on the line, but an official in Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau's office stressed that occupational health and safety is a provincial issue. xx The government is also expected to add an additional $125 million to the AgriRecovery fund, a federal-provincial-territorial program aimed at helping farmers during disasters.

"For many farmers, this crisis means that they have to keep animals for longer periods of time – and that can be expensive. So, with this funding, we're giving extra help to beef and pork producers so they can adapt to the crisis," said Trudeau.

"This is an initial investment and if we need to add more, we will."

The cattle industry has been pushing for this type of funding to help cover the cost of extended stays in feedlots, similar to how a set-aside program worked during the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (also known as mad cow disease) outbreak.

The government also wants to expand the Canadian Dairy Commission Act to allow it to buy and store more surplus dairy products — like cheese and butter — to avoid the type of milk dumping already seen this spring.

$50M surplus purchase program

For other commodities, Trudeau is pledging at least $50 million purchase program for surplus foods, similar to what's available to some farmers in the U.S. This kind of program could help the french-fried potato industry, which has seen plummeting sales as restaurants from coast to coast have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic.

"The government will buy large quantities of certain products at risk of going to waste — say, potatoes or poultry — and redistribute them to organizations addressing food insecurity," said Trudeau.

"This will help ensure that our farmers are being compensated for their hard work and that our most vulnerable have access to fresh food during this crisis."

The announcement comes as some farmers begin the spring planting season and amid concerns from others about potentially culling their animals because of the reduced capacity at some of the country's largest meat processing plants, a sector that's been particularly hard hit by illness.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has been warning that a financial boost is urgently needed to protect against food shortages in Canada and called for a $2.6 billion emergency fund last Thursday.

"We understand that the entire country is under duress. Agriculture is a unique player in our economy. Not only does agriculture create value for our economy, act as stewards of our environment and employ over two million Canadians, agriculture also provides us the unique benefit of food — not only for Canada but for the world at large," said federation President Mary Robinson said in a statement issued on April 30.

"Planting season is happening right now. Mother Nature waits for no one. Farmers need to have the financial confidence that they will not be facing bankruptcy due to impacts of COVID-19."

When asked about the federation's multi-billion request, Trudeau said today's $252 million package is an initial announcement, and more will need to be done.

Alberta meat plant reopens amid controversy

The federation has been calling for the creation of an emergency preparedness fund specifically for farmers dealing with increased expenses and obstacles due to the pandemic. It also wants the federal government to ensure farmers and food processors have personal protective equipment for on the job.

Tuesday's announcement comes one day after the Cargill meat processing plant near High River, Alta., reopened after closing more than two weeks ago after an outbreak swept through the plant.

More than 900 of Cargill's 2,000 workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and one worker has died, making it the site of the largest single COVID-19 outbreak in Canada.

The union that represents the workers is asking a court to stop work at the plant and has also filed unfair labour practice complaints against Cargill and the province.

With files from the Canadian Press

Minister Says Review Needed For Social Assistance System After Pandemic

The middle class prosperity minister was asked to define “prosperity” earlier this year.

By Zi-Ann Lum

ADRIAN WYLD/CPMiddle Class Prosperity Minister Mona Fortier responds to a question in the House of Commons on Dec. 13, 2019 in Ottawa.

OTTAWA — The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed an opportunity to reconsider the structure of our social welfare systems, says Canada’s middle class and prosperity minister.

Senior care, health care, caregiver support, and how Canada builds and manages supply chains are potential topics on the table for a post-pandemic discussion, Mona Fortier said in a digital town hall Thursday.

“As we come out of this crisis, I believe we will need to lay the foundation for well-being and prosperity for all Canadians, in an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient way,” Fortier said.

How to sustain and grow Canadians prosperity during this time of crisis has been a hotly debated subject.

A day earlier, Fortier poured cold water on a push by anti-poverty advocates for the government to introduce and implement a crisis universal basic income.

Opposition MPs have regularly pressed the government to broaden access to emergency benefits, citing concerns people are still falling through the cracks due to changing eligibility criteria.

The NDP and Greens support the idea a universal basic income can strengthen the social safety net for Canadians.

IF ITS NOT THEIR IDEA THEN THE LIBERALS HAVE NO TIME FOR IT

“We are listening,” Fortier said in French during an in-person sitting of the House of Commons Friday. “These questions deserve to be properly considered and debated in due course, but now is not the time.”

Canada’s economy is at a standstill due to quarantine policies from all levels of government following public health officials’ advice to exercise physical distancing to curb the transmission of COVID-19, a highly contagious disease caused by a novel coronavirus.

Through emergency legislation, Parliament has so far approved $155 billion in financial aid for benefits aimed at workers and businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Legislation proposing an additional $9 billion to help students was passed by the House Wednesday. The Senate is expected to reconvene Friday to debate the bill. 

Defining ‘prosperity’

According to documents tabled in the House in March, the government defines prosperity as “the state of being successful in material terms and of thriving financially.”

Other documents stated “fostering the right conditions for Canadians’ material well-being” as one of the government’s primary objectives. But the definition can be broadened, the minister explained, citing “many of the factors that are important in the day-to-day lives of Canadians cannot be measured by income and wealth alone, including access to childcare, access to adequate housing and access to good, well-paying jobs, among other factors.”

A separate document, a written order paper question submitted by Conservative MP Pat Kelly earlier this year, asked the government what indicators bureaucrats will use to track and measure growth for the demographic.

The government’s response to Kelly noted work in this area is “ongoing and more information on the Government’s plan in this respect will be available in due course.”
NATHAN DENETTE/CPA women covers her face as she walks past a child care centre that's closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on April 10, 2020.

                WAGES FOR HOUSEWORK

There are some numbers that give an indication of how the Liberals are doing in line to the three broader benchmarks identified by the minister’s office.

According to Statistics Canada data released last year, approximately 1.4 million children (60 per cent) had access to either formal or informal child care in early 2019. Sixty-four per cent of survey respondents said they had “no difficulty” finding early learning and child care.

In terms of access to adequate housing, StatCan defines “adequate” as “not requiring any major repairs.” Nearly 30 per cent of Canada’s 14.8 million households in 2018 required minor or major repairs.

There is no official definition, however, of what the government considers a “good paying job.”

Prior to the pandemic, the government touted its record in creating one million jobs in May as proof of growing prosperity. But whatever gains made on that front were obliterated by March due to mass layoffs in the economic fallout from COVID-19.
Identifying Canada’s ‘middle class’

Fortier was appointed minister of middle class prosperity after the Liberals won a minority government in October. According to the Wall Street Journal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first leader of an industrialized economy to appoint a minister dedicated to the middle class.

Despite the high-profile nature of the role, an official definition for “middle class” has proven to be an elusive pursuit.

In December, Trudeau raised eyebrows when asked whom he considers middle class during an interview on Breakfast Television in Toronto.

“Canadians know who’s in the middle class and know what their families are facing and we focus more on the actual issues,” he said at the time.

Ontario Midwives Delivering Babies During Pandemic Aren’t ‘Front Line’: Ministry Of Health
They’re working in hospitals and homes to support mothers who’ve tested positive for COVID-19.By Samantha Beattie

SUPPLIEDToronto midwife Christie Lockhart wears personal protective equipment during a 24-hour hospital shift where she attended six births during the COVID-19 crisis.

TORONTO — For midwife Christie Lockhart, there’s no option to stay home.

Pandemic or not, births will go on, and so will she.

Wearing a mask, gown and a pair of gloves, Lockhart cares for mothers giving birth at home or in the hospital. For those who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, Lockhart teaches them how to safely care for their newborn — stay six feet away as much as possible and wear a mask while breastfeeding.

She picks up extra 24-hour shifts to fill in for her colleagues cannot work, attending half a dozen births. Some of the newborns are tested for the novel coronavirus.

As she heads out the door each day her wife no longer says “have fun,” but rather “stay safe.”

“I can’t tell you how hard it’s been to work through COVID-19,” Lockhart told HuffPost Canada. “And then there’s the very real risk that we all feel when we work in the hospital and the community.”

Despite the heightened risk of contracting COVID-19, midwives are one of the few health-care workers in Ontario not eligible for the provincial government’s “pandemic pay” of $4 extra an hour and $250 a month until mid-August.

SUPPLIEDToronto midwife Christie Lockhart and a client's baby before the pandemic.

“Temporary pandemic pay is aimed at front-line staff who are experiencing severe challenges and are at heightened risk during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Ministry of Health spokesperson Hayley Chazan in an email when asked why midwives were not included in the pay bump.

More than 30 different types of workers qualify, including nurses, personal support workers, social workers, custodians and correctional officers across long-term care homes, hospitals, shelters, and correctional facilities.

Paramedics, public health nurses, hospital mental health and addiction workers and respiratory therapists were added to the list, “to recognize and thank these front-line workers for putting their health and safety at risk to help our most vulnerable,” Chazan said.

Like midwives, dieticians, physiotherapists, radiation therapists, lab employees and occupational therapists who work in hospitals are also not eligible, despite assisting COVID-19 patients.

Lockhart sees dozens of clients at her Toronto clinic, including low-income women who are particularly vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 because they work multiple jobs, or live in shelters or with numerous people, and cannot truly self-isolate.

“We’re asking for recognition that we’re front-line essential workers,” said Lockhart.

Midwives are responsible for procuring their own personal protective equipment. Clinics like Lockhart’s now pay double the original price for hand sanitizer, and face a dwindling supply of surgical masks. They rely on donations of hand-sewn reusable gowns and 3D-printed face shields to protect them during births and visits.

I was part of the team who cared for the first #COVID__19 positive pregnant pt @MGHBirth but our minister of health @celliottability says #midwives aren't frontline #TellMeImNotEssential@fordnation needs to include midwives in #pandemicpay@ontariomidwivespic.twitter.com/4ZzzqL3i6F
— Jenna Bly (@jennarosaa) May 2, 2020
@celliottability@fordnation@ontariomidwives

In one 24 hour shift, I did surgical assist, I cared for a client who screened positive for covid and I completed two neonatal resuscitations. Oh ya, and I attended three births.#tellmeimnotessential#midwivesOnTheFrontlinepic.twitter.com/8jN3dYIm00
— Nabal Kanaan (@KanaanNabal) May 2, 2020

The Association of Ontario Midwives met with the province last week, and walked away unsuccessful and “deeply concerned,” it said in a statement sent to its 1,000 members.

“This decision is an indication that decision-makers fail to understand the work of midwives or the risks they take on without appropriate PPE,” the association said. The pandemic pay has been dolled out “unevenly, irrationally and inequitably” across the health-care sector.

In 2018, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled that midwives have faced a long-standing pay gap rooted in gender discrimination. Earlier this year, the tribunal ordered the province to increase their pay by 20 per cent, retroactive to 2011, and award those eligible with $7,500 for injury to dignity.

The province, which is appealing the tribunal decision, was supposed to begin providing midwives with compensation this month.

However, the Ministry of Health applied to postpone payments until after the pandemic, which the Ontario Divisional Court approved, although acknowledging midwives’ frustration with the ministry’s “significant delays in compensating them.”