Health Canada says it has authorized the first COVID-19 serological test for use in the country to detect antibodies specific to the virus.DiaSorin, an Italian multinational biotechnology company, had developed the LIAISON test that was also recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.In a statement Tuesday, Health Canada says it will be used in Canadian laboratories to detect COVID-19 antibodies and help contribute to a better understanding of whether people who have been infected are immune to the virus.Health Canada says further research will also help understand the relation

There are 71,157 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 39,225 confirmed (including 3,131 deaths, 10,056 resolved) Ontario: 20,907 confirmed (including 1,725 deaths, 15,391 resolved) Alberta: 6,345 confirmed (including 118 deaths, 4,866 resolved) British Columbia: 2,360 confirmed (including 131 deaths, 1,832 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,020 confirmed (including 48 deaths, 864 resolved) Saskatchewan: 573 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 374 resolved) Manitoba: 278 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 251 resolved), 12 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 24

Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam is advising extreme caution when it comes to reopening the Canada-United States border. She says Canada needs to see what happens when it eases its own public health measures to contain the virus before allowing foreign travel again. It will also depend on the international epidemiology. She says Canada should be looking carefully at the United States' COVID-19 situation before allowing cross-border travel. Next phase will involve testing people with a wider range of potential symptoms Dr. Theresa Tam says the next phase of Canada's COVID-1

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will be very cautious when it comes to reopening international travel. He would not say whether he expects the Canada-U.S. border to reopen when a mutual ban on non-essential travel expires next week. But rather he says preventing transmission of COVID-19 into Canada from other countries will be an essential part of preventing a second wave of the outbreak. He says Canada will need to see a decrease in the number of new cases in the country, and will need to have the ability to detect and track new cases.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is strongly recommending that Quebecers wear a mask whenever they leave home. Legault, who wore a mask as he entered his daily briefing, says the mask can help prevent the spread of illness in situations where people can't stay at least two metres apart. He announced 118 more deaths in the last 24 hours, for a total of 3,131. He said there were also 756 new cases for a total of 39,225, including 10,056 who have recovered.

Some Canadian universities say classes this fall will be offered primarily online as uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic continues.In recent days, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Ottawa and others have laid out broad plans for how they will handle the fall semester amid evolving health and safety measures.In Montreal, students at McGill will see classes delivered largely through remote platforms, while the Universite de Montreal says only a few courses or parts of courses will take place on campus.UBC says larger classes will be held online, with a s

The federal government is giving seniors a one-time, tax-free top-up payment to help manage extra costs associated with COVID-19.Seniors Minister Deb Schulte says seniors who receive old age security will get $300, and those who receive the guaranteed income supplement will receive $200.In all, the $2.5-billion measure will provide payments to 6.7 million seniors, Schulte says.She says many have faced an increase in the cost of living as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, from more for dispensing fees for medications or delivery fees for food and services.She also says their savings have taken

There are 69,981 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 38,469 confirmed (including 3,013 deaths, 9,703 resolved) Ontario: 20,546 confirmed (including 1,669 deaths, 15,131 resolved) Alberta: 6,300 confirmed (including 117 deaths, 4,659 resolved) British Columbia: 2,353 confirmed (including 130 deaths, 1,719 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,019 confirmed (including 48 deaths, 767 resolved) Saskatchewan: 568 confirmed (including 6 deaths, 363 resolved) Manitoba: 278 confirmed (including 7 deaths, 247 resolved), 11 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 261 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 244

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will continue to push for caution in terms of lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Trudeau says leaders across the country are trying to find the right balance in terms of easing back on the lockdown and reopening the economy. But he says the sacrifices that Canadians have made over the past two months will ``all go up in smoke'' if the wrong choices are made. The comments came as schools in parts of Quebec reopened today even though the province has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in the country.