The latest news on the novel coronavirus and the illness dubbed COVID-19 (all times Eastern):
11:35 a.m.
A Hamilton doctor has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Hamilton Health Sciences says a doctor working in its cancer centre — who lives in Halton Region outside Toronto — has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from an international trip.
A hospital spokesperson says the doctor returned to work after the trip and was in contact with patients and staff the afternoon of March 9.
The hospital says it is now contacting people who came into contact with the doctor and she is in self-isolation at home.
11:22 a.m.
Air Canada says travellers can now change their tickets up to 24 hours before their flights without incurring a rebooking fee, the airline's latest response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The new policy allows passengers to make a one-time change to any ticket purchased between March 4 and March 31.
It adds leeway to Air Canada's announcement last Thursday that it would waive change fees up to two weeks before a departure, with travel controls imposed by foreign governments evolving daily.
The ongoing March 31 deadline still falls short of announcements by several U.S. airlines this week, with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines allowing passengers to rebook tickets to any destination through April 30 without paying fees.
The fee waiver by Canada's largest airline underscores ramped-up efforts to mitigate the blow dealt by the spread of COVID-19, which has seen bookings plunge and cancellations soar at carriers across the globe.
National Bank analyst Cameron Doerksen forecasts that the epidemic will cost Air Canada $1.4 billion in adjusted earnings this year, which would mean a 40 per cent decline from 2019.
11:13 a.m.
Health officials in Quebec say the province is now up to seven confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Authorities said in a tweet late Tuesday a presumptive case involving a cruise ship passenger has been confirmed.
Two other new confirmed cases involve a passenger returning from Miami and the Caribbean who is hospitalized at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal and someone returning from the Dominican Republic who is in self-isolation.
Quebec's public health lab is now able to confirm cases, but if officials are unsure, a second result may be requested from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.
11:06 a.m.
A Canadian under quarantine at an Ontario military base after leaving a contaminated cruise ship in California has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Public Health Agency of Canada isn't revealing any details about the patient's identity.
The person seemed healthy upon leaving the Grand Princess ship in California but was found to have a mild fever and a cough in an assessment at CFB Trenton.
He or she is in isolation at the base, where hundreds of other Canadians repatriated from the cruise are also staying.
10:57 a.m.
Ontario is now reporting 41 cases of the novel coronavirus.
One of the latest cases includes a man from Sudbury, Ont., who attended a recent conference in Toronto, and officials are investigating whether he contracted COVID-19 through community spread.
Two new cases are in people who recently travelled to the United States — a man in his 30s who lives in Toronto and a doctor in her 30s who lives in Halton Region but was treated at hospital in Hamilton, where she works.
Another confirmed case is in a woman in her 30s in York Region who recently travelled to Egypt.
A man in his 40s in Ottawa who recently travelled to Austria has also been confirmed to have the virus.
All of the people with new cases are in self-isolation.
10:52 a.m.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault says the province will decide today whether the world figure-skating championships scheduled for next week in Montreal should go ahead.
He told reporters in Quebec City there is a chance the event will be cancelled.
Skate Canada, the sport's national governing body, postponed two media conference calls scheduled for Wednesday with athletes.
Legault also called on schools to cancel trips to countries grappling with the novel coronavirus outbreak and said students returning from those countries should isolate themselves for 14 days.
10:40 a.m.
A Montreal-area private school that caters to French expatriates has partly closed today while officials await test results for a student suspected to have contracted COVID-19.
College international Marie de France says students between the ages of 15 and 17 are affected. Other classes are proceeding as usual.
The decision announced to parents Tuesday was made by France's consulate general in Quebec and the French Embassy in Ottawa, along with school officials.
The school, which implements the programs of the French Ministry of National Education, says if the student tests negative, classes will resume as normal. If the case is confirmed, classes will shut for 14 days with lessons continuing online.
9:15 a.m.
The federal government is spending $1 billion to help provinces respond to the novel coronavirus.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is announcing the aid in Ottawa this morning.
He says Canada has been fortunate so far but the country needs to be prepared for all scenarios.
The illness has sickened more than 100,000 people around the world and led to mass quarantines and restrictions on public gatherings.
9 a.m.
A spokeswoman for Doug Ford says the Ontario premier is not experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms after attending a conference where an attendee tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention on March 2 — the same day as the novel coronavirus patient.
Ford's office says the premier has not been contacted by health officials who are tracking down people who came into contact with the patient.
Health officials say the patient is currently in self-isolation at his home in Sudbury, Ont.
