Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for the opportunity to update the committee on the Public Health Agency of Canada's efforts to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic in Canada. I will give you a short overview of the situational update. As of this morning there were 719,758 confirmed cases globally, and 33,693 deaths worldwide. Cases are being reported from 197 countries and jurisdictions and from aboard international conveyances. The United States of America now has the greatest number of cases relative to the overall outbreak. As of March 30, they had 164,610 cases, and that number will be greater as of today. They are reporting 10,781 total deaths. As you're aware, things continue to evolve rapidly in terms of the spread of the illness and response efforts both globally and here in Canada. As of noon today, we have tested 236,000 Canadians and have 7,708 confirmed cases and 89 deaths. The situation in Canada is evolving daily.
In terms of the overall Canadian response, since we are seeing a daily increase in cases both globally and here in Canada, the risk to Canadians is considered high. We are already seeing a significant impact on our health care system as facilities are activating their pandemic plans and moving forward aggressively with preparations. Our health system is adjusting on an ongoing basis to respond to the situations, working alongside provincial, territorial and municipal counterparts. We at the federal level are continuing to monitor the situation and are working extremely closely with our provincial and territorial partners. In that context, as I think many of you know, we do have formal governance in place at the federal/provincial/territorial level, which includes the special advisory committee that is co-chaired by Dr. Tam and which is at the centre of the public health response from a pan-Canadian perspective.
Dr. Tam could not be here this afternoon because as we speak she's actually meeting with her provincial/territorial colleagues. Federally we are also continuing to adapt our border and travel measures as the Canadian and global situation evolves. We want to make sure that individuals, as they enter Canada, know and have the information they need to protect themselves as well as fellow Canadians. I can speak generally to some of these measures, and I'm sure my colleague, the president of the Canada Border Services Agency, will touch on some of these as well.
As you may know, as of March 21, Canada and the U.S. agreed to temporarily restrict all non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. land border for 30 days. This timeline may be extended as needed. There is an exemption for workers who are essential for the movement of goods and people. Those include healthy workers in the transportation sector, for example, who move goods and people across the border on a continuous basis. The Government of Canada has also closed its border to people who are not citizens or permanent residents of Canada, and there are few exemptions to this rule. In addition, as of March 25 at midnight Canada implemented another emergency order under the Quarantine Act, which means that any person who enters Canada by air, sea or land must now mandatorily isolate or quarantine for 14 days.
Prior to that, this measure was being undertaken on a voluntary basis. Quarantine facilities have been identified to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are being used to lodge symptomatic people who do not have private transportation or who are unable to get to their own dwelling to isolate since no symptomatic person is being allowed to move forward within Canada upon their arrival using any means of public transportation. The Government of Canada is also working very closely with provincial and territorial partners to promote the appropriate use of personal protective equipment, to identify areas of priority, and to collaborate on procurement of that equipment and other medical supplies such as ventilators. The government is working hard and exploring all avenues to secure supplies.
On March 27, the Prime Minister announced $137 million dollars of procurement of medical supplies, which will include an immediate purchase of 20 in-stock ventilators and a purchase order for 500 more. This also includes options to continue to buy additional ventilators. In addition, the procurement will also include an immediate purchase of 55 million surgical masks and a conditional purchase of test kits currently going through approval for certification, which has implicated our National Microbiology Lab.
The Prime Minister also announced an investment of at least $50 million from the NGen supercluster. This investment will support the development of products and equipment that are in high demand for health care workers. These are in addition to previous announcements made earlier towards the purchase of personal protective equipment and other necessary medical supplies.
We and other representatives of the federal government are working very closely with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, as well as with colleagues at Public Services and Procurement Canada, to identify domestic manufacturers, to look to see how we can accelerate domestic production and to safely accelerate regulatory review and time frames to make sure that equipment is ready and available for our front-line health care workers.
I think it is true to say that in the context of this crisis, we've seen many individuals come forward in the manufacturing sector to aid Canada. We've been amazed by the responses we've received and are working around the clock to triage and assess opportunities. We've had vast numbers of offers of direct support from businesses, and we've also had some offers, through various organizations, to provide donations to Canada.
In addition to personal protective equipment, as I mentioned earlier, there has been a focus on testing within Canada. We are working hard, collectively across the country, with all jurisdictions, to advance testing. The National Microbiology Lab continues to support provinces and territories needing assistance with testing and other reference services.
Finally, Canada is also participating in the context of research and development investments. We're participating in the World Health Organization's solidarity trial, which is a multi-country clinical study looking at potential drug treatments for COVID-19, as but one example.
As you will see and hear on a regular basis, Canada is very much focused on advancing an approach that is looking to flatten the epidemic curve in Canada. As part of that, there are measures in place across the country that are focused on having individuals socially distance themselves from each other, stay at home to the extent possible, avoid crowded places and practise all of the good respiratory hygiene that Dr. Tam has talked about since the start of the development of COVID-19 globally.
From the Public Health Agency's perspective, we are very focused on continuing to support all efforts throughout the country to do just that. As Dr. Tam talks about constantly, the time is now to double down on our efforts and really work in a concerted way to do everything that is possible to flatten the epidemic curve.
The time has come for all Canadians to do what's necessary to help us get through this pandemic. I think everybody recognizes that these are difficult times for everyone who is experiencing this crisis worldwide, and there is no exception; the same holds true within Canada.
I will just conclude by saying that as the situation continues to evolve and as PHAC's response continues to evolve to adapt to the situation, we remain committed to providing updates and information as it becomes available. We're pleased to be here this afternoon. We'll do our utmost to answer any questions that any of the members of the committee may have.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.