By Canadian Press

The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

May 3, 2020 | 9:51 AM

The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times Eastern):

11:40 a.m.

The federal government is investing millions to boost online access to health services and to support a Vancouver biological company’s research into treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the new funding during his daily news conference in Ottawa this morning as provinces across the country prepare to start re-opening on Monday.

The government is spending $240 million to boost access to online health services, including mental-health support and virtual access to doctors for primary care.

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Ottawa is also providing $175 million to AbCellera Biologics Inc., which Trudeau says has shown promising signs of progress in identifying antibodies that could be used create a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.

11:15 a.m.

A rapid test developed for COVID-19 has experienced a setback.

Ottawa’s Spartan Bioscience says it is voluntarily recalling its COVID-19 product and performing additional studies after Health Canada expressed some concerns Friday.

Spartan says Health Canada was concerned about the “efficacy of the proprietary swab” for the testing product. The company says Health Canada had no concerns about the accuracy and analytical performance of the product.

Health Canada says the product is restricted to research use only until adequate evidence of clinical performance can be provided.

10:50 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 434 new cases of COVID-19 and another 40 deaths related to the virus.

The death toll now stands at 1,216 and the COVID-19 case count has hit 17,553.

Of those cases, 12,005 have been marked as resolved.

The Canadian Press