Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 3,660,385 (77,402 new). (Deaths: 252,680 and Recovered: 1,203,874) I emphasize reported because there is a wide variance in testing and manner of reporting from country to country and place to place.
As of 6:37 a.m. ET on Tuesday May 5, 2020:
Canada reported 60,772 (1,298 new) confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 17,923 total confirmed cases (390 new) and 1,300 deaths. (84 new) Currently, 984 people are in hospital with 225 in ICU. It bears repeating, daily "new" cases in Ontario have remained fairly consistent over the last 3 weeks. Testing has not and Ontario is now testing 15,000 - 16,000 people per day; whereas in the past few weeks daily testing was in the low thousands. Please see the first article in the "In Ontario" section....
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 32,623 (758 new). Quebec also reported a "computer error" from April, that did not account for approximately 2,000 cases.
The Region of Durham reported 1075 confirmed cases of COVID-19. (29 new) The site also reports 13 current outbreaks at Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes with 6 outbreaks now having been resolved. Currently, there are 65 (2 new) cases in Clarington, which in 2016 had a population of 92,013 (last census). Current estimates put Clarington at well over 100,000 people. I'd say Clarington has "flattened the curve" quite nicely, if we ever had a curve, here.
In international news,
Puerto Vallarta is third in terms of confirmed cases in Mexico after Guadalajara and Zapopan cities. Officials attributed this to tourism and the large number of migrant population residing between nearby municipalities and other countries, mainly the United States. (??) The current hotel occupancy rate is "0%", something never seen before. I wonder, when tourism returns eventually, what Puerto Vallarta will look like? We love PV and travel there 3-4 times a year and right now, we greatly miss it.
In national news,
From the "How about dealing with the actual problem?" file, Justin is getting set to give municipalities the ability to ban handguns. Handguns are federally regulated and licensed, so what he has done is nothing more than virtue signalling, which will cause confusion. Legally owned guns (of any kind) are not the problem. Guns that are illegally smuggled into Canada are the problem. This step by Justin will do nothing to stop gun violence. Nothing.
From the "Ya, right" file, faulty N95 masks that were sent to Canada was a ‘contractual’ issue that was fixed, China says. I just hope Justin doesn't start weeping when he apologizes to China.
From the "Somebody finally said what everyone already knew" file, PC leader Andrew Scheer says federal benefits deter Canadians from returning to work. He said the Canada emergency response benefit (CERB) and the student financial aid program offer incentives for people to stay home rather than return to work. (Do ya think?) To date, more than 7.3 million Canadians have applied for CERB. Another 96,000 employers have applied for the 75 per cent wage subsidy to cover about 1.7 million workers. Another 518,000 businesses have applied for $40,000 government-backed loans to stay afloat through the global pandemic. See my post of April 29, 2020.
In Ontario,
From the "This is all so confusing" file, Dr. David Jacobs was interviewed by Global News (Alex Pierson) yesterday and he stated the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the community from "casual contact" is very, very low. That's a fact. He said that.
Ontario is getting close to reopening parks, retail curbside pickup, Premier Ford says. Premier Doug Ford teased good news on steps toward reopening for retail stores, parks, cottagers and people missing loved ones Monday, as long as the province’s COVID-19 numbers keep going down.
In terms of the percolating cottage issue, Premier Ford said he will speak with cottage country mayors this week, noting that the May long weekend is approaching. “If people go up to their cottage, bring their own food, don’t go to the stores, stay at their cottage, by May the 24th, there’s only so long I can hold the big gates back from these people,” Ford said. This issue has caused a ripple between locals and cottagers in many areas, which is unfortunate. Personally, I feel the situation was way over-blown (cottagers cleaning out stores) and many of the reports were nothing more than local rumour and fear mongering. I remind you that for a time, almost ALL of the grocery stores were cleaned out, not just the ones in cottage country. The resentment and hard feelings will likely carry on past the stabilization of the COVID-19 situation.
A COVID-19 outbreak at Toronto Western Hospital as 65 patients and staff test positive.
Locally,
I'm not sure the story is "local", but Craft Breweries are great examples of local businesses. Many of the county's 1,100 craft breweries, which employ about 10,000 people, have been left vulnerable by COVID-19.
This is a very worthy cause, as the Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue Centre needs our help. A new GoFundMe page has been launched to help the Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue. It’s Durham Regions only wildlife rehabilitation center. COVID-19 has greatly impacted their only revenue sources and supports. They have temporarily laid off all staff members and released 95 per cent of volunteers. Funds raised will go towards helping injured, sick, orphaned animals that need caring for until they are healthy and can be released back into the wild. Click here to donate.
Finally, from the "GODDAMIT" file, Environment Canada says cooler temperatures will continue through first half of May.
Wait times in grocery (and other) stores can be found here.
Hunting/fishing related closures in Ontario can be found here.
Town of Clarington COVID-19 updates can be found here.
Province of Ontario COVID-19 updates can be found here.
Government of Canada COVID-19 updates can be found here.
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