Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 4,643,176. (100,116 new+) (Deaths: 308,927 and Recovered: 1,768,519) I emphasize reported because there is a wide variance in testing and manner of reporting from country to country and place to place. If I had to guess, i'd say the actual number of cases is 10 times that which is being reported.
As of 5:57 a.m. ET on Saturday May 16, 2020:
From Global News, Canada reported 74,602 confirmed cases (1,213 new+) of COVID-19.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 21,922 total confirmed cases (428 new+) and 1,825 total deaths. Currently, there are 986 people are in hospital with 179 in ICU.
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 41,420. (696 new-)
The Region of Durham reported 1,212 confirmed cases of COVID-19. (11 new+) The site also reports 18 (none new) current outbreaks at Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes with 9 of the outbreaks having been "concluded." Currently, there are 73 (none new) cases in Clarington.
In international news,
From our friends south of the border, new coronavirus cases are going down in almost half of the states.
Delta Air Lines is retiring its Boeing Co. 777 jumbo jets and replacing them with Airbus SE aircraft — another victim of the coronavirus. The airline industry is going to change forever and I think air-travel is going to be out of reach for the average Joe. I listened to a really interesting podcast yesterday on the airline industry. In Canada, it costs about $1,000.00/day to store a commercial airplane. Top that with the issue of mechanical stability. Plane mechanical systems deteriorate more rapidly than an automobile, meaning extensive maintenance/testing before they take flight again. Birds love to nest in the engine critical components, causing damage. Mechanics will have to undergo re-testing, to ensure they have not lost/forgotten their skills. So once the planes are fit to fly again, there are more issues...
Many people will be in no hurry to fly, or travel once we are in the "new normal". (fewer seat sales) Planes will have to be deep cleaned after every flight. (increased costs) This will be a logistical nightmare which will also delay flights. Add to this, reduced seating as middle/adjoining seats will need to be removed, or blocked. (decreased revenue) So, less passengers, increased cleaning, less flights all translate to increased cost for the travelers. Will the airlines drop prices to get us flying again, or will they take a "user pay, too bad" approach? Who knows?
In national news,
Mortgage, housing agency says home prices won't recover from COVID for years.
Sad news for alot of Canadians today. More airline industry news, Air Canada is set to lay off 20,000 workers amid the travel industry collapse. The layoffs, which will take place June 7, will affect a minimum of 19,000 staff and could go as high as 22,800. The country's largest airline, along with its competitors, has seen demand for air travel evaporate amid ongoing border shutdowns and confinement measures, prompting Air Canada to ground some 225 airplanes and slash flight capacity by 95 per cent.
From the "I don't like the sounds of this" file, Five members of military catch COVID-19 on deployment in long-term care homes. Four of them are in Quebec and one is in Ontario. The military says nearly 1,700 members of the Forces are working in nursing homes where regular staff have been overwhelmed by COVID-19, in some cases becoming sick themselves. What concerns me most about this is, if the military with state of the art PPE, training and best practices are still catching COVID-19, how the heck do we protect the health care workers in stricken homes and hospitals?
Four consecutive days of no COVID-19 cases in Manitoba. The total number of cases since March 12 remains at 289.
In Ontario,
Rejoice, Ontario! Open today: Golf courses, Marinas, public boat launches and trailer parks! I hope everyone that can enjoys one or more of these activities.
Ontario can expect news on expanding social gathering rules next week. Health Minister Christine Elliott said at Queen’s Park on Friday the government is “studying very closely” the idea of increasing the current social gathering limitations.
Still a kerfuffle from yesterday's misreporting of COVID-19 numbers in Ontario, based on Toronto numbers not being included due to a technical error. #Stuffhappens
Question - Can you spend the long weekend at your cottage?
Answer - Well, sort of..but not really..depends and no, but maybe.
From the "We still have a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" file, (unless you want to go into Quebec) Controversial health order banning cottage travel in Ontario counties yanked in time for long weekend. A controversial order banning cottagers from attending their seasonal property in popular waterfront communities along Lake Erie (Haldimand and Norfolk counties) — under threat of a $5,000 fine — was rescinded just as cottagers were heading out for the Victoria Day long weekend.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on the federal government for further support for farmers in the province from his federal counterparts.
Locally,
We ordered from Endivine last night, a new restaurant. They forgot one of the dinners, so when we called them their response was "Are you going to come pick it up?" Um, nooo....that's why we had our food delivered. They offered a credit, instead. So sorry to have inconvenienced you, Endivine. Think we will order from/go there again?
Is it me, or are tow trucks extremely flammable? (especially in Ajax) Police investigating another suspicious tow truck fire, at least the fourth one this week.
From the "Tell on your neighbour" file, despite the Durham Regional Police getting more than 2,000 contacts or complaints regarding supposed violations of the emergency order, officers say only 13 charges have been laid, while 41 cautions have been issued. At this point, police say the number of emergency order calls has declined to about a dozen per day.
A man was wounded in a drive-by shooting in an Ajax neighbourhood. The suspects sped away following the shooting and the victim was taken to a Toronto hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
On this May long weekend, from the "Good to know, Captain Obvious" file, Pickering says we should be safe with fireworks. This really dashes my plans, as I had planned to stick sparklers up my arse and run up and down our street singing "O' Canada" very loudly. I ask, what's a reveler to do?
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.
1hr/espanol
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