Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 9,210,302. (Deaths: 474,818 and Recovered: 4,957,253) 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 6:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday June 23, 2020:
From Global News, Canada reported 101,621 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 33,637 total confirmed cases and 2,609 total deaths. Currently, there are 265 people are in hospital with 76 in ICU. 28,933 cases have been resolved. There are some really cool tracking charts in this article. If you follow the hospitalizations and ICU beds currently occupied in Ontario, the numbers are decreasing very quickly. If you look at the numbers from one week ago today, there were 419 in hospital and 108 in ICU.
++UPDATE++ 12:00 p.m.
GODDAMIT. Ontario records a slight spike in new COVID-19 cases, and confirms the first death under age 20. Ontario has recorded a slight spike in the number of new COVID-19 cases and logged 10 more deaths, including the province’s first fatality under the age of 20. Health officials logged another 216 patients infected with the novel coronavirus on Tuesday. (78 per cent are from Toronto, York, Peel and Windsor)
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 54,835.
The Region of Durham reported 1,674 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site also reports 2 current outbreaks at Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes with 32 outbreaks having been "concluded." Currently, Clarington remains at 94 cases, where we have sat for over a week.
In international news,
An alarming announcement from the W.H.O. yesterday, "every day we reach a new and grim record. Yesterday, more than 183,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported to WHO – easily the most in a single day so far."
One day after a record number of new COVID-19 cases was reported worldwide, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the pandemic is being worsened by political opposition. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that "the pandemic is still accelerating" and that "the lack of global solidarity and global leadership" represents a greater threat to the world than the virus itself.
From the "Scary as F**k" file, Mexico's novel coronavirus cases mounted and added their youngest infections Monday, when triplets tested positive for the virus on the day they were born. Monica Rangel, the health secretary of the northern state of San Luis Potosi, said the triplets were born May 8 to a mother who was also positive but asymptomatic. Rangel said the triplets are not believed to be in danger. She said the case was being studied to see whether the triplets were infected before or after birth was being conducted, but said it appeared improbable they could have been infected outside the womb so quickly. It is not the first time newborns have tested positive for the virus, but it is rare.
From Vice News, Yemen was already facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, then the Coronavirus came. At least half of the country could be infected with the coronavirus, which is a crushing blow to its' already-depleted healthcare system. I think most Canadians are losing sight of just how catastrophic COVID-19 is in other parts of the world, which is understandable. In times of crisis, we incubate and stay safe by staying in (and relying on) our smaller cells of family and close friends.
The reproduction rate of the coronavirus in Germany has risen to 1.55, significantly higher than what is needed to contain the outbreak. The reproduction rate, or 'R' value, estimates how many people an infected person passes the virus on to. Experts say that number needs to stay below one for the spread to remain low. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious disease reported that its average reproduction rate over the past seven days was 1.55, while the four-day average stood at 1.79. Both numbers are much higher than the rates published on Friday, which were 1.17 and 1.06 respectively.
In national news,
The Royal Canadian Legion is in big trouble in many communities and this is sad news for many communities in Canada. Royal Canadian Legion halls across the country have been shuttered for months due to COVID-19, and now a number of them are facing the prospect of never being able to reopen. With most ineligible for the host of federal aid programs being offered to help keep other businesses and charitable organizations afloat, hundreds of these facilities could be forced to shut their doors forever without federal intervention. Legions are often seen as the heart of many communities, where Remembrance Day celebrations are held and meals are made and delivered to those in need, but because the pandemic has put a pause on events, it’s cut off crucial income streams like facility rentals that allow legions to keep their doors open to veterans and others.
For people in larger communities, this may not cause a ripple. But, people have no idea how important the Legion is in small and remote communities. Having visited many small community Legions I can tell you, they are generally the social hub and an integral part of the community. You can join the Legion by clicking here. It's only $50 bucks to help save a Canadian institution.
The federal government is taking a close look at the amount of office space it will need in the coming years as it considers how some of Canada's hundreds of thousands of federal public servants could end up working from home permanently. The review was revealed Monday by Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos, who oversees the bureaucracy as a workforce, as the government released a guide for the eventual return of public servants to their normal workplaces. The vast majority of federal public servants have been working from home since mid-March as COVID-19 saw offices and other workspaces across the country shuttered to slow transmission of the illness.
From the "C'mon, give me a hug" file, Two-thirds of Canadians don't want to relax physical distancing rules imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19, a new poll suggests. And even if they were relaxed, a strong majority wouldn't be comfortable taking part in activities that would bring them closer to other people, like going to a movie theatre. Sixty-six per cent of respondents to the poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, said two metres should remain the safe distance kept between people, as recommended by Canada's public health authorities. Just 12 per cent favoured reducing the distance to 1.5 metres, as is required in many European countries, and only 10 per cent favoured a reduction to one metre, the minimum recommended by the World Health Organization.
Canada's top central banker says there will be long-term economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic as the country charts a "prolonged and bumpy" course to recovery. In his first speech as governor, Tiff Macklem says the central bank expects to see growth in the third quarter of this year as people are called back to work and households resume some of their normal activities as restrictions ease. But he warns that Canadians shouldn't expect the short and sharp economic bounce-back expected over the coming months to last.
In Ontario,
Big problems with the Windsor/Essex farming community. Farmers are not cooperating and sending migrant workers out to get tested for COVID-19. The premier clearly is not happy and said "We are going to have to pull out other tools" and look at stronger measures. At one farm, all 216 migrant workers tested positive. Justin said "we need to do a better job" at following the rules, whatever they are. Premier Doug Ford said farmers have to cooperate, “I’m begging for your support…please cooperate.”
In local happenings,
The Region of Durham says they will open the child care centres they operate on June 29. Staff reached out to families to confirm their current service needs. For child care centres not operated by the Region of Durham, families should contact their child care centre directly for information regarding reopening of programs.
Clarington has a "one stop PPE shop" for local business owners. As local businesses begin to reopen, the Clarington Board of Trade has stepped up to help owners struggling to find protective supplies to keep their staff and employees safe. “In preparing to reopen our business, the safety of our clients is of utmost importance and I am very grateful that it was made much easier by CBOT to access the PPE supplies needed to prepare,” Snips Hair Design Owner Jane Browning said in a press release. Items like hand sanitizer, surface disinfectant, gloves and masks have become essential — often difficult to source — personal protective equipment (PPE) for the local economy. The CBOT teamed up with Canadian Tire Bowmanville and Greeley to provide single sourcing of PPE essentials. Buying the items and selling to businesses at cost, CBOT drops the PPE at Greeley in Bowmanville, where their team coordinates each order.
Musing,
Where the hell is Don Cherry? Haven't heard from/about him for an eternity.
There are only two types of COVID-19 people left, those that are terrified of it and those that are over it.
We may have MLB baseball again, as it looks like the union and owners are trying to come to an agreement for a 60 game season to start on July 22. I'm not holding my breath, as we should never underestimate the power of greed.
COVID-19 cases worldwide are skyrocketing. Canadian cases, which are more or less all in Ontario and Quebec are rapidly declining. In my observations, most people I know are "over it." Will the second wave hit, or will life slowly evolve into the "new normal?" Nobody knows, but when cold and flu season hits us in the Fall, we are sure going to find out.
I have talked with people about the risk of isolation and how it may hurt our ability to fight off colds and flu, especially with kids who have been "locked up" for months. From what I can glean, the answer is that it's not a concern. Experts say new theories being shared online that physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic is making people’s immune systems weaker because of a lack of exposure to germs are "absolutely not true." Dr. Eleanor Fish, an immunology professor at the University of Toronto, told CTVNews.ca that there is no medical or scientific evidence to support these claims. She says people’s immune system do not change because they aren’t being exposed to germs. "That really is rubbish and there's zero evidence for it," Fish said in a telephone interview on Thursday. "Your immune system develops over decades in response to exposure to all kinds of pathogens and antigens. This doesn’t occur over a period of two months so you're not going to suddenly be vulnerable to all kinds of pathogens."
From the "super cool" file, scientists find huge rings of ancient shafts near Stonehenge. Archaeologists said Monday that they have discovered a major prehistoric monument under the earth near Stonehenge that could shed new light on the origins of the mystical stone circle in southwestern England. Experts from a group of British universities led by the University of Bradford say the site consists of at least 20 huge shafts, more than 10 metres (32 feet) in diameter and 5 metres (16 feet) deep, forming a circle more than 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) in diameter.
Today, is National Pink Day and National Hydration Day. (So, have a drink)
Clarington Tourism Businesses and Attractions Directory can be found here.
CERB abuse reporting https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/bscs/l3adz/internet/initial.do?target=login&lang=en&program=qa">can be done here.
To book a COVID-19 test in Durham Region, click here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)
Live coronavirus map of Canada: Tracking every case of COVID-19 in the country.
Hunting/fishing related updates in Ontario can be found here.
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