Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 15,120,686. (Deaths: 620,263 and Recovered: 9,137,305) 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 Wednesday July 22, 2020:
From Global News, Canada reported 111,668 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 37,942 (up 203) total confirmed cases and 2,753 total deaths. Currently, there are 120 people are in hospital with 36 of those in ICU. 33,605 cases have been resolved.
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 57,796. (up 181)
The Region of Durham reported 1,786 (up 2) confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site also reports 1 current outbreak (Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes) with 34 outbreaks having been "concluded." Currently, Clarington still sits at 102 total cases. (93 are resolved, 2 people are currently in isolation and 7 people have passed away. Hospitalized currently: "Zero")
In international news,
Trump Says Daily Virus Briefings to Resume as Cases Surge in the U.S.A. President Donald Trump said his White House task force on the COVID-19 pandemic will resume giving daily news briefings following a weeks-long surge in cases. The president told reporters in the Oval Office that he will deliver a briefing at 5 p.m. on July 21. The task force provided briefings during the onset of the CCP virus pandemic in March and April. Over the past month, Vice President Mike Pence, head of the task force, and other members have given several briefings, as cases have risen in some parts of the United States. “What we’re going to do is I’ll get involved, and we’ll start doing briefings,” Trump said, adding that the focus will be different. The briefings, he said, will be focused on vaccines and therapies for the virus. “We’ll start them again and I think it’s a great way to get information out to the public as to where we are with the vaccines, with the therapeutics, and generally speaking, where we are,” he told reporters in televised comments.
Trump is now telling Americans to mask up. Trump's team is crying foul, telling the White House press gallery Trump has been "consistent since March", and that was when he first told people to wear a mask. Can't say I remember that presser.
California surpasses New York for No. 1 spot in confirmed coronavirus cases, data shows. In third place is Florida, with just under 370,000 confirmed cases. New York, however, still leads the nation in coronavirus-related deaths, with more than 32,500, while neighboring New Jersey still ranks No. 2, with more than 15,700 deaths despite being No. 11 in population. California, with a population of about 39.5 million people, ranks No. 4 in deaths with just under 7,900, according to Johns Hopkins.
From Mexico (Puerto Vallarta area) The federal government has moved the State of Jalisco into the ‘red-light’ of the National Traffic Light of COVID-19, which determines the economic activity level for each state based on coronavirus cases. This means, after evaluating hospital occupation, virus positivity, hospitalization trend, and suspected cases, the Federation determined that Jalsico is at the highest risk of the epidemic. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, in this period only essential activities should be maintained, public spaces should be closed, including beaches, and school and sports activities should be restricted, as well as stay at home orders for the vulnerable population.
Following this development, employees and businessmen of bars and nightclubs demonstrated in Puerto Vallarta against the closure of establishments during the coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday, just over 400 people made the march until they reached the municipal presidency in the center of the city. Similar protests were held in Guadalajara.
In national news,
From the "Quick, send all of our PPE to China!" file, Military intelligence unit briefed Sajjan on COVID-19 risk on January 17: documents. A little-known medical unit within Canadian Forces Intelligence Command briefed Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about the COVID-19 crisis on January 17, 2020, the government confirmed in a document presented to Parliament this week. The briefing from the medical intelligence (MEDINT) unit came 17 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause in Wuhan, in China's Hubei province. Between December 31, 2019 and January 3, 2020, 44 patients with an unknown form of "pneumonia" were reported to the WHO by authorities in China. Thousands more such cases would follow in the days ahead. While the minister was briefed in mid-January about the new virus, the government's incident response group — led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and composed of cabinet ministers and other senior governmental officials, didn't meet to discuss COVID-19 until 10 days later, on January 27. On February 4, 2020 justin's government sent approximately 16 tonnes of PPE to China. That's a fact, read more here.
Canadian, American tour boats at Niagara Falls become symbols of the COVID-19 contrast. To some observers, a pair of tour boats at Canada’s landmark Niagara Falls have become a symbol for how the country’s COVID-19 response compares to the virus-ravaged United States. Images shared on social media of the two boats passing each other, the American vessel carrying hundreds of guest while the Canadian watercraft holds just half a dozen, have led some to point to the Maid of the Mist as proof of pandemic failures in the U.S. “Is looking at a big waterfall really worth risking your life and spreading a deadly virus?” wrote one Twitter user on Tuesday.
Expert says studies on risk of virus transmission through surfaces don't reflect real world. Is it necessary to wear gloves outside, or wipe down groceries or mail to keep yourself safe from potential COVID-19 exposure? It’s a question that has been posed since the beginning of the pandemic. Numerous studies have been carried out over the past few months to measure how long the virus can live on surfaces, looking at its lifespan on different materials and how infectious it remains for longer periods of time. Some studies have found the survival rate to be a matter of hours, while others have found that the virus, under some circumstances, can survive for days on surfaces. Emanuel Goldman, Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the New Jersey Medical School, wrote in a comment published in the scientific journal The Lancet last week, that he believes the risk of virus transmission through infected surfaces has been “exaggerated.”
In Ontario,
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has removed a Cambridge, Ont., legislator from the Progressive Conservative caucus for voting against a controversial government bill. Ford issued a statement today saying Belinda Karahalios will no longer sit as a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus. Karahalios voted against a government bill that grants it powers to extend or amend some emergency orders a month at a time, for up to two years. She called the bill an “unnecessary overreach” on parliamentary democracy shortly after the vote. Karahalios was first elected in 2018 and had served as parliamentary assistant to Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. Ford defended the bill as an important piece of legislation that protects people during the pandemic. “Our government's first priority is the health and safety of all Ontarians, and Bill 195 is an important piece of legislation that protects each and every citizen during the pandemic,” he said in a statement. In a statement earlier Tuesday afternoon, Karahalios said the bill takes away the voice of all legislators. Bill 195 - Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 can be found here.
Oh, you crazy kids....'Just don't go to a party. Simple:' Ford expresses concern about stubbornly high case numbers in young people. Premier Doug Ford is raising concerns about the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in people in their 20s and 30s, saying that some young people appear to no longer be following public health advice and are instead “going hog wild.” There has been a steady increase in the proportion of new cases involving people between the ages of 20 and 39 ever since the province began to slowly permit more businesses to open up. Over the last week the group has accounted for an average of 68 new cases per day, representing nearly half of the infections reported by the province over that time period. That marks a significant increase in the proportion of cases involving people in their 20s and 30, who at this point last month had only accounted for 28 per cent of all cases. Back in mid-April when cases were still increasing, the group accounted for just 22 per cent of cases and had lower levels of infection than all but one other demographic.
New COVID-19 cases surpassed 200 in Ontario yesterday, but Peel numbers were inflated due to backlog, Mississauga's mayor says. In the province’s latest epidemiological summary released on Tuesday morning, 57 new cases were reported in Peel Region, a number that Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said is about 35 higher than Tuesday’s true single-day total. "We are migrating to a new data collection system that will mimic the province's and there was a bit of a backlog," she said at a news conference alongside Premier Doug Ford on Tuesday afternoon. Crombie said of the 22 new cases in Peel Region today, only four were reported in Mississauga. "I am delighted that we have flattened the curve here in Mississauga. I've reported two days with zero increases in fact,” Crombie said. An additional 30 cases were reported in Toronto today and 24 new infections were confirmed in Windsor-Essex.
In local news,
A positive result of COVID-19? Local credit union becomes Durham’s first certified living wage employer. Pathwise Credit Union is officially the first employer in Durham to pay its staff at least $17 per hour, making them the region’s first certified living wage employer. All of Pathwise’s part-time, full-time and contract employees are paid at least three dollars more than the provincial minimum wage, which is referred to as a living wage. “What the living wage signifies is a recognition from an employer that their employees are people and are equal members of the communities in which they do business,” said Hermia Corbette, executive director of Community Development Council Durham. “By committing to provide a living wage, a company is committing to the individual well-being of its employees and the overall vibrancy of its community." “As the current COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, and ‘hero pay’ and other short-term measures that acknowledge the value of workers are revoked, leadership on the living wage is needed more than ever,” says Craig Pickthorne, communications coordinator for the Ontario Living Wage Network.
Why isn’t the health department releasing further details about the Oshawa Centre COVID-19 cases? The Durham health department would only release specific details about Oshawa Centre mall workers testing positive for COVID-19 if they were unable to trace close contacts, say officials at the department. As news broke that two mall workers at the Oshawa Centre had tested positive for COVID-19, members of the public questioned why further details on the situation were not released by the health department or mall officials. Tenants at the mall were notified of the first positive case on July 13. Due to privacy, Oshawa Centre general manager Chris Keillor did not identify the store where the positive workers were employed saying instead that the mall tenant had taken all steps prescribed by local and provincial health authorities and conducted a thorough cleaning of the store. I guess privacy concerns in Durham are different than the privacy concerns in Toronto? Read on....Cadillac Fairview is confirming a positive case of COVID-19 at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The shopping centre said the confirmed case is an employee at Bikini Village who last worked in the store on Sunday and tested positive for the virus Monday morning. In a statement, the mall said necessary actions are being taken to thoroughly clean and sanitize the store and common spaces in the mall.
Masks are now mandatory across the GTA as a temporary mask bylaw takes effect in Halton tomorrow.
Sports, Sports, Sports,
The Jays beat the BoSox 8-6 last night in a pre-season contest. I enjoyed the game, but it was odd to watch and the piped in crowd noise is weird. Mind you, I think silence would be even more weird. I just can't get used to seeing Superman (Kevin Pilar) in a BoSox uniform. Looks like the Jays have landed at PNC field in Pittsburgh, where they will play their home games. It is not yet known if they will play there for the duration of the season.
Musing,
I think that most of the legislation that is being enacted during the pandemic to "protect us", will eventually condemn us. The good days are over, folks.
I guess it's like compound interest? We hit 10 million cases on June 30, 2020. We hit 15 million cases, today. So, taking that into account, it took the world (approximately) 6 months to hit 10 million cases. Then, it only took 22 days to add 5 million more cases.
"The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases." (CARL JUNG)
On this (truly horrific) day in history, the deportations from the Warsaw ghetto to Treblinka began. On July 22, 1942, the systematic deportation of Jewish people from the Warsaw ghetto began, as thousands were rounded up daily and transported to a newly constructed concentration/extermination camp at Treblinka, in Poland.
In 1934, John Dillinger was gunned down by federal agents. Outside Chicago’s Biograph Theatre, notorious criminal John Dillinger—America’s “Public Enemy No. 1″ is killed in a hail of bullets fired by federal agents. In a fiery bank-robbing career that lasted just over a year, Dillinger and his associates robbed 11 banks for more than $300,000, broke jail, narrowly escaped capture multiple times, killed seven police officers and three federal agents.
"A person’s true character is ascertained by three parameters: his cup (i.e., his behavior when he drinks), his pocket (i.e., his financial dealings), and his anger." (The Talmud, Rabbi Ilai, Eruvin 65b)
Today is – NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY – NATIONAL PENUCHE FUDGE DAY – NATIONAL HAMMOCK DAY – NATIONAL RAT CATCHER’S DAY
Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal
supportontariomade.ca
Here is how to clean your non-medical mask.
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.
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