Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 28,050,169. (Deaths: 908,434 and Recovered: 20,117,592) 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 Thursday September 10 2020:
Health Canada reported 134,294 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 6,868 cases are active, there have been 9,155 deaths and 118,271 people have recovered.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 43,685 total confirmed cases and 2,813 total deaths. Currently, there are 55 people are in hospital with 15 of those in ICU. 39,332 cases have been resolved.
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 64,056. (1,885 are active)
The Region of Durham reported 1,940 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site reports 1 current outbreaks (Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes) with 38 outbreaks having been "concluded." Clarington rose to 118 total cases, which is up two from yesterday. (6 are in isolation, 105 are resolved and 7 people have passed away. Hospitalized currently: "zero")
In international news,
The safety of a prospective coronavirus vaccine comes "first and foremost," the World Health Organization's chief scientist said on Wednesday, as a trial of a leading candidate from AstraZeneca was paused due to concerns over side effects. Rollout of an effective vaccine is seen as a crucial step in helping battered economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic. "Just because we talk about speed ... it doesn't mean we start compromising or cutting corners on what would normally be assessed," Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said in a social media event. "The process still has to follow the rules of the game. For drugs and vaccines which are given to people, you have to test their safety first and foremost." WHO officials did not immediately respond directly to questions from Reuters over the move by AstraZeneca to pause global trials, including large late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to an unexplained illness in a study participant. The United Kingdom's medical regulator said on Wednesday it is urgently reviewing information available to determine whether AstraZeneca can restart the trials. (I'm no anti-vaxxer, but once the vaccine is rolled out, I sure won't be at the front of the line. Just sayin....)
As I mentioned yesterday, the late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trial (at the University of Oxford) is on pause due to possible serious side effect. Click here to see how clinical trials of vaccines work. More from Reuters, AstraZeneca should know by year-end whether vaccine works if trials restart. AstraZeneca should still know before the end of the year whether its experimental vaccine protects people against COVID-19, the drugmaker’s chief executive Pascal Soriot said on Thursday, as long as it can resume trials soon. The British company suspended late-stage trials this week after an illness in a participant in Britain. The patient was reportedly suffering from symptoms associated with a rare spinal inflammatory disorder called transverse myelitis. Soriot said during an online event that AstraZeneca did not yet know the diagnosis, adding that it was not clear if the volunteer had transverse myelitis and more tests were needed.
From Vice News, What it’s Like Being on an Empty Cruise Ship During Covid. "Everything is shut down, lights are off, furniture is covered up. It’s a ghost ship." For the cruise liner industry, the COVID-19 pandemic officially began on March 14. That’s when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “no sail” order on all cruise ships operating in US waters. At that point thousands of people were falling ill on various ships around the world, pitching the industry into damage control. From there, individual companies suspended cruises one by one, putting the industry on hold. Now, six months later, and despite staging a few unsuccessful comebacks, the cruise industry remains in deep freeze. In practical terms, that means hundreds of ships parked throughout the world’s ports, crewed by a handful of people to keep them clean and seaworthy. One such ship is the Ovation of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ship based in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s currently moored in Singapore, along with dozens of others. And it’s here that VICE News spoke to a member of the ship’s skeleton crew, employed to maintain the vessel’s extensive audio visual system. VICE news spoke to a man we'll call Matt (he requested anonymity) about what it’s like being one of 99 people onboard a stationary cruise ship designed for 6,000. Matt describes being alone for most of the day and how the industry is faring from an insider perspective.
The U.K. is seeing increases in COVID-19 and are tightening up restrictions. In a double back, Social gatherings above six banned in England, effective September 14th. Why? A spike in cases (3000 in one day) and (likely) for political reasons because they were so slow to react when COVID-19 first appeared in the U.K. Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday - with some exemptions - amid a steep rise in coronavirus cases.The law change will ban larger groups meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, the government said. But it will not apply to schools, workplaces or Covid-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports. It will be enforced through a £100 fine if people fail to comply, doubling on each offence up to a maximum of £3,200. The new rules - which come into force on 14 September - mark a change to England's current guidance. At present, the guidance says two households of any size are allowed to meet indoors or outdoors, or up to six people from different households outdoors. Until now the police have had no powers to stop gatherings unless they exceeded 30.
In national news,
Ya, because it's COVID-19's fault....pffht. WE Charity closing Canadian operations following political controversy. WE Charity Co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger say they are winding down all Canadian operations following a political scandal involving a multi-million dollar student volunteer program. The Kielburgers also say they are planning to leave the Toronto-based youth organization once the transition to a new board of governors is complete. They blame the COVID-19 pandemic for the charity’s downfall, as well as the controversy stemming from the federal government’s plans for the volunteer program. The organization has also lost many of its corporate sponsors over the past few months, which the Kielburgers say has left it in dire financial straits. WE says it will lay off its Canadian staff in the coming months and sell all its property in Canada, including its Toronto headquarters. (It's pretty convenient that WE is shutting down prior to the House of Commons sitting again and the committees that were looking into its operations resume...)
Something tells me there is alot more to this story.....WestJet flight cancelled after family and staff clash over mask policy for toddler. Now I realize every little darling child is entirely special and (in these days) never should be subject to any rules; but, I don't know if i'm buying what the parents are selling in this story. Read on.....A man who was ejected from a WestJet flight from Calgary to Toronto says he endured “horrific and dehumanizing treatment” after staff told him to put masks on his children, one of which is under two-years-old. WestJet confirms that police were called and the flight was eventually cancelled, but they dispute Safwan Choudhry’s version of the events. According to statements posted to Twitter, Choudhy says WestJet staff told him that his young daughters would have to wear a mask before the plane could take off. He says his oldest daughter, 3, wore her mask, but WestJet staff told him his younger daughter, 19-months, would have to cover her face as well. Children under two are not required to wear a mask under Transport Canada regulations, but Choudhy says the staff incorrectly cited the policy and threatened to have the family removed if they didn’t comply. Police entered the plane and a partial video posted to Twitter shows some of the onboard interaction. However WestJet says the incident had nothing to do with the 19-month-old, but instead was about the three-year-old. The company claims that staff never asked the parents to put a mask on their younger daughter. They say Choudhy refused to put a mask on his older daughter and, when the situation quickly escalated, “our crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently cancelled.” “While this is a regrettable situation, our airline is committed to the highest safety standard and is obligated to adhere to Transport Canada’s regulations,” the company said in a statement. “Since September 1, 2020 WestJet has been enforcing our zero-tolerance mask policy and we appreciate the support and cooperation of our guests and employees who continue to adhere to the regulations.” WestJet says police were called in after the family “refused to comply with Transport Canada’s interim order and subsequently refused to deplane the aircraft.” Video can be found here.
In Ontario,
And, it's not even flu season yet.......Ontario marks two weeks where daily COVID-19 case count surpasses 100. Ontario logged another 149 cases of COVID-19 yesterday, marking two full weeks where the daily number of recorded infections has surpassed 100. More than half of the new infections were reported in the Greater Toronto Area, according to Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott. “Toronto is reporting 50 cases with 41 in Peel and 16 in Ottawa,” Elliott said in a post on social media. "Hospitalizations, ICU admissions and vented patients all remain essentially stable."
One Ontario cottage party infection spread to 40 people, top doctor says. Within nine days, that single COVID-19 infection became 40, two child-care centres were shut down, and vulnerable family members of some of those 10 partygoers needed hospital care. This is a real-world example that Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s chief medical officer of health, used to demonstrate how quickly and widely unknowing carriers can spread the virus. “None of these people expected that their minor cold symptoms were COVID, and if there was protection like physical distancing and people were wearing masks, then that would limit the transmission,” said Etches. “The take-home message here is that COVID-19 can spread rapidly when we don’t expect it, and we need to be COVID wise and continue the behaviours we know do stop transmission.”
Ford calls idea of rolling entire province back to Stage 2 “unnaceptable”. Premier Doug Ford says he is not considering rolling the whole province back into Stage 2 of the reopening process. Speaking to reporters today Ford was asked if he would consider taking Ontario back, “To say that I am going to close the whole province, that’s unacceptable. I wouldn’t close the whole province when 16 regions don’t have one single case, it’s not fair to the rest of the province.” But Ford did encourage the Mayors of the centres where the majority of Ontario’s cases are to make a decision on whether they want to follow in the footsteps of British Columbia by closing down nightclubs and banquet halls and shutting pubs down earlier, or limit the number of people allowed at large gatherings, “We aren’t there, I don’t think we are even close to being there yet. But again, it could spike up overnight it’s concerning. And, I will take the advice of our Health Table which I always have, and through our Minister of Health and Dr. Williams, that’s who I’m going to take the advice off. But again, we have a large, large province of over 14 and a half-million people, massive geographical area, similar to Quebec, actually Quebec is even larger geographically. It’s really up to each region, and that’s why we broke it down. When we opened it up in regions then I encourage anyone who has a concern, be it any of the large cities, you’re the Mayors, make a decision. We’ll support you.” Toronto Mayor John Tory suggested this morning that the province should look at forcing bars to close earlier to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Ford reiterated the fact that Medical Officers of Health and Mayors have the power to roll back public health measures under section 22 of the Health Promotion and Protection Act, and if they decide to do so, the province will support them.
School bus routes cancelled across Ontario as COVID-19 worsens driver shortage. The COVID-19 pandemic is placing Ontario's already precarious school bus industry under additional strain, parents and advocates argued Wednesday amid mounting reports of masse route cancellations and overcrowded vehicles. They said the growing list of problems, emerging just two days into the province's return to school, come on top of a long-standing bus driver shortage across Ontario and are compounding a situation that was troubling long before the global outbreak. Debbie Montgomery, president of Unifor Local 4268 which represents bus drivers, said the full picture of driver retention and recruitment is still taking shape. But she said lack of clarity around safety protocols and access to personal protective equipment has contributed to the situation unfolding across the province. “Now we're hearing that routes are just being cancelled. There's nothing else they can do,” Montgomery said in a telephone interview. “They can't attract new people and they can't keep those they had. The vehicle might be there but the operator is not.” Twelve bus routes were cancelled in both the Grey-Bruce and Thunder Bay regions as of Wednesday.
In local news,
St. Paul's On-the-Hill food bank sees 14 per cent rise in users. St. Paul’s serves both Pickering and Ajax residents. And the number of families using the food bank has gone up by 14 per cent over last year. “We’re busy, we’re different,” said director Marg Jocz. Things have changed physically. Volunteers meet the clients at the door on the days they come to pick up their items. And they come in to stock the shelves at staggered times. “We’re still meeting the needs,” she said. “We haven’t closed our door for one day.” So far in 2020, the food bank has fed more than 4,200 adults and nearly 3,000 children. In the entire year of 2019, the food bank fed roughly 3,500 adults and not quite 2,500 children. Jocz said a lot of the people using the food bank have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, and noted many clients have large families, with four or five children. And, as government funding for COVID-19 tapers off, she thinks there will be even more need.
Musing,
Has anyone tested the long term effects of the hand sanitizer that now glosses the steering wheel of your vehicle?
"The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough." (RALPH WALDO EMERSON)
It's been my observation that the more perfect a person (thinks) they are, the less other people want to be around them. (me)
Did you know, this is the first year of the Cormorant hunt in Ontario. About time......
On this day in history in 1991, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is released as a single. You either had to be part of a fairly small subculture of music fans or a professional on the business side of the music industry to have heard of Nirvana before the autumn of 1991. To the few who followed their particular brand of alternative music before “alternative” went mainstream, Nirvana had announced themselves as a band to watch with their independently produced 1989 album Bleach. And to the music-business pros who knew that Bleach sold 30,000 copies after being produced for only $600, Nirvana was seen as a prime candidate for a breakout with their second album being released by the major label Geffen Records.
Hard to believe but in 1977, The guillotine falls silent. At Baumetes Prison in Marseille, France, Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant convicted of murder, becomes the last person executed by guillotine. The guillotine first gained fame during the French Revolution when physician and revolutionary Joseph-Ignace Guillotin won passage of a law requiring all death sentences to be carried out by “means of a machine.” Decapitating machines had been used earlier in Ireland and England, and Guillotin and his supporters viewed these devices as more humane than other execution techniques, such as hanging or firing squad. A French decapitating machine was built and tested on cadavers, and on April 25, 1792, a highwayman became the first person in Revolutionary France to be executed by this method.
Who remembers the ZZ Top song "TV Dinners"?????
Today is - NATIONAL TV DINNER DAY – NATIONAL SWAP IDEAS DAY – NATIONAL SCHOOL PICTURE 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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