Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 38,415,596. (Deaths: 1,091,691 and Recovered: 28,879,323)
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 October 14, 2020:
Health Canada reported 186,881 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 19,741 cases are active, there have been 9,654 deaths and 157,486 people have recovered.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 60,692 total confirmed cases and 3,017 total deaths. 5,946 are active. Currently, there are 230 people are in hospital with 60 of those in ICU. 51,729 cases have been resolved. (Hospitalizations in Ontario are steadily rising and of note, the total capacity number for ICU beds is 350. ICU bed utilization is the number to watch, not the total cases.)
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 87,791. (8,087 are active) Quebec case numbers continue to rise at the highest rate in Canada.
The Region of Durham reported 2,411 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site reports current outbreaks (Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes) with 40 outbreaks having been "concluded." Clarington rose to 158 cases. (9 are in isolation, 140 are resolved and 7 people have passed away. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "1")
School and Child Care Center outbreaks remain at "6."
In international news,
Ireland may tighten COVID-19 restrictions further - deputy PM. Ireland is more likely to tighten its COVID-19 restrictions in the coming weeks than to ease them, and may decide on Wednesday to impose new measures in areas bordering Northern Ireland, deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday. “We are more likely to see a tightening of restrictions in the weeks ahead than an easing of restrictions,” Varadkar told Newstalk Radio, adding that the government would decide whether to respond to new restrictions expected in Northern Ireland.
Pope Francis keeps his distance at audience over COVID concerns. Pope Francis stayed a safe distance from well-wishers at his weekly general audience on Wednesday, saying new rules aimed at curbing the coronavirus meant he had to hold back. “I would like to, as I usually do, go down and get closer to greet you. But with the new regulations, it is better if we keep a distance,” Francis said from a stage. “It often happens that when I go down, everybody gets close and piles up. And it’s a problem because there is a risk of infection. This way, everyone wearing their mask and maintaining their distance, we can go forward with the audiences.”
From the Epoch Times, Exclusive: China Had COVID-Like Patients Months Before Official Timeline. Internal CCP documents show patients in Wuhan had symptoms as early as September 2019, but authorities didn't disclose to the world. A series of leaked documents shows that patients in China with symptoms similar to COVID-19 were hospitalized months before the regime’s official timeline, throwing into question when exactly the CCP virus began spreading in Wuhan, China’s epidemic ground zero. At least one patient with COVID-19-like symptoms was treated in September 2019, according to hospital data obtained by The Epoch Times from a trusted source who has access to government documents. Dozens more were hospitalized over the following month. Wuhan hospitals also reported several deaths in October 2019 due to severe pneumonia, lung infections, and other symptoms similar to COVID-19 patients. The city’s health commission only publicly announced an outbreak of a novel form of pneumonia on Dec. 31, 2019—after social media posts by whistleblower doctors had gone viral. In a letter dated Feb. 19 obtained by The Epoch Times, a national investigation team set up by the central government stated that it wished to trace early cases of the disease. It asked local authorities for data from all Wuhan medical institutions over the period between Oct. 1 to Dec. 10, 2019, including information on patients who visited fever clinics in the vicinity of the Huanan Seafood Market, a wet market that the officials initially identified as the outbreak origin; details of the earliest 10 suspected cases at each medical agency rated tier two or above (three is the highest); and pneumonia deaths with COVID-19-like symptoms. The letter stated that nine hospitals, which received the most COVID-19 patients in the city, were key to the investigation
In national news,
People are getting reinfected with COVID-19. What that means for 'herd immunity' and vaccines. It’s not clear how often reinfection might occur, because we’re not routinely looking for it, and a lot of work needs to go into proving it. Unlike U.S. President Donald Trump, people shouldn’t assume invulnerability once they’ve had COVID-19. The latest reports of people who became infected with the pandemic virus twice — a 25-year-old man from the state of Nevada who recovered, and an 89-year-old Dutch woman reported to be the first known person to die after catching COVID-19, 59 days after her first infection — add to growing evidence that reinfection with COVID-19 is not only possible, in rare cases it could result in worse disease the second time around. In fact, it’s not known how long, or how well, immunity after infection with SARS-CoV-2 is likely to last. For some, it may be short lived. A paper published this week in Lancet Infectious Diseases describes the case of a 25-year-old man from Washoe County, Nevada, with no known immune disorders or underlying health conditions who was infected with two distinct SARS-CoV-2 infections within 48 days. It is the fifth confirmation of COVID-19 reinfection worldwide. The Nevada man first tested positive for the virus in April, at a community-testing event. He had had tell-tale signs of COVID-19 for several weeks — sore throat, cough, headache, nausea, and diarrhea. He felt “lousy and quite sick,” but recovered in April and into May, said Dr. Mark Pandori, director of the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory and lead author of the Lancet study. The man worked in a job that required two negatives tests. He got tested, twice, in May, and was negative each time. Then, at the end of May, “he started to feel very lousy again,” Pandori said, with fever, headache, dizziness, and cough and shortness of breath. He was admitted to hospital in early June and tested positive again for COVID-19. This time, he developed a pneumonia-like illness requiring oxygen.
(How convenient, Justin. It's the COVID...) PM blasts Tories for push to keep WE probe alive, says feds focused on COVID-19. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has blasted opposition parties for continuing their effort to dig into the WE Charity issue, and says his government is instead focused on helping Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic. The comments follow Conservative calls for a new anticorruption committee in the House of Commons to take over several parliamentary probes into a multimillion-dollar federal program for students that the government chose WE Charity to manage in the spring. Both parties’ calls come as opposition parties have indicated they plan to resurrect the earlier probes at the Commons’ finance and ethics committees, among others, which were suspended for months when Trudeau prorogued Parliament in August. The prime minister sidestepped questions Tuesday about whether he would support having one special committee continue the investigation into WE, suggesting instead that the issue is closed for the government and its priority is dealing with COVID-19. “We are entirely focused on this second wave of COVID-19,” he said. “We will continue to stay focused on what we need to do to support Canadians facing a very difficult time right now.”
In Ontario,
Province providing $300-million to restaurants and the food services industry impacted by COVID-19. The province is trying to help restaurants and the food services industry weather the pandemic. Restaurants and bars were forced to close early on in the pandemic. They reopened with limited indoor dinning. Last week, indoor dinning was ordered closed again in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa to stop the spread of COVID-19 in those areas. To provide relief for restaurants and other businesses impacted by the new public health measures, Ontario announced $300 million. That money will be used to help businesses offset fixed costs, including property taxes, hydro and natural gas bills. “Families and entrepreneurs across Ontario have poured their hearts into local restaurants and diners. They’ve been there for us, from donating to charities to sponsoring little league sports,” said Premier Doug Ford. “To support them during these tough times, our government is making millions available to provide relief for fixed costs. I’m also calling on everyone in Ontario to rally around our small businesses by ordering takeout or delivery. Together, we can make a huge difference.”
Premier Ford has strong words for anti-maskers, COVID deniers. Premier Doug Ford had some strong words for people who think COVID-19 is a hoax. During his daily briefing, Ford was asked about COVID-19 deniers and people accusing the media and the government of lying to the public. Ford says this is a democratic country and everyone can have an opinion but he is not mincing words with anti-maskers, “We have the anti-maskers showing up to my house again, flying the flag upside down. That’s disturbing, to say the least. You don’t like our country, and want to disrespect the people of this country and the flag, get going, take off, leave, find another place you can fly your flag upside down.” As far as for elected officials, he says he is not sure where people are getting this information but there’s no agenda in his government, “You are talking to the Premier, there’s no hidden agenda. Not from me, not from any of my Ministers, no one. It is sheer facts. What I get from the Chief Medical Officer I will put it right on the table, good, bad, or ugly.” Ford says he is the “last guy” that would put up with a hidden agenda saying, “This is real, as real as I am standing here.” Ford also applauded the work the media has done since the beginning of the pandemic, “The media has been phenomenal. Without the media, we wouldn’t be able to get our message out. They’ve bent over backward they’ve been out there every single day from the beginning. Part of the Team Ontario approach by making sure people are getting the message, following the guidance and the protocols.” In typical Ford fashion, he called the media “absolute champions.”
(An op-ed from the National Post). Chris Selley: Rank fear mongering behind Ontario's mostly evidence-free new COVID restrictions If Doug Ford is listening to people who think we're on track to match New York's or Lombardy's disasters, it probably wasn't even the decision he wanted to make. Friday’s decision by the Ontario government to bust Toronto, Ottawa and Peel Region back down to Phase 2 of reopening — after resisting weeks of demands that they do precisely that, thus squandering huge amounts of the benefit they now claim we can reap — came with the following warning from the public health boffins: “If this dangerous trend (in COVID-19 transmission rates) continues … updated modelling shows the province could experience worst-case scenarios seen in northern Italy and New York City.” It was duly reported by the media — how could such an alarming warning not be? In Manhattan, living symbol of western wealth and privilege, we saw nurses wearing garbage bags in lieu of proper protective gowns, and a huge midtown convention centre turned into a field hospital. Prisoners from Rikers Island were burying two dozen bodies a day in trenches. In Bergamo, the hardest-hit city in Lombardy, which was the hardest-hit region in Italy, we saw coffins piled up in churches and loaded onto military trucks heading to crematoriums in other cities. But to evoke these scenes in Ontario circa Thanksgiving 2020 was rank fearmongering. None of that is going to happen. This government, particularly its incoherent public health leadership, is flailing. Such disastrous outcomes probably wouldn’t occur even if regions of Ontario somehow achieved New York City’s or Lombardy’s case counts: We are simply far more prepared for and knowledgeable about this virus. This is easily observable in Italy itself, where caseloads are threatening to match the first wave, but the overall situation is well under control. Most importantly, we know that COVID-19 ruthlessly targets the elderly — 97 per cent of reported fatalities in Canada have been aged 60 or older, and 74 per cent of those have been 80 or older — and we can focus on protecting them. The biggest worry about a surge in cases among younger people is that they will transmit it to their elders. Ontario’s data thus far suggest that’s not happening in large numbers. But we’re not going to achieve New York City’s or Lombardy’s case counts. The notion is ridiculous. Lombardy’s seven-day average new-case rate peaked at 213 per million on March 27. New York City’s peaked on April 8 at 635 per million. Ottawa’s, Peel Region’s and Toronto’s spring peaks were 56, 65 and 78 per million. On Friday, the equivalent rates were 110, 67 and 82. (read the rest here.)
In local news,
GTHA officials asking province for clear health advice about Halloween. "We want clear advice about how to handle Halloween." That’s the message GTHA mayors and chairs are sending to the province. With Halloween less than three weeks away, the mayors and chairs of the 11 largest municipal governments across the GTHA want one clear public health message, preferably coming from the province, by the end of the week. Ontario’s top doctor, David Williams, said Tuesday they’re going to issue specific guidelines for the hardest-hit regions soon.
How many COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Durham schools? (A positive case at a school does not mean the person was infected at school.) There has been a total of 41 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Durham schools since classes resumed, according to data provided by the local school boards and the province. This list includes active and resolved cases reported:
- One case at William Dunbar P.S., 1030 Glenanna Rd. , Pickering
- One case at Dr. G.L. MacGillivray P.S., 75 Meadowglade Rd., Courtice
- One case at Good Shepherd Catholic School, 20 Farmington Dr., Courtice
- One case at Colonel JE Farewell PS, 810 McQuay Blvd., Whitby
- Four cases at Dunbarton High School, 655 Shephard Ave., Pickering
- Two cases at St. Francis de Sales Catholic School, 72 Church St. South, Ajax
- One case at Harold Longworth P.S., 350 Longworth Ave., Bowmanville
- One case at R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate, 570 Stevenson Rd. N., Oshawa
- Three cases at Seneca Trail P.S., 1915 Queensbury Dr., Oshawa
- One case at Michaelle Jean P.S., 180 Williamson Dr. E., Ajax
- One case at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, 1375 Harwood Ave. N., Ajax
- One case at Brookin Village P.S., 25 Selkirk Drive, Brooklin
- Two cases at McCaskill's Mills P.S., 85 Albert Street, Cannington
- Two cases (resolved) at Maple Ridge P.S., 2010 Bushmill St., Pickering
- Two cases at Pine Ridge Secondary School, 2155 Liverpool Rd., Pickering
- Three cases at Nottingham Public School, 50 Seggar Avenue, Ajax
- One case at Ecole Ronald-Marion, 2235 Brock Rd, Pickering
- Three cases at École élémentaire Antonine-Maillet, 615 Ridgeway Ave., Oshawa
- One case at All Saints Catholic Secondary School, 3001 Country Lane, Whitby
- One case at Lord Elgin P.S., 24 Ontario St., Ajax
- One case at secondaire catholique Saint-Charles-Garnier, 4101 Baldwin St. S., Whitby
- Two cases at Port Perry High School, 160 Rosa St., Port Perry
- One case at Williamsburg P.S., 20 Kirkland Place, Whitby
- One case at Dr. Roberta Bondar P.S., 25 Sullivan Dr., Ajax
- Two cases at Sinclair Secondary School, 380 Taunton Rd. E., Whitby
- Two cases at C.E. Broughton P.S., 80 Crawforth St., Whitby
- One case at Cadarackque P.S., 15 Miles Dr., Ajax
Musing,
“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” (ANNE FRANK)
Long lines for the flu shot in Ontario.....
Have you ever....drank milk out of the jug when nobody was looking?
Did you know....Port Darlington (Bowmanville) was a smugglers hub during the U.S. prohibition era?
On this day in history, 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. wins Nobel Peace Prize
African American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in America. At 35 years of age, the Georgia-born minister was the youngest person ever to receive the award. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta in 1929, the son of a Baptist minister. He received a doctorate degree in theology and in 1955 organized the first major protest of the civil rights movement: the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. Influenced by Mohandas Gandhi, he advocated nonviolent civil disobedience to racial segregation. The peaceful protests he led throughout the American South were often met with violence, but King and his followers persisted, and their nonviolent movement gained momentum. A powerful orator, he appealed to Christian and American ideals and won growing support from the federal government and northern whites. In 1963, he led his massive March on Washington, in which he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” address. In 1964, the civil rights movement achieved two of its greatest successes: the ratification of the 24th Amendment, which abolished the poll tax, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited racial discrimination in employment and education and outlawed racial segregation in public facilities. In October of that year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He donated the prize money, valued at $54,600, to the civil rights movement.
In 1947, Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier
U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.Yeager, born in Myra, West Virginia, in 1923, was a combat fighter during World War II and flew 64 missions over Europe. He shot down 13 German planes and was himself shot down over France, but he escaped capture with the assistance of the French Underground. After the war, he was among several volunteers chosen to test-fly the experimental X-1 rocket plane, built by the Bell Aircraft Company to explore the possibility of supersonic flight.
Today is - NATIONAL EMERGENCY NURSE'S DAY - NATIONAL STOP BULLYING DAY - BE BALD AND BE FREE DAY - NATIONAL DESSERT DAY - NATIONAL BRING YOUR TEDDY BEAR TO WORK/SCHOOL DAY
The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
supportontariomade.ca
Here is how to clean your non-medical mask.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment