Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 39,228,901. (Deaths: 1,103,708 and Recovered: 29,409,004)
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 Friday October 16, 2020:
Health Canada reported 191,732 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 20,543 cases are active, there have been 9,699 deaths and 161,490 people have recovered.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 62,196 total confirmed cases and 3,022 total deaths. 5,883 are active. Currently, there are 253 people are in hospital with 62 of those in ICU. 53,291 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 89,963. (8,491 are active) Quebec case numbers continue to rise at the highest rate in Canada.
The Region of Durham reported 2,482 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site reports 3 current outbreaks (Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes) with 40 outbreaks having been "concluded." Clarington rose to 165 cases. (10 are in isolation, 146 are resolved and 7 people have passed away. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "2")
School and Child Care Center outbreaks remain at "6."
In international news,
EU leaders agree to hold frequent COVID video-conferences. European Union leaders have agreed to hold video conferences almost on a weekly basis to coordinate national measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, as the continent battles a spike in infections. Video-conferences are less effective for reaching complex compromises, diplomats say, though they are more practical at present than in-person meetings that increase the risks of infection among leaders and their staff. Underlining those risks, the head of the European Commission and the Finnish prime minister have had to leave a two-day EU summit that ends on Friday as a COVID-19 precaution. “There was an agreement that we would, almost weekly now, engage in consultation with each other in terms of best methods and the best approaches to deal with this second wave of the spread of COVID-19,” Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said at the summit on Friday.
Berlin tourism ad points a middle finger at anti-maskers. It's the kind of mask-wearing advert you'd expect to see: a sweet older woman in what appears to be a homemade floral mask, showing what is expected of us. But where Berlin's new campaign image takes a different turn is in what she's doing: giving the camera the bird. "Up yours to those who don't wear a mask -- we obey the corona rules," reads the advert, which was launched in September and has now gone viral, causing a stir amongst the notoriously direct citizens of the capital of Germany. The advertisement is part of a campaign the city will run for six months, until March 2021, starting with ads on public transport.
Russia approves second virus vaccine after early trials. Russian authorities have given regulatory approval to a second coronavirus vaccine after early-stage studies, two months after a similar move prompted widespread criticism from scientists both at home and abroad. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement on Wednesday, during a televised meeting with government officials. "We now need to increase production of the first vaccine and the second vaccine," Putin said, adding that the priority was to supply the Russian market with the vaccines.
In national news,
(From the U.S. CDC, but oh so Canadian) CDC warns of 'superspreader' potential at beer league hockey games. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that recreational hockey has the right conditions for a “superspreader event” of COVID-19. In its most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC documented the case of a recreational hockey game in Tampa Bay, Fla., back in June, in which 14 players and one arena staff member became ill within five days after the game. Of the 15 people, 13 later tested positive for the novel coronavirus, while the other two were not tested. Nine of the players who contracted the virus were on the same team with the “index patient,” meaning the first documented case at the game, while the other five were on the other team. “The indoor space and close contact between players during a hockey game increase infection risk for players and create potential for a superspreader event, especially with ongoing community COVID-19 transmission,” the CDC wrote in the report.
'Wild, wild west': No charges laid against 300 companies making false PPE claims. Nearly 300 companies have been found to be making false claims about products related to COVID-19 but not one has yet been charged. There are 292 entries in Health Canada's database of "illegal, false or misleading advertising of products claiming to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19." The list includes masks, shields and gloves, products claiming to be hand sanitizers and disinfectants, UV lights, and so-called natural health products claiming effectiveness against the novel coronavirus, including "medicinal mushrooms," vitamins, immune boosters, and essential oils.
New exercise guidelines for adults call for limited screen time and sedentary behaviour. Just three hours of screen time a day and no more than eight hours of sedentary behaviour. Those are the new daily fitness guidelines laid out for adults by Canadian public health and academic experts. The guide also pushes adults to get seven to nine hours of sleep per day. The rest of the day should be spent staying active, including “light physical activities” such as standing and casual walking. They suggest at least 150 minutes per week should be “moderate to vigorous physical activity.” It should also include “muscle strength” work at least twice a week. Those older than 65 should also be working on improving their balance. The guidelines were set up by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP).
In Ontario,
'We still have an acute staffing shortage,' Ontario's long-term care commission hears. Long-term care homes in Ontario are dealing with severe staffing shortages and may not be ready to deal with the second wave of the pandemic, an independent commission has heard. A dearth of staff was one of the main reasons COVID-19 devastated nursing homes in the spring, the Ontario Long-Term Care Association told an independent commission investigating how the novel virus spread in the long-term care system. "We still have an acute staffing shortage," said Donna Duncan, the CEO of the association that represents 70 per cent of long-term care homes in the province. The Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission's inquiry isn't open to the public, but transcripts of testimony are posted online days later. "Are we ready?" Duncan asked during her testimony last month in response to a question from a commissioner about the second wave of COVID-19 that has now gripped the country. "We're concerned that we're not," she said. "But we have to get on a better path to readiness."
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) has made the difficult decision to cancel all sanctioned varsity athletics scheduled for the upcoming winter semester. The decision was made in collaboration with member colleges and institutions based “on several factors that put the health and safety of students and campuses first and foremost.” “The health of the entire OCAA membership and our participants remains our top priority, and we empathize, understand, and share the deep disappointment this especially causes for our winter sport student-athletes,” said OCAA President, Nathan McFadden. “After extensive contingency planning and collaborating with our members, the reality is that there are far too many obstacles to allow the OCAA to operate while providing a safe and quality varsity experience for our student-athletes.” Durham College says the decision has meant the cancellation of their men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball and indoor soccer.
Hundreds of Ottawa students still waiting for 1st day of school. 'It's unfair,' says father of Grade 3 student in education limbo. About 450 children in Ottawa's largest school board are still waiting for their first day of school — almost a month after classes began for thousands of their peers. Virtual school started Sept. 18 for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) but there wasn't enough space for each student who requested an online spot. Back in August, families had to decide whether their children would attend school in person or continue learning online. When school started in September, OCDSB had about 17,000 students learning virtually, 13,000 of them in elementary grades. Ahmed Shehata's Grade 3 daughter is one of those stuck in education limbo. "As a parent I just feel it's unfair," said Shehata.
In local news,
If there was ever a year to get a flu shot, Durham expert says this is it. COVID-19 and flu circulating at the same time could strain health-care system. That’s according to Dr. Dan Ricciuto, medical director for infection prevention and control at Lakeridge Health. He says the fact that COVID-19 and influenza will be circulating simultaneously threatens to put a “huge strain” on the health-care system, impacting everything from ER wait times to the number of available intensive care unit beds. Influenza results in about 12,200 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths in Canada each year. The flu shot can reduce hospital visits as well as serious complications, such as heart attack, stroke or death.
Durham business meets COVID-19 with DIY disinfectant wipes. ‘When traditional brands like Lysol were sold out’ The Simple Concept’s eco-friendly cleaners in demand. As the second-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic begins in Ontario, one Durham business has hand soap, sanitizers, cleaners and even DIY sanitizing wipes kits at the ready. Shop the Simple Concept online at www.thesimpleconcept.com or within Markets by Dream Day shops in Brooklin (66 Baldwin St., Unit 304) and in downtown Bowmanville (62 King St. W.). Follow @the_simple_concept on Instagram and Facebook for more information on the refillery shop and its ever-expanding line of eco-friendly options.
Musing,
“It’s not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters.” (EPICTETUS)
While the fool knows everything, the wise man listens.... hoping to learn anything.
Have you ever....noticed; the people that yell "IT ISN'T FAIR!" the loudest, are the very same people that want to have it better than others? Nothing is fair. Nothing. Get over it, work harder at what you want.
Did you know....medical authorities have developed an updated CFS (Clinical Frailty Scale) based on COVID-19?
On this day in history, in 1970, Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. (With the famous line, "Just watch me.") In the fall of 1970, Canada was plunged into its worst crisis since the Second World War when a radical Quebec group raised the stakes on separatism. On October 16, Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act, which suspended basic civil rights and liberties. It allowed police searches and arrests without warrants, and prolonged detentions without charges and without the right to see a lawyer. It was the first time in Canadian history the Act was used during peacetime. That morning the police arrested 405 people including Quebec singer Pauline Julien.
On this day in history, the Walt Disney Company is founded.
On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy found the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California. The studio, now known as the Walt Disney Company, has had an oversized impact on the entertainment industry and is now one of the largest media companies in the world.
Today is - NATIONAL BOSS’S DAY – NATIONAL SPORTS DAY – GLOBAL CAT DAY – NATIONAL DICTIONARY DAY – NATIONAL LIQUEUR DAY – DEPARTMENT STORE 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.
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