Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 41,093,940. (Deaths: 1,130,531 and Recovered: 30,655,537)
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 21, 2020:
Health Canada reported 203,688 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 22,151 cases are active, there have been 9,778 deaths and 169,671 people have recovered.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 65,896 total confirmed cases (821 new) and 3,053 total deaths. 6,237 are active. Currently, there are 274 people are in hospital with 72 of those in ICU. 56,606 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 95,216. (8,693 are active) Quebec case numbers continue to rise at the highest rate in Canada.
The Region of Durham reported 2,643 (41 new) confirmed cases of COVID-19. The site reports 3 current outbreaks (Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes) with 41 outbreaks having been "concluded." Clarington rose to 181 cases. (15 are in isolation, 157 are resolved and 7 people have passed away. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "2") School and Child Care Center outbreaks rose to "8", with 2 having been concluded.
In international news,
From muy bonita Puerto Vallarta, in order to prevent and contain the transmission of Covid-19, the Jalisco Health Secretariat notified municipalities that cemeteries and pantheons will remain closed during Day of the Dead, as well as the cancellation of all celebrations. Mayor Arturo Dávalos Peña confirmed the notification of this mandatory official measure, which must be complied with by municipal authorities, because, in the face of an increase in infections, it seeks to take care of the health and well-being of the people of Vallarta, in addition to avoiding a step backwards to economic closings.
Should Germany impose border controls as Covid-19 rates rise across Europe? A debate over tightening border controls in Germany has been sparked as countries, including Austria and the Czech Republic, battle with increasing coronavirus infections. Back in spring during the first peak of the crisis, Germany hastily introduced border controls as countries around Europe battled to get the number of Covid-19 infections under control. However, it resulted in long queues and chaos at border crossings. Now as a resurgence of coronavirus intensifies, there is disagreement about reintroducing tougher border controls – even within political parties, such as the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU). In view of the worsening situation in Europe, Bavarian interior minister Joachim Herrmann believes it is necessary to talk about border controls again. "The discussion about intensified border controls could flare up again if the incidence of infection in neighbouring countries gets out of control," the CSU politician told the newspapers in the Funke Media Group on Tuesday. "At the same time, we are keeping an eye on the close economic relations where there is regular commuting workers, for example with the Czech Republic and Austria". In Austria the number of new infections is going up rapidly, resulting in tougher coronavirus regulations and a local lockdown in Kuchl, near the German border. A lockdown was also being introduced on Tuesday in nearby Berchtesgadener Land in southern Bavaria.
In national news,
Via Rail to require passengers without masks to provide medical proof of exemption. Via Rail will soon require all passengers not wearing a mask to provide a certificate stating that they are medically exempt from wearing one. According to the rail line’s website, as of Nov. 9, passengers with a medical condition or disability “that makes it difficult to wear a mask must provide an official medical certificate along with a government-issued photo ID.” The medical certificate must indicate the passenger’s full name, specifies that the passenger has a condition or disability that makes it hard to wear a mask and must be dated and signed on official letterhead issued by a health-care provider.
Sadly, a sign of the times. There are alot of angry people out there, thanks to COVID-19. Quebec's public health director says he has a driver and bodyguard because of threats. Quebec's director of public health revealed Tuesday he has a driver and bodyguard to protect him against threats from people upset with his pandemic-related health orders. Dr. Horacio Arruda told reporters he was assigned a driver and bodyguard after the Public Security Department evaluated the threats that had been made against him. Arruda said the security measures have been in place "since the start" but he didn't elaborate.
'Critical' data gaps have greatly hampered Canadian governments' ability to face COVID-19 pandemic: report. These data gaps and inconsistencies have led to serious shortcomings in the timeliness, completeness and quality of Canadian health care,' the report says. The report highlights that some provinces refuse, or at least display a “strong reticence,” to share their health-care data with other organizations. While the provinces were trying to get a grasp of the mortality rate of the COVID-19 virus spreading throughout the country in the spring, federal officials were hitting a data wall. In fact it could take months “and sometimes longer” for basic information, such as that contained in a death certificate, to make its way into national databases tracking COVID-19-related deaths, concludes the first annual report by the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council. “Critical data gaps and a lack of coordinated data in Canada seriously undermine the ability of decision-makers and governments at all levels, as well as the general public, to understand and address key social, health, economic, environmental and energy issues facing Canadians,” the authors remark. The council was put in place in 2017 by the Trudeau government to provide independent advice on how to improve and ensure the quality of Canada’s national statistics system.
In Ontario,
'We can't force people to come in for a test," Ford says after Ontario reports more than 800 new cases despite drop in testing. Ontario reported 821 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and three new deaths, on a drastically lower amount of processed tests, sending the provincewide positivity rate well above three per cent. The new cases were detected on 24,000 tests, less than half of the province’s target for testing announced last month and below one third of what the province agreed to eventually reach under the federal Safe Restart Agreement. As a result, the positivity rate was 3.42 per cent. Provincial labs processed 31,864 specimens on Monday. In moving four regions of the province back into a modified Stage 2 of reopening this month, Premier Doug Ford and other officials have cited a marker where they move to enact measures whenever a region of the province reaches a test positivity rate of 2.5 per cent or greater. The province as a whole exceeded that on Tuesday, with the lowest number of tests processed since sometime in early September.
Ontario extends COVID-19 emergency orders until Nov. 21 amid second wave. Ontario has extended a number of COVID-19 orders until mid-November as the province grapples with the second wave of the disease. In a news release issued late Tuesday morning, the Progressive Conservative government said that the extension will apply to all orders under the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA) except those that deal with hydro prices and access to electronic personal health information. Orders under the ROA include the province's ability to implement rules on public gatherings, business closures and managing outbreaks in hospitals or long-term care homes. The extension of these orders does not change the length Toronto, Peel Region, Ottawa and York Region will be forced to remain in a modified Stage 2.
In local news,
Ajax and Pickering restaurants trying to survive in the age of COVID. Dining indoors hasn't been as popular as sitting on patio during COVID-19. With colder temperatures moving in and patios becoming less inviting, local restaurants have seen another drop in business. “I think people were very comfortable sitting outside," said Dan Ferracuti, owner of Drums N Flats in Ajax. "Unfortunately, as the weather has been turning, though, we’ve seen the complete opposite." He said the restaurant’s large patio this summer was “a lifesaver.” In June, Ontario entered Stage 2 of opening back up for business following the COVID-19 lockdown, allowing restaurants to welcome guests back to dine on patios. In July, Ontario entered Stage 3, allowing guests to eat inside, with limitations. However, a lot of people still preferred to eat outdoors. “I just think in general people feel better sitting outside still,” said Andrew Jackson, Moxie’s Bar and Grill director of operations. Moxie’s in Pickering had a steady flow of guests on the patio and extended outdoor seating this summer, but prepared for the colder months. “All our booths, we have glass between every single one so that we can seat all of them and so people feel better sitting inside,” Jackson said. Both Moxie's and Drums N Flats are getting positive feedback from those who dine inside. "I think the consensus is that people that have dined with us are very happy with what we’re doing," said Jackson. "We hear it in a lot of feedback online and in person.” As the number of COVID-19 cases has increased again since early September, on Friday, Oct. 9 the Province announced that Toronto, Peel and Ottawa would go back to a modified version of Stage 2.
School boards in Durham are confirming two more COVID-19 cases. One is at St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary School at 610 Longworth Avenue in Bowmanville.
Musing,
“Every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country.” (GEORGE WASHINGTON)
Got a promotional e-mail from West Jet yesterday. "Go from snow to sun with our latest schedule." Yes, I will get right on that. Let me book another trip (that will likely get cancelled) and then receive yet another credit I will never be able to use. Pffhttt.....here is the link if you're a gambler.
Sometimes, ending a tradition can be liberating. There are those, that just ain't worth keeping.
Have you ever....made "butter?"
Did you know....there is still a Blockbuster building just outside Owen Sound, Ontario? (On October 19th, I wrote about the anniversary of the first Blockbuster back in 1985). Full story here Petition calls for Blockbuster location in Ontario to be preserved as a museum. In the township of Georgian Bluffs Ont. just west of Owen Sound you can find the former store still adorned with the classic logo across the top. The store itself officially closed in 2011, but it is still gaining visitors and internet fame. The petition originally posted to change.org roughly four months ago is calling for the Blockbuster to be made a heritage site and turned into a museum.
(This one reminds me of Forrest Gump) On this day in history, 1967, Thousands protest the war in Vietnam. In Washington, D.C. nearly 100,000 people gather to protest the American war effort in Vietnam. More than 50,000 of the protesters marched to the Pentagon to ask for an end to the conflict. The protest was the most dramatic sign of waning U.S. support for President Lyndon Johnson’s war in Vietnam. Polls taken in the summer of 1967 revealed that, for the first time, American support for the war had fallen below 50 percent.
Guggenheim Museum opens in New York City.
On October 21, 1959, on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, thousands of people line up outside a bizarrely shaped white concrete building that resembled a giant upside-down cupcake. It was opening day at the new Guggenheim Museum, home to one of the world’s top collections of contemporary art.
Today is - HAGFISH DAY - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DAY - NATIONAL PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DAY - NATIONAL REPTILE AWARENESS DAY - MEDICAL ASSISTANTS RECOGNITION 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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