Worldwide stats provided by worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 89,599,536. (Deaths: 1,908,642 and Recovered: 63,688,727)
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 January 8, 2021:
Health Canada reported 635,134 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 80,288 cases are active, there have been 16,579 deaths and 531,277 people have recovered.
The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 204,145 total confirmed cases and 4,856 total deaths. 26,718 are active. Currently, there are 1,472 people are in hospital with 363 of those in ICU. 172,571 cases have been resolved. (Hospitalizations in Ontario are steadily rising and of note, the total capacity number for ICU beds is now, 2000. ICU bed utilization is the number to watch, not the total cases.)
Quebec continues to have the highest reported cases in the country with 220,518. (24,960 are active)
The Region of Durham reported 8,403 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (912 active). The site reports 24 current outbreaks (Hospitals, LTCF's and Retirement Homes) with 65 outbreaks having been "concluded." Clarington rose to 597 cases. (62 are in isolation, 524 are resolved and 8 people have passed away. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3") School and Child Care Center outbreaks sit at "1", with 34 having been concluded.
In international news,
Raging COVID-19 cases are expected to have restrained U.S. labor market in December. The U.S. economy likely created the fewest jobs in seven months in December or even shed workers as the country buckled under an onslaught of COVID-19 infections, marking the start of what is expected to be a bleak winter. Despite the anticipated weakness in the Labor Department’s closely watched employment report on Friday, the economy is unlikely to fall back into recession, with additional pandemic relief approved by the government in late December providing a backstop. More fiscal stimulus is expected. Democrats this week won two Senate seats in runoff elections in Georgia, gaining control of the chamber and boosting the prospects for President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. Biden will be sworn in on Jan. 20, with the economy recovering just over half of the 22.2 million jobs lost during the recession that started in February. At least 19 million Americans are receiving unemployment checks. “Job growth has been decelerating, since the easy part of the recovery in the labor market, recalling workers, has mostly run its course,” said Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics.
(So, it would appear COVID-19 vaccinations are running somewhat smoother in other parts of the world.) COVID-19 vaccine in the UAE: Get vaccinated for free at these locations in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. "List of locations announced by Ministry of Health and Prevention" Dubai: UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) announced the availability of COVID-19 vaccine in a number of health centers around the UAE for free. The centres are in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. According to the information shared by MOHAP on their social media accounts, this is the list of all the locations where the vaccination will be provided for free. (Meanwhile, Canada awaits vaccines from China, which ain't coming. Thanks, Justin.)
In national news,
An op-ed from the National Post, John Ivison: The shocking truth about this virus is that Canadians aren't being shocked enough It is absurd for governments to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. Earlier this week, I suggested that the time is right to ditch the failed attempts to contain and manage COVID in favour of hard lockdowns in provinces where the virus threatens to overwhelm health systems. It is fair to say, many readers did not agree. “This silly little virus is not Ebola,” was a typical response, if less scathing and profane than many. Yet it’s clear that we are in a new, more destructive phase of the pandemic, and it’s equally evident that preventative measures in Canada’s largest provinces are not working. On Thursday, Ontario reported a record number of new cases (3,519), new deaths (89) and COVID-related hospitalizations (1,472). The province has seen 200,000 cases since the pandemic started, but has taken just 47 days to add the latest 100,000. Quebec’s numbers were equally dismal – another 2,500 cases – a trend that promoted Premier Francois Legault to introduce new restrictions on Wednesday, including an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for the next month. The new interventions were aimed at preventing the health system from being swamped. INESSS, Quebec’s health institution, is reporting that some hospitals in the greater Montreal area are completely full; the province’s health minister, Christian Dubé, said some kidney transplant operations have been cancelled, and doctors say breast cancer patients are reporting larger tumours than before the pandemic because they’re being diagnosed late. Some readers pointed out that further lockdowns are doomed because governments at all levels have lost public trust. There is some truth to this. L’actualité, the French language news magazine, reported on Thursday that as part of his political deliberations, Legault estimated that 20-30 per cent of Quebecers no longer comply with government restrictions. The state can’t force people to conform. But in the early days of the pandemic, it was fear, rather than compulsion, that encouraged compliance. It may do so again. A new variant of the virus that could be up to 60 per cent more transmissible is already present in Canada and will become predominant over time. We have record numbers of cases and deaths are on course to exceed the numbers we saw in April. The bulk of the population won’t be vaccinated until September. As that grim picture becomes clearer, anxiety rather than enforcement could once again encourage good behaviour. But governments have to set parameters than ensure that lockdowns are effective and avoid the necessity of fighting a third wave later this spring. It is dubious whether Legault has gone far enough, particularly in his decision to resume the in-person school year on January 11 for primary students and January 18 for secondary kids. David Buckeridge, professor at McGill University’s school of population and global health, lamented the decision to keep schools open. “A true ‘reset’ means trying to interrupt enough transmission and I’m not sure this is going to do that,” he said. The literature on the role children and schools play in transmission is clear. Studies in multiple countries (such as this one) link school closures to reductions in COVID cases and mortality. This is not lost on parents. A majority of Canadians in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta think it is unsafe to send their kids back to school, according to a new poll conducted by the Association for Canadian Studies.
In Ontario,
Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators get green light from province to play in home arenas. With the new NHL season starting in six days, the province has given Ontario’s NHL teams the official green light to play at their home arenas. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s Scotiabank Arena, while the Ottawa Senators’ home arena is the Canadian Tire Centre. Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod shared the news on Twitter Thursday. She says the decision was made after consulting with the province’s chief medical officer of health and was supported by Toronto and Ottawa’s top doctors. The Leafs and Sens will only be hosting games against other Canadian teams.
Elementary students in southern Ontario will learn online until January 25. Elementary students in southern Ontario won’t resume in-person learning until January 25 at the earliest. The province made the announcement Thursday and also said they are extending the shutdown in northern Ontario for another 14 days, so it aligns with the shutdown in southern Ontario. The provincial government said they made the decision after consulting with Ontario’s chief medical officer of health and other health experts. “With the public health trends where they are across the province, our priority remains keeping students, teachers, school staff, and all Ontarians safe,” said Premier Ford. The province says although schools are not a significant source of transmission, students have been at home for several weeks since then, reports of concerning behaviour over the holidays have emerged. The COVID-19 positivity rate among school-aged kids has sharply increased. The province says the most troubling statistic is the positivity rate among kids between 12 and 13-years-old has increased from 5.44 per cent in late November, early December to nearly 20 per cent in early January. The return to in-person learning for elementary students in southern Ontario on January 25 aligns with the planned return of in-person learning for high school students in the same area. Elementary and high school students in the seven northern Ontario public health unit regions will return to in-person learning January 11 as originally planned. The province says that’s because of internet limitations in those areas.
Almost half of record-high COVID deaths occurred in nursing homes. Of the 89 deaths reported in the latest update, 43 were residents of long-term care. Ontario’s record number of deaths from COVID-19 reported Thursday shows a harsh toll on seniors and those living in long-term care homes. Of the 89 deaths reported in the latest update, 43 were residents of long-term care. Since the start of the outbreak, 2,928 of the 4,856 COVID deaths reported have taken place in nursing homes. That amounts to a staggering 60% of all cases — though that is down from 64% of all deaths six months ago. Data provided by the province shows that 61 of the new deaths reported were over the age of 80 while 24 were between the ages of 60 and 79 and 4 were between the ages of 40 and 59. These figures mirror what has happened from the start with COVID-19, a virus that has the hardest impact on older people and those with underlying health conditions, especially high blood pressure and heart disease. For example, those over 80 have accounted for 69% of all deaths despite being just 4% of the population and 7% of all COVID-19 cases in Ontario. Just 209 deaths, less than 5% of the total, have occurred in people under 60.
In local news,
Toronto is now publicizing workplace outbreaks. What does the data tell us — and will other health units follow suit? The message from Toronto Public Health this week was clear: when it comes to containing COVID-19, information is power. That was officials’ stated logic for a recent decision to name employers with significant workplace outbreaks based on a transparent set of criteria, including the size and duration of the outbreak. It follows months of pressure — and now, could prompt greater transparency in other regions. Now, following Toronto’s announcement Monday, Durham and Niagara regions are reviewing their workplace outbreak reporting policies, the Star has learned. But across the province, public reporting of workplace outbreaks — a crucial driver of COVID-19 transmission — remains incohesive. Durham does not publicize that data either, and said it currently only names employers with outbreaks when there is “a risk to the general public where we weren’t able to determine all the close contacts.” “However, we are currently reviewing our processes in light of what is occurring at other public health units,” a spokesperson said. Peel, Ottawa, Kingston, Windsor-Essex, Waterloo and Brant are amongst the regions that already provide sectoral data on where workplace outbreaks are happening. Others, like York Region, provide only high-level figures on the number of workplace outbreaks and associated cases.
On Thursday, Lakeridge Health gave the first COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care home residents in Durham. The first long-term care home resident to receive the vaccine was Dorothy Nancarrow. Originally from the United Kingdom, Dorothy came to Canada to raise her family in British Columbia before moving to Ontario in the mid-1960’s. Dorothy has lived in Orchard Villa Long-Term Care Home for the last three years. “I feel grateful to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Nancarrow. “I know it will help keep my family and myself safe.” “The collaboration among our provincial and regional health partners in coordinating and delivering the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine has enabled Lakeridge Health to make good progress in distributing the vaccine to priority populations in Durham Region,” said Cynthia Davis, President and CEO, Lakeridge Health. “We are particularly pleased to offer residents of Orchard Villa vaccines today, given the extensive support our teams have provided to this home over the past several months.” On Friday, another pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic will make its way to Sunnycrest Nursing Home.
Musing,
So, some Canadians are "stuck" in Cuba and Mexico because they cannot get a (PCR) COVID-19 test? Cry me a river. Ya pays yer money, ya takes yer chances. Good luck with that.
Sure didn't see or hear much of Justin over the Christmas holidays? Hmmm....where was he? Some say his wife looks tanned.....
"The axe forgets, but the tree remembers." (African proverb)
WTF is a joygerm?
Have you ever....watched History of Swear Words on Netflix? Fucking classic.....
Did you know...The Guess Who sold more albums in the 70's than the Beatles? (In Canada)
On this day in history, Crazy Horse fights last battle.
On January 8, 1877, Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse and his men—outnumbered, low on ammunition and forced to use outdated weapons to defend themselves—fight their final losing battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana. Six months earlier, in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse and his ally, Sitting Bull, led their combined forces of Sioux and Cheyenne to a stunning victory over Lieutenant Colonel George Custer (1839-76) and his men. The Native Americans were resisting the U.S. government’s efforts to force them back to their reservations. After Custer and over 200 of his soldiers were killed in the conflict, later dubbed “Custer’s Last Stand,” the American public wanted revenge. As a result, the U.S. Army launched a winter campaign in 1876-77, led by General Nelson Miles (1839-1925), against the remaining tribes on the Northern Plains.
Infamous drug lord "El Chapo" is captured by Mexican authorities.
In the early hours of January 8, 2016, Mexican authorities apprehend the drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. It was the third time that the law caught up to El Chapo, a figure whose crimes, influence and mystique rival those of Pablo Escobar.
So, this has become an iconic symbol of America? That's just sad....
Today is - NATIONAL ARGYLE DAY - NATIONAL BUBBLE BATH DAY - NATIONAL ENGLISH TOFFEE DAY - NATIONAL JOYGERM DAY - NATIONAL WINTER SKIN RELIEF 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