Lygenztia *639 (Simcoe-Muskoka, Thunder Bay..who will be next?.......) Saturday February 27, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 114,066,288. (Deaths: 2,531,050 and Recovered: 89,615,341)
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 Saturday February 27, 2021:
Health Canada reported 861,472 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 30,516 cases are active, there have been 21,915 deaths and 809,041 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 298,569 total confirmed cases and 6,944 total deaths. 10,294 are active. Currently, there are 646 people are in hospital with 280 of those cases currently in ICU. 281,331 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,776 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (264 active). Clarington rose to 871 cases, of which 22 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "14"

In international news,
COVID cases are falling globally but 'it's not over for anybody,' WHO official cautions. While the number of confirmed infections have dropped globally — from more than five million cases a week in January, to 2.5 million in mid-February, the Financial Times reports — not all countries are on a downward slope, Dr. Mike Ryan, director general of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program said Friday. Brazil is having some of its worst moments yet. The country, whose far-right populist president has downplayed the “little flu,” surpassed a quarter million-related deaths this week, the world’s second-highest death toll, behind the United States. In India, infections are surging in five states. Iraq is under a new lockdown, with mosques and schools closed, and curfews at night and weekends. Hospitals in Mexico and other low and middle-income countries are running out of oxygen. In the U.S., the steep fall in confirmed infections — from a daily average of about 73,400 new cases over the past week compared to 250,000 per day in early January, according to a CNBC analysis — may be stalling, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Friday. Different trends are playing out in different parts of the world. “There are many countries thankfully where that (downward trajectory) is happening,” Ryan said, “and there are many countries in which that downward trend is not being achieved.” Canada's COVID models have been largely accurate, but worst cases have not materialized. Variant spread could lead to renewed spike in COVID cases and third wave, Tam warns. Many of the new surges are being blamed on VOCs — highly contagious virus “variants of concern,” that are also taking root across Canada.

In national news,
Health Canada approves two AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines! Health Canada has approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and a related shot by the Serum Institute of India for use in this country with the first doses expected to arrive soon. Canada joins more than a dozen other countries that have given the green light to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the shot from AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which was among the first buzzed-about vaccine candidates in 2020. A version of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the Indian pharmaceutical company Serum Institute of India and sponsored by Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Canada has also been approved for use and is considered a separate vaccine by Health Canada. The two-dose vaccines have been approved for use in people 18 years of age and older, including seniors, with the recommendation that the second dose be administered between four and 12 weeks after the first, officials said Friday.

In Ontario,
Barrie latest city placed under lockdown as province invokes emergency brake in Simcoe-Muskoka and Thunder Bay health units. The Ontario government is invoking its so-called “emergency brake” and placing both the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit under the grey lockdown category in its tiered framework for COVID-19 restrictions. The move means that the vast majority of non-essential businesses in both Simcoe-Muskoka and Thunder Bay will have to close as of 12:01 a.m. on Monday. Social gatherings will also be prohibited, except among members of the same household. Retail establishments are still permitted to operate but are limited to 25 per cent capacity unless they predominantly sell groceries, in which case they can have 50 per cent of their regular capacity. The additional restrictions come amid a recent rise in cases in both health units. Thunder Bay’s rolling seven-day average of new cases has more than doubled since this time last week to 38.8 and local officials are recommending that all schools move to remote-only instruction for the next two weeks. Meanwhile, in Simcoe-Muskoka the rolling seven-day average of new cases is up 40 per cent from this time last week and now stands at 43.

In small town news,
Ontario officials have announced Hastings Prince Edward County will remain at the Green-Prevent level. That means passive screening is still implemented (signs asking patrons not to enter if they have COVID-19 symptoms) when going to stores and private organized events like in your backyard or at the park, is limited to ten people inside and twenty-five people outside. Organized events at staffed business facilities are set at 50 people inside and 100 people outside. Restaurants and bars must have two metres between tables, with the maximum amount of people allowed inside at 50. Gyms will also be allowed to open but they are limited to fifty people. If you’re visiting a long-term care centre you must have received a negative test in the past two weeks and verbally confirm to have not tested positive since then. Another negative test will be needed on the day of the visit. The province also suggests reaching out to the home before visiting to make sure there are no on-going outbreaks and to find out if the home has differing visitation policies in place.

Musing,
It must be incredibly frustrating for restaurants and bars in the newly locked down regions. (Muskoka, Thunder Bay) Opening and closing a restaurant isn't as simple as unlocking the door. First, there is the food waste when the restaurant is locked down. But then, re-opening includes food orders, cleaning keg lines, formulating staff schedules (figuring out who is returning), re-jigging menus, purchasing PPE, to name a few. I cannot imagine the stress the COVID yo-yo is causing restaurateurs.

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner. In the past, packed bars and revelers were the norm. Do you think there will be St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Ontario this year? I'm not so sure.....

There is a huge breakout of anosmia right around the corner, I can smell it.

Did you know...Bill Gates is the largest private land owner in North America?

Have you ever....played with a yo-yo?

WTF is ...............Mardi Gras krewes?

On this day in history, New Orleanians take to the streets for Mardi Gras.
On February 27, 1827, a group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the beginning of the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebrations. The celebration of Carnival—or the weeks between Twelfth Night on January 6 and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian period of Lent—spread from Rome across Europe and later to the Americas. Nowhere in the United States is Carnival celebrated as grandly as in New Orleans, famous for its over-the-top parades and parties for Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season.

Today is - NATIONAL KAHLUA DAY - NATIONAL POLAR BEAR DAY - NATIONAL RETRO DAY - NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY - ANOSMIA AWARENESS DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *638 (Are you still allowed to tell fairy tales?......) Friday February 26, 2021

(Canadian farm workers during the Spanish Flu in 1918)

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 113,645,874. (Deaths: 2,521,194 and Recovered: 89,220,615)
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 February 26, 2021:
Health Canada reported 858,217 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 30,335 cases are active, there have been 21,865 deaths and 806,017 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 297,311 total confirmed cases and 6,861 total deaths. 6,916 are active. Currently, there are 687 people are in hospital with 283 of those cases currently in ICU. 280,324 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,738 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (263 active). Clarington remained at 870 cases, of which 22 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "14"

In international news,
Bond markets left smarting from worst rout in years as reflation goes global. From the United States to Germany and Australia, government borrowing costs on Friday were set to end February with their biggest monthly rises in years as expectations for a post-pandemic ignition of inflation gained a life of their own. Australia’s 10-year bond yield and Britain’s 30-year yields were set for their biggest monthly jump since the 2009 global financial crisis. Long-dated New Zealand yields were flirting with their biggest monthly surge since 1994. The move, which began in the U.S. Treasury market at the start of the year on prospects for a huge fiscal boost and economic recovery, has spread globally. Even after a Friday respite from this week’s brutal drubbing, Australia’s 10-year yield is up 70 basis points in February and New Zealand’s 10-year yield is up almost 77 bps. For the United States and some European markets, the bond selloff was on the scale of late 2016, when Donald Trump’s election as U.S. President last triggered so-called reflation bets.

In national news,
The new words that are helping people cope with the pandemic. From "covidiots" to "quarantine" and "Zoom bombing," many new words and phrases have become common in how people talk about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on their everyday lives. Michael Iannozzi, a linguist at Western University in London, Ont., told CTVNews.ca the creation of these new words "reflect what people are feeling" amid the pandemic and help individuals cope with their "new normal." He explained in a telephone interview on Wednesday that these new words are being used by ordinary people in everyday dialogue to describe something that has not previously happened to them before. In 2020, the Oxford English Dictionary issued two special updates to include coronavirus-related language. Editors noted that these updates included new words brought on by the pandemic and the resurgence of not well-known terms, as well as obscure medical definitions not incorporated in previous editions. "COVID-19" and "social distancing" were some of the newest terms added, in addition to the names of drugs that became part of the public discourse at the start of the pandemic, such as hydroxychloroquine and dexamethasone. Iannozzi said people have also been creating their own, entirely new language to address the shift in their daily lives.

Are all these COVID-19 border measures legal? The Quarantine Act explained. (Technically, those mandatory nasal swabs are against the law.) Whatever their efficacy in fighting off COVID-19, it’s clear that Canada’s current border controls are on a scale unprecedented in modern times. Since March 25, 2020, all travellers entering Canada have been required to undergo 14 days of mandatory self-isolation, subject to fines or even arrest in the case of non-compliance. And now, incoming air travellers face mandatory confinement to a hotel paired with mandatory testing. These policies would be inviting a cascade of Charter challenges under normal circumstances, but for now it’s all kosher due to them being a function of the Quarantine Act. Rewritten after the 2003 SARS pandemic, the act extends near-dictatorial powers to government during times of public health crisis. But the question is how long the Act can guide federal policy before inviting pushback. Like all virtually all federal COVID-19 measures, mandatory hotel quarantine came about as the result of an Order in Council (sort of like a Canadian equivalent to an executive order) issued by the Prime Minister’s Office and justified by the Quarantine Act. There are a few aspects of Canada’s border measures that don’t quite jibe with the 2005 act, most notably a section that forbids any screening technology that demands “entry into the traveller’s body of any instrument or other foreign body.” While this technically forbids the infamous “brain tickling” nasal swab, any objectors could simply be administered a gargle test. Regardless, the Quarantine Act extends very broad powers to public health authorities to indefinitely detain anyone who doesn’t follow their orders, and even to authorize “arrest without warrant.”

In Ontario,
New COVID-19 modelling shows Ontario could have a better summer. New COVID-19 modelling shows Ontario could just have a much better summer as the pandemic starts showing signs of slowing down. However, Dr. Adalsteinn Brown of Ontario’s COVID Advisory Table said on Thursday that variants continue to spread across the province. Dr. Brown says variant cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions are likely to increase soon, warning that VOCs will likely make up 40 percent of all Ontario cases by the 2nd week of March. The modelling shows a third wave remains a risk ahead of us with the next few months being key in maintaining our gains and ensuring the pandemic declines in the summer.

Meanwhile............

Official warns of ‘minefield’ ahead as new modelling suggests variants will soon make up 40 per cent of all COVID cases. Variants of concern will likely make up 40 per cent of all new COVID-19 infections in Ontario by the second week of March and future case growth will largely depend on how well we can control their spread, new modelling suggests. The modelling, which was released by Ontario’s science table on Thursday afternoon, paints a slightly more optimistic picture than projections released two weeks ago which warned that we could see 5,000 to 6,000 daily cases by the end of March in “the most likely scenario.” The latest modelling says that cases, hospitalizations and ICU stays “will likely soon increase” as the new variants spread, particularly the more infectious B.1.1.7 strain.

In small town news,
From Brockville...COVID-19 vaccination clinics open. The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit began its slow rollout of community vaccinations this week with the opening of its clinic in Kemptville. On Thursday, its clinic in Almonte was to open its doors, to be followed by the Brockville clinic at the Memorial Centre and the one in Smiths Falls. But the health unit stressed that the shots will be given to people based on a strict priority list set by provincial government guidelines. All appointments will be booked in advance and there will be no walk-in traffic, the health unit said in a statement. The first up for the shots at the four community clinics will be health-care workers who are in direct contact with people at high risk of COVID-19, health unit officials said. During the following months, the vaccines will be doled out on an appointment-only basis to specific groups in their order of priority and based on the availability of vaccine, they added.

Musing,
With the exception of doomseekers, I really believe most Canadians are now ignoring the media and government announcements about COVID. Why, you ask? Well, Dr. Tam comes on and says (paraphrasing) if we continue with current restrictions we will have a large 3rd wave in late March/April. Then, scant hours later, Dr. Adalstein Brown comes on and says (paraphrasing) that Ontario should have a "much better" summer. See my point? Both messages can (and will) be interpreted entirely differently by the vox populi.

“He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life." (RALPH WALDO EMERSON)

Did you know...there are 3 components to an apology:
1-Acknowledgment that it was your fault, completely, and saying "i'm sorry". (If you add a caveat at this point, you are a dick and the apology means nothing)
2-Empathy (feeling bad about what you did)
3-Atonement, or restitution. (Could be a handshake, or hug)

Have you ever...drank water from a creek, or lake?

WTF is ...............Pistacia vera?

On this day in history, 1993, World Trade Center is bombed.
At 12:18 p.m., a terrorist bomb explodes in a parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, leaving a crater 60 feet wide and causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. The World Trade Center itself suffered more than $500 million in damage. After the attack, authorities evacuated 50,000 people from the buildings, hundreds of whom were suffering from smoke inhalation. The evacuation lasted the whole afternoon.

Today is - NATIONAL TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY – NATIONAL SKIP THE STRAW DAY – NATIONAL PISTACHIO DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *637 (Well, it can vary.....) Thursday February 25, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 113,188,469. (Deaths: 2,510,781 and Recovered: 88,793,161)
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 February 25, 2021:
Health Canada reported 855,126 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 30,393 cases are active, there have been 21,807 deaths and 802,926 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 296,173 total confirmed cases and 6,893 total deaths. 10,050 are active. Currently, there are 675 people are in hospital with 287 of those cases currently in ICU. 279,230 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,709 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (270 active). Clarington rose to 870 cases, of which 23 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "14"

In international news,
Spain: COVID-19 cases continue to drop despite variants. (Over 3M vaccine doses have been administered) With just under 21,000 new coronavirus cases reported on Monday, Spain saw the lowest number of weekend infections so far this year. The news comes despite the Health Ministry confirming an increasing number of variants of concern from around the world. The variant first found in the UK has been sequenced nearly 900 times in Spain. The ministry said it is more contagious and could be more lethal than other strains, but will not drastically affect vaccines. “It’s expanding slower than expected,” said Fernando Simon, Spain’s chief epidemiologist. “Probably because the measures we’ve taken have helped prevent its spread.” Although the country has sequenced fewer than 1,000 cases, it has become dominant in the regions of Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, and Catalonia. In Castile La Mancha or the Basque Country, it is still suspected to be behind less than 10% of cases. Meanwhile, the country has detected 15 cases of the variant first found in South Africa, which the ministry says makes vaccines less effective. South Africa even canceled the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after it was found to have little effect on COVID-19 caused by the mutation.

In national news,
(A really interesting listen) COVID-weary Canada should brace for 'worst wave of them all' in April. (Episode 90 of Down to Business podcast) This week on Down to Business, three experts spoke about the challenges and opportunities of vaccine rollout in Canada, perhaps the single biggest issue right now affecting the economic recovery. Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist, talked about the stumbling blocks that Canada has hit so far while rolling out the vaccine, as well as the biggest lessons he’s learned one year into the pandemic. Dr. Atul Kapur, an emergency physician in Ottawa, and the co-chair of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians’s public affairs committee, provided an inside view of the emergency rooms in our hospitals, which were already strained before the pandemic and how this has exacerbated the crisis. Lastly, Dr. Akwatu Khenti, chair of the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity, explained how he’s working to clear up misconceptions about vaccines — which will be a key issue as we move forward.

In Ontario,
Ontarians over 80 can soon book COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Ontarians over the age of 80 will be able to book a vaccination appointment beginning the third week of March. Retired General Rick Hillier, Chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force says the province’s online booking portal and hotline will go live on March 15th. Hillier says vaccinations for residents 75 years and older should start in Mid-April with residents 70 years and older set for May 1st, 65 years and older June 1st, and those 60 and older can book an appointment starting July 1st. However, he warned that the time frames could increase or decrease depending on the flow of vaccine shipments. As of Wednesday, just over 600,000 Ontarians have received a COVID-19 vaccine and 250,000 of them have been fully immunized with both shots.

Eight Toronto schools confirmed to have at least one COVID-19 case linked to variant of concern. Eight schools in Toronto have at least one COVID-19 case that has screened positive for a variant of concern, Toronto Public Health reported Wednesday. In a news release, TPH said it is currently working with schools to respond to COVID-19 variant cases. The eight schools impacted include Beverley School, Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute, Yeshiva Yesodei Hatorah, Gulfstream Public School, The Toronto Cheder, Helen Catholic School, Dante Alighieri Academy, and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. “The affected individuals and cohorts have been dismissed from school with guidance based on their level of risk,” TPH said, adding that they have followed up with close contacts and recommended them to be tested. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Toronto's top doctor said she expects the city will start to see cases of the more contagious COVID-19 variants circulating in its schools. “Certainly we expected that as schools returned to in-person learning we were expecting that we would see cases within those settings, and in light of the fact that there are variants of concern in the community, we expect and we should expect to see variants of concern within schools,” Toronto's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said. She said that moving forward, Toronto Public Health will treat all COVID-19 cases that arise in schools as variant cases unless proven otherwise.

In small town news,
First COVID-19 variant of concern confirmed in Peterborough. Man in his 20s, who works from home and is self-isolating, may have been infected with UK variant by former roommate. The first case of the more contagious UK variant of COVID-19 in Peterborough has been confirmed. On Tuesday (February 23), Peterborough Public Health confirmed a local resident has tested positive for B.1.1.7, commonly called the UK variant as it was first detected in the United Kingdom. “With this confirmation of a variant of concern, following public health measures has never been more important as variants of concern have a higher rate of transmissibility than the dominant COVID-19 strain,” says medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra in a media release. “Now it’s a race against time to try and immunize our most vulnerable populations while containing the spread of further cases,” she adds. “This is where we need everyone’s help.” The health unit says the variant case is a man in his 20s who works from home and is self-isolating, adding that contact tracing is underway. According to the health unit, the man appears to have been infected by a roommate who was identified as a high-risk contact of another case from another region. This roommate has since left the Peterborough area. There is one other high-risk contact connected to the man’s household who has tested negative, the health unit says, but will be retested in 10 days.

Musing,
Do Canadians still listen to Dr. Tam? (asking for a friend)

Statistics vary, but in less than seven years there won't be a single cell left in any of our bodies that's the same as it is today. This means that any human being who 'wants' to change is like a mountain river wanting to reach the valley floor. It's a done deal; that's what mountain rivers do, and 'changing' should be our first nature. (Guy FINLEY)

Did you know...there is a shortage of semi-conductors (electric components) that is stopping the production of many major products and disrupting international supply chains? (COVID, eh?)

Have you ever.....ridden one of those e-bikes?

WTF is ...............a semi conductor?

On this day in history, Young Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston for first world title.
On February 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay shocks the odds-makers by dethroning world heavyweight boxing champ Sonny Liston in a seventh-round technical knockout. The dreaded Liston, who had twice demolished former champ Floyd Patterson in one round, was an 8-to-1 favorite. However, Clay predicted victory, boasting that he would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and knock out Liston in the eighth round.

Keep an eye on your feet, for the 'Time of the Old Woman' begins today and runs through March 4th. It's a period marked in North Africa where weather-prone accidents are said to be more likely. The first performing monkey in America debuted in NYC for a whopping one cent admission (1751), and in London, a pedestrian walked 20 miles backwards and then forwards in 8 hours (1838).

Today is - NATIONAL TOAST DAY – NATIONAL CHILI DAY – NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED NUT DAY – NATIONAL CLAM CHOWDER DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *636 (Nacho Libre!..........) Wednesday February 24, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 112,739,376. (Deaths: 2,498,495 and Recovered: 88,308,972)
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 p.m. ET on Monday February 22, 2021:
Health Canada reported 852,269 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 30,677 cases are active, there have been 21,762 deaths and 799,830 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 295,119 total confirmed cases and 6,884 total deaths. 10,296 are active. Currently, there are 718 people are in hospital with 283 of those cases currently in ICU. 277,939 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,672 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (260 active). Clarington rose to 868 cases, of which 23 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "14"

In international news,
India warns of worsening COVID-19 situation, vaccinations to expand. India announced an expansion of its vaccination programme on Wednesday but warned that breaches of coronavirus protocols could worsen an infection surge in many states. Nearly a month after the health minister declared that COVID-19 had been contained, states such as Maharashtra in the west and Kerala in the south have reported a surge in cases, as reluctance grows over mask-wearing and social distancing. India’s infections are the second highest in the world at 11.03 million, swelled in the past 24 hours by 13,742, health ministry data shows. Deaths rose by a two-week high of 104 to 156,567. “Any laxity in implementing stringent measures to curb the spread, especially in view of new strains of virus ... could compound the situation,” the ministry said in a statement singling out nine states and a federal territory. India has confirmed the long-time presence of two mutant variants - N440K and E484Q - in addition to those first detected in Brazil, Britain and South Africa.

In national news,
Top doctor says vaccines could allow toughest restrictions to lift before September. Canada’s chief public health officer says results from COVID-19 vaccinations so far are encouraging enough that she thinks the need for massive lockdowns could be over before the end of the summer. But Dr. Theresa Tam says some of the more personal measures, like wearing masks and limiting close contact outside our households, may be with us longer. Tam says there are several factors that will determine when Canadians can return to something more closely resembling a normal life, including new COVID-19 variants and how quickly fast vaccines are injected. Canada is aiming to vaccinate all who want to be by September. But Tam says she is hopeful some of the most difficult restrictions could disappear even before that goal is reached, given the positive results vaccines are showing so far. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is hopeful lockdowns won’t be needed in his country after June 21, but Tam wouldn’t put a specific date on that step for Canada.

COVID-19 cases more than double in federal prisons during second wave of pandemic. Canada’s prison ombudsman is calling for alternatives to incarceration in a new report that shows the number of COVID-19 cases at federal facilities more than doubled in the second wave. Correctional investigator Ivan Singer says new cases climbed to 880 at more than a dozen prisons between early November and Feb. 1, compared to 361 cases at six institutions in the first wave. He says about 70 per cent of second-wave cases occurred at two Prairie facilities — the Saskatchewan Penitentiary and Manitoba’s Stony Mountain Institution — leaving Indigenous inmates disproportionately affected. The prisons are the two largest in the country and contain some of the system’s oldest infrastructure, with an evident connection between viral spread and large shared living areas as well as poor ventilation.

In Ontario,
COVID-19 variant outbreak grows to 29 cases at Toronto shelter. The City of Toronto says 29 people living at a shelter have tested positive for an unidentified COVID-19 variant. The city says Toronto Public Health declared an outbreak at Maxwell Meighen on Feb. 3. It says Public Health Ontario is sequencing the samples to identify the COVID-19 variant. The city says all residents who have tested positive for the disease have been sent to a recovery centre. It says there are currently 121 people staying at the shelter. There are nine shelters with COVID-19 outbreaks with 149 people testing positive for the disease.

COVID-19 outbreaks reported at Toronto Police College, 31 Division. The Toronto Police Service (TPS) says it has been managing two COVID-19 outbreaks at 31 Division and the Toronto Police College. TPS has not released any specific numbers associated with the outbreaks for multiple reasons, including that the situation is “rapidly-evolving,” and numbers change frequently throughout the day so providing them would not be an accurate reflection of the outbreak. At 31 Division, resources for other parts of the city are being assigned to assist with calls and police say there has been no impact on their ability to provide policing. The Toronto Police College has suspended all in-person training and have been offering virtual training where it is possible. TPS says they are also undergoing extensive contract tracing and both locations have undergone multiple disinfections.

In small town news,
Tracking the COVID vaccine rollout in Northumberland. As Northumberland begins its COVID-19 vaccination programs, this graph is tracking every dose administered. The graph can be found here.

Musing,
More and more, doctors are morphing into politicians and that scares me. If you listen to the news conferences, it is becoming increasingly clear that doctors (speaking to the media) have muted or political responses to questions. I don't know if this is due to NDA's, political pressure or media training they receive. But, I wish that doctors could just answer plainly and openly to media questions.

"Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it." (MAIMONIDES)

Did you know...Ignacio "El Nacho" Anaya created nachos?

Have you ever...made a snow angel after getting out of a hot tub or sauna?

WTF is ...............Purple Bhut Jolokia?

On this day in history, 1991, Gulf War ground offensive begins.
After six weeks of intensive bombing against Iraq and its armed forces, U.S.-led coalition forces launch a ground invasion of Kuwait and Iraq. On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, its tiny oil-rich neighbor, and within hours had occupied most strategic positions in the country. One week later, Operation Desert Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began as U.S. forces massed in the Persian Gulf. Three months later, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq if it failed to withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.

On the night of February 24th, 1942, the 'Battle of Los Angeles' took place. Eyewitness reports of an unknown object or objects over Los Angeles, California, triggered a massive anti-aircraft artillery barrage. A photo posted in the LA Times showed nine beams of light converging on an aerial object.

Today is - NATIONAL TORTILLA CHIP DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *635 (Check the freezer for bananas.......) Tuesday February 23, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 112,232,804. (Deaths: 2,484,169 and Recovered: 87,678,046)
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 p.m. ET on Tuesday February 23, 2021:
Health Canada reported 845,642 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 31,375 cases are active, there have been 21,674 deaths and 792,603 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 294,144 total confirmed cases and 6,861 total deaths. 10,371 are active. Currently, there are 646 people are in hospital with 280 of those cases currently in ICU. 276,936 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,639 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (277 active). Clarington rose to 866 cases, of which 24 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "14"

In international news,
Switzerland plans to take the first steps towards relaxing coronavirus restrictions from March 1st. Non-essential shops, museums and libraries will reopen and private events will be allowed outside for up to 15 people. The obligation will still be to work from home. The exit strategy is primarily about easing the situation for children and young people and the government says it will review making further relaxations each month as long as infection rates remain low. Health Minister Alain Berset said the situation in Switzerland is improving but urged caution. "It remains a risk, but it is improving, we have projections for the next weeks and months, we can therefore begin to relax the restrictions, slowly, carefully. We try to do it reasonably, and if we pay attention now, then we'll manage the next step at the beginning of April then beyond." Restaurants are bars are to remain closed. Only terraces will be allowed to reopen from April 1st with more extensive openings of restaurants planned after the Easter holidays which takes us up to mid-April. Nearly 543,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Switzerland (population 8.6 million), while more than 9,000 people have died. More than 100,000 people have already received both their anti-Covid vaccine doses.

In national news,
(Cry me a river) International air passengers grumble as they're forced into quarantine hotels on new rule's first day. 'I don’t think it’s necessary' was a common sentiment Monday as Canada put into motion one of its most dramatic COVID-19 measures yet. “I don’t think it’s necessary because I could have quarantined in my basement,” said the 31-year-old, Pearson’s tarmac and parked airliners visible over her shoulders. “It’s a full-fledged house.” It was a common sentiment Monday as Canada put into motion one of the most dramatic measures yet to control the spread of COVID-19, a rule that has prompted talk of constitutional challenges and complaints of unlawful confinement. Similar scenes were playing out in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, the only other airports allowed to accept international flights under new federal rules. There was also widespread grumbling about a telephone booking system for the stays that were reportedly swamped by demand. After three days in a hotel room, travellers are required to complete their 14-day quarantine at home, so long as the COVID test they took on arrival comes back negative. The government says the measure was needed to try to curb the importation of variants of the coronavirus that are more easily transmissible. Australia and other countries with far more success than Canada at handling the pandemic have forced travellers into two-week quarantines in such facilities for months now.

It's a renters market for businesses that believe the office will make a comeback post-pandemic. With supply on upswing, prospective tenants face wide range of workplace choice. Empty offices left behind by newly minted remote workers and other upheaval caused by the pandemic have begun to show up on the rental market, and it's presenting some prospective tenants with opportunities they couldn't have imagined prior to COVID-19. "They're getting the red carpet rolled out," said Darren Fleming, an Ottawa-based commercial real estate broker. It's almost a year into the pandemic, and Fleming and his team at Real Strategy Advisors are seeing companies that were on the fence about what to do with office space that's been sitting empty now starting to downsize. "It's to either get rid of about half their space or go [fully] virtual," said Fleming, the firm's CEO. That's an even bigger shift than he expected just six months ago, when he estimated clients would shed about 25 per cent of their space.

In Ontario,
Toronto's getting out more, and Tory doesn't like it. Mayor Tory scolded Torontonians for leaving their homes, warning that increased infection numbers could delay re-opening even longer. Don’t let the low numbers fool you. Data shows people are starting to move around the city again, prompting Mayor John Tory to express his displeasure over the latest trend. “We know, from the latest traffic and mobile phone data that, in fact, people are starting to move around more,” Tory said Monday. “Perhaps thinking, incorrectly, that improved case counts mean that is OK. Unfortunately, that is not OK.” Numbers are indeed decreasing as Toronto only reported 366 new cases on Monday, with 10 new hospital admissions and 64 patients in intensive care wards. Traffic data from the city’s transportation department shows morning peak volumes and average travel times have increased “significantly,” he said. “The lockdown has been working to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in our community, but please don’t get complacent or give up on this work.”

Province's 34 public health units must design, carry out their own COVID-19 vaccination plan, Ford says. Each of Ontario’s 34 local public health units will be responsible for coming up with and carrying out their own plan to vaccinate residents in their region, the province confirmed on Monday. The provincial government has already provided guidance on which priority groups to inoculate in each phase of the vaccination program but details on how and when to vaccinate those groups will be left up to the individual public health units. “We are ensuring through our vaccine distribution that the people (who work) most closely to their communities, the public health units, are making the decisions on what is the fastest, and easiest, and most equitable way to ensure that people get the vaccines they need,” Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s solicitor general, said at a news conference at Queen’s Park on Monday. “It is why we’ve empowered 34 public health units to do that and we’ve ensured by doing a distribution based on population, that as a larger public health unit comes online and needs vaccines, we distribute it from the province based on population.” The Ford government has said that each local medical officer of health has submitted a plan to the province on how they will administer the vaccine to priority groups in the coming weeks and months. Local public health units will be responsible for designing their own plan, contacting residents to communicate their strategy, and administering the vaccines to residents in their respective communities.

In small town news,
(People camp...in March?) Algonquin Park Delays Opening Overnight Camping Sites. Those hoping Ontario Parks will offer overnight camping will have to wait a bit longer. Algonquin Park will not allow overnight visits until March 8th due to COVID-19. The halt on overnight camping was set to expire today. They say those scheduled for overnight accommodation will receive a full refund with no penalty. Ontario Parks still remain open for local day use, for hiking, skiing and snowshoeing. They are also discouraging travel between Public Health Regions.

Musing,
Starting to see the odd spring like temp in the forecast. Trees to be tapped......

"Carry as little as possible, but choose that little with care." (Earl SHAFFER)

Did you know...your staircase balusters are named after a popular fruit.

Have you ever....used someone else's condiments from the office fridge?

WTF is ...............Metatarsalgia?

On this day in history, Formula One champ kidnapped.
On February 23, 1958, five-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina is kidnapped in Cuba by a group of Fidel Castro’s rebels. Fangio was taken from his Havana hotel the day before the Cuba Grand Prix, an event intended to showcase the island nation. He was released unharmed several hours after the race. The kidnapping was intended to bring international embarrassment to Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, whose government Castro would overthrow on January 1, 1959.

On February 23, 1885, English authorities attempted to hang convicted murderer John Lee. Despite three attempts at execution, the hanging gallows would not work. Bewildered by this turn of events, the court considered the unexplained malfunction to be an "act of God" and spared Lee's life.

Today is - NATIONAL BANANA BREAD DAY - NATIONAL DOG BISCUIT DAY - NATIONAL TILE DAY - WORLD SPAY DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *634 (Wastin' away again in Margaritaville.......) Monday February 22, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 112,232,804. (Deaths: 2,484,169 and Recovered: 87,678,046)
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 p.m. ET on Monday February 22, 2021:
Health Canada reported 845,642 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 31,375 cases are active, there have been 21,674 deaths and 792,603 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 294,144 total confirmed cases and 6,861 total deaths. 10,371 are active. Currently, there are 646 people are in hospital with 280 of those cases currently in ICU. 276,936 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,639 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (277 active). Clarington rose to 866 cases, of which 24 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "14"

In international news,
Mexico on Wednesday made a plea at the U.N. Security Council for countries to stop hoarding vaccines against COVID-19 as poorer ones fall behind in the race to vaccinate their citizens. Three quarters of the first doses have been applied to citizens in only ten countries that account for 60% of global gross domestic product (GDP), Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said, while in more than 100 countries no vaccines have been applied at all. “We urge countries to avoid hoarding vaccines and accelerate the first stages of COVAX deliveries, to give priority to countries with fewer resources,” Ebrard said before the council, which Mexico is currently a member of. Ebrard said that so far no vaccines have been distributed under the scheme. Officials from the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday that countries could expect confirmation of their COVAX vaccine shipments soon, although the first batches were expected to be small.

In national news,
Canada was too slow and risk-averse in funding domestic vaccine candidates, MPs told. 'This put the financial risk of vaccine development — and our country's national security — on (the companies), which I think was a mistake'. Canada could have done more to boost homegrown COVID-19 vaccines last spring but the federal government and its agencies were too slow and risk-adverse when it came to funding, a parliamentary committee heard Monday. John Lewis, CEO of Entos Pharmaceuticals, said his Alberta company has a vaccine candidate in development but never received the kind of early, up-front funding that the U.S. and U.K. governments put into their own vaccine production. “Canada was pretty slow to make the initial decisions for domestic vaccine development in manufacturing, despite having internationally recognized expertise in vaccine development,” Lewis told the House of Commons health committee. Lewis said Canada “took a careful, risk-averse and committee-based decision approach that lead to a relatively modest amount of scattered funding for companies in Canada to develop domestic vaccine.”

In Ontario,
Province's 34 public health units must design, carry out their own COVID-19 vaccination plan, Ford says. Each of Ontario’s 34 local public health units will be responsible for coming up with and carrying out their own plan to vaccinate residents in their region, the province confirmed on Monday. The provincial government has already provided guidance on which priority groups to inoculate in each phase of the vaccination program but details on how and when to vaccinate those groups will be left up to the individual public health units. “We are ensuring through our vaccine distribution that the people (who work) most closely to their communities, the public health units, are making the decisions on what is the fastest, and easiest, and most equitable way to ensure that people get the vaccines they need,” Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s solicitor general, said at a news conference at Queen’s Park on Monday. “It is why we’ve empowered 34 public health units to do that and we’ve ensured by doing a distribution based on population, that as a larger public health unit comes online and needs vaccines, we distribute it from the province based on population.” The Ford government has said that each local medical officer of health has submitted a plan to the province on how they will administer the vaccine to priority groups in the coming weeks and months.

One Additional Death Reported Today At Caressant Care In Lindsay Bringing The Death Toll To 17. The death toll at Caressant Care on McLaughlin Road in Lindsay has reached 17 residents. “We are sad to report one new COVID related death.” Stuart Oakley, Caressant Care spokesperson said, “Our hearts go out those affected.” 17 residents have now died of Coronavirus according to officials with the facility. “Test results from swabs done Friday are all negative. All staff and residents are being swabbed again today.” Oakley said. An outbreak was declared at the long term care home on January 9th after just one case. There have been more than 60 cases of the virus at the facility to date. Most of the residents have received their first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine. Meanwhile, two new cases of Coronavirus were reported in the City of Kawartha Lakes over the last two days.

In small town news,
Durham reports 34 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. On Monday, 34 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Durham. One more death was also reported bringing the death toll in the region to 294. Of those who have died 216 people were residents at long-term care or retirement homes. To date there have been 11,639 cases in Durham with 11,068 of those cases now listed as resolved. There are currently 277 active cases in the region. Of those 258 people are isolating at home and 19 are in hospital. Ten of the people in hospital are in the ICU. Some of the cases that were added to regional totals are from previous days.

Musing,
There are two categories of people that have collected CERB from the beginning to the present: Group 1-low-life/degenerate scammers Group 2-people that really, really need help I wish we could distinguish between the two and send all of the CERB to Group 2 and none to Group 1.

“It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear” (Donald TRUMP on COVID)

Did you know...the origin of the word Kindergarten?

Have you ever...seen an owl?

WTF is ...............a Vulturine Guineafowl?

On this day in history, 'El Chapo,' the world’s most-wanted drug kingpin, is captured in Mexico. On February 22, 2014, one of the world’s most-wanted criminals, Joaquin “El Chapo” (“Shorty”) Guzmán Loera, head of the Sinaloa cartel, the world’s biggest drug trafficking organization, is arrested in a joint U.S.-Mexican operation in Mazatlán, Mexico, after outrunning law enforcement for more than a decade. Guzmán had been the target of an international hunt since 2001, when he escaped from a Mexican prison where he was serving a 20-year sentence. During his years on the lam, Guzmán's elusiveness was celebrated in “narcocorridos,” Mexican ballads glorifying the drug trade, while in such places as Chicago, where his cartel supplied the majority of the narcotics sold in the city, he was declared Public Enemy No. 1.

Today is - NATIONAL CALIFORNIA DAY - NATIONAL COOK A SWEET POTATO DAY - NATIONAL MARGARITA DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *633 (Up for a beer? Ok, meet you at 7-Eleven......) Friday February 19, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 110,929,475. (Deaths: 2,454,516 and Recovered: 85,871,656)
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 February 19, 2021:
Health Canada reported 837,947 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 32,587 cases are active, there have been 21,498 deaths and 783,412 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 289,621 total confirmed cases and 6,773 total deaths. 10,702 are active. Currently, there are 758 people are in hospital with 277 of those cases currently in ICU. 272,416 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,456 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (267 active). Clarington remains at 849 cases, of which 28 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "3", total deceased: "13"

In international news,
More Than 193 Million Shots Given: Covid-19 Tracker. In the U.S., 59.1 million doses have been administered; rollout goes global. The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 193 million doses have been administered across 87 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 6.47 million doses a day. In the U.S., more Americans have now received at least one dose than have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. So far, 59.1 million doses have been given, according to a state-by-state tally.

(Now, if you really want to get grumpy pants, go to this website.) A Global vaccination tracker can be found here. Check out the progress almost every other country in the world is making on vaccination compared to the Great White North.

In national news,
The Feds got their treasured gun legislation through. Yes, we are all certain the effects on crime will be profound. Maybe now, they can put some energy into actually procuring vaccines and putting them into arms? (Pardon the pun.)

(Pssstttt...it's a secret.) Federal COVID vaccine task force defends secrecy as necessary to do its work. The secretive 11-member volunteer task force includes researchers and former pharmaceutical executives who made recommendations to the government. Members of the government’s vaccine task force said secrecy surrounding their deliberations was necessary as they defended their efforts to opposition MPs Thursday. The task force, formed early last summer, was responsible for making recommendations on which vaccines to purchase and which Canadian companies to back with funding for research and development of COVID vaccines. Earlier this week, some researchers and industry experts criticized the secretive nature of deliberations. The task force meets privately and has not released agendas or meeting minutes and has said little about what options it rejected. NDP MP Brian Masse said other countries are moving faster than Canada to vaccinate their citizens and without more details about what the committee considered it is hard to know why the country is delayed. “As we continue to go down this road without vaccination there still is just a lack of clarity in terms of public accountability,” he said. (Reminds me of Kindergarten...."none of your beeswax.")

In Ontario,
(HINT-Toronto is staying in lock-down.) Ontario government to announce decision on restrictions for COVID-19 hot spots today. The province is expected to announce today whether restrictions will be eased in Toronto and Ontario’s three other COVID-19 hot spots or if strict lockdown measures will continue to curb the spread of the virus. Many businesses, including restaurants, gyms, and hair salons, have reopened in most regions of the province over the past two weeks following declining COVID-19 case counts, deaths, and hospitalizations. But in Toronto, Peel Region, York Region, and the North Bay Perry Sound District Health Unit, stay-at-home orders remain in effect due to higher levels of community transmission and concerns over how more transmissible variants of the virus are circulating. (BTW, the stay-at-home order will be completely irrelevant as these citizens will just travel to "open" regions.)

(Likelihood of this kid using public transit ever again? Ya, hovering right around "zero.") Rider with confirmed COVID-19 variant took Barrie GO train line.

In small town news,
Ontario Real Estate Association Predicting Influx of Homeowners to Rural Ontario. The Ontario Real Estate Association is predicting a small town comeback due to COVID. They say that a trend of people moving from the cities to rural Ontario will see a boom in local economies. CEO of the Association Tim Hudak says this is because of a few driving factors. Things like cheaper houses, more spacious yards and homes, plus the push to work from home, will all lead people to move into the countryside. However, Hudak says there needs to be more investment in broadband and the creation of opportunity zones for the influx of homeowners to be a positive one. Access to natural gas is also one of the places in need of improvement. Hudak says that not only should the supply of housing be increased, but government programs also need to be put in place to allow people to put a downpayment on their first homes. A project in Hastings County does just this, but Hudak wants to province to back similar programs. He also suggests that loans can be paid back only when people sell their homes. Hudak says money needs to be made available to municipalities for rural infrastructure, as well as provincial money for schools and hospitals. He says after years of neglect, rural communities have a chance to bounce back.

Musing,
Alright, I get it working retail must suck during COVID. That said, I think there are some retail workers that will mourn the ultimate demise of COVID and the power it brought them. I cannot tell you how many times I have been "barked at" by retail workers for some obscure infraction that I was not aware of. "Hey, mister you are not standing at an angle of 43.2 degrees at the check out!" I do NOT bark back, ever. That said, there are a few that really need to chill out a smidgen.

"Wanted to be a dood dad" (Ted CRUZ/Texas Senator - responding to criticism he traveled to Cancun amid Texas power crisis.)

The pub opened in my bucolic little town yesterday. In speaking to the bartender, they are receiving alot of reservations from persons that have a "416" area code. Hmmmmmmmmmmm......stay-at-home, my ass.

Did you know...........7-Eleven wants to sell alcohol to customers, in-store? But, you have to consume it in the store, like a pub. It's not without precedent...while travelling in Spain and Portugal we observed that almost every store had a beer tap at the counter. Would I have a drink in the 7-Eleven? Negative. But Frank from Shameless would, and that is exactly the type that will drink in the 7-Eleven. God help the clerks if this goes through.

Have you ever...said "None of your beeswax."

WTF is ...............a tithe?

On this day in history, Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
The technology that made the modern music business possible came into existence in the New Jersey laboratory where Thomas Edison created the first device to both record sound and play it back. He was awarded U.S. Patent No. 200,521 for his invention—the phonograph—on February 19, 1878.

Today is - NATIONAL CAREGIVERS DAY – NATIONAL LASH DAY – NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MINT DAY – NATIONAL VET GIRLS RISE DAY – NATIONAL TARTAR SAUCE DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *632 (Recombinants? Oh FFS.....) Thursday February 18, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 110,507,279. (Deaths: 2,442,769 and Recovered: 85,404,670)
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 February 18, 2021:
Health Canada reported 834,182 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 32,986 cases are active, there have been 21,435 deaths and 779,761 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 288,583 total confirmed cases and 6,729 total deaths. 11,430 are active. Currently, there are 719 people are in hospital with 298 of those cases currently in ICU. 270,869 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 10,024 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (285 active). Clarington rose to 849 cases, of which 36 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "4", total deceased: "12"

In international news,
(Moving to India, maybe?) Experts puzzled by India’s dramatic drop in coronavirus cases. When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in India, there were fears it would sink the fragile health system of the world’s second-most populous country. Infections climbed dramatically for months and at one point India looked like it might overtake the United States as the country with the highest case toll. But infections began to plummet in September, and now the country is reporting about 11,000 new cases a day, compared to a peak of nearly 100,000, leaving experts perplexed. They have suggested many possible explanations for the sudden drop — seen in almost every region — including that some areas of the country may have reached herd immunity or that Indians may have some preexisting protection from the virus. The Indian government has also partly attributed the dip in cases to mask-wearing, which is mandatory in public in India and violations draw hefty fines in some cities. But experts have noted the situation is more complicated since the decline is uniform even though mask compliance is flagging in some areas. It’s more than just an intriguing puzzle; determining what’s behind the drop in infections could help authorities control the virus in the country, which has reported nearly 11 million cases and over 155,000 deaths. Some 2.4 million people have died worldwide. “If we don’t know the reason, you could unknowingly be doing things that could lead to a flare-up,” said Dr. Shahid Jameel, who studies viruses at India’s Ashoka University. India, like other countries, misses many infections, and there are questions about how it’s counting virus deaths. But the strain on the country’s hospitals has also declined in recent weeks, a further indication the virus’s spread is slowing. When recorded cases crossed 9 million in November, official figures showed nearly 90% of all critical care beds with ventilators in New Delhi were full. On Thursday, 16% of these beds were occupied. That success can’t be attributed to vaccinations since India only began administering shots in January — but as more people get a vaccine, the outlook should look even better, though experts are also concerned about variants identified in many countries that appear to be more contagious and render some treatments and vaccines less effective. Among the possible explanations for the fall in cases is that some large areas have reached herd immunity — the threshold at which enough people have developed immunity to the virus, by falling sick or being vaccinated, that the spread begins to slacken, said Vineeta Bal, who studies immune systems at India’s National Institute of Immunology. But experts have cautioned that even if herd immunity in some places is partially responsible for the decline, the population as a whole remains vulnerable, and must continue to take precautions. (There is much more to this story, click on the link for the full article. It's worth reading.)

In national news,
We are set to receive vaccine shipments to vaccinate every Canadian! (NO, wait....they meant 2022)

In Ontario,
(Trouble at the hen-house? Ontario and Toronto at logger-heads?) Keeping Toronto closed now may prevent another lockdown right before patios open, Tory says. Extending strict public health measures in Toronto now could help to prevent another lockdown right before patio season begins in Toronto, Mayor John Tory said Wednesday. Speaking at a news conference at city hall on Wednesday afternoon, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said she is asking the province to keep strict lockdown measures in place in the city for at least another two weeks before considering easing any of the current restrictions. “We absolutely do not want to find ourselves opening up, even slightly, and then having to close down again just a few weeks from now. With the promise of vaccinations upon us, we need to ensure that this lockdown that we’re presently in is the last one,” she told reporters. Toronto, Peel Region, York Region, and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit are the only regions of the province that have not been transitioned back into the province’s reopening framework due to high community transmission of the novel coronavirus and the circulation of dangerous COVID-19 variants. The Ford government previously indicated that the regions could return to its colour-coded reopening system as soon as next week, but both Toronto and Peel Region’s medical officers of health have advised against that. Mayor John Tory said he supports the decision to keep Toronto closed in the interim. (I listened to Dr. Devilla's press conference yesterday. If her goal was to scare the shit out of me, she succeeded.)

(Ever play Three Card-Monte?) Ontario adds fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for fourth straight day. Ontario is reporting fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for a fourth straight day. The province added 847 cases Wednesday which is the fewest new cases reported since late October. Sixty-five per cent of the new cases are in the hot spots around the GTHA. Nearly 34,000 tests were completed over the last day and 270,869 people have recovered. Another ten people have died across the province. Test positivity, the percentage of tests coming back positive, is at three per cent.

In small town news,
Outdoor Rom-Com About Dating Six Feet Apart Coming To Globus Theatre. Toronto’s Sudden Spark Collective comes to Globus Theatre at the end of February to perform the world premiere of february: a love story, to Bobcaygeon audiences…outdoors with bonfires and warm refreshments! The Lakeview Arts Barn will provide the perfect outdoor space for this exhilarating new piece of site-specific theatre to come to life while adhering to physical distancing. From February 26th to the 28th, audiences can enjoy the perfect date – a warm meal, hot drinks, a bonfire and LIVE theatre! Globus Theatre is offering a safe gathering place for those missing the shared experience of live theatre. This production will adhere strictly to all public health guidelines.
Venue: The Lakeview Arts Barn | 2300 Pigeon Lake Rd, Bobcaygeon Run Time: 60 minutes
Performance Schedule: Friday – Sunday at 2:30pm & 5pm February 26th, 27th, 28th
Tickets: $25 General Admission with meal and drinks options! Available now by calling 705-738-2037

Musing,
Is Canada in good shape or bad shape to return to widespread re-opening...is COVID getting worse or better? Who knows.....oh, and throw in recombinants.

"I have never been as worried about the future as I am today....." (Toronto Medical Officer of Health, Doctor De Villa)

It's National Drink Wine day? I can do that.

“I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” (THOMAS JEFFERSON)

Did you know....the optimum workout music has 120 - 140 beats per minute. (Genre is irrelevant. If you don't know what genre means, stop reading, go away and go back to checking your social media feed.)

Have you ever...made home-made wine?

WTF is ...............Navis Mysterium Amphora?

On this day in history, in 1885, Mark Twain publishes his famous—and famously controversial—novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Though Twain saw Huck’s story as a kind of sequel to his earlier book, the new novel was far more serious, focusing on the the institution of slavery and other aspects of life in the antebellum South. At the book’s heart is the journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway enslaved person, down the Mississippi River on a raft. Jim runs away because he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and children, and Huck goes with him to help him get to Ohio and freedom. Huck narrates the story in his distinctive voice, offering colorful descriptions of the people and places they encounter along the way. The most striking part of the book is its satirical look at racism, religion and other social attitudes of the time. While Jim is strong, brave, generous and wise, many of the white characters are portrayed as violent, stupid or simply selfish, and the naive Huck ends up questioning the hypocritical, unjust nature of society in general. (This book was required reading when I went to school, as well as a Huckleberry Finn class play we performed in Grade 8. Looking back, hard to believe....)

The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered on the same day in 1930 as a cow flew-- in an airplane, that is. The creature known as Elm Farm Ollie was milked in mid-flight, with her milk sealed in paper containers and dropped by parachute over St. Louis.

Today is - NATIONAL BATTERY DAY – NATIONAL DRINK WINE DAY – NATIONAL CRAB STUFFED FLOUNDER DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)

Lygenztia *631 (Storm clouds on the horizon, or sunshine?......) Wednesday February 17, 2021

Worldwide stats provided by Worldometers put the global COVID-19 number of reported cases today at 110,102,025. (Deaths: 2,431,445 and Recovered: 89,924,522)
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 February 17, 2021:
Health Canada reported 831,577 confirmed cases of COVID-19, to date. 35,699 cases are active, there have been 21,397 deaths and 774,511 people have recovered.

The official Province of Ontario website is reporting 287,736 total confirmed cases and 6,719 total deaths. 11,604 are active. Currently, there are 742 people are in hospital with 292 of those cases currently in ICU. 269,413 cases have been resolved. The Ontario government has previously said that when the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU exceeds 300, it becomes nearly impossible for health-care workers to provide care not related to the disease.

The Region of Durham reported 11,405 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (289 active). Clarington rose to 847 cases, of which 35 are active. Hospitalized in Clarington currently: "4", total deceased: "12"

In international news,
Spain betting on COVID-19 passports to revive summer tourism. Spain hopes the introduction of vaccination passports combined with pre-travel COVID-19 testing will allow British tourists to return to Spanish destinations this summer, a tourism ministry source told Reuters on Tuesday (Feb 16). "We support the vaccination certificate but not as the only way to recuperate mobility, rather, as one of the means within a portfolio of measures including social distancing, pre-travel tests, mask-wearing," the source said. The government has no plans to introduce quarantines on foreign visitors, and was also counting on a wider agreement to be hammered out between Europe and Britain to remove restrictions on non-essential travel, the official added. Over 2020, as global travel was dramatically curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic, foreign tourism to Spain - one of the world's most visited countries - fell 80 per cent to just 19 million visitors, a level not seen since 1969.

In national news,
'Race against time': Third wave of COVID-19 feared as 'wild card' variants spread. Fears are mounting that Canada could see a third wave of COVID-19 infections in the coming weeks, as variants of the novel coronavirus spread even to remote regions of the country. Though case counts are dropping and vaccinations are expected to pick up again this week after a month-long slowdown, mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are threatening the progress made this month. The “second wave” in Canada’s epidemiological curve has been trending downward for weeks, with the seven-day national average dropping from about 8,000 daily cases in early January to less than 3,000 over Valentine’s Day weekend. But experts are concerned that vaccinations won’t be able to outpace the spread of coronavirus variants as parts of the country slowly begin to reopen. Officials have logged more than 500 cases of more transmissible strains of the virus, likely a hugely underestimated figure. Two remote First Nations communities have even logged probable cases of B.1.1.7, the strain that was first detected in the U.K. “It’s really a race against time,” Dr. Anna Banerji, the director of global and Indigenous health at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, told CTVNews.ca over the phone Tuesday. “But I think if we can get enough people vaccinated, especially high-risk people vaccinated, then we hopefully won’t have a third wave.”

In Ontario,
'Not the time to shy away from certain realities': Ajax and Pickering facing high COVID positivity rates. Two neighbourhoods, one in Pickering and the other in Ajax, have some of the highest COVID positivity rates in Ontario. Durham West is one of 15 high-needs communities identified by the provincial government; it’s the only Durham area to make the list at this time. In a statement, the Durham Region Health Department noted, “Durham West has been identified by the province as a High Priority Community; this includes the forward sortation area (first three digits of postal code) that you have noted. Evidence shows that racially diverse, newcomer and low-income communities have been impacted more significantly by COVID-19 than others, including higher rates of infection with COVID-19, as well as decreased access to testing.” The area in Ajax, dubbed L1Z after the forward sortation area, had some of the highest positivity rates in Durham in January. The area saw positivity rates as high as 18.1 per cent at the beginning of January, before falling to 12.3 per cent, 10.3 per cent and then 6.3 per cent the week of Jan. 17 to 23. The data comes from the ICES, an independent research organization in Ontario. The area is bordered by Whitevale Road to the north, Lakeridge Road to the east, Salem Road and Shoal Point Road to the west and Lake Ontario to the south. In a statement, Mayor Shaun Collier said town officials immediately responded when told of the high positivity rates, offering Ajax’s full support.

Pickering mayor asks Toronto residents to stay away as business reopen across Durham Region. The mayor of Pickering is making a public plea to people who are not residents of Durham region to stay away until things “get back to normal.” Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan made the comment during an interview with CP24 on Tuesday, as the Ford government officially lifted the stay-at-home order in 27 public health units, including Durham and Halton regions. “I want to take this opportunity to ask people who are not from Durham Region to stay in place and do what you can there,” he said, “When things get back to normal we will open you with open arms but for the safety of yourself and certainly for our residents and our community we are asking you to stay at home.” Both Durham and Halton regions have been placed in the red “control” zone in the province’s tiered framework for COVID-19 restrictions, allowing most businesses to reopen with strict capacity limits. Ryan, however, said that he is “very concerned” that residents from neighbouring Toronto will visit Pickering as a way of getting around the increased public health restrictions in their community, which will remain under the stay-at-home order until at least Feb. 22.

In small town news,
Resident Charged Under Reopening Act After Report Of A Party In Lindsay. Kawartha Lakes Police Service has laid another charge under the provinces Reopening Act. Police say on February 14, 2021, at 10:09 pm the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service received a report of a party occurring at an address in Lindsay. Officers attended and as a result of an investigation one individual has been charged with failing to comply with a continued section 7.0.2, contrary to the Reopening Ontario Act. No additional information was released. Most of the province including the City of Kawartha Lakes was under a “Stay at Home” order until tuesday.

Ontario reports 904 new COVID-19 cases, including 25 in greater Kawarthas region. Two new deaths in Northumberland, regional active cases decrease to 91 with 9 new cases in Peterborough, 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, 1 in Hastings Prince Edward County. Along with the 22 current active COVID cases in the Peterborough region — that’s a jump of six active cases since last Friday (February 12) — the health unit is also following closely the progress of 205 identified high-risk contacts of positive cases — "a huge increase of 145 from last week."

Musing,
COVID numbers are decreasing (or, are they?) and people are going to fall into a false sense of security. What will that mean? Nobody knows yet.

“Pray for those who chose and oppose.” (T.S. ELIOT)

Whichever diety you choose to pray to, now more than ever we need that.

"Even The Smallest Person Can Change The Course Of The Future." (LADY GALADRIEL)

Did you know.....today is Lent.

Have you ever....installed the COVID tracing app? (That's ok. Nobody else did, either.)

WTF is ...............Acer saccharum? (Hint-pancakes)

On this day in history, Beetle overtakes Model T as world’s best-selling car.
On February 17, 1972, the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle comes off the assembly line, breaking a world car production record held for more than four decades by the Ford Motor Company’s iconic Model T, which was in production from 1908 and 1927. The history of the VW Beetle dates back to 1930s Germany. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and announced he wanted to build new roads and affordable cars for the German people. At that time, Austrian-born engineer Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951) was already working on creating a small car for the masses. Hitler and Porsche later met and the engineer was charged with designing the inexpensive, mass-produced Volkswagen, or “people’s car.”

It was on this date in 1795 that a man yanked a 17 lb. potato from his garden in Chester, England. Hello tater tots!... Drifting back further to the year 1600, Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for his heretical views on the plurality of worlds.

Today is - NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY – ASH WEDNESDAY – NATIONAL CABBAGE DAY


The Bank of Canada unclaimed balances portal can be found here.
COVID-19 vaccination approximate dates here.
Lakeridge Health Mental Health Clinic 905-440-7534 or toll free at 1-833-392-7363 (Monday-Friday 9am-4pm)