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)
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