Pictures posted to Twitter by Living by YYZ show Toronto International Airport a ghost town.
The Ministry of Health announced an additional confirmed 375 cases of COVID-19 infection Saturday The total comes in under Friday’s total of 462 cases, a high. A previous high of 426 cases was reported Wednesday. Total fatalities from the infection have risen to 94, many related to the awful outbreaks in some nursing and care homes. This appears to be a death rate of about 2.5 percent. The COVID-19 death rate is higher, possibly over three percent, in countries where people may be in generally poorer health than those in Canada. North American death rates for the annual influenza are said to be slightly under one percent. Government website with more information.
The Ontario government has revealed projected numbers for the province to sustain just under 1,600 COVID-19 deaths and 80,000 cases by the end of April if the current measures in place are upheld. President and CEO of Public Health Ontario Dr. Peter Donnelly alongside President and CEO of Ontario Health Matthew Anderson revealed the projected numbers at Queen’s Park on Friday. The data also indicated that Ontario would have seen 300,000 cases of COVID-19 and 6,000 deaths by the end of the month if there was no government action or intervention — Global News News Leads
A cheering and applauding crowd of sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt chanted a hero’s farewell to Captain Brett Crozier Friday. Crozier sent a letter to his superiors raising concerns about the spreading coronavirus on his ship. The letter was leaked to the media and Crozier was removed from his job for not being more discrete. Later, however, as many came to Crozier’s defense, the navy said he had merely been reassigned. Hundreds are seen in the gathering in the ship’s hangar deck at the US base at Guam. “Captain Crozier, Captain Crozier,” is the shout. Another video shows the career naval officer walk to the brow of the ship. He waves to the crowd, salutes and waves again before turning and walking down the gangway — alone — to the pier. Stars and Stripes
Premier Ford is scheduled to make public at noon Friday what can only be called a best-guess estimate of just how many people may succumb to the COVID-19 virus. Having seen the appalling actual death tolls reported elsewhere it’s hard to imagine how clear-headed Ontarians will find the estimate unexpected. Critically, the largest unknown in any calculation is how conscientious people are in social distancing and isolation.
462 new COVID-19 in Ontario reported Friday
The Ministry of Health has reported 462 new COVID-19 cases, and 14 new deaths Friday morning taking the provincial total including recovered patients up to 3,255. Ontario reported 401 new cases on Thursday. This informative government website says that some 1245 cases remain under investigation.
Real estate sales slow
Elsewhere, an expected slowdown in the real estate market has been reported by the Toronto Real Estate Board in March. It is yet another of the countless aspects of business that have been crippled as people simply stay home.
The Ministry of Health has reported an increase of 401 new COVID-19 cases to bring the provincial total of active cases to 2,793. Wednesday’s increase was reported as 426 cases. Government information site
The uncharted waters of social distancing both voluntary and obligatory have left a lot of people at sea. Toronto police Wednesday issued a release reminding people that travel or parking in a car with five or fewer people is not against the law. It may not be recommended, but it won’t result in arrest. This remains true even if you hardly know the other parties in the car. Recent public directives intended to combat COVID-19 make a distinction between such informal groupings and “organized public events and social gatherings.” As well, say police, enforced closures apply as follows:
– All facilities providing indoor recreational programs
– All public libraries
– All private schools as defined in the Education Act
– All licensed child care centres
– All bars and restaurants, except to the extent that such facilities provide takeout food and delivery
– All theatres including those offering live performances of music, dance, and other art forms, as well as cinemas that show movies
– Concert venues
– All City-owned playgrounds, sports fields, basketball and tennis courts, off-leash dog parks, skateboard and BMX parks, picnic areas, outdoor exercise equipment and other parks amenities, as well as parking lots attached to its parks system
Questions about organized public events and social gatherings of more than five people or open businesses that should be closed can be addressed by calling 311. The police are probably quite happy that City of Toronto bylaw officers have the job of monitoring and providing information and education to non-compliant individuals and businesses. In some cases, the Toronto police will be contacted to conduct enforcement actions under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. In the end, the TPS release says officers will use their discretion to determine the proper action. Amen to that.
A man has taken a vitally important shipment of special baby formula in yet another Internet-age case of a package removed from a porch by someone other than the owner. This case occurred in west-end Toronto and the product in question was a specialized baby formula meant for a child with a rare kidney disease. For reasons unexplained, the CTV story showing this video has the face of the man who took the formula shaded apparently to prevent identification. It’s not mentioned why this might have been done or by whom. The child, Emily, was born with bilateral multicystic dysplastic kidney disease, a rare illness in which the kidneys don’t work properly and produce no urine. Emily is fed through a gastric tube and is given a special medical formula called Nephea Kid that helps balance the electrolytes in her body. Without it, her mother Rita said, Emily’s electrolytes become imbalanced – a problem that could lead to hospitalization. The baby formula in question follows a lengthy route of delivery from Germany to a BC retailer and is said to take about two weeks to deliver.
The Ministry of Health has released another one-day high of new COVID-19 infections Wednesday. The daily number is set at 426 cases. It is a large increase on the previous high of 351 cases announced Monday. Total infections now stand at 2,392.
MOH warns isolation period may last three more months
Toronto Medical Officer of Health Eileen de Villa said Wednesday that residents will likely have to remain at home and only venture outside “for the most essential of needs” for the next 12 weeks. Her warning reflected the surging number of cases of COVID-19 here and across Ontario. But said Dr. de Villa, the matter remains in the hands of citizens at large if they wish to take control.
Entirely in our hands
“It is my belief that these measures need to be in place for up to 12 weeks. But I would tell you that how long these measures need to be in place and how successful we are in terms of controlling the virus spread is entirely in our hands,” she said. “The more we are able to put these measures into place and the more we are able as a community to adhere to these recommendations the shorter will be the duration of these measures and the more effective we will be at reducing the loss of lives in our community,” the MOH.
For decades volunteer members of St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church affectionately known as Nightriders have been charged with the responsibility of making sure the church was safely locked up each night. That duty continues but in the present health emergency, the St. Cuthbert’s Nightriders will also acknowledge the brave doctors, nurses and other professionals who are helping to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Each evening around 7.30 the St. Cuthbert’s bell will ring in salute to tireless health care workers. Sadly, the normally busy church must remain quiet most evenings as members self-isolate.
Neighbours may wish to join bell ringers
Lorna Krawchuk of the St. Cuthbert’s congregation has suggested that nearby neighbours of the Bayview Ave. church may wish to come outside and make some noise in support of doctors and nurses as well. St. Cuthbert’s is conducting church services by way of Zoom and Facebook. Information is on the website at stcuthbertsleaside.com.
With the continued closure of all schools until at least the end of May, the government has authorized a program of online learning. It was learned Tuesday that will include classes that are teleconferenced in some cases.
Ontario public schools will remain closed until at least the end of April as authorities try to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. The decision was announced by Education Minister Stephen Lecce Tuesday. An earlier decision had closed schools until April 6. The insidious nature of the infection is revealed in the role of children as carriers of the virus to older, more vulnerable family members.
