The Ministry of Health has announced an additional 85 newly-confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Ontario Tuesday bringing the total of confirmed active cases in the province to 573. Details of the latest ministry report may be seen at the government website. Perhaps the most worrisome number is that for cases under investigation, which has leaped to 10,074. Tuesday’s confirmed cases (85) exceed a previous high of 78 reported on Monday. As the daily load of cases creeps upward health officials and the public will watch for evidence that this number might explode as seen in some European jurisdictions. Or, is the firm quarantine and shutdown strategy at least controlling the spread of the infection?
Libs reverse scheme to grab tax power owned by Parliament
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Global News says the Liberal government will change the bill set to be tabled Tuesday that would have granted the finance minister Mr. Morneau sweeping powers to spend money and raise taxes without Parliamentary approval. In a tweet late Monday night, the leader of the government in the House of Commons, Pablo Rodriguez, said that it would make changes to the federal government’s emergency response to the novel coronavirus. “We consulted with the opposition and will bring changes to the draft legislation,” read Rodriguez’s tweet. “We will always work collaboratively and respect the fundamental role of Parliament. The bill, which Global News has seen, was later denounced by the opposition in a statement from Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on Monday night.
Sunnybrook veteran said to be doing well after positive test
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A resident at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre veterans care facility has tested positive for COVID-19. A release from Sunnybrook says that the person is currently self-isolating in his room and is doing well. Access to the care centre is normally controlled to friends and family of residents. It’s unclear whether the transmission occurred before or after more stringent visiting measures were recently put in place. Authorities are now working backwards through the names of visitors to try to trace the source of the transmission.
Toilet paper chronicles see it here and there but not for long
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The toilet paper chronicles are being written daily by South Bayview residents at Leaside Community. The elusive household necessity is seen here and there but seldom for long, it seems.
Gov’t to shut schools, non-essential businesses indefinitely
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The Ontario government has declared that schools will not re-open April 6 as planned but will stay closed indefinitely. Premier Ford also said the province will require the closure of all non-essential businesses. Toronto Sun
Two-alarm fire in Wellington and Spadina vacant building
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Two-alarm fire in vacant building at Wellington and Spadina/Dave Deen@DeenStory
Toronto Fire Service has extinguished a fire in a vacant building at Wellington St and Spadina Ave during the Monday noon hour.
Ministry reports 78 new COVID cases, 489 active patients
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The Ministry of Health has announced 78 new cases of COVID 19 on Monday. The total number of cases in the province now stands at 489 active cases. There have been six deaths. Once again, authorities seem to be struggling to grasp all the details of each case. Of the new cases with a location listed, 15 are in Toronto, eight are in York Region, six are in Peel Region, three are in Durham Region, three are in Hamilton and two are in Halton Region. Ministry of Health
Mayor on Citytv about COVID-19 actions and days to come
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Mayor Tory has spoken on City News about Toronto’s first COVID0-19 death and what the days ahead may hold for further government action to control the virus. Monday will see another release of cases from the Ministry of Health, a closely-watched number which may provide a clue to just how successful the community has been in slowing transmission.
New COVID cases may be holding steady, Sunday count 47
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The Ontario Ministry of Health says Sunday’s count of new COVID-19 cases is 47. It brings the number of active cases in the province to 413. As officials carefully monitor whether each day’s numbers exceed previous days, the information released with the daily count seems to shrink. Sunday’s 47 cases have details for only seven. The remaining 40 cases are identified only by number as opposed to the patient’s age, location or manner of transmission. Cases reported in recent days are Wednesday, 23, Thursday, 43, Friday, 60 and Saturday 58. The goal of quarantine and isolation is to reduce transmission to less than 1 on average per infected patients.
Link to Trudeau Sunday statement and news conference
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The prime minister is scheduled to hold a news conference and make a statement Sunday at about 11.15 a.m. This link goes to Global News.
Country music legend and actor Kenny Rogers dead at 81
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Actor-singer Kenny Rogers has died at 81 at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Rogers was under hospice care and died of natural causes, Hagan said.
Wretched cost of delay as 11 doctors, health staff get virus
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The wretched cost of dithering over whether to cancel events and demand social distancing seems to have resulted in the infection of at least eleven doctors and front line medical staff in Saskatchewan. The new cases all attended a bonspiel in Edmonton between March 11 and 14, just before a pandemic was declared. The total cases attributed to socializing at the bonspiel is 13. Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer Dr. Shaqib Shahab said 11 of those cases are “front-line health care staff and physicians” from Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert. The other two are people connected to the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.
Michael Garron Hospital under fire from union
Michael Garron Hospital is under fire from hospital unions because it asked employees to return directly to work after travel as long as they are as asymptomatic, a position that goes against advice from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. The hospital says it is conducting constant testing. The province has said that the only exception should be workers who are deemed “critical” to continued operations “by all parties.” He said that those employees could report to work but should “undergo regular screening, use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the 14 days and undertake active self-monitoring, including taking their temperature twice daily.”
As many as 50 nurses exposed in emergency room
The Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) is urging a hospital in Kitchener to work with its leaders after as many as 50 nurses were exposed to COVID-19 in the ER of St. Mary’s Hospital. According to a statement from the union, multiple nurses were exposed at St. Mary’s while caring for someone in the emergency department who was screened for influenza, but not the coronavirus. The nurses reportedly performed medical procedures that made the virus air-borne and the patient was not isolated. Further, ONA President Vicki McKenna says the nurses were unable to access N-95 masks while they worked because “their employer strongly discourages nurses wearing them.”