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Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (nCoV-2019)

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From link.

RATE OF INCREASE IN COVID-19 AMONG STAFF, RESIDENTS & PATIENTS IN ONTARIO’S HEALTH CARE SETTINGS MORE THAN DOUBLED: COALITION FEARS SECOND WAVE IN LONG-TERM CARE

The OHC has tracked 90 currently active outbreaks, 33 of which started from the end of August. Ottawa has 11 outbreaks in long-term care alone, and the worst ones are across two long-term care homes. One is quite large, and the other one is devastating. We have calculated that the rates of increase among staff, residents, and patients contracting COVID-19 in Ontario health and congregate care settings have more than doubled over three weeks. Here are our key findings of most recent report detailing the COVID-19 outbreaks it has tracked from reliable sources in health care settings since the beginning of the pandemic. :

• There are currently 35 active outbreaks in Ontario long-term care homes that we have found. This is higher than the numbers reported by the Ontario government and Public Health Ontario. We also found 19 active outbreaks in hospitals, 26 active outbreaks in retirement homes. Most are small (5 people or less).

• The largest outbreak in a health care setting currently is at the West End Villa long-term care home in Ottawa, operated by Extendicare. As of September 22, ninety-two residents and staff have contracted COVID-19 since August 30 when the outbreak was declared, twenty-four of whom are staff and 68 are residents. Despite claims by the Ministry of Long-Term Care on September 11 that the home had adequate staffing and by Ottawa’s Chief Medical Officer of Health that it had adequate PPE, a staff member has come forward to say that staff working directly with COVID-positive residents do not have N95 masks and families have long reported that the home has inadequate staffing (even prior to COVID-19). The home has asked for staffing help and the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ottawa as of yesterday ordered the Ottawa Hospital to take over the home as well as Laurier Manor which also has a serious outbreak (16 staff and residents infected) also an Extendicare home. Only four residents from West End Villa are reported to have been transferred to hospital. One family has revealed to the media that testing for their grandmother who was in a shared room, did not happen until days after her roommate was exhibiting symptoms and finally got tested, and then both disinfection of the room and isolation was further delayed. Well over 100 residents and staff have contracted COVID-19 in Ottawa’s long-term care homes outbreaks since the end of August.

• By all measures, the rate of the spread of COVID-19 in health care settings is rising. The OHC has calculated that these rates have more than doubled over the last three weeks: the rate of increase for people infected cumulatively (both staff and patients/residents) in health and congregate settings; the rate of increase for staff infected cumulatively, and; the rate of increase for patients/residents infected cumulatively.

The report tracking of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Health Care Settings is available on the Coalition’s website here: https://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/.../release-report.../
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Mike Crawley of CBC has obtained a draft version of Ontario's Covid Response Plan.


From said report:

Parts of the plan that have not been revealed include expanding testing capacity to 50,000 tests per day, with the ability to ramp up to 100,000 tests per day as needed. The plan also says the province will adopt new testing technologies, including saliva tests and tests that can be processed at the point of care.

***

The plan commits at least $2.2 billion to the pandemic response. The biggest single item is nearly $1.4 billion on a range of public health measures, including increased capacity in testing, labs, contact tracing, and efforts to prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus.

Other dollar figures in the plan include:

  • $475 million to prepare the health system for a surge in COVID-19 cases.
  • $284 million to reduce backlogs in surgeries and other hospital procedures.
  • $30 million to identify, manage and prevent outbreaks in schools, long-term care and other settings.
  • $28.5 million for the flu immunization campaign announced on Tuesday.

An additional $90 million is labelled "TBC" (to be confirmed) for a wage enhancement for personal support workers in home and community care.

***

Of note, and a potential concern (need to see details and consider legal precedent issues).

The use of private clinics to tackle the surgical backlog.

Private medical clinics would be paid to help clear the backlog of thousands of procedures that were postponed during the spring wave of the pandemic as hospitals tried to clear space.

The Ministry of Health will address the backlog in part "through innovative channels such as the use of independent health facilities that can deliver additional publicly funded surgical and diagnostic imaging services," says the document.
 
Scientists say the coronavirus is at least as deadly as the 1918 flu pandemic

From link.

...“What we want people to know is that this has 1918 potential,” lead author Dr. Jeremy Faust said in an interview, adding that the outbreak in New York was at least 70% as bad as the one in 1918 when doctors didn’t have ventilators or other advances to help save lives like they do today. “This is not something to just shrug off like the flu.”...
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...The increase in deaths during the 1918 flu pandemic was higher overall, but comparable to that observed in the first two months of the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, the researchers found. But when taking into account improvements in hygiene, modern medicine and public health, the increase during the early coronavirus outbreak was “substantially greater” than during the peak of the 1918 pandemic, the researchers wrote.

“If insufficiently treated, SARS-CoV-2 infection may have comparable or greater mortality than 1918 H1N1 influenza virus infection,” Faust wrote in the paper. He’s a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School....
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The main difference is the treatment available today to fight the symptoms of COVID-19 is keeping the death numbers down. If they do getting treated in time, the earlier the better.
 
Below is a page highlighting active cases in TDSB.


I'm surprised to see cases for schools in communities with relatively low cases of COVID.

This includes:

Fern PS (High Park)
Malvern CI (Upper Beaches)
Allenby PS
Humewood CS
Swansea PS
 
W. K. Lis said:
Scientists say the coronavirus is at least as deadly as the 1918 flu pandemic

From link.

The main difference is the treatment available today to fight the symptoms of COVID-19 is keeping the death numbers down. If they do getting treated in time, the earlier the better.
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That is misleading, since the 1918 Flu pandemic was deadly to different population demographics compared to COVID, demographics which represented the largest and most productive cohorts of society.
 
WislaHD said:
That is misleading, since the 1918 Flu pandemic was deadly to different population demographics compared to COVID, demographics which represented the largest and most productive cohorts of society.
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If it's so deadly I'm surprised that countries with massive and crowded populations and no health care aren't seeing 1918 flu pandemic numbers of deaths. India comes to mind.
 
WislaHD said:
That is misleading, since the 1918 Flu pandemic was deadly to different population demographics compared to COVID, demographics which represented the largest and most productive cohorts of society.
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Whether it targets a different cohort (much less whether the cohort is the largest or most productive) has nothing to do with raw deadliness.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Whether it targets a different cohort (much less whether the cohort is the largest or most productive) has nothing to do with raw deadliness.

AoD
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From link.

During June–August 2020, COVID-19 incidence was highest in persons aged 20–29 years, who accounted for >20% of all confirmed cases. Younger adults likely contribute to community transmission of COVID-19. Across the southern United States in June 2020, increases in percentage of positive SARS-CoV-2 test results among adults aged 20–39 years preceded increases among those aged ≥60 years by 4–15 days.
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More than 60% of new coronavirus cases in Ontario are under 40-years-old

From link.

More than 60% of new COVID-19 cases are under the age of 40 in Ontario.

According to the latest data from the Government of Ontario, 63% of cases are age 40 and under.

On Wednesday, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said that throughout the summer infection rates were higher amongst people ages 20-39.

“While COVID-19 tends to be less severe among young people, ongoing circulation of the virus in younger, more mobile and socially connected adults builds a reservoir for the virus,” Tam said.

“This not only increases the risk for spread to individuals and populations at higher risk for severe outcomes, but it threatens our ability to keep COVID-19 at manageable levels. As well, it is important to know that young adults are not immune to the direct impacts of COVID-19, as serious or prolonged illness can occur at any age.”
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Tam told the younger demographic that their cooperation is needed to help stop the spread of the virus.

She added that “we can’t get back on the slow burn track without your help. This is your generation. This is your time. Let’s work together to get this done.”

Tam emphasized the importance sticking to public health measures including physical distancing, hand hygiene, non-medical masks as recommended, limiting in-person contacts as much as possible to a small, consistent and trusted contacts bubble and “following the Golden Rule” of staying home and isolating from others if experiencing any symptoms.

Earlier on Thursday, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s deputy chief medical officer of health, echoed Tam’s sentiments telling younger people that they may not be as high-risk as older groups but they can transmit the virus, causing greater harm for vulnerable populations.

On September 24, the Government of Ontario reported 409 new coronavirus infections.

Ontario’s new coronavirus cases have increased significantly over the past week with Friday’s 401, Saturday’s 407, Sunday’s 365, Monday’s 425, Tuesday’s 478, which was the highest number since early May, and Wednesday’s 335.

Because of this, Ford has announced that private social gatherings across the province are limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors — it was originally 50 indoors and 100 outdoors.

Ford has also repeatedly warned younger people to avoid parties as they can cause virus spread easily.
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Survey up on CafeTO and curb-lane parklets.

If you want to see them continue, especially post-pandemic, this is your chance to say 'yes'.

Also, there are a couple of spots for input where you can advise on ways to improve it (ie. better physical separation from traffic in some cases etc.)

I suggested improvements to separation/protection would be helpful, particularly where there is no bike lane and/or parking buffer; and for the first patio on a block where a distracted driver could impact head-on.

www.toronto.ca

COVID-19: CaféTO

Last updated: February 9, 2020 at 9:53 a.m. The CaféTO program aims to provide space for expanded outdoor dining areas to help some restaurants and bars who are impacted by COVID-19. On February 5, 2021, City Council approved a report to authorize a reprisal of the CaféTO program from April 15...
www.toronto.ca www.toronto.ca
 
W. K. Lis said:
More than 60% of new coronavirus cases in Ontario are under 40-years-old

From link.
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Again, are the media trying their best to give out sensationalist headlines?

"According to the latest data from the Government of Ontario, 63% of cases are age 40 and under."

Let's see something...

en.wikipedia.org

Demographics of Ontario - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

According to this, 64.7% of Ontarians are under 40-years old.

So presumably, now that we have the situation at LTC facilities and elsewhere under control, the virus cases is exactly matching the population? Shocking revelations.
 
WislaHD said:
According to this, 64.7% of Ontarians are under 40-years old.
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Wikipedia, probably isn't accurate.

0-44 years of age accounts for 55.8% of population as of 2019 (note this is to forty four years) per Ontario's demographic age estimates. So yes, it appears to be showing a disproportionate number of cases assuming the estimates are close.


63% of cases vs under 55.8% of population (given was to 44 years).
 
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