It’s Ontario’s highest number of COVID-19 cases in a single day.
The province is reporting 978 people tested positive.
“Locally, there are 348 new cases in Toronto, 170 in Peel, 141 in York Region, 89 in Ottawa and 51 in Durham. There are 625 more resolved cases,” Health Minister Christine Elliott says on Twitter.
In the Northwest, there are five cases in the Thunder Bay district and two in the Northwestern Health Unit catchment area.
One of the potential vaccines under development for COVID-19 could be Canadian made.
The Quebec-based biopharmaceutical Medicago is in the second phase of trials of a plant-derived vaccine.
Testing on people could come by the end of the year.
The federal government is throwing its support behind the work by securing a deal for 76-million doses, worth $173-milliom.
The government also has deals with several other companies for their vaccine when it becomes available.
If we want to reduce the risk of COVID – 19 transmission in schools, every single student needs to be wearing a mask.
That’s from Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiologist with the University of Toronto, who says that needs to be paired with smaller class sizes.
“Children under age ten are less likely to show symptoms of COVID, but that’s not the same as not being infected, or not being infectious,” he explains.
Since schools opened up, Fisman says students have been tested more and that the rate of infection among young people is similar to those seen in older adults.
Fisman feels masks should be worn in every classroom from junior kindergarten through to grade 12, not just for grades three and up. He claims we’re seeing all around the world that kindergarten students are fully capable of wearing a mask throughout the school day.
Fisman adds that having kids back in school is only one part of reducing transmission.
“We know from past influenza pandemics that autumn waves are much larger than initial springtime waves. It’s also increasingly apparent that SARS-COV2 spreads more readily during colder seasons, as we saw during the Australian winter,” Fisman explains.
Wearing a mask, frequent hand washing and physical distancing aren’t the only measures needed to help keep schools safe.
University of Toronto Engineering professor Doctor Jeffrey Siegel explains the risk of transmission would go down with better air filtration systems in place.
“There’s a lot of advantages to portable filters. First of all, they’re easily deployable, they’re flexible–all you need is an electrical outlet to plug them in,” Siegel says.
Siegel recommends using filters that have been proven to remove the COVID-19 particles from the air.
He claims better ventilation will also make schools better in the long run, saying research indicates it leads to better academic performance and student health.
A somber milestone as more than 3,000 Ontarians have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The province’s latest update also reports 809 people were diagnosed by the end of Friday. Meanwhile, 700 cases have resolved since the last report, leaving the province with 5,754 active cases.
It comes as the province puts new restrictions in place for Toronto, Peel, and Ottawa, where most of the new cases have been reported.
The Premier is echoing some warnings from earlier in the pandemic, as Ontario surges above 900 new cases of COVID-19.
Doug Ford is warning you to avoid leaving home unnecessarily, in hopes the province can avoid more lockdowns and extra strain on the healthcare system.
“All trends are going in the wrong direction. Left unchecked, we risk worst-case scenarios first seen in Italy and New York City,” Ford warns.
He adds that if the virus continues to spread at this rate, admissions to Intensive Care Units could more than triple in “less than 30 days”.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says they’re very concerned about the rise in cases, with some infected people having contact with up to 100 people.
“The curve is not just growing, it’s growing exponentially. Numbers have increased significantly, and we need to take action now and do everything we can to avoid a very severe second wave,” Elliott says.
Ford is also announcing more shutdowns in Southern Ontario as the province re-activates some public health measures in Toronto, Ottawa and Peel. Those include a ban on indoor dining at restaurants, effective first thing Saturday morning. Those hotspots will also see a limit on guests at wedding receptions, effective first thing Tuesday morning.
The new rules will be in effect for the next four weeks in those areas with the highest number of new cases. Ford is apologizing to the businesses that will be hardest-hit by the restrictions.
The province is investing $300-million to extend the wage subsidy, rent subsidy, and business loans for those areas.
The first ever Dryden Fall Fest is just one weekend away and volunteers are working hard assure the community Dryden’s first Fall Fest will be safe to attend.
Organizer, Laina Smith was a guest on the CKDR morning show today and she says they’ve been working closely with the Northwestern Health Unit on health and safety guidelines.
“Some of our safety precautions that we are taking are that volunteers and vendors will be trained on public health protocols and wearing masks. Sanitizing stations will be throughout every event, every event is one way traffic, there will be occupancy control in place. Vendors and trunks for all events will be provided a vest practices COVID work sheet to ensure everyone knows how to keep the fun but also keep the distance and sanitization protocols.”
Some events, including the Treats and Trees Walk on the first day of events Saturday October 17, will also have timed entry to ensure there’s physical distancing between groups.
Dryden Fall Fest Facebook Page
Smith warns that one of their most anticipated events, the Laura Howe Haunt will be scary.
“This is not a kid friendly event, we are suggesting n age limit of 13 or above. It’s a timed walk through the marsh that starts at 6:30 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m.”
Smith suggests to come right away or early to secure your spot in the event Saturday October 24.
Another event that’s highly anticipated on Halloween night is Trunk or Treat.
Smith explains how the event on October 31 will work.
“This is going to be a secured event, only one hundred people in at a time. It’s going to be a lot of fun and great for younger crowds because it starts at 4 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m.”
Smith adds there’s only a few spots left for trunks and to sign up you can email laurahowehaunt@gmail.com.
The Fall Fest has a passionate group of volunteers, Smith stresses, that can’t wait for the community to enjoy all their hard work.
“We are working diligently and are having communication with all our volunteers to make sure they understand all our protocols. I want to just assure the public that our team is working really hard to prepare and safely welcome everyone to Dryden’s first Fall Fest.”
The first event is Harvest Hay Day which takes place on Saturday October 17, full of vendors, contests and treats.
To read more about Dryden Fall Fest health and safety precautions in light of COVID-19, click here.
To hear the full interview with Laina Smith click the audio below:
The Domtar Dryden Mill is supporting the community with several donations of masks, as concerns of the second wave of COVID-19 increase across Ontario.
The mill has provided 4-thousand disposable face masks to all Dryden schools.
Domtar’s Bonny Skene says with students back in the classroom, it’s important to support the community.
“Now that a number of other things are opening up in the community, including schools, we had the ability to make this donation and wanted to do that to support health and safety of those in our community.”
The Kenora District Services Board is also welcoming a donation of face masks from the Dryden mill.
The local mill donated 12-thousand masks to the Northwestern Health Unit and KDSB to help keep their staff and the people they serve safe.
The KDSB will distribute the masks to their Early Years programs, Northwest Emergency Medical Services, and area emergency shelters.
Skene says the donation of masks during this time goes hand and hand with Domtar’s community involvement.
“As our mill manager says, we’re a tight nit community and we need to be helping where we can, so we saw this as an opportunity to do that and we’re glad to do it.”
KDSB Chief Administrative Officer Henry Wall says the gift embodies the spirit of Northern Ontario of working together and supporting each other.
Eagle Lake First Nation and Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation also recently received a total of 2-thousand masks.
The U.S. president will be returning to the White House on Monday after spending the weekend in the hospital.
Donald Trump tweeted Monday that he will be leaving the Walter Reed Medical Centre on Monday evening.
“Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life,” said Trump in the tweet.
Trump was admitted to the military hospital on Friday to continue his treatment for COVID-19.
On Sunday, Trump’s medical team said he had experienced two drops in oxygen saturation and was being treated with a steroid typically only recommended for those with severe COVID-19 symptoms.
Another White House staffer, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, tested positive for the virus on Monday.
I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020
The replacement for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit takes effect in two parts.
It’s the beginning of the COVID-19 Response Measures Act, which creates new benefits to help out of work or at home Canadians for a year.
$500/week for up to 26 weeks per household
$500 per week for up to a maximum of two weeks
The money will be paid on a weekly basis, which means you’ll need to reapply each week they’re eligible.
Taking effect next Monday, October 12th will be the Canada Recovery Benefit
$500 per week for up to 26 weeks
This money will be paid on a bi-weekly basis
You can find out how to apply for any of the benefits here
