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Ontario long-term care residents to get 4 hours of direct care daily by 2025

Aug 10, 2021 , , , , by shlf

The Ontario government has announced its commitment to ensure long-term care residents get an average of four hours of direct care each day — a standard that advocates have been pushing for, for approximately 10 years. 

But the timeline as to when this goal will be achieved is not a win for long-term care, Doris Grinspun, chief executive of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), said.

In the announcement on Nov. 2, made ahead of the Ontario budget release on Nov. 5, Premier Doug Ford said this new standard means an increase of more that 31 per cent in direct care, as long-term care residents currently receive an average of 2.75 hours daily. 

Long-term care minister Merrilee Fullerton said this will result in hiring tens of thousands of new personal support workers and nurses to support the increase in care, with a staffing strategy expected to be released in December. 

“I made a commitment to our long-term care residents, their families and their caregivers,” Ford said. “I promised we would fix the broken system. I promised we would give our residents the care and dignity they deserve.”

The province has set a target of 2024-2025 to fully implement this plan.

Grinspun said she initially got her hopes up when she heard about the announcement today, but after learning about the timeline for both the staffing strategy and the plan implementation, she is disappointed.

“For people that don’t really understand this much, it may seem fantastic, but I have seen this movie before,” she said, referring to commitments made by the former provincial government, under Kathleen Wynne.

“This is outrageous for residents, for their families and this is a slap in the face to the PSW community that has been begging, begging, begging (for them) to act.”

Grinspun said she could understand if the government agreed to partially increase the hours of care this year, and complete the four-hour goal next year, but that the current timeline just won’t cut it. 

On Oct. 29, , which calls for amendments to the Long-Term Care Act, including increasing staffing levels to ensure a minimum of four hours of hands-on care per resident per day, passed second reading.

“The only thing to do now is to push for Bill 13 and make sure that moves to royal assent,” Grinspun said. “At least then it will be law.”

Making sure that residents receive higher levels of care is a primary concern for a number of seniors advocates, as Ontarians continue through the second wave of COVID-19.

“This is a policy goal that has been fought for for close to a decade in the province and it’s coming to a crucial period in the legislature,” Candace Rennick, secretary-treasurer of Ontario’s Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) that represents workers in long-term care across the province, said in an earlier interview with Torstar. “That would be a good step towards enhancing the quality of life for seniors.”

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How to avoid falling prey to email phishing scams

Aug 6, 2021 , , , , by shlf

According to research from security awareness training platform KnowBe4, referring to COVID-19 and payroll matters are more likely than any other to ensnare users in phishing attacks right now. 

These phishing emails — as well as others claiming to be from social media platforms, banking institutions and other trusted sources — allow cybercriminals to gain access to unsuspecting users’ computers or steal personal data, such as passwords or credit card information. They often claim the user needs to update an account or confirm personal information or include links that, when clicked, open a computer up to malware. 

Phishing attacks can lead to financial loss for victims and put their private information at risk. To avoid becoming a victim, follow the advice of cybersecurity experts.

In a staff at Atlas VPN, a VPN proxy service, said users should watch for the following red flags in phishing emails: 

• Urgent call to action or threats: Emails that create a false sense of urgency by pressuring users to immediately click a link or open an attachment are suspicious, especially if they promise a reward or threaten a penalty.

• Dubious links: Check if the link provided in the email is safe to click on by hovering the cursor over the link — this should reveal the real web address you will be directed to after clicking the link. Because the text in emailed hyperlinks can be disguised to appear trustworthy, never open a link until you’ve checked to see where it actually goes. 

• Spelling and grammar mistakes: Obvious spelling or grammatical errors are the telltale signature of scammers. Professional companies usually take steps to ensure clients receive polished and professionally written content.

• Mismatched or misspelled email domains: If the email claims to be from one company but is sent from a domain that doesn’t match the company’s name, it’s likely a phishing email. You can look for the domain after the “@” in an email address. For example, a scammer might claim to write on behalf of Facebook while using a Yahoo.com or Gmail.com email address. Also, watch out for misspellings in the domain name.

Alan Regnier is a cyber security and IT consultant and owner of DNA Systems, a computer repair company in Toronto. He warns dangerous hyperlinks that open a computer up to attack can also be hidden in unexpected places in emails, including in text that doesn’t appear to be a link. 

“Even images themselves have embedded links,” he said, adding that users should avoid clicking on anything in a suspicious email.

If you do receive a suspicious email, for example one claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency, Regnier said to contact the organization named in the email directly using their official contact information – not the number or email address listed in the email – to confirm whether they sent the email. 

“I’ve spoken to the Canada Revenue Agency about this, and the best thing people can do if they receive a suspicious call or email is to ignore it and reach out to CRA directly,” he said. “And always make sure it’s on a secure network or secure website.”

Finally, Regnier said anyone who opens a suspicious link in an email should shut their computer off immediately and contact a trusted IT company. 

“All it takes is one click,” he said. 

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His idea for patio domes seemed perfect for a Toronto winter with COVID-19 — except they weren’t allowed. So he called Doug Ford

Aug 5, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Adam Panov thought he had a great idea for extending Toronto’s patio season into winter but he was facing regulatory hurdles, and so he picked up the phone and called .

The Panov family and the Ford family have known each other since 2016. That’s when Panov’s mother reached out to help former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who had been diagnosed with the same rare and aggressive stomach cancer that Panov’s father had.

Yaron Panov had been given six months to live when he was first diagnosed with malignant liposarcoma in 2010, but his wife, a doctor, refused to accept the verdict and sought out an experimental therapy being used in the U.S. The Panovs .

The treatment extended Panov’s life by seven years and the family worked to have Rob Ford enrolled. Unfortunately, it was too late. He died in March of 2016, weeks after beginning the treatment.

“I know the premier has always been grateful to us, and we just developed a very nice personal relationship with them,” said Adam Panov, who had to shutter his events business this year as a result of the pandemic.

So when Panov called Doug Ford last Saturday, the premier listened. Panov told him that he thought that dining pods — dome-shaped plastic structures that provide a transparent but enclosed space for two-to-six people at a table at a time and can be heated in winter and aired out and sanitized between guests — would help restaurants meaningfully extend patio season.

The problem was that although the domes had been approved for use for certain special events in the past, they weren’t generally permitted. Panov said city officials told him it was a provincial regulatory matter, which is when he turned to Ford for help.

“He told me he loved the idea; he would get it in front of whichever board it needed to get in front of… or whoever it may have been, and he said he would get it in front of them in the next few days and get back to me and a few days later, he got back to me personally and told me that they were officially approved,” said Panov.

Panov said he got a phone call on Tuesday from the premier and a confirming text from him on Wednesday morning.

Premier Ford acknowledged at a press conference on Thursday that the call sparked action on his part.

“Someone came to us the other day about putting these bubbles — I don’t know if you’ve ever seen those clear plastic bubbles you can go inside — it’s not the full solution, but it’s another tool that they can use,” Ford said at a Thursday press conference. “And we got that approved through our health table.”

Ford seems to have moved so quickly on the issue that Toronto city officials are having a hard time keeping up.

Panov has already begun rolling out the domes — he built the first one for a client in Newmarket on Friday, but as far as the City of Toronto is concerned, the prohibition against domes remains in place.

“Dining pods are considered indoor dining spaces and are not allowed while indoor dining is prohibited,” officials said, responding to questions from the Star.

“We’re sorting through this now to ensure absolute clarity on the public health advice regarding these types of structures,” said city spokesperson Brad Ross.

“We won’t have it this weekend — and I don’t anticipate enforcement of these structures over the weekend either — but any safety issues we encounter with structures, generally, will be addressed as they arise.”

At Thursday’s press conference, Ford also said the idea was also shared with Mayor John Tory, something Panov said Ford mentioned to him as well.

“I did get a call from the premier personally to say that he had spoken to Mayor Tory,” said Panov.

“They were going to speak to the mayors of all the cities, and they were going to speak with all of the health inspectors and to let them know that these things were given the go-ahead, and on Wednesday morning I received a text from Mr. Ford. I had reached out to him and asked him if there would be an official announcement, and he said there would be an official announcement in the coming days, but he said these domes are approved and basically gave us the go-ahead.”

For Panov, who launched SnowPods.ca only a few days ago, it was all the approval he needed to swing into action. He is sourcing the domes from a manufacturer in the U.S., and offering them for sale to restaurants at $1,800 each.

Panov says such domes are being used all over the world, in Chicago, New York and in Europe, and he believes Canada could prove to be the biggest market of all, due to the long winters and the dining restrictions introduced by .

Local restaurants, meanwhile, say they are struggling to keep up with the rapid regulatory changes that are taking place — setting up curb lane patios, taking down curb lane patios, putting up umbrellas, putting in propane heaters, taking out propane heaters, adding walls, adding roofs, subtracting walls, adding electric heaters.

Whether or not domes will be permitted has added another layer to the mix, especially after Tory referred to the dining bubbles this week.

“Mayor Tory said something about dining bubbles, but I am not clear if that means plastic domes? Or is it bubbles in the term that we were using for COVID,” said Emily LeBlanc, who together with her husband Josh LeBlanc, opened Bar Mordecai in January after a year of preparation.

After the pandemic hit, the bar, at Dundas Street West and Dovercourt Road, closed for six months.

LeBlanc added. “I’m sure it will all become clear in time.”

She doesn’t like to be too critical — the patio that Bar Mordecai was able to open as a result of the relaxed city rules under CafeTO, has been massively important. It seats 22, and has kept the restaurant alive.

She says the logic for using dining domes seems sound — they would allow people who isolate together to eat together in restaurants, without having to worry about unknowingly infecting others or unknowingly becoming infected.

It would mean yet another financial investment in a business that is struggling. Perhaps, says LeBlanc, it makes sense for the city to make the patio changes permanent.

“Other cultures have always had this built into the way they approach dining — Japan and Copenhagen find ways to make outdoor spaces more habitable.”

With all the legislative changes that have been introduced, residents sometimes believe that restaurants aren’t properly following the rules, says Ashish Sethi, who runs a group of restaurants, including Mantra, with his family. Mantra, located in the CF Shops at Don Mills plaza, currently has a patio, covered with a tent and two open walls, as per current regulations.

“We’ve definitely had questions and concerns.”

What people don’t understand is that restaurant owners are as eager as everyone else to stay healthy and keep their staff and customers healthy, he said.

Because his restaurant is family owned and operated, Sethi has been able to keep serving the public throughout the pandemic, even when it meant it was just he and his wife preparing take-out.

He’s also hoping the pandemic will bring long-term change — including more patios in Toronto, and for more months of the year.

“I think the exciting thing I think you’re going to see — there are some positive changes that are coming out of all this.”

James Rilett, of Restaurants Canada, which represents the industry, said outdoor dining in winter is popular in cities that also have a lot of outdoor winter activities — like Ottawa, which has a winter festival each year, and where food shacks dot the frozen and groomed Rideau Canal to serve skaters.

“I think the more activities there are, and if people dressed for the weather to be out all day, they might be more willing to sit down and snuggle up with a blanket and stay outside.”

He says restaurateurs will be able to justify the investment if the extended patio program is made permanent.

“It’s something people like and the more you do it, the more people get used to it.”

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

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Toronto Catholic itinerant music teacher is charged by Ministry of Labour for failing to wear a mask

Aug 4, 2021 , , , , by shlf

An itinerant music teacher who tested positive for COVID-19 — leading to the weeklong shutdown of a Toronto elementary school earlier this month — has been charged under the workplace health and safety act for failing to wear a mask.

Ontario’s Ministry of Labour confirmed a charge was laid after inspectors responded to a -related complaint about St. Charles school near Dufferin St. and Lawrence Ave. W., said Richard Sookraj, spokesperson for Labour Minister Monte McNaughton.

The “health and safety inspectors conducted a field visit on Oct. 23, 2020 at St. Charles Catholic School in the Toronto Catholic District School Board,” Sookraj said via email.

“No orders were issued to the employer. A certificate of offence, pursuant to part I of the Provincial Offences Act, was issued charging a worker with an offence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.”

He said the “individual worker was charged with failing to comply with … failing to use or wear protective devices or clothing that the worker’s employer requires to be used or worn.”

The teacher will appear before a justice of the peace on Feb. 2, 2021. The maximum penalty is a $1,000 fine, plus any victim fine surcharges, Sookraj said.

Shazia Vlahos, a spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic board, said she could not comment on specifics. She said the board “takes seriously the safety and well-being of all students and staff. As the matter is part of a legal proceeding pursuant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, we are unable to comment further.”

St. Charles for a week Oct. 5 after the teacher’s diagnosis, and Toronto Public Health set up an on-site assessment centre so that staff and students could access quick COVID-19 tests.

The school also received a deep cleaning before students and staff returned.

The music teacher is an itinerant — which requires travel from class to class or among schools — and had taught several classes before receiving the positive test.

Principal James Graham told the Star’s Kevin Jiang that “there just after we determined close contacts with this particular individual.” He also said the teacher’s “behaviours … maybe weren’t as safe as they could have been.”

The teacher had contact with three classes in the school of 250, and a source familiar with the situation said the individual is also accused of failing to self-screen before coming to work, coming to school while symptomatic and not self-isolating while ill.

The Catholic board has been looking at ways to limit itinerant teachers’ contacts, as some see up to 10 schools a week.

Some trustees have likened the situation to personal support workers in long-term-care homes, who the province limited to to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

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Flu shot in stock? These search engines will tell you

Jul 29, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Cold and flu season is here, and Ontarians are encouraged to get the flu vaccine as the province climbs higher into its second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu are so similar, preventing a flu infection could help save health-care resources for patients with COVID-19. 

Getting the vaccine may be trickier right now than in previous years, as the rush of people looking to get the shot this month has left some pharmacies out of stock and led to long lines and wait times at others. 

Fortunately, several pharmacy and clinic chains throughout the province maintain searchable databases of locations that offer the flu vaccine and have it in stock.

Browse our list below to find a pharmacy or clinic with the vaccine near you.

Shopper’s Drug Mart

The indicates which locations offer the vaccine and have it in stock. Just enter your city or postal code into the search field to see which stores near you have the vaccine on hand.

Filling out the online screening and consent form in advance will save you time at the counter.

Loblaw

shows which pharmacies located within Loblaws and No Frills grocery stores offer the flu vaccine and have it in stock.

Guardian and IDA

reveals which Guardian and IDA pharmacy locations offer the flu vaccine, but not whether they have it in stock. To find out if a store has the vaccine in stock, contact that store before going in.

Rexall

Rexall offers for flu vaccines, but does not allow users to search specifically for locations with the vaccine in stock. To book an appointment, select your preferred location and answer a few COVID-19 screening questions. If there are no appointments available at your preferred time, check other locations or try again later.

Appletree Medical Group

A search of Appletree’s will show nearby clinic locations and indicate whether each location has the flu vaccine avaiable. No appointment is necessary.

My Flu Shot

This shows flu shot inventories in pharmacies and health centres across Canada. Users can either search through pharmacy locations on a map or sign up to receive an email notification when their chosen pharmacy locations have the shot in stock.

Contact your to learn about upcoming flu vaccine clinics

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Time for a stop sign? Wasaga committee considers traffic-calming options for Golf Course Road

Jul 28, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Traffic-calming measures on two Wasaga Beach streets have noticeably reduced speeds, according to data collected by the public works department.

In a report to council’s co-ordinated committee, public works director Kevin Lalonde noted speed humps installed on Dunkerron Avenue had reduced speeds from 58 km/h to 27 km/h.

Permanent speed tables on Golf Course Road also had an appreciable effect on speed, according to the data, reducing the speeds of drivers in the 85th percentile for speed from 74 km/h to 55 km/h.

Residents living along Golf Course Road, notably near the intersection at Marlwood Avenue, say the speed tables have done little to slow drivers. In an email to councillors, and shared with Simcoe.com, resident Frank Steele said the tables have merely increased noise as vehicles travel over them.

That has some councillors suggesting a stop sign might be in order. Coun. George Watson said his neighbourhood on Old Mosley Street was faced with the same issue until the town put in a stop sign at 16th Street 20 years ago.

Prior to that, he said, there was frequent speeding — and some vehicles that would leave the road and ending up in front yards or taking out fences and decks.

“(The signs) really did the job,” he said, adding the collisions that had been taking place were “almost eradicated” and the signs have had a calming effect on speed.

“We need to listen to the people who experience the traffic issues on a 24-7 basis, and arrive at a solution that is satisfactory to all,” he said. “You can’t put a price on public safety … I don’t think you need to rip up the speed tables; you just have to add an enhancement to make it work for these people.”

Manager of engineering services Mike Pincivero said the department had intended to conduct a traffic count on all three legs of the intersection during peak times of use of the Marlwood course, such as during a tournament, with the idea of collecting enough data to justify a sign.

With no tournaments taking place in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has pushed that to 2021.

However, Pincivero pointed out, “The intent of stop signs is to control the pace and function of an intersection. It’s not intended to mitigate speeding.”

He said council could give that direction if it desired, though it might not conform to guidelines set out by the Ministry of Transportation.

Watson noted that “sometimes you have to throw the book out and make a decision.”

“If the stop sign rectifies it,” added Coun. Joe Belanger, “maybe it should be a consideration.”

However, the committee stopped short of directing staff to take further measures to control traffic on Golf Course Road. For the time being, it merely accepted the director’s report for information.

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BEHIND THE CRIMES: Who mailed the bomb that killed Wayne Greavette?

Jul 28, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Mere seconds. That’s all the time it took for a bomb to detonate in the hands of Wayne Greavette as he sat in the living room of his home, killing him in the presence of his family.

It came in the form of a flashlight-turned homemade explosive device, mailed under the guise of a present, with a letter tucked inside that ominously signed off with, “Have a Merry Christmas and may you never have to buy another flashlight.”

The horrific moment when the father of two innocently pressed the on switch was over in the blink of an eye. But it changed the Greavette family forever.

Almost a quarter century has passed since that day, Dec. 12, 1996.

But police aren’t giving up hope that the case will ultimately be solved.

A $50,000 reward is still being offered by the provincial government, through the OPP, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) who took Greavette’s life.

“It is our goal to solve all unsolved crimes,” said Detective Insp. Randy Gaynor of the OPP criminal investigation branch. “We follow up on all information that becomes available.”

It was a chilly Thursday in December when the package arrived at the farm the Greavettes had recently purchased on Concession 11, between 15 and 17 sideroads, in the rural Milton area.

The land held much promise for Wayne and Diane, who had hoped to harness the artesian well on the property to launch a spring water bottling business.

His son Justin, who was 21 at the time, went out to get the mail that day, bringing in a package for his father delivered by Canada Post that appeared to be a present in white wrapping paper. Inside the box — an emptied cardboard wine container with the UPC cut off — was a Duracell flashlight and a letter written on a typewriter with a unique key flaw that inserted a back slash after each period.

As Wayne read the letter that detailed a business proposal from what turned out to be a phoney company, Justin tried to turn the flashlight on, but nothing happened.

When his 42-year-old father pushed the button, the bomb went off — a device filled with an emulsion-type explosive and nails that acted as shrapnel, according to the OPP.

Wayne was killed instantly in front of his son, brother and wife, Diane. Daughter Danielle wasn’t home at the time.

While decades have passed since that fateful day, the family has maintained the same mantra throughout the years — “somebody knows something.”

But who?

Gaynor couldn’t comment on possible motives or persons of interest in the case as it’s considered potential evidence, but the family did some investigative work of their own alongside CBC documentarian David Ridgen for his 2009 piece, “The Bomb That Killed Wayne Greavette.”

In the documentary, they considered many possible options: that perhaps someone was jealous of his impending spring water business, or it was a person he knew through the beverage and packaging industry, or a woman Wayne may have had a relationship with.

The packaging that came with the flashlight contained some local connections. Flyers were used to cushion the device, with at least one being sourced locally as it was for a Milton store — Copeland Lumber, which later became Rona on Main Street near Wilson Drive.

Wayne had worked in Milton for many years, leading his family to believe at the time that someone from that area may have information that could help solve the case.

Then there’s the potential ties to Halton Hills. A month before the murder, two men are said to have visited the Acton post office asking for Wayne’s current address.

The package was labelled with an Acton return address that doesn’t exist.

Gaynor couldn’t say if the documentary, Ridgen’s later podcasts or the $50,000 reward have resulted in fresh tips for the police, citing confidentiality of the investigation.

But one thing is for certain — the case will remain on the OPP’s radar for as long as it takes.

“We never close a case,” said Gaynor. “Information that someone has about the murder may be the piece we need to put it all together.”

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Don’t be fooled by fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations: epidemiologists

Jul 22, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Ontario’s COVID-19 case numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, yet our hospitalization rates are lower than they were at the height of the first wave of the pandemic last spring.

At the peak of the first wave on April 25, there were 5,675 active cases and 925 people in hospital. Later, on May 5, the number of people in hospital peaked at 1,043, with 223 people in intensive care. As of Oct. 22, Ontario reported 6,930 active cases but only 270 hospitalized patients, and 74 in the ICU.

At a glance, might create the impression that the severity of infections this time is lower, that people are recovering more easily and that hospitals are not at as high a risk of becoming overburdened with COVID-19 patients.

But, say two public health and infectious disease experts, that would be a dangerous assumption to make. Not only are hospitalization numbers not capturing the full severity of the wave we’re currently in, but they tend to lag significantly.

Kednapa Thavorn is a senior scientist in the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s clinical epidemiology program, and an assistant professor in the University of Ottawa’s school of epidemiology and public health.

She warned that the proportion of critically ill COVID-19 patients might appear lower as a share of the total caseload this time because the province’s increased capacity for testing means a broader sample of the population is being tested. So patients who are most vulnerable and most likely to require hospitalization are being eclipsed by the larger number of younger, less vulnerable people whose diagnoses were recorded by broader testing.

“charts” These charts updated daily by the provincial government plot the number of active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from April 2 to Oct. 22, 2020. The numbers are not cumulative. — Government of Ontario graphic

“During the first time around, the prevalence or incidence of older people testing positive may have looked higher because we had fewer resources and we were targeting them specifically,” she said.

“Lately, because we have larger capacity and better access to testing, the people who have had access to this test are actually a wider part of the community.”

A lower share of people with serious infections compared to those with mild infections isn’t something Ontarians should let their guard down over, she said, since we know it’s common for hospitalization rates to lag behind infection rates in daily tracking. This is partly due to the fact that people typically aren’t admitted to hospitals at the onset of infection, but several days later. So while the number of people in hospital might be lower now than during the peak of Ontario’s first wave, it won’t necessarily stay that way, especially if people don’t follow public health guidelines.

“I want to put a caution on the message that we should have peace of mind because younger people are healthier,” she said. “I still emphasize the need for public health measures, social distancing and putting on a mask. Regardless of who gets infected with COVID-19 they still have a chance to infect other people.”

Dr. Curtis Cooper is a scientist in the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s clinical epidemiology program and a medical doctor working at the Ottawa Hospital’s general campus.

Based on his firsthand experience during the first wave of the pandemic, Cooper, like Thavorn, expects hospitalization rates to get worse before they get better.

“We’re still really early in the second wave and I’m unfortunately very confident our numbers in the hospital and the ICU are going to start to increase. I think we’re starting to see that already,” he said. “So just like in the first wave you saw a bit of a lag in case diagnosis and people in ICU, I think we’re seeing the same thing here.”

Cooper also said case, hospitalization and ICU numbers don’t necessarily capture the full COVID-19 caseload in seniors and people with comorbidity — the presence of more than one illness or condition simultaneously — if deaths are attributed to another cause, despite the actual cause being COVID-19. This can skew the numbers, too.

“They get sick and die and never end up going to the hospital and those numbers aren’t included,” he said. “For personal reasons and family reasons and other reasons, people sometimes just don’t go. They say ‘I’m going to die at home, or in my long-term-care facility.’”

Cooper said Ontarians should trust health-care professionals when they say the province’s COVID-19 situation is dire, and take action to avoid making it worse. In addition to following the usual public health guidelines around COVID-19, he said Ontarians should make getting this year’s flu vaccine a priority. Doing so can help save health-care resources for the care of patients with COVID-19, and protect elderly and immunocompromised people from dangerous flu infections.

“We have a vaccine for influenza and people really do need to go out and get it. It’s going to help protect them and it’s going to help protect the vulnerable in our community,” he said. “When we’re thinking about ‘What I can do as a citizen?’ and what governments can do, the focus needs to be on protecting our most vulnerable.”

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Don’t be fooled by fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations: epidemiologists

Jul 22, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Ontario’s COVID-19 case numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, yet our hospitalization rates are lower than they were at the height of the first wave of the pandemic last spring.

At the peak of the first wave on April 25, there were 5,675 active cases and 925 people in hospital. Later, on May 5, the number of people in hospital peaked at 1,043, with 223 people in intensive care. As of Oct. 22, Ontario reported 6,930 active cases but only 270 hospitalized patients, and 74 in the ICU.

At a glance, might create the impression that the severity of infections this time is lower, that people are recovering more easily and that hospitals are not at as high a risk of becoming overburdened with COVID-19 patients.

But, say two public health and infectious disease experts, that would be a dangerous assumption to make. Not only are hospitalization numbers not capturing the full severity of the wave we’re currently in, but they tend to lag significantly.

Kednapa Thavorn is a senior scientist in the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s clinical epidemiology program, and an assistant professor in the University of Ottawa’s school of epidemiology and public health.

She warned that the proportion of critically ill COVID-19 patients might appear lower as a share of the total caseload this time because the province’s increased capacity for testing means a broader sample of the population is being tested. So patients who are most vulnerable and most likely to require hospitalization are being eclipsed by the larger number of younger, less vulnerable people whose diagnoses were recorded by broader testing.

“charts” These charts updated daily by the provincial government plot the number of active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from April 2 to Oct. 22, 2020. The numbers are not cumulative. — Government of Ontario graphic

“During the first time around, the prevalence or incidence of older people testing positive may have looked higher because we had fewer resources and we were targeting them specifically,” she said.

“Lately, because we have larger capacity and better access to testing, the people who have had access to this test are actually a wider part of the community.”

A lower share of people with serious infections compared to those with mild infections isn’t something Ontarians should let their guard down over, she said, since we know it’s common for hospitalization rates to lag behind infection rates in daily tracking. This is partly due to the fact that people typically aren’t admitted to hospitals at the onset of infection, but several days later. So while the number of people in hospital might be lower now than during the peak of Ontario’s first wave, it won’t necessarily stay that way, especially if people don’t follow public health guidelines.

“I want to put a caution on the message that we should have peace of mind because younger people are healthier,” she said. “I still emphasize the need for public health measures, social distancing and putting on a mask. Regardless of who gets infected with COVID-19 they still have a chance to infect other people.”

Dr. Curtis Cooper is a scientist in the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute’s clinical epidemiology program and a medical doctor working at the Ottawa Hospital’s general campus.

Based on his firsthand experience during the first wave of the pandemic, Cooper, like Thavorn, expects hospitalization rates to get worse before they get better.

“We’re still really early in the second wave and I’m unfortunately very confident our numbers in the hospital and the ICU are going to start to increase. I think we’re starting to see that already,” he said. “So just like in the first wave you saw a bit of a lag in case diagnosis and people in ICU, I think we’re seeing the same thing here.”

Cooper also said case, hospitalization and ICU numbers don’t necessarily capture the full COVID-19 caseload in seniors and people with comorbidity — the presence of more than one illness or condition simultaneously — if deaths are attributed to another cause, despite the actual cause being COVID-19. This can skew the numbers, too.

“They get sick and die and never end up going to the hospital and those numbers aren’t included,” he said. “For personal reasons and family reasons and other reasons, people sometimes just don’t go. They say ‘I’m going to die at home, or in my long-term-care facility.’”

Cooper said Ontarians should trust health-care professionals when they say the province’s COVID-19 situation is dire, and take action to avoid making it worse. In addition to following the usual public health guidelines around COVID-19, he said Ontarians should make getting this year’s flu vaccine a priority. Doing so can help save health-care resources for the care of patients with COVID-19, and protect elderly and immunocompromised people from dangerous flu infections.

“We have a vaccine for influenza and people really do need to go out and get it. It’s going to help protect them and it’s going to help protect the vulnerable in our community,” he said. “When we’re thinking about ‘What I can do as a citizen?’ and what governments can do, the focus needs to be on protecting our most vulnerable.”

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‘Totally out of place’: Public meetings planned for 34-storey tower, 108-unit apartment building in downtown Barrie

Jul 21, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Barrie is preparing to build up once again.

The city’s planning committee will host public meetings Oct. 20 for two large, neighbouring developments proposed for the downtown core.

Of the proposals, is by far the largest. Rockhap Holdings has applied for a zoning bylaw amendment that, if approved, would permit the construction of a 34-storey mixed-use condominium building on its 2.2-acre site.

The project includes 1,014 square metres of ground-floor commercial space, 467 condominium suites, eight townhouses fronting onto Maple and five live/work units. A total of 412 parking spaces would be provided.

“The subject lands are currently occupied by a commercial office building, a large surface parking area and a single-detached dwelling unit which has been converted to commercial uses,” city planner Andrew Gameiro said.

A Bell office building borders the site and there are commercial and residential properties in the surrounding area.

Neighbours have expressed concern over the potential effect the development would have on traffic, the downtown skyline and loss of privacy. They’d also like to see more affordable options included in the design.

“It’s a very creatively designed project, yet I am totally dismayed at the proposed height of its tower,” resident Janet Ness wrote in a letter addressed to the city. “Planners should take a harder look at the big picture. This is not Toronto. Nor do we want it to be. (This) tower … will be totally and majorly out of proportion with current ‘high-rise’ buildings standing in the downtown. (It) will look totally out of place.”

She also expressed concern over the city’s ability to rescue occupants from a building that large during an emergency.

A zoning bylaw amendment has also been proposed for the nearby property at . Here, Coral Sophia Lane Housing wants to construct an eight-storey, 108-unit apartment complex. The building, if approved, would feature about 70 affordable units, a rooftop amenity area and 96 parking spaces.

Neighbours issued many of the same critiques toward this project as the tower proposal, Gameiro said.

“All comments that are received, as well as comments provided at the neighbourhood and public meetings, will be considered as part of the final recommendations in the planning staff report,” he said.

A staff report on each proposal will likely be presented to councillors in the first quarter of 2021.

The planning meeting begins at 7 p.m. To see the agenda, visit . The meeting can be viewed on the city’s .