Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Public Health prepping for ‘huge’ round of long-term care testing for COVID-19:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is gearing up for a massive undertaking: the testing of every resident and every staff member of every long-term care home in the Sudbury and Manitoulin Districts. Plans for how that testing will be carried out are being developed quickly for what Public Health described today as a “massive disease surveillance undertaking.” “This testing is being done to gather a point-in-time picture of the situation in long-term care homes,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, Medical Officer of Health with Public Health Sudbury & Districts. “The test results will help us better understand the presence of COVID-19 infections and will inform future planning to ensure ongoing protection of all residents and staff.” Each home is being assessed for its level of infection risk, and testing schedules are being planned according to those assessments, Public Health said. Public Health didn’t provide a firm timeline on when the testing will begin. That information will be provided “in the near future.” COVID-19 assessment centres and community paramedics are expected to be involved to help support the testing.
VIDEO: Canada Post pays tribute to front-line health-care workers at Health Sciences North:
Being front-line workers themselves, a number of Greater Sudbury’s mail carriers paid tribute to the health-care workers at Health Sciences North Friday afternoon to thank them for their hard work and commitment. Monique Gour-Foucault, superintendent of the letter carrier depot in Sudbury, said 20 employees drove Canada Post vehicles past the emergency department, honking horns and shouting their appreciations to the nurses who gathered outside. Gour-Foucault said her daughter and her daughter in law both work at HSN. Many of her fellow employees also have family members working there. “We just want to thank them for their contributions,” she said. “Our letter carriers are out there every day delivering, so we know the risks involved. We are part of the community, and we just wanted to show our support.” Watch the video here.
Lougheed Family Foundation donates $50,000 to HSN COVID-19 support fund:
The Lougheed Family Foundation donated $50,000 to the Health Sciences North COVID-19 Support Fund that will be used to purchase vital equipment needed for patient care on the front line during this unprecedented time. In addition to supporting the hospital’s equipment needs, the Lougheed family wanted to thank and recognize the HSN heroes working tirelessly on the front line. On April 23, the Lougheeds offered staff free coffee and donuts from Tim Horton’s at the Ramsey Lake Health Centre. The response from staff was overwhelmingly positive and they greatly appreciated the recognition. The COVID-19 Support Fund will support the purchase of vital equipment needed on the front line to provide quality patient care, as well as necessities that will bring comfort to our most vulnerable populations during their stay at HSN.
City clears up error in project costs related to KED:
The city of Greater Sudbury issued a statement of clarification on Friday, in relation to a document that incorrectly identified an increase in project costs related to the Kingsway Entertainment District. "It has come to our attention that information included in a document for the Kingsway Entertainment District appeals, submitted by the City of Greater Sudbury to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), contained an error in wording," said the city in an email statement Friday. "The document incorrectly noted an escalation of project costs from $80 million in 2017 to $100 million today. We apologize for this error and are working to have it corrected with LPAT. We fully understand errors like this can result in a misinterpretation of the facts. As part of our due diligence we want to publicly clarify for the community." Read the full statement from the city here.
Sudbury has capacity to double its COVID-19 testing numbers:
Greater Sudbury's three COVID-19 testing sites have been swabbing roughly 100 people per day, and there's room for that number to double. According to Public Health Sudbury & Districts, there have been 2,932 tests carried out in the area since the first test site on Walford Road at Health Sciences North Research Institute opened on March 13. Testing was a slow crawl in the early days of COVID-19 here in Greater Sudbury, as there was a struggle to get swabs, coupled with a rigid screening process that only allowed people with certain symptoms to be tested. On April 8, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was blunt in calling the province's testing numbers "absolutely unacceptable," calling for 13,000 COVID-19 tests to be done in Ontario every day. In the wake of Ford's comments, the criteria for testing has been opened up to a wider patient base, more test kits have been made available, and more sites have been opening. Here in Sudbury, the HSNRI site expanded to include a drive-through option open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and two more drive-through sites were opened at NEOMO Medical at 885 Prete St., open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., seven days a week and the Primacy Medical Centre site, open seven days a week between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. Full story here.
Sudbury's 50th case of COVID-19 confirmed:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting a new COVID-19 case in a resident in the area. This is the 50th confirmed case in the Greater Sudbury area. Case number 50 is a man in his 50s who was in close contact with another case. He was tested on April 20 and is currently self-isolating. If you think you may have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, first self-isolate, then contact an assessment centre or use the online self-assessment tool to see if you need to seek further care. For more information on self-isolation, self-assessment, and assessment centres visit phsd.ca/COVID-19 or call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705.522.9200 (toll-free 1.866.522.9200).
Ontario COVID-19 cases climb by 640, in the biggest single-day jump yet:
Ontario now has a total of 13,519 confirmed COVID-19 cases, a jump of 640 over yesterday. That’s the highest single-day jump in the number of confirmed cases of the virus in the province yet. In terms of mortality, COVID-19 has now killed 763 people in the province, an increase of 50 over yesterday. The province also reports 7,087 “resolved” cases, meaning the patient has recovered. There are now 143 outbreaks reported in Ontario long-term care homes, with 464 deaths — more than half of the COVID-19 deaths in the province have been in long-term care facilities. A total of 207,040 people have been tested for COVID-19 in Ontario to date, with 5,414 people currently under investigation for the virus. There are currently 910 people in Ontario hospitalized with COVID-19, 243 of which are in the ICU and 193 on ventilators.
Fifteen patients under investigation for COVID-19 at HSN:
There are currently 15 patients admitted to Health Sciences North who are under investigation for COVID-19. As of Friday afternoon, the hopsital has three admitted patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, two of these patients are in the intensive care unit. Of the 15 patients who are being investigated at this time, four of them are in the ICU. Health Sciences North is reminding the public that visitor restrictions remain in effect at HSN during the COVID-19 pandemic. No visitors are permitted at HSN until further notice. These restrictions also apply to people come to the emergency department. The only exceptions to these restrictions would be for essential visitors. An essential visitor includes an approved visitor for of a patient who is dying or very ill, a parent/guardian of an ill child or youth, a visitor of a patient undergoing surgery or a woman giving birth?, or a support person for patients with a cognitive or language impairment or a language barrier.
