Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Stay home and keep out of Northern Ontario, says Health Coalition:
An online news conference hosted by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) on Wednesday has put out the word that Northerners do not want outsiders travelling to the North and at the same time, OHC is urging Northern Ontario residents to stay in their own communities despite any new measures such as relaxed restrictions. The OHC said this was especially important with the March Break being a time when some Northern families plan to travel. The OHC event was held on Zoom featuring several OHC members from across Northern Ontario to reinforce the message that as COVID-19 variants are now being discovered in several parts of Ontario said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the OHC. "We booked this press conference because we were concerned that with the re-opening of the province and the potential for March Break with a lot of travel and the spread of the UK Variant B.1.1.7 and COVID-19 which is now in the North," said Mehra. She added that OHC has been tracking the COVID UK Variant, also known as B.1.1.7, and said there is considerable concern. She said in late January there were 38 confirmed cases in Ontario. Things have changed, she said. More on this story here.
Province postpones March break to April 12:
Ontario is postponing March Break for school kids until April 12. Education Minister Stephen Lecce made the announcement on Feb. 11. The decision was made with the advice of Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health and public health officials, including consultations with many local Medical Officers of Health, said Lecce. “Nothing matters more than the health and safety of our school kids,” he said in his announcement. “It is critical to continue to prioritize the health and safety of our students, staff and their families so we can continue with the safe return to in-person learning.” Postponing March Break, not cancelling it, is an important way schools can help limit community transmission, Lecce said. You can watch Thursday's press conference here.
Class action lawsuit against HSN claims ‘systemic errors’ in breast cancer imaging:
A class action lawsuit launched in mid-December 2020 claims systemic errors in breast imaging at Health Sciences North led to missed cancerous lesions and “near catastrophic outcomes for patients.” The class action, which names HSN and senior administrators, includes all patients who had breast radiology performed at HSN between 2008 and 2020. “A 2018 internal letter obtained by the law firm documents ‘countless missed lesions’ and ‘overt misreads.’ The surgeons at the hospital warned of an ‘overwhelming decline below the standard of care for contemporary breast imaging, which was significantly impacting their ability to manage patients to an appropriate standard,’” a press release from Gluckstein Personal Injuries Lawyers, the firm handling the suit, states. Gluckstein alleges HSN leadership, including Dr. John Fenton, HSN's chief of staff, and Dr. Evan Roberts, the former chief of radiology, were “told repeatedly of the poor quality of breast imaging and the potential for patient harm.” The firm further claims hospital leadership did little to fix the alleged problems, going so far as to block efforts to improve the quality of breast radiology images. Find the full story here.
‘I’m angry’: Former Sudbury woman who launched $22M lawsuit against HSN tells her story:
A class-action lawsuit filed against Health Sciences North (HSN) brutally rips down the perceived standard of care at the hospital's breast screening program and accuses the hospital of having a complete lack of transparency on issues that could have caused potential harm for women in Sudbury and across Northeastern Ontario. The 33-page statement of claim was filed by Gluckstein Lawyers, a Toronto-based law firm, on behalf of Shannon Hayes, a former Sudbury woman. The suit names the hospital and several doctors and radiologists as defendants. Hayes is claiming that a proper diagnosis of her breast cancer was missed during her screening at HSN in 2018. A year would go by before her breast cancer was diagnosed during a checkup performed at another hospital, in London, England. By then, the cancer had spread. Hayes is currently coping with metastatic cancer. She now lives in London. The $22-million claim alleges "systemic negligence of the radiology service" at HSN for such things as interpretation of breast imaging, mammography, breast ultrasound and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) breast imaging. The claim covers the period from Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2020. Full story here.
Health unit reports 10 new cases for Feb. 11:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting 10 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 for Feb. 11. All 10 new cases are outbreak associated and are all in the Greater Sudbury area., says the health unit. In its weekly summary, the health unit said over the last seven days up to the end of day Feb. 10: 24 new cases, 61 cases were resolved, and one death occurred. Ten outbreaks were active, including three in schools, three in long-term care homes, two in retirement homes, one in a hospital and one in a community congregate living setting. Five outbreaks were declared ended in the past seven days, three in schools, one in a retirement home and one in a community congregate living setting. At the end of day on Feb. 10, there were 27 active cases in our service area, and five active outbreaks. Eleven cases were hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating. There are now three confirmed cases of the COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant (first identified in the United Kingdom) locally. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a total of 546 local cases of which 519 are resolved, and 10 people have died in our service area. There are now 35 active cases, with two cases resolved since Wednesday’s update.
Ontario reports 945 new COVID cases, lowest since October:
Public Health Ontario has reported 945 new cases of COVID-19 for Feb. 11, which is the lowest daily report since Oct. 30. However, Thursday’s update notes Toronto Public Health case counts are under-reported. The Feb. 11 report includes 1,344 new recoveries and 18 new deaths, nine were residents at long-term care homes. The deaths reported Thursday included two people between 40 and 59 years old, seven people between the ages of 60 and 79 years old, and nine people over the age of 80. The province has reported 41 new hospitalizations since Wednesday and six new admissions of COVID-19 patients to intensive care units.
REDress Campaign returns in virtual form for sixth annual event:
Though it began as an art installation, the red dresses of the REDress Project have come to symbolize all the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. That was the point, really. When artist Jamie Black first conceived of the idea, she wanted to find a way to “evoke a presence through the marking of absence,” to show the form of the women and girls who should still be here, who should still wear the red dresses that now serve as their memorial. That project and installation has now become The REDress Campaign, one that is marked for the last six years with remembrances at the Laurentian University Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre (ISLC). This year, they will again honour the campaign, but as with every other event these days, they’ve had to find a way to go virtual. While that initially posed some issues, ISLC Events and Media Co-ordinator Amy Commanda said it also brought the chance to involve those who may not have the opportunity to engage in the event normally, and that they plan to partially include this new virtual method into their planning. Find more on this story here.
'We are following stringent health and safety protocols' says film industry:
Northern Ontario filmmakers are assuring the public that all approved film and television productions in the area are following stringent health and safety protocols and best practices. "During the COVID-19 pandemic and the province-wide lockdown, the government of Ontario has mandated that all film and television production activity is permitted to continue under the enhanced measures, provided that current provincial rules, regulations, and guidelines are followed," says Ty Reinhardt of CION, a film production company. "The film and television industry in Ontario has collaborated with unions, producers, epidemiologists, health and safety experts, municipal and provincial media production offices, and the Ministry of Labour to implement strict, thorough, health and safety protocols to ensure safe working environments for workers and community members." More on this story here.
Friday Weather:
A mix of sun and cloud today with more bitter cold temperatures. Friday's high will be -17, feeling like -24 with the wind chill. There's a risk of frostbite today. Mostly clear skies into the evening with the temperature dipping to -26. Overnight low will feel like -33 with the wind. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
