Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
More than 250 people swabbed at HSN's drive thru assessment centre over Easter weekend:
It was a busy Easter weekend at Health Sciences North's new drive-thru COVID-19 testing option on Walford Road as more than 260 people were swabbed from April 10 - 12. Health Sciences North assessed 266 people by telephone and swabbed 268 patients over three days through its assessment centre at 56 Walford Road, its new drive-thru option introduced on Friday and NEOMO site option introduced on Saturday (which led to nine swabs). Between March 13 and April 9, HSN assessed 2,282 people by phone and swabbed 824 patients over 28 days, for an average of 29 swabs per day. As of 2 p.m. on April 13, Public Health Sudbury and Districts reported 1,520 tests done in the public health area for a population of 207,064 (1 per 136). The Ontario Ministry of Health reports 108,230 tests done provincially for a population of 14,830,914 (1 per 137). All patients continue to first be assessed by phone by an HSN nurse by calling 705-671-7373. All three Greater Sudbury COVID-19 assessment options are by appointment only. They are designed to protect health workers and patients alike from being exposed to the virus. For safety reasons, “walk in” appointments are strictly prohibited.
Province has secured more than 13 million masks over the past five days:
The Ontario government continues to ensure that patients, frontline health care workers and first responders have the critical equipment and supplies they need to protect themselves during the COVID-19 outbreak. Over the last five days, more than 13 million surgical and procedural masks, 200,000 N95 respirator masks, and 38 ventilators have been delivered to Ontario's pandemic stockpile warehouses. "The global competition to secure critical personal protective equipment and medical supplies is fierce, yet our team of procurement specialists continues to locate the masks, gloves and ventilators we need to keep our frontline workers and patients safe," said Premier Doug Ford. Ontario is providing same-day deliveries to hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, and other facilities to support essential workers in all settings and ensuring supplies and equipment are expedited to those most in need. This includes shipments this past weekend of 6.5 million surgical and procedural masks to over 650 providers across the province to protect our frontline workers, patients and residents. You can watch the premier's Monday press conference here.
Bears don't practice social distancing, so stay vigilant this spring:
Most people are staying indoors and practicing social distancing in and effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19, but the animal population doesn't tend to adhere to advice from health care professionals and government regulations. The warmer weather is slowly approaching, and with it comes an influx of animals such as bears that are coming out of hibernation in search of food. Black bears waking up from hibernation are faced with a scarcity of natural food sources, leading them to look for food in garbage cans and bird feeders. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is providing tips to keep bears away from your neighbourhood this spring. Greater Sudbury city council passed a motion last month to increase garbage bag limits while the province is under a state of emergency, which could lead to increased attractants for bears and other wildlife looking to scavenge for food. "Regardless of the quantity of garbage, it should be all be treated the same – storing garbage in waste containers with tight-fitting lids, keeping garbage stored in a bear-proof environment like a sturdy shed, garage or basement until garbage day, and putting out garbage only on the morning of pickup," said Derrick Luetchford, MNRF spokesperson. Get the full story here.
Ford will take every precaution when it comes to getting Ontarians back to work:
On April 9, Ontario premier Doug Ford said that he was confident that Ontario's economy will bounce back stronger than before once the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. During his press conference on April 13, Ford was questioned about Ontario's economy, and the premier said that it will be a slow and measured process and that you can't just "flick the lights on". "We can't just flick it on and open the gates, we just can't, we aren't ready yet," said Ford. "Until we see some modelling that the curve goes down, then we do trickles opposed to just opening things up." Provincial officials have been doing focus polling throughout this pandemic, and Ford says that the number one concern, even more than the virus itself, is the economy. "They want to find out how they're going to put food on the table, how they're going to pay rent, how they're going to pay a mortgage, that's their number one (concern), by far over anything," said Ford. "Number two is people are just getting restless, they're getting squirrely staying inside the house and I know it's difficult, but that's why we see a little glimmer of hope. My biggest fear is all of a sudden we get another wave and it hits us, I just want to make sure we do it properly, cautiously and not just jump into this and open up the floodgates, I think it'd be irresponsible." Full story here.
Ontario confirms 421 more COVID-19 cases, 17 more deaths:
There were 7,470 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, according to the Monday's numbers. That's an increase of 421 cases over Sunday. The Ministry of Health now reports 291 COVID-19 deaths in the province, which is an increase of 17 deaths from the previous report. Of the confirmed cases in Ontario, there are 3,357 resolved cases, meaning the person has now recovered. There are also 1,534 people in the province who are still under investigation for the virus. A total of 108,230 people have been tested in Ontario for COVID-19. The province reports there are currently 760 people hospitalized with COVID-19, and of those, 263 are in the ICU, and 203 are on ventilators. There have been 89 outbreaks of COVID-19 in Ontario long-term care homes, which account for 1,174 of Ontario's cases of the virus. There have been 119 COVID-19 deaths in Ontario long-term care homes. There are also outbreaks at 24 hospitals in Ontario, with 100 confirmed cases and eight deaths among patients. Public Health Sudbury & Districts is now reporting 36 cases of COVID-19 in its service area — several new positive cases were reported over the long weekend.
West Parry Sound OPP officer tests positive for COVID-19:
The West Parry Sound OPP has confirmed that a uniform member has tested positive for COVID-19. Following public health authorities' advice, the member is in isolation and following recommended health protocols. "We wish them a speedy recovery. Their family and colleagues are in our thoughts," said a news release from the detachment. The OPP member works at the West Parry Sound Detachment in the OPP's North East Region. The member's name is being withheld to respect their privacy. The OPP was made aware of the respective diagnosis on April 10. It is important to note that the individual did not experience symptoms while at work.
Spartans suspend 2020 season amid COVID-19:
The Sudbury Spartans announced Monday that they have suspended football operations and officially taken a leave of absence from both their respective summer football leagues for 2020 schedule due to COVID-19 and these unprecedented times. The Spartans informed the Northern Football Conference (NFC) and the Ontario Provincial Football League (OPFL) that they will not be participating in provincial level summer football programs for the remainder of the 2020 season, even if the province lifts the current social distancing restrictions and the leagues attempt to play a revised schedule this summer. The Spartans were set to field Junior Varsity and Senior Varsity teams in the OPFL, while the men’s team was set to play in the NFC. Both leagues have suspended operations but have not yet made a final decision for summer football. They are expected to do so in the coming weeks.
Tuesday Weather:
Cool weather continues today with chances for some flurries. Mainly cloudy Tuesday with 60 percent chance of flurries. The high will only get up to 3 today, feeling like -13 with the wind chill this morning. Partly cloudy tonight with 60 per cent chance of flurries. Overnight low will dip to -9, feeling like -14 with the wind. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
