Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Public Health Sudbury: Amberwood deaths now at 3; new outbreaks at 2 other LTC facilities:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts confirmed Monday there have now been three deaths related to the Amberwood Suites Retirement Home in Greater Sudbury. That brings the total number of people in the city who have died due to COVID-19 to five. The two Amberwood residents who died most recently passed away in hospital, said Public Health Sudbury. “Out of respect during this difficult time, no further details will be provided,” said the health unit. “Public Health Sudbury & Districts offers sincere condolences to the families, friends, and caregivers affected by these losses and throughout this difficult time.” Amberwood Suites issued a statement Sunday night about the death of a third resident. "We are sorry to announce the loss of a third resident to COVID-19. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family. Our residents and staff are very saddened to lose another friend," the statement reads. "We continue to work with our community health partners to monitor COVID-positive residents and manage the outbreak. These are unprecedented times for our community. Our fight to keep residents comfortable and healthy and to stop the spread of COVID continues to be our priority." Get the full story here.
COVID-19: Here are the 5 things Ontario should do now to make LTC homes safer, OMA prez says::
Ontario physicians are calling on the province to provide paid sick days for Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and other long-term care home (LTCH) workers in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario's long-term care homes. There is also a recommendation that government needs to invest more money to improve internet infrastructure in Northern Ontario with the result of being able to improve virtual care. These are just a couple of several calls to action by the OMA to fight against the forecasts that say more deaths will be occurring in long-term care homes. The recommendations were provided in a recent teleconference hosted by Ontario Medical Association president Dr. Samantha Hill, who said physicians have been seeing the terrible toll the pandemic is taking on elderly residents in nursing homes. Get the full story here.
Five new COVID-19 cases reported by Public Health Sudbury & Districts:
As a new work week has started in Sudbury, the health unit is reporting five newly confirmed cases of COVID-19. All five cases are linked to the Greater Sudbury area. As far as possible causes, Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said one case is travel-related, one case is linked to close contact of another confirmed case, one case has no known epidemiological link and two cases are categorized as information pending or missing. No outbreak cases were reported and no deaths were reported in Monday's update. In recent days the health unit had reported several outbreak cases and three new deaths, all connected to a COVID-19 outbreak at the Amberwood Suites retirement home on Regent Street south in Sudbury. The latest update also revealed there have now been 395 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic was declared in March of 2020.
École St-Denis will be closed until January 29 due to COVID-19 outbreak:
École St-Denis will be closed for two weeks due to a COVID-19 outbreak that was declared at the school by Public Health Sudbury & Districts. Students are expected to resume in-class learning on Monday, Feb. 1. "To support students in their learning, Kindergarten to Grade 8 students from École St-Denis will be able to pursue their learning at home in a virtual format until their return to the classroom," said Paul de la Riva, communications director at Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvelon. "The distribution of technological tools is expected to take place in the coming days based on the needs of families, all the while respecting recommendations from Public Health Sudbury and Districts."
St. David Elementary moves to online learning following COVID-19 case:
St. David Catholic Elementary School is moving to remote learning effective immediately and until Jan. 29. In a second letter to parents, Sudbury Catholic District School Board said Public Health Sudbury and Districts has asked many staff members to self-isolate as a result of the confirmed case of COVID-19 at the school. "Due to the number of staff members not able to attend the site due to the self-isolation period, we will be moving to remote learning effective Wednesday, Jan. 20 and St. David school will remain closed until Friday, Jan. 29," reads the letter. "At the moment, students are expected to resume their in-school learning on Monday, Feb. 1. If this return date should change, the board will inform you of the details." To support students in their learning, Kindergarten to Grade 6 students from St. David will be able to pursue their learning at home in a virtual format until their return to the classroom. More on this story here.
Snowmobile crash claims life of 54-year-old Sudbury man:
A 54-year-old Sudbury man died Jan. 17 after the snowmobile he was driving hit a tree, said Greater Sudbury Police Service. Police responded to a single snowmobile crash about 10 kilometres north of Moose Mountain Road north of Capreol at about 12:45 p.m. The preliminary investigation revealed the driver and lone occupant, a 54-year-old man, was operating a snowmobile northbound on the trail, when he lost control on a curve and struck a tree. Resuscitation efforts were made by bystanders and City of Greater Sudbury Paramedics. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced deceased on scene, said police. Out of respect for the family’s wishes, police will not be releasing his name. “Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends,” said police in a news release. The Traffic Management Unit is currently investigating this collision and police is asking anyone with information regarding this incident to contact the investigating officer at 705-675-9171, ext. 2414.
Province spending $125M to create 500 new critical care beds for hospitals:
The province is adding 500 more critical care and high intensity medicine beds to hospitals in areas with high rates of COVID-19 transmission, Premier Doug Ford announced Monday. Premier Doug Ford held the press conference at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital in Vaughan, Ont., Ontario's newest hospital. Ontario is spending $125 million on the initiative. A portion of that money will be used to temporarily transition Mackenzie Health's Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Ontario's newest hospital, into a system-wide resource supporting the province's COVID-19 response when the new hospital is scheduled to open on Feb. 7. These initiatives will help relieve pressures on nearby hospitals due to rapid increases in hospitalization and ICU occupancy rates, the province said in a news release. You can watch Monday's press conference here.
Tuesday Weather:
Mostly cloudy today with periods of snow this morning. Snow is expected to taper off this afternoon with the high sitting at -6. Partly cloudy into the evening with a 4- per cent chance of flurries. Some frigid temperatures this evening with the low dipping to -20. Overnight low will feel like -24 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
