Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
More than 500K Ontarians have now received the COVID vax jab, and 217K fully vaccinated:
More than 518,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered in Ontario as of Thursday, and the province has reached its goal of providing a first dose offer to residents of all long-term care homes (LTCH) and high-risk retirement homes. There are now 217,000 people in the province who are fully vaccinated, the Ministry of Health’s vaccine distribution task force told reporters listening in on a briefing Friday. “Ontario continues to be ready to administer doses – and expand the number of locations administering vaccines – as soon as we receive them from the federal government,” said Ministry of Health representatives. So who’s next in terms of receiving vaccines? Within the updated framework on phased prioritization, the Ministry of Health will continue to offer the vaccines to long-term care and high-risk retirement home residents (some were initially too ill to receive the vaccine, had a condition that might prevent them from having the vaccine, or did not initially consent when it was made available to them). Staff and essential caregivers in these care homes and First Nations elder care homes are also being prioritized. Get the full story here.
Health unit reports 4 new cases of COVID-19 for Feb. 19:
Public Health Sudbury and Districts is reporting four new cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. All four cases are in the Greater Sudbury area, with one exposure listed as unknown exposure, with the other three listed as information pending or missing. This brings the total number of active cases to 27, down from 29 the previous day, as six cases were listed as resolved. The health unit reported an outbreak at Cecil Facer Youth Centre on Feb. 16. As of 12 p.m. on Feb. 16, Health Sciences North reported there are six patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, one in the ICU and five in other units. Furthermore, HSN reported there are four admitted patients who are currently under investigation, none of whom are in the ICU. Meanwhile, the province reported 1,150 new cases on Feb. 19, as well as 47 deaths, 68 new hospitalizations and 1,255 recoveries.
Sudbury Community Drug Strategy numbers indicate that opioids are still a significant problem:
Sudbury's Community Drug Strategy group has published some fresh statistics that, as expected, reveal that the opioid addiction and overdose problems are still significant issues in the community. The stats are based on information accessed as of Feb. 3, 2021. The community drug strategy group includes membership from Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD), Greater Sudbury Police Service, Health Sciences North and the City of Greater Sudbury. Other members of the group include mental health agencies and several social wellness agencies. The updated opioid surveillance report was recently published by the drug strategy group on the PHSD website. According to the most recent statistics, the report said Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services had responded to 67 suspected "opioid-related incidents" in January of 2021. The report also compared that number to January of 2020, the same period last year, when the number was 38. Find the full story here.
Sudbury man faces 25 charges related to child sexual abuse material:
A 27-year-old Sudbury man faces numerous child pornography charges after a search warrant at his home on Feb. 18 found evidence of *child sexual abuse material. Greater Sudbury Police said the man is charged with 10 counts of accessing child pornography, 11 counts of possessing child pornography and four counts of distributing child pornography. The suspect attended bail court on Feb. 18.
As COVID restrictions loosen, Sudbury-area businesses say weathering the storm has been challenging:
Eight weeks to the day the Ontario government announced the second provincial lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, non-essential businesses were permitted to open in the Sudbury district. The stay-at-home order lifted on Tuesday, and Public Health Sudbury and Districts’ service area was moved into the orange zone of the province’s COVID-19 Response Framework. Most businesses, including gyms, clothing stores and cinemas, were allowed to re-open with public health protocols in place, including reduced capacities and other restrictions. Weathering the storm of a second provincial lockdown, however, has been challenging and local businesses are doing their best to stay afloat. “You have to remain hopeful. You have to be looking forward to the future and planning, but with the pandemic, we’re dealing with a level of unpredictability that makes that really hard,” said Beth Mairs, lead programmer at Sudbury Indie Cinema. “It is costly when you lose a means to generate revenue. This is the situation that a lot of small businesses are in right now, and reopening is more than just slapping an open sign on the door. There’s a lot more that goes into it than that.” Full story here.
Three Sudburians charged after police alerted to potential drunk driver in Elliot Lake:
Three people from the Sudbury area face drug charges after provincial police were alerted to a vehicle being driven erratically in Elliot Lake. On Feb. 13 at 12:30 a.m., East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police responded to a possible impaired driver complaint on Hillside Drive South in Elliot Lake. The vehicle was reported to be all over the road. Police located it a short time after and spoke to the driver and two occupants, all of whom showed signs of impairment. Suspected methamphetamine was observed inside the car. The driver and two passengers were arrested. The driver was assessed by an OPP Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) and one of the passengers was found to be breaching a prior release condition. The vehicle was towed and impounded. All three are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Elliot Lake on April 6.
OFSAA announces 2021 spring championships cancelled due to pandemic:
The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) has announced its 2021 spring championships and festivals have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “OFSAA supports the health and safety measures currently instituted by Public Health and the Government of Ontario,” said OFSAA president Nick Rowe, in a Feb. 5 statement. “Despite this disappointing news, we wish to reiterate our continued support for sports and activity for the benefit of students’ physical and mental well-being. School sports play a vital role in education and in the lives of students. “We know that the coming months present uncertainty, but we eagerly look forward to the time when athletes and coaches can safely return to competition in our provincial championships and festivals!” Rowe said OFSAA’s Return To Sports Working Group will continue to meet and assess the viability of OFSAA events as the situation evolves.
