Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Chill out on New Year's Eve, says Ontario associate chief medical officer:
Ontario residents who might have been hoping to get a New Year's smooch at midnight on Thursday have been told they should keep their celebrations within the confines of their immediate household. That was essentially the advice on Tuesday from Ontario's Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe who said New Year's celebrations should be held with the seriousness of the pandemic in mind. Yaffe spoke during a media briefing on the provincial response to the COVID-19 so far, and noted that Ontario had reported its highest daily case load ever on Tuesday when it was revealed that 2553 Ontario citizens had tested positive for the coronavirus. Yaffe had commented briefly on the importance of travellers following 14-day quarantines and said it was essential for everyone to follow public health measures including those restrictions now in place because of the province wide lockdown. "As we all look ahead to Thursday night and the promise of a new year, a new year with more and more people being immunized against COVID-19, please remember that we are not over this side of the mountain just yet. We still have some kilometres to climb before we can safely go down the other side," said Yaffe. Recognizing that people traditionally like to party hard to bring in the new year, she urged caution. "Please celebrate this coming new year with all the optimism and hope it deserves, but do so with great care. This year we need to celebrate with those in our immediate households only so that next year we can gather and raise a toast with all our family and friends," she said. You can watch Tuesday's press conference here.
Vaccines for Northern Ontario citizens not likely to be distributed until the spring:
While some First Nations communities in Northern Ontario can expect to receive COVID-19 vaccines in the first three months of the New Year, it will likely be April, May or June before most citizens of Northeastern Ontario can expect to see vaccination clinics in their communities. That's about as specific as retired general Rick Hillier would get on Tuesday during a briefing at Queen's Park to outline Ontario's vaccine distribution plans in the coming weeks and months. Hillier, who chairs the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, has been under fire in recent days because of the province's decision to slow down the vaccine program during the Christmas period. Hillier explained he was told by some long-term care (LTC) administrators that LTC staff would be cut back during the holiday period. Hillier said in many cases workers had been “running flat out for 10 months” and needed a break. He said he was told many of those workers would not be available for a vaccine. More on this story here.
One new case of COVID-19 reported by Public Health Sudbury & Districts:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts reported one new case of COVID-19 in Greater Sudbury on Dec. 29. Information is currently pending on the exposure category for the latest positive case of COVID-19 in the area. To date there have been 267 cases in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury District and Manitoulin District. A total of 257 cases of COVID-19 have been resolved, leaving Greater Sudbury with 10 active cases as of Dec. 29 at 4 p.m.
Frood Road apartment fire being treated as arson:
A fire in a Frood Road apartment complex on Monday night that sent one person to hospital is being treated as arson. To assist Greater Sudbury Fire Services as they battled the blaze, police closed Frood Road from Lansdowne to Bloor Street from around 7 p.m. until about 9:30 p.m. when the road was reopened. Deputy Fire Chief Jesse Oshell tweeted the fire was confined to a single unit in the apartment complex. One person was transported to Health Sciences North with non-life-threatening injuries. Greater Sudbury Police remained on the scene after the fire was brought under control, tweeting “the fire on Frood Road is being treated as arson.” The GSPS Criminal Investigations Division and the Ontario Fire Marshall are investigating.
OPSEU Local 676 thanks frontline workers for staying resilient through pandemic:
OPSEU Local 676 is recognizing the 130 frontline staff that work at Community Living Greater Sudbury. Kim Rumley, vice-president, OPSEU Local 676, said her members work with adults that are living with developmental disabilities. These adults live in residential group homes and in host families in the community. “Our frontline staff have been so resilient throughout this pandemic,” Rumley said. “I would love to provide them some recognition for their dedication and commitment to the people we support. Developmental services are the forgotten sector of health care, rarely recognized for the important work and care they provide.” OPSEU Local 676 members include direct support professionals, family home caseworkers and residential caseworkers and maintenance staff. “All of these classifications make up the frontline of our agency,” said Rumley. “All are of equal importance and play a vital role in the lives of those we support.”
Kirkland Lake hospital struggling with surge in COVID-19 patients:
The president and CEO of Kirkland Lake's hospital is urging people to follow public health guidance to avoid overwhelming the local hospitals. Blanche River Health - Kirkland Lake currently has five in-patients who have COVID-19. Each of the patients acquired the virus in the community and are among the more than 20 known active cases in the Kirkland Lake area, according to the hospital. "The sudden surge in admissions to our hospital is a direct result of the significant increase of COVID-19 cases in the Kirkland Lake area. This situation is placing significant pressure on our hospital resources as we continue to manage what is becoming a serious health care crisis in our local community," said Dr. Mark Spiller, chief of staff, in a news release. The Kirkland Lake hospital is a 62-bed facility. According to the Blanche River Health website, that includes 41 medical/surgical beds, six ICU beds, and 15 complex continuing care beds. Full visitor restrictions are in effect at the Kirkland Lake and Englehart sites of the hospital. People having to go to one of the facilities for outpatient or emergency care are asked to limit the number or people accompanying them. Get the full story here.
Wednesday Weather:
Periods of snow expected throughout the day Wednesday with up to 10 cm possible. Mainly cloudy today with the high sitting at -1. Snow ending after midnight then cloudy with 60 per cent chance of flurries. Overnight low will get down to -7, feeling like -14 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.
