Nine new cases of the coronavirus and 24 new recoveries were reported by officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) on Saturday.
The region’s total case tally stands at 1,031, of which 901 people have recovered. There are at least 72 active COVID-19 cases in the region.
On Thursday the health unit reported the first coronavirus death in several months, bringing the region’s total to 58.
The death involved a 91-year-old male resident of Extendicare, a seniors’ facility in the city. The last fatality was reported June 12, when officials announced a retirement home resident in her 90s had died of the virus.
Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said the latest death was associated with an outbreak at the facility, declared Oct. 8, which has seen two cases confirmed.
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Subsequent testing of residents and staff at the home yielded the man’s positive diagnosis, which was confirmed the same day he died, Mackie said.
“Our hearts go out to all of the family and staff and residents affected there,” he said.
The region’s non-ICU hospitalized tally rose by two, but it’s unclear if the increase is due to one of Friday’s new cases. Overall, 121 people have needed to be hospitalized during the pandemic, including 33 needing intensive care.
The number of people currently hospitalized due to the virus is unclear as such real-time information is not released by the health unit. London Health Sciences Centre will issue a tally, but only if it rises above five, which it has not.
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Health officials reported five new cases and 11 new recoveries on Friday, nine new cases and six recoveries on Thursday, five new cases and five recoveries Wednesday, six new cases and 10 recoveries on Tuesday, while 25 cases and seven recoveries were reported on Monday.
Londoners looking to get tested at the city’s appointment-only Oakridge Arena assessment centre can now book appointments online.
The Thames Valley Family Health Team, which operates the city’s two assessment centres alongside London Health Sciences Centre, said Thursday that residents can now visit covidtestinglm.ca or call 519-667-6886 to book a time at Oakridge Arena.
Carling Heights is still operating on a time-card system, but TVFHT officials have said an appointment system for that assessment centre is in the works.
An outbreak was declared at Westmount Gardens Long Term Care, making this the tenth institutional outbreak to be reported in under two weeks and the twelfth to be declared since mid-September.
On Thursday an outbreak was declared at Chartwell London Long Term Care Residence and a new outbreak was also declared Wednesday on the fourth floor of Chelsey Park.
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Outbreaks at long-term care homes and retirement homes are linked to at least 217 cases and 38 deaths in the region.
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Ontario’s patient ombudsman warns of another long-term care home disaster
Elsewhere, outbreaks remain active at Craigwiel Gardens (facility-wide), McGarrell Place (Ivey Lane, Harris House, Windermere Way), Henley Place LTC (Harris), Extendicare (facility-wide), Peoplecare Oak Crossing (Juniper and Norway Spruce), Mount Hope Centre for Long-Term Care (MV3) and Earls Court Village (fourth floor).
It’s not clear how many cases are linked to the most recent outbreaks as such information is not released by the health unit.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) has identified a positive case of COVID-19 at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London, Ont., on Saturday.
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At least 11 cases have been reported in schools in London and Middlesex since Sept. 21, eight since Monday, Oct. 5.
A new case at Northdale Central Public School in Dorchester was reported on Tuesday. The case involved a student at the school.
The weekend case at Sir Arthur Currie prompted an outbreak declaration by the health unit as it was the second case to be confirmed at the school in as many days. The outbreak remained active as of Thursday. The first case was reported on Friday, Oct. 6 and involved a staff member.
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Coronavirus: Ontario Premier Ford praises province’s efforts to keep schools open as cases rise
Cases have also been reported at École élémentaire La Pommeraie on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8, both involving staff members, and at Saunders Secondary School on Oct. 7 involving a student.
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Two cases were also reported in St. Thomas on Sept. 25 and 29, while the region’s first school-linked case was reported at H.B. Beal Secondary School on Sept. 21 and involved a student.
Declared Oct. 11, the outbreak came after four students tested positive for the virus. They’re now isolating out of the residence building. Some close contacts were also moved to a quarantine location as a precaution.
No new cases have been reported as a result of the London Hall outbreak.
At least 74 Western students have tested positive for the virus since the start of last month. The number is likely higher, however, the health unit is refraining from issuing an ongoing updated figure.
“We continue to have a number of cases coming in that are linked with Western University,” Mackie said Thursday.
“It is smaller than those outbreaks that we saw in early-middle of September, but we still see cases. Most of the cases at this point are transmission within resident space or within shared housing of various sorts.”
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Health officials have said the main activities driving the cases among students are after-hours parties.
Overall, people in their 20s account for the largest group of cases in the region during the pandemic, with 253 confirmed infections, followed by people in their 50s with 133 cases and people in their 30s with 132.
The region’s incident rate has risen to 201.6 per 100,000 people, while Ontario’s is 418.4.
At least 943 cases have been reported in London, while 31 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc.
Elsewhere, Thames Centre’s case count stands at 21, while Middlesex Centre’s is 20, North Middlesex is at eight, Lucan Biddulph seven and Southwest Middlesex one.
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Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 805 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 new deaths on Saturday.
According to Saturday’s provincial report, 374 of the new cases were in Toronto, 70 were in Ottawa, 107 were in Peel Region, and 93 were in York Region.
The government reported 44,722 coronavirus tests were completed on Friday and 4,617,563 tests have been completed to date.
Officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported three new cases of the novel coronavirus and one recovery on Friday.
The new cases bring the region’s total case count to 290, of which 270 people have recovered and five have died. The death toll has not changed since early July.
According to SWPH the three new cases are men in their 20s, 50s and 70s. Two are from St. Thomas and one from Norwich.
There are now at least 15 active cases in the region, according to the health unit. None are currently in hospital.
Four are in Tillsonburg, two each are in Ingersoll and Norwich and three are in St. Thomas while Aylmer, Woodstock, West Elgin, and East Zorra-Tavistock each have one.
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The active cases involve six people in their 50s, three people aged 19 or younger, three people in their 20s, one person each in their 30s, and two in their 70s. Seven are female and eight are male.
Two new cases and one recovery were reported Friday, six new cases were reported in the region on Thursday, two new cases and one recovery were reported on Wednesday, while no change was reported Tuesday. Three cases were reported Monday.
None of the new cases are linked to an ongoing outbreak at Caressant Care on Mary Bucke. The seniors’ facility in St. Thomas has seen one staff case and an outbreak was subsequently declared Oct. 5.
Five institutional outbreaks have been reported during the pandemic, linked to at least 11 staff cases, one resident case and no deaths.
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By location, Aylmer has still seen the largest number of cases during the pandemic, recording 83. A large number were reported in July and August.
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Elsewhere, St. Thomas has seen 49 cases, while Bayham has seen 38, Woodstock 32 and Tillsonburg 29.
People in their 50s make up the largest group of infections by age, accounting for 57 cases, followed by people in their 20s with 52 cases.
Of the region’s overall case count, 23 people have needed hospitalization, including 11 who have been admitted to intensive care.
Huron and Perth
Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) does not report cases over the weekend.
On Friday they reported no new cases or recoveries of the novel coronavirus.
The region’s total case tally stands at 140, of which 131 people have recovered. Five people have died, a tally that has not changed since April 29.
The health unit says there are at least four known active cases in the region as of Friday.
One recovery was reported Thursday, no change was reported Wednesday, and four cases and four recoveries were reported Tuesday.
There are no active institutional outbreaks in the region. A total of eight have been reported, linked to 24 cases and four deaths.
There have also been no cases yet linked to schools.
Overall, 49 cases have been reported in Perth County, with North Perth and Perth East reporting 19 and 16 cases, respectively.
Elsewhere, Huron County has seen 48 cases, with Central Huron, Bluewater and South Huron reporting 14, 13, and 10 cases, respectively.
Stratford has reported 37 cases as well as four outbreak-related deaths, while St. Marys has seen six cases and one death.
At least 32 cases in the region have involved people in their 20s, while 25 have been people in their 50s and 22 in their 60s.
Eighteen cases have involved people in their 30s, while 16 have involved people aged 19 or younger.
The total number of hospitalizations has not changed since late April. A total of five people have needed to be hospitalized.
Some 42,983 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Oct. 10, the most recent figures available. The week of Oct. 4 to 10 saw 2,614 people tested.
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Sarnia and Lambton
Four people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and one person has recovered, officials with Lambton Public Health reported late Friday night.
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The region’s total case count is at 362, of which 324 people have recovered. Twenty-five people have died, a tally unchanged since early June.
There are at least 13 known active cases in the region. Seven cases were reported Thursday and one case was reported late Wednesday, Tuesday and Monday.
It’s not clear where the active cases are in the county as the health unit has refused to release location data.
On Friday Dr. Sudit Ranade, Lambton’s medical officer of health spoke about the region’s rising case numbers.
“Because more and more things are open, you see more and more potential contacts for any given case because people are doing more things, so that has led to the need to contact a lot of people and isolate a lot of people for any one given case,” Ranade said.
Two outbreaks have been declared in the region on Thursday, one at Twin Lakes Terrace Long-Term Care Home with one active case and the second in an unidentified workplace with three cases.
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A total of 12 outbreaks have been declared, with 10 in health facilities and two in unspecified workplaces.
“One outbreak has been declared at a workplace and there are several exposures, potential exposures within schools that have not resulted in the declaration of an outbreak but have resulted in a substantial number of people affiliated with the school required to isolate,” Ranade said on Friday.
The outbreaks have been linked to 113 cases and 16 deaths, with nearly all cases and all 16 deaths coming from two Sarnia seniors’ facilities.
According to the health unit, 77 cases have involved people aged 80 or older, while 53 cases have involved people in their 50s and 54 have involved people in their 20s.
The region has reported its first school-linked coronavirus case of the pandemic.
One case was reported on Tuesday at Colonel Cameron Public School in Corunna involving a student, according to the province.
Officials with the Lambton Kent District School Board say the school is open and buses are continuing to operate, adding that the health unit is “working closely with the school community and is contacting any individuals… who may have been in potential contact with the virus.”
Bluewater Health says one COVID-19 patient is in its care as of this week. It’s the first patient with the virus to be admitted to Bluewater Health since late May.
The hospital says it’s tested a total of 63 people who have been confirmed positive since the pandemic began.
— With files from Matthew Trevithick and Nick Westoll Global News
Skinstitut Holiday Gift Kits take the stress out of gifting
Toronto, October 31, 2024 – Beauty gifts are at the top of holiday wish lists this year, and Laser Clinics Canada, a leader in advanced beauty treatments and skincare, is taking the pressure out of seasonal shopping. Today, Laser Clincs Canada announces the arrival of its 2024 Holiday Gift Kits, courtesy of Skinstitut, the exclusive skincare line of Laser Clinics Group.
In time for the busy shopping season, the limited-edition Holiday Gifts Kits are available in Laser Clinics locations in the GTA and Ottawa. Clinics are conveniently located in popular shopping centers, including Hillcrest Mall, Square One, CF Sherway Gardens, Scarborough Town Centre, Rideau Centre, Union Station and CF Markville. These limited-edition Kits are available on a first come, first served basis.
“These kits combine our best-selling products, bundled to address the most relevant skin concerns we’re seeing among our clients,” says Christina Ho, Senior Brand & LAM Manager at Laser Clinics Canada. “With several price points available, the kits offer excellent value and suit a variety of gift-giving needs, from those new to cosmeceuticals to those looking to level up their skincare routine. What’s more, these kits are priced with a savings of up to 33 per cent so gift givers can save during the holiday season.
There are two kits to select from, each designed to address key skin concerns and each with a unique theme — Brightening Basics and Hydration Heroes.
Brightening Basics is a mix of everyday essentials for glowing skin for all skin types. The bundle comes in a sleek pink, reusable case and includes three full-sized products: 200ml gentle cleanser, 50ml Moisture Defence (normal skin) and 30ml1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum. The Brightening Basics kit is available at $129, a saving of 33 per cent.
Hydration Heroes is a mix of hydration essentials and active heroes that cater to a wide variety of clients. A perfect stocking stuffer, this bundle includes four deluxe products: Moisture 15 15 ml Defence for normal skin, 10 ml 1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum, 10 ml Retinol Serum and 50 ml Expert Squalane Cleansing Oil. The kit retails at $59.
In addition to the 2024 Holiday Gifts Kits, gift givers can easily add a Laser Clinic Canada gift card to the mix. Offering flexibility, recipients can choose from a wide range of treatments offered by Laser Clinics Canada, or they can expand their collection of exclusive Skinstitut products.
Brightening Basics 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut, available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
Hydration Heroes 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut – available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a “serious public health concern” that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.
New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner — when it’s more effective — as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.
The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.
Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.
Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the society’s mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.
“Collaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,” McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“Reading, yes, it’s education, but it’s also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.”
McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.
But he said questions about reading could be “a standing item” in checkups and he hoped the society’s statement to medical professionals who care for children “enhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the child” while spurring partnerships with others involved in a child’s life such as teachers and psychologists.
The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.
He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.
“Evidence-based reading instruction shouldn’t have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,” he said.
“My hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society … we’re able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,” he said.
McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is “definitely beneficial and advantageous” to know where a child is at, “but having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldn’t be a barrier to intervention starting.”
McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022’s “Right to Read Inquiry Report” from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.
He called the new guidelines “a big reminder” to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.
“Early identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
