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Ontario's 3rd wave of COVID-19 could hit younger adults harder. Here's why – CBC.ca

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3 years ago

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In Scarborough, the east-end Toronto area that’s been hit hard by the pandemic, Dr. Lisa Salamon was shocked by the impact of COVID-19 on two younger adults who came to her emergency department one day last week.

Both looked fine, but tests showed their oxygen saturation levels were well below normal, while X-rays uncovered dire impacts on their lungs. That same day, Salamon’s colleagues also treated two other COVID-19 patients, both nowhere near their golden years. One was sent off to the intensive care unit, Salamon said. The other died.

Most striking for the Scarborough Health Network emergency physician was a man in his 40s who came in so sick he required supplemental oxygen before heading off to the intensive care unit, and needed to be proned — a face-down position used to help patients facing acute respiratory distress. 

“That’s probably the first time I’ve done that in the emergency department,” Salamon said.

Recently, multiple Ontario physicians said they’ve noticed an increase in both the number of COVID-19 patients requiring care, and a shift in who is now heading to hospital.

“They’re younger,” Salamon said. “And they’re sicker.”

‘Real risk’ facing younger adults

Across Ontario, there’s growing consensus among medical experts that the province has entered a third wave of COVID-19 cases. 

There’s also growing concern that anecdotal evidence of recent serious infections skewing toward younger adults is a harbinger of a difficult stretch to come — one that may upend persistent notions of COVID-19 typically only being a grave illness for the elderly.

“We’re at a real risk right now of the variants of concern taking off, and that prime age group of 40 to 75 being hit really hard by this wave, particularly with the variants being more likely to cause serious illness that requires more hospitalization,” said Dr. Brooks Fallis, a critical care physician in Peel region, west of Toronto.

Emergency physician Dr. Kashif Pirzada said his colleagues in the Greater Toronto Area are already seeing an impact, with younger patients arriving in hospital even more ill than during previous waves.

“I myself saw a few patients in their 30s and 40s who had significant illness,” he said. “One person had severe lung damage that you see in COVID, and they were young, healthy, no medical problems.”

WATCH | Ontario’s third wave of COVID-19 could hit younger adults harder:

Despite rising vaccination rates, there’s growing consensus Ontario’s third wave of COVID-19 cases has already started. Clinicians and epidemiologists warn patients may be both younger and sicker this time around. 2:04

Clinicians and epidemiologists suspect multiple factors could shift the trajectory of the pandemic in Ontario.

On one hand, vaccinations are slowly making an impact for certain populations, including front-line health-care workers and the elderly — with the death toll in long-term care dropping dramatically as vaccination rates have picked up.

But there are still hospitalizations and deaths happening among other groups, with younger adults remaining vulnerable, said Dr. Kali Barrett, a critical care physician at Toronto’s University Health Network and a member of the COVID-19 Modelling Collaborative, a group of scientists and clinicians affiliated with Toronto’s university and hospital system.

“Our vaccination efforts to date have done nothing to protect the at-risk, community-dwelling adults,” she said.

Against that backdrop, there’s a patchwork of restrictions and reopenings across the province, giving people more chances to mingle and spread the virus, whether that’s in a shopping mall or a spin class. 

Essential workers, Pirzada warns, will likely keep bearing the brunt. They’re like “sitting ducks” when it comes to highly contagious new variants, he said.

54 per cent of cases now variants

Those variants of the coronavirus are now circulating widely, making up 54 per cent of COVID-19 cases, according to the latest figures from Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Table.

“For younger people, the messaging has been, ‘You don’t want to get COVID, but it’s not as big a deal if you do,'” said Ashleigh Tuite, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

“That messaging, first of all, has been dangerous and incorrect in general, but with these new variants circulating, it’s now important to understand that things look different.”

A recent Ontario-wide academic epidemiological analysis provided on background to CBC News suggests that, between December 2020 and mid-March, there was an increased risk of hospitalizations and ICU admissions tied to variants compared to COVID-19 cases in general.

That echoes other research from elsewhere in the world. A team in the U.K. first announced the B117 variant may be more deadly — on top of more contagious — back in January, with evidence mounting since then about its grave health impacts.

As admissions increase, hospital teams are getting a sense of which people are falling ill, at least anecdotally, but clinicians say that information could be better used to direct vaccinations at populations who need them most. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

ICU admissions rising

While there’s hope widespread vaccinations will wind down the pandemic, potentially within months, this next stretch could be challenging on two fronts: The individual risk of serious illness appears up for younger adults, and so, too, might be the strain on the health-care system as a whole.

Already, ICU admissions are ticking upward again after the second surge that started back in September, with little reprieve following a mid-January high of more than 400 COVID-19 patients in Ontario critical care units at the same time, the latest data from Critical Care Services Ontario shows.

“Our baseline is different,” said Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital. “So there’s potential for us to dramatically exceed our wave two peak.”

While daily admissions are only in the double-digits provincewide, he stressed there’s a snowball effect that could happen.

“You could argue that wave two has never stopped,” Warner said. “As soon as things plateaued, we opened things up.”

COVID-19 patients in critical care in Ontario

Evidence of long-term health impacts

As admissions increase, hospital teams are getting a sense of which people are falling ill, at least anecdotally, but clinicians say that data could be better used to direct vaccinations at populations who need them most.

“We’re just counting bodies, and counting beds, and not using the information to inform the public health response,” Warner said.

Salamon, the Scarborough emergency physician, questioned why doses aren’t prioritized for areas like hers, or Peel, or the northwest end of Toronto — where high populations of essential workers, not just seniors, have been hard-hit by COVID-19 for months.

And while there’s no question elderly Canadians in long-term care and elsewhere faced the highest death toll, Barrett stressed the need to focus on more than mortality.

“There is very clear evidence growing that a significant amount of patients infected with COVID-19 have significant long-term effects, this long-hauler syndrome,” she said.

‘The virus wins every single time’

On Thursday, Premier Doug Ford said he’s heard reports of younger adults falling ill, and vowed to keep following the advice of medical experts while acknowledging vaccinations alone won’t get Ontario through the next stretch unscathed.

“I’ve heard some people say it’s a race, the virus versus immunization,” he said. “The virus wins every single time.”

Others say this race could have been avoided in the first place by maintaining tighter public health measures.

“If we’d kept those measures for three more weeks, kept case counts down, emptied out the ICUs — we’d be in a different situation than we are now,” said Tuite.

While it’s not clear how exactly the next few months will play out, Barrett said the risk of overwhelming the health-care system — with a domino effect impacting non-COVID-related appointments and procedures — remains real. So are the risks facing younger, healthy adults.

“We’re not out of the woods. We’ve got months ahead of us,” she said. “It would just be absolutely devastating to lose a loved one at this point in the game … when we’re so close to the end.”

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Former receiver Green part of Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 class

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18 mins ago

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September 13, 2024

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For over a decade, S.J. Green was the enemy of Hamilton Tiger-Cats fans.

He should receive a warmer reception Saturday when recognized as a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Then again . . .

“I’ll be honest, if I get a boo or two I won’t be surprised,” Green said with a chuckle. “It’s fun, I’m looking forward to everything that comes with this weekend.”

Joining Green in the Class of 2024 are former players Chad Owens, Weston Dressler, Vince Goldsmith and Marvin Coleman. Former CFL coach Ray Jauch and amateur football icon Ed Laverty (posthumously) were named as builders.

The seven were scheduled to be formally inducted Friday night, and then honoured Saturday at halftime of the Hamilton-Ottawa game at Tim Hortons Field. Green now fully appreciates the magnitude of the honour.

“Being here and getting to see some of the other inductees has been the ground-breaking moment for me where it’s actually starting to set in, that it’s a real thing,” Green said. “To put it into the shortest phrase I can, it’s football eternity.

“Not everyone gets to play the game at a professional level … to be a part of this brotherhood and statistically elite group is amazing and very humbling.”

The six-foot-three, 216-pound Green was a fluid receiver with Montreal (2007-16) and Toronto (2017-19). Green, 39, registered 716 catches for 10,222 yards with 60 TDs.

He suffered a serious knee injury early in 2016 but registered career highs in catches (104) and yards (1,462) the next season with Toronto. The Argos would win the Grey Cup, Green’s third (2009-10 with Montreal).

Green’s pro career ended in the XFL in 2020 as the CFL didn’t play that season due to the global pandemic. However, Green’s contract was abruptly terminated when the league suspended operations.

He retired in 2022 after signing a one-day contract with Montreal. Green, who owns and operates a landscape business in Tampa, said his transition to life after football wasn’t seamless.

“I went through a period … I don’t want to call it depression but I don’t know what else to call it, where it was just hard to watch the CFL game,” Green said. “I felt like I didn’t get to end it how I truly wanted.

“I miss the game still to this day and it was hard to get over but eventually you grow up, right? This (induction) makes all the time worth it, it feels right.”

Green also appreciates being inducted with Owens. Both began their CFL careers as practice-roster players with Montreal.

“That makes it more special,” Green said. “We both came in from the perspective of being practice-squad guys, having to prove ourselves to get on the field.

“Unfortunately, Chad had to leave Montreal to show the league who he was as a player and person while I was able to stay in Montreal and reap the same benefits. To watch him go to Toronto and become the player he was made it all come full circle. It’s very rewarding to go in with Chad.”

The five-foot-eight, 180-pound Owens, dubbed The Flyin’ Hawaiian, spent 10 seasons with Montreal (2009), Toronto (2010-15), Hamilton (2016, 2018) and Saskatchewan (2017). He was a four-time all-star, the league’s top special-teams player (2010) and its outstanding performer (2012).

Owens, 42, claimed his first Grey Cup ring with Montreal. He earned a second with Toronto in 2012.

Owens recorded 521 career catches for 6,217 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also had 4,027 punt-returns yards (11-yard average, five TDs) and 5,479 kickoff-returns yards, amassing 16,698 combined yards.

Dressler, 39, played with Saskatchewan (2008-15) and Winnipeg (2016-18), registering 715 catches for 10,026 yards and 61 TDs. The five-foot-seven, 168-pound Bismarck, N.D., native was the CFL’s top rookie in ’08 and a two-time all-star who made two Grey Cup appearances, winning in ’13 in Regina with the Riders.

Goldsmith, 65, was a dominant defensive lineman with Saskatchewan (1981-83, 1988-90), Toronto (1984) and Calgary (1985-87). He was the CFL’s top rookie in 1981 with 17 sacks then posted a career-best 20 two years later.

Goldsmith had 10 or more sacks eight times and finished with 130.5 (eighth all-time). He won a Grey Cup in ’89 with Saskatchewan.

Coleman, 52, was another dual threat. The five-foot-nine, 170-pound cornerback played with Calgary (1994-2000) and Winnipeg (2001-03) and was a three-time league all-star with 28 interceptions (six return TDs) and 538 tackles.

Coleman stands fourth all-time in punt-return yards (5,211), seventh in kickoff-returns yards (11,545) and scored seven return TDs. He played in four Grey Cups, winning twice with Calgary.

Jauch, 86, played in the ’59 Rose Bowl as a running back with Iowa and was an AFL first-round pick by Buffalo, but opted for Winnipeg.

He suffered a career-ending torn Achilles in Winnipeg’s ’61 Grey Cup win over Hamilton. Jauch became Edmonton’s running back coach in 1966 before being promoted to head coach in 1970.

He served as head coach with Edmonton (1970-76), Winnipeg (1978-82) and Saskatchewan (1994-95). He recorded 127 regular-season wins (sixth all-time) and in ’75 led Edmonton to its first Grey Cup win since 1956.

Jauch was the 1980 CFL coach of the year.

Laverty served as president of the Ottawa Nepean touch football league from 1964 to 2015. He held a similar post with the Ontario Touch Football League for over 10 years and helped launch Touch Football Canada.

Laverty was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.



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Ticats host Redblacks in important East Division contest for both teams

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28 mins ago

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September 13, 2024

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HAMILTON – For Scott Milanovich and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, what’s understood need not be discussed.

Hamilton (3-9) hosts Ottawa (8-3-1) on Saturday afternoon in an important East Division matchup for both teams. The Ticats enter weekend action six points behind third-place Toronto (6-6) while the Redblacks can clinch their first post-season berth since 2018 with a victory.

And with Toronto visiting the B.C. Lions (7-6) on Friday night, Hamilton will have a clearer indication of its situation Saturday.

But Milanovich, in his first season as Hamilton’s head coach, has steadfastly maintained his club’s most pressing duty is to win the next game on its schedule.

“There’s too many games left, we’re too far away to start thinking about these things,” he said. “I certainly don’t think I have to impress upon (Ticats players) the importance of this game.

“They’re well aware of it.”

Ottawa won the first meeting of the season 24-22 at TD Place on June 30. Before that, though, Hamilton had won 10 straight over the Redblacks.

Hamilton comes off a bye week following its 31-28 Labour Day win over Toronto on Sept. 2. That gave the Ticats the season series with the two teams slated to meet once more (Sept. 20 at BMO Field).

The reality is Hamilton will need help to overtake Toronto for third and reach the CFL postseason. Ottawa, on the other hand, controls its playoff fate entering Saturday’s contest.

The Redblacks are 2-1 within the East Division but 2-3 away from TD Place. Hamilton is 2-3 versus its conference rivals and just 2-4 at Tim Hortons Field.

Veteran Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 347 yards and two TDs in the Labour Day win. He’ll start against Ottawa even though youngster Taylor Powell came off the injured list after suffering a head injury in the Ticats’ 47-22 home win over Edmonton on Aug. 17.

Mitchell has a career record of 10-3-2 against Ottawa. And over the Ticats’ last two games, receiver Tim White has 13 catches for 314 yards (24.2-yard average) and two TDs.

With the bye week, Hamilton will play 12 days after its rivalry win over Toronto. Ideally, the Ticats would’ve been able to ride the momentum of that victory into the following week but Mitchell said during a long CFL regular season players take their downtime whenever it comes.

“Yeah, I definitely think guys wanted to build off this momentum,” he said. “We still will but we also know momentum is very subject to the moment.

“You might have momentum going into a game but they feel the same way and that all changes basically after the first kickoff.”

Rookie running back Greg Bell will make a fifth start and fourth straight ahead of veteran James Butler. The six-foot, 200-pound American has rushed for 204 yards and three TDs on 33 carries (6.2-yard average) in his last three contests while adding 11 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.

The five-foot-nine, 210-pound Butler ran for 1,116 yards last season, his first with Hamilton. And over eight contests in 2024, Butler rushed for 440 yards and a TD on 92 carries (4.8-yard average) while also recording 37 receptions for 312 yards and a touchdown.

“I know what it looks like, this is not an indictment on James Butler whatsoever,” Milanovich said. “He’s a good back.

“I just felt like we wanted Greg’s juice out there a little bit.”

Milanovich said Butler and Bell are very different players.

“James is more of a power runner, the first guy is not going to bring him down,” Milanovich said. “James is an elite pass protector and also a good receiver.

“He (Bell) is explosive … he’s kind of a slasher. When he does see the hole he hits it and he’s a threat receiving. Certainly, there are things he needs to continue to work on but he’s a threat out there, he’s somebody guys have to worry about.”

At first glance, an easy solution would seem to be having both players in the lineup. But Milanovich said it’s not that simple.

“It’s just it’s hard right now with where we’re at with the roster,” he said. “It’s hard to get another American on who’s not going to play a major role offensively or defensively.”

Bell will make his second appearance versus Ottawa, running for 52 yards on 13 carries back in June. And Bell isn’t getting preoccupied with the importance of Saturday’s contest.

“No pressure,” he said. “We’ve all been doing this our whole lives so it’s just football.

“Just run hard, follow my blockers. If they open a hole I’m going to hit it hard.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.



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Longtime AD and 2-time national champion baseball coach Tanner to switch roles at South Carolina

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29 mins ago

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September 13, 2024

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ray Tanner is stepping down as South Carolina’s athletic director after more than 12 seasons, he said Friday.

Tanner, a two-time national champion baseball coach for the Gamecocks, took over as head of the department in 2012 following his team’s third straight trip to the College World Series. The 66-year-old announced his intentions at a meeting of the school’s board of trustees.

Tanner will remain athletic director until his successor arrives. Tanner will then transition to become athletics director emeritus and senior advisor to the president, focusing on fundraising and community engagement.

“There was going to be a time” to change, Tanner said. “When I coached baseball, I didn’t leave the baseball program because I didn’t think it was good anymore to become the athletic director, it was time. And I knew it was getting close to time in this role as well.”

A national search for a new athletic director will begin at the end of November, university president Michael Amiridis said.

Tanner’s tenure has had its highs and lows.

Women’s basketball has won three national titles under coach Dawn Staley in 2017, 2022 and, most recently, 2024. And while Tanner was still baseball coach when Staley came on board before the 2008-09 season, he helped keep her with the Gamecocks despite other outside opportunities.

Tanner has hired two full-time football coaches over his 12 years as the program has tried to make strides in the difficult Southeastern Conference.

Will Muschamp served from 2017 until his dismissal before the end of the 2020 season, going 28-30 overall and 17-22 in the SEC.

Current coach Shane Beamer was hired in December 2020 and has had two winning seasons in his first three years. The Gamecocks (2-0, 1-0 SEC) face No. 16 LSU (1-1) at home on Saturday.

Tanner said he was honored to be at South Carolina for nearly three decades and the chance to continue in a different role.

Amiridis was reluctant to let Tanner go as athletic director when the two began chatting about his successor. But Amiridis was pleased to have Tanner remain as athletic director emeritus and a presidential advisor with a focus on fundraising and community engagement.

“I am glad to see he’s continuing on in a role with the university and his willingness to do that,” said Board of Trustees chairman Thad Westbrook. “Ray, he doesn’t have a degree from South Carolina, but there’s no one who loves our university more.”

Tanner came to South Carolina in 1996 as baseball coach and went on to make six trips to the College World Series. The Gamecocks won it all in 2010 and 2011 and reached the final series in 2012 before missing a three-peat against Arizona.

A short time later, Tanner was named athletic director after Hyman left for Texas A&M.

Tanner said his successor would need to be “nimble” in navigating the new, rapidly changing world of college athletics.

Amiridis said he would look for an athletic director with experience who had a similar respect for athletics as Tanner.

Tanner said he will not be closely involved in picking the next athletic director.

“I’m gratefully for the time that I’ve been able to spend in South Carolina and the opportunity moving forward,” he said. “We have a great place, we have wonderful people and I’m excited to remain in a capacity that’s going to be new to me, but certainly will energize me in a way that I haven’t experienced in a number of years.”

___

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