Ontario’s top doctor tamped down some of Monday’s optimism about the status of COVID-19 in the province, saying while the number of new cases has come down somewhat in recent days, the curve continues to waver up and down.
On Saturday, Ontario reported 511 new cases of the virus, falling to 370 Monday. But Saturday’s numbers represented a jump from April 29, when there were just 347 new cases, Dr. David Williams pointed out.
“So we’re in the range of the possible, but we’re not in the range of the probable at this stage,” Williams said at a news conference Monday.
The sobering reminder comes as Premier Doug Ford struck a hopeful tone, hinting in his daily COVID-19 update Monday at possible good news for more retail curb-side pick up and for cottage- goers ahead of Victoria Day.
Ford appeared to change his tune about whether Ontarians with cottages should be able to head to their properties during the pandemic, telling reporters, “there’s only so long you can hold back taxpayers.”
The comments follow weeks of the premier insisting people should not be travelling to cottage country to avoid putting undue pressure on smaller communities as the province’s fight with COVID-19 continues.
The premier also said Ontario may be “getting close” to opening parks and more curbside pick-up retail options, as the province saw a drop in the number of new coronavirus cases to under 400 for only the second time since early April.
“We will have some good news” as early as this week, Ford said.
WATCH | Ford hints at new for cottage-goers ahead of Victoria Day weekend:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province is now exceeding its goal of 16,000 COVID-19 tests per day, and that more services are ‘getting close’ to opening up. 2:52
That could include Ontario’s garden centres, whose operators say they’re frustrated by government orders meant to ease the restrictions they’ve been under. While landscapers and lawn-care workers can resume their usual workloads, garden centres say the new rules only allow them to provide curbside pickup and delivery services.
The province also saw another 48 COVID-19 related deaths Monday, bringing the total to 1,359, based on CBC’s analysis of data provided by Ontario’s local health units.
The provincial government has said it wants to see a steady drop in new confirmed cases for a two-to-four week period before embarking on the first phase of easing emergency measures.
Speaking to reporters, Ford lauded the province for reaching its target of 16,000 tests per day ahead of schedule, claiming Ontario’s testing strategy has allowed it to “stay ahead of this virus.” In the initial weeks of the pandemic, the province was slow to ramp up its testing, drawing criticism for not acting quickly enough to stop the spread.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Ford said, but added the results are giving him confidence about the weeks ahead.
Ford calls for national contact-tracing strategy
Ford was asked Monday about random community testing, which some experts have said is key before reopening the economy. The premier said he is calling for a national strategy for contact tracing, and said he has spoken with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland about it. The premiers are set to discuss the topic later in the week.
Also at Monday’s news conference, Health Minister Christine Elliott said the province is looking at the possibility of designating certain hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients to free up others to start performing elective surgeries, but many details need to be worked out first.
Monday saw the reopening of a small group of seasonal businesses in the province — a move Ford said last week should be seen as a “glimmer of hope” that the province’s efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 are working.
Monday’s COVID-19 update from the government reflects Ford’s optimism, with 370 new cases confirmed. The only other instance of an increase lower than 400 was in the province’s April 29th report, when 347 new cases were confirmed.
WATCH | Key trends heading in the right direction, Ford says:
There have now been 17,923 confirmed cases in the province since the COVID-19 outbreak began in late January, of which 12,505 cases are now considered resolved.
At this point, 984 patients are in hospital — a slight drop from yesterday’s total of 1010. The number of patients in the ICU also dropped slightly from 232 to 225, while those on ventilators stayed steady, increasing by one to 175.
According to Indigenous Services Canada, there are 38 confirmed cases on First Nations reserves in Ontario.
The struggle at long-term care homes continues, with nearly 1,000 resident deaths related to COVID-19-linked illnesses now reported. There have been outbreaks at 212 long-term care homes with 175 still active.
4 Jesuits die after outbreak at Pickering home
Six homes in the province have seen more than 30 deaths, with Orchard Villa Retirement Residence in Pickering hit the hardest with 54 deaths so far.
Not far away, René Goupil House, a home for elderly Jesuits in Pickering, is also dealing with the fallout of an outbreak declared on April 20.
As of Sunday, four Jesuits have died and 16 others have been infected, according to the Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada, Erik Oland.
“In light of the COVID-19 reality, it is now our turn to pray for these men during a time when they have become society’s most vulnerable, given age and pre-existing health issues,” Oland wrote in his release.
Last week, a provincial framework for reopening said that a “consistent two-to-four week decrease in the number of new daily COVID-19 cases,” as well as decreased hospitalization rates, would be necessary before the government can begin loosening emergency measures first enacted in March.
As of Monday, Garden centres, landscapers and car dealerships are among those allowed to reopen, though certain limitations remain.
Some kinds of construction projects — including work on municipal projects, telecommunications, child-care centres and schools — are also being allowed to go forward.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.
