Ont. premier says 'everything is on the table' amid rising COVID-19 cases but won't commit to tighter lockdown - CBC.ca

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Ont. premier says 'everything is on the table' amid rising COVID-19 cases but won't commit to tighter lockdown – CBC.ca

Published

3 years ago

December 17, 2020

Harry Miller

As Ontario’s hospitals called for new 28-day lockdowns in the province’s COVID-19 red zones Thursday amid record-high case counts and hospitalizations, Premier Doug Ford would not commit to any new shutdowns.

“Ontario remains firmly caught in the grasp of a major second wave of COVID-19,” the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) said in a statement. “Daily infection is now above 2,000 new cases per day. Hospitalization is increasing rapidly, as is the occupancy of intensive care units.”

It said that the situation has become “extremely serious.”

The OHA’s board of directors held an emergency meeting to discuss ongoing challenges to the health-care system on Wednesday, a day before the province reported another 2,432 cases of COVID-19, the most on a single day since the pandemic began.

“We are now in the holiday season and if members of the public choose to ignore public health measures and gather outside their households, the consequences risk overwhelming Ontario’s hospitals,” the statement continued.

‘Everything is on the table’

As a result, the OHA said it must “reluctantly and with deep regret” ask the provincial government to “implement and robustly enforce” four-week lockdowns in all public health units where the weekly incidence rate is 40 cases per 100,000 people or more, a key threshold for the red tier, the strictest level of pandemic restrictions.

But at the province’s daily news conference Thursday, the premier would not commit to any further lockdown measures.

Ford said he appreciates the OHA’s input and talks to hospital CEOs every day.

“It’s very, very concerning, the situation we’re facing right now,” he said. “Right now, everything is on the table. We always take the advice from the medical experts.”

Ford said he was not considering any sort of curfew like the ones imposed in France and other countries particularly hard hit by the virus.

However, when asked about specific decisions the government is considering to stem the tide of cases, Ford repeatedly answered “everything is on the table.”

Lockdown request comes amid record hospitalizations

The OHA’s request for additional lockdowns comes as hospitalization figures in Ontario reached second-wave highs this week. The OHA said that its member hospitals are struggling to keep up with current needs while working to catch up on about 150,000 procedures that were postponed during the first wave of the pandemic in the spring.

“Evidence is mounting that the hidden toll on human health from this disruption in scheduled services will be heavy,” the statement said. “Our communities are tired, and so are those caring for them.”

The provincial government should also offer paid sick leave and isolation accommodation to help those who cannot afford to take time off work if they contract the novel coronavirus, the OHA added.

The premier was asked Thursday if he was considering any financial compensation if further lockdowns are imposed. Ford said the province is working with the federal government to make sure people are taken care of.

“If that time comes, if we have to take further action … yes, there will be additional forms of assistance for small business owners,” he said.

WATCH | Premier Doug Ford on the prospect of further lockdowns:

There are many things to consider before Ontario will tighten its lockdown of the province to slow the spread of the coronavirus, said Premier Doug Ford. But he said he will not make a ‘snap’ judgment about which course to take. 1:34

Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said he was having “vibrant discussions” with regions currently in the red and grey zones.

Williams said all the red-zone regions are seeing a rise in cases, but he would not say if further restrictions would be put in place.

“We have to take a look at what we can do and who else should be involved in that … all things are on the table,” Williams said, echoing Ford’s earlier comments.

Government did not prepare for 2nd wave: Horwath

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the government did not prepare for the second wave of the pandemic and should now consider the hospital association’s plan.

“Doug Ford chose not to invest in stronger public health measures,” she said in statement. “And now, we’re facing a longer, deeper and darker lockdown as a result.”

Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ford should take further actions to address the pandemic, including introducing paid sick days and additional financial support of up to $15,000 per small business in lockdown areas.

“Doug Ford has said repeatedly that he will spare no expense,” Schreiner said in a statement. “So, I’m calling on him now to put action behind his words. Now is the time to work across party lines to save lives and livelihoods while reducing stress on our health-care system.”

Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said the provincial government is working with the OHA and is “very aware” of its concerns. Continued community spread of the virus, particularly in hot spots, is putting strain on hospitals, she said.

“Many hospitals are at full capacity now and have had to postpone, once again, surgeries and procedures that were postponed during wave one,” Elliott said.

“We’re considering everything, the best ways to limit community spread, so I would say that nothing has been determined as yet.”

Yesterday, the mayors of two of Ontario’s hardest-hit cities, Toronto and Mississauga in Peel Region, called for strict measures to remain in place throughout the holiday season. This Friday marks four weeks since Toronto and Peel first went into lockdown, while York Region and Windsor-Essex moved into lockdown later.

Nearly all of the rest of southern Ontario’s largest cities, with the exception of Ottawa, are in the red zone. That includes Hamilton, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Oakville, Oshawa and Barrie.

Record day for new COVID-19 cases

The additional 2,432 COVID-19 cases reported Thursday include 737 in Toronto, 434 in Peel Region, 209 in York Region, 190 in Windsor-Essex, 142 in Hamilton and 102 in Halton Region.

Other public health units that saw double-digit increases were:

Waterloo Region: 77
Durham Region: 73
Ottawa: 70
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph: 65
Middlesex-London: 63
Simcoe Muskoka: 47
Niagara Region: 45
Southwestern: 35
Brant County: 26
Eastern Ontario: 19
Huron Perth: 17
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington: 16
Lambton: 11

(Note: All of the figures used for new cases in this story are found on the Ontario Health Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard or in its daily epidemiologic summary. The number of cases for any region may differ from what is reported by the local public health unit because local units report figures at different times.)

Combined, the new cases push the seven-day average to 2,026, also a new high.

The Ministry of Education also reported 170 new cases that are school-related: 143 students, 26 staff members and one person who was not identified. Some 955 of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly funded schools, or about 19.8 per cent, have at least one case of COVID-19, while 22 schools are currently closed because of the illness.

There are now 17,484 confirmed, active cases of COVID-19 throughout Ontario, the most-ever in the province. They come as the province’s network of labs processed 58,178 test samples for the novel coronavirus and reported a test positivity rate of four per cent.

While the number of total patients in Ontario hospitals with the virus dropped slightly to 919, down 13 from 932, the number being treated in intensive care units jumped seven to 263. Of those, 172 required the use of a ventilator — 15 more than in yesterday’s report.

New long-term care spending announced

At the height of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring, hospitalizations topped out at 1,043, while ICU admissions peaked at 264, according to the Ministry of Health.

Public health officials also reported 23 more deaths of people with COVID-19, bringing Ontario’s official toll to 4,058.

Ford also announced Thursday the province plans to spend up to $1.9 billion annually by 2024-25 to achieve an average of four hours of daily direct care in the province’s long-term care homes.

That would mean the hiring of 27,000 new personal support workers, registered nurses and other health-care staff, he said.

Ford also provided an update on vaccinations, saying that to date, 1,500 health-care workers have had their first vaccine dose in Toronto and Ottawa.

At least 80 inmates in Kingston prison test positive

Correctional Service Canada is reporting a major COVID-19 outbreak in a Kingston prison.

The department says at least 80 inmates at the Joyceville Institution have tested positive for COVID-19.

All staff and employees have been offered testing for the novel coronavirus, and the agency says it is closely monitoring the situation.

It also says all employees are actively screened before entering its institutions.

Correctional Service Canada says all employees and inmates have been given medical masks and face shields.

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It's possible to rely on plant proteins without sacrificing training gains, new studies say – The Globe and Mail

Published

3 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Harry Miller

At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, a scientist named Paul Schenk surveyed the eating habits of top athletes from around the world. The Canadians reported plowing through more than 800 grams of meat per day on average; the Americans were downing more than two litres of milk daily.

While there have been plenty of changes in sports nutrition since then, the belief that meat and dairy are the best fuel for building muscle persists. These days, though, a growing number of athletes are interested in reducing or eliminating their reliance on animal proteins, for environmental, ethical or health reasons. A pair of new studies bolsters the case that it’s possible to rely on plant proteins without sacrificing training gains, as long as you pick your proteins carefully.

The standard objection to plant proteins is that they don’t have the right mix of essential amino acids needed to assemble new muscle fibres. Unlike animal proteins, most plant proteins are missing or low in at least one essential amino acid.

In particular, there’s one specific amino acid, leucine, that seems to play a special role in triggering the synthesis of new muscle. It’s particularly abundant in whey, one of the two proteins (along with casein) found in milk. That’s why whey protein is the powdered beverage of choice in gyms around the world, backed by decades of convincing research, which was often funded by the dairy industry.

But one of the reasons whey looks so good may be that we haven’t fully explored the alternatives. A 2018 study by Luc van Loon of the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, for example, tested nine vegetable proteins including wheat, hemp, soy, brown rice, pea and corn. To their surprise, they found that corn protein contains 13.5 per cent leucine – even more than whey.

Based on that insight, van Loon decided to pit corn against milk in a direct test of muscle protein synthesis. Volunteers consumed 30 grams of one of the proteins; a series of blood tests and muscle biopsies were collected over the next five hours to determine how much of the ingested protein was being turned into new muscle fibres. The results, which appeared in the journal Amino Acids, were straightforward: Despite all the hype about whey, there was no discernible difference between them.

A second study, this one published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise by a team led by Benjamin Wall of the University of Exeter in Britain, had similar findings. Instead of corn, it used a mix of 40 per cent pea, 40 per cent brown rice and 20 per cent canola proteins. Since different plants have different amino acids profiles, mixing complementary proteins has long been suggested as a way overcoming the deficiencies of any single plant protein. Sure enough, the protein blend triggered just as much new muscle synthesis as whey.

On the surface, the message from these studies is straightforward: Plant proteins are – or at least can be – as effective as even the best animal proteins for supporting muscle growth. There are a few caveats to consider, though. One is that the studies used isolated protein powders rather than whole foods. You would need nearly nine cobs of corn to get the 30 grams of protein used in van Loon’s study, compared to just three-and-a-half cups of milk.

Another is that plants are generally harder to digest, meaning that not all the amino acids will be usable. That may not be a problem for healthy young adults consuming 30 grams of protein at once, which is enough to trigger a near-maximal muscle response. But for older people, who tend to have blunted muscle-building responses to protein, or in situations where you’re getting a smaller dose of protein, the details of protein quality may become more important.

Of course, the effectiveness of plant proteins won’t be news to notable plant-based athletes such as ultrarunner Scott Jurek or basketball star Chris Paul – but it’s encouraging to see the science finally begin to catch up.

Alex Hutchinson is the author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. Follow him on Threads @sweat_science.

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See how chicken farmers are trying to stop the spread of bird flu – Fox 46 Charlotte

Published

6 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Harry Miller

CLOVER, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Poultry farmers across the Carolinas aren’t taking any chances. Many are turning to strict protocols as another wave of bird flu continues to threaten the chicken population across the country.

Since 2022, it is estimated more than 90 million birds have either died from the virus or were killed to prevent further spread in the U.S.

“We try to make them the happiest as possible. We always say a happy chicken is a tasty chicken,” owner of Eden Farms Adam Shumate said.

With their happiness in mid, Shumate also wants to keep his chickens alive and healthy. On his farm in Clover, he has implemented protocols to minimize a potential bird flu outbreak.

“We want to be prepared,” he said. “We feel like the things that we can do to prevent it first is the best case because we don’t want to start from scratch with a whole new flock.”

Because bird flu is commonly spread through bird droppings, Shumate is limiting the number of people coming into contact with his flocks. He says this would minimize the chances of someone walking onto the property with bird droppings on the bottoms of their shoes.

On top of monitoring the chickens closely, Shumate and his staff are constantly cleaning their equipment, including what they wear on their feet.

“We have specific shoes that are just for working with the flock and for when we are taking care of them,” Shumate said.

Other farmers, like Holly Burrell, haven’t let a visitor step foot near her hens in Gastonia for more than two years.

No visitors or outside cars are welcomed, and her chickens are separated in what she calls “tent cities.”

“We don’t want to do that because we want them to live their best life,” Burrell said in a 2022 interview with Queen City News.

Recently, health officials have detected bird flu in other animals like seals, squirrels and dolphins.

Earlier this month, bird flu was detected in one of the state’s dairy cow herds. While concerning, state health officials say the overall risk to the general public remains low.

“I’ve not heard of any cases, zero cases of people being affected by this virus associated with food consumption, milk consumption with egg consumption… any of these products we’re getting from farm animals is not really been associated with any human risk at this point,” said Dr. Michael Martin, director of the Veterinary Division at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

As of March 28, at least 80 birds in North Carolina were detected with the virus. Back in York County, Shumate says it all starts with the individual farms.

“When it comes to wildlife and things that that, there is only so much that you can do is be observant,” Shumate said. “Keep a healthy flock that way they can find off the infections that may come about.”

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CFIA Monitoring for Avian Influenza in Canadian Dairy Cattle After US Discoveries – Morning Ag Clips –

Published

7 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Harry Miller

From the field to your inbox, the Weekend Edition of the Morning Ag Clips features stories, trends, and unique perspectives from the farming community. This laid-back edition is great for anyone looking for a fun weekend read.

Morning Ag Clips. All ag. All the time.

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