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Ontarians return to gyms, restaurant dining rooms as further restrictions lifted – Toronto Star

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Ontarians returned to gyms, movie theatres and restaurant dining rooms on Friday as the province rolled back more public health restrictions.

Step 3 of the province’s reopening plan, which took effect just after midnight, allows fitness facilities, cinemas, indoor dining, museums and other venues to reopen after a long shutdown aimed at limiting spread of COVID-19.

Hazel Robichaud and her husband were waiting outside The Crooked Cue restaurant in Mississauga, Ont., to grab lunch. Earlier on Friday the couple got their second COVID-19 shots at a pharmacy across the street.

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“We’re glad to be able to get back in to indoor dining, because it’s too hot to sit outside,” Robichaud said, adding they’re happy to support local businesses struggling to survive due to strict pandemic measures.

‘I’m glad that the restaurants are opening up because … it would be a shame that all of them disappear.“

Several guests were seated inside Maggie’s Diner, also in Mississauga, by mid-morning, with others on the patio. Owner Sam Aly said the return of indoor service was a relief.

“I got more customers today than I’ve gotten all month, so it looks positive,” Aly said. “Now we can hopefully stand on two feet and try to make some money and try to get out of this debt we’re in.”

Under Step 2 of the reopening plan restaurants were limited to takeout and patio service.

Some restaurants did not reopen on Friday due to lack of staff. They said many employees left the industry for other opportunities during the pandemic and the jobs have been hard to fill.

Rules around masking and physical distancing are still in place under Step 3, with some exceptions. The third phase of the reopening plan also allows social gatherings of 25 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.

In Oakville, Ont., Ian Turner decided to use his day off work to see a movie with his son on the first day cinemas reopened. He said he was “a little concerned” but felt comfortable wearing a mask inside the Cineplex.

“I think everything will be fine and safe and it’ll be nice to be able to get out again and enjoy a movie on a big screen,” he said.

At gyms, the province has said patrons don’t need to wear masks inside when using equipment, but several people at two Toronto gyms still chose to keep their faces covered as they used the machines on Friday.

Kelvin Waldin said he wasn’t bothered by wearing a mask during his workout at a Planet Fitness gym, but felt “iffy” seeing some fellow patrons without them. Otherwise, he said he wasn’t overly worried about safety.

“So far, this gym is good,” he said. “It has limited equipment but that’s understandable with safety measures. I’m not concerned.”

Raj Meduri, another one of the dozen or so people working out at Planet Fitness on Friday morning, said he’s fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and doesn’t mind if others at the gym choose not to be.

“Vaccinations are a personal thing but coming back to safety measures like masks and disinfecting equipment is important,” he said. “For me, the main thing is that I get to work out.”

Ontario’s move to Step 3 came days earlier than scheduled thanks to positive trends in COVID-19 vaccination coverage and other public health indicators.

As of Friday, 79 per cent of adult Ontarians had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 60 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Premier Doug Ford came out firmly against mandating vaccines for workers on Thursday and reiterated that the province isn’t planning to introduce a “vaccine passport” system allowing access to certain activities, as has been proposed in other jurisdictions.

However, the government has said people can present receipts from their shots if businesses or other settings ask for it.

Ford thanked Ontarians on Friday for following public health orders and getting vaccinated during the pandemic.

“I’m confident that there are only brighter days ahead,” Ford said in a social media video. “Because of your efforts, we are closer than ever before to returning to normal lives.”

Ontario reported 159 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths from the virus on Friday.

– With files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2021.

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New technology to advance women’s cancer care at Southlake

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NEWS RELEASE
SOUTHLAKE REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
**************************
This Cancer Awareness Month, Southlake is adding advanced technologies to detect and treat breast cancer and other women’s cancers thanks to generous community donor support, most recently through the HERE is Where Cancer Meets its Match campaign. New cancer care technology, including new mammography machines, the MyoSure System and the MOLLI 2® System will make a measurable impact in diagnosing and treating women’s cancers in the communities Southlake serves.

Southlake is installing three new mammography machines to expand its breast cancer screening program to 1,500 more women each year. Two of these machines have new biopsy capabilities that will reduce the number of cancelled exams due to equipment failure, ensuring timely care for women. Women ages 40 to 49 years old will be able to self-refer for publicly funded mammograms through the Ontario Breast Screening Program starting this fall.

“Early detection is critical when treating breast cancer and other women’s cancers,” said Lorrie Reynolds, Director, Regional Cancer Program at Southlake. “We treat more than 1,700 breast cancer patients at Southlake every year. By adding advanced technology, like the new mammography machines, we’re ensuring women have the best experience at Southlake.”

Southlake is also introducing the MyoSure System, an innovative technology that can help detect female reproductive cancers. Damaged tissue in a woman’s uterus such as fibroids and polyps can now be removed in a precise, minimally invasive procedure that leaves the rest of the uterus intact. This will improve the overall patient experience by supporting faster recovery, reducing the risk of infection and giving more women the option to have children. An estimated 200 women per year will benefit from the MyoSure System.

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The new mammography machines and the MyoSure System build on Southlake’s recent investment in the MOLLI 2® System, a made-in-Canada wire-free breast localization technology.  This technology is considerably less invasive and more accurate when compared to wire-guided localization, resulting in a better patient experience and improved cosmetic outcomes.  More than 200 women each year will benefit from this innovative medical device as they are treated for breast cancer at Southlake.

“As a clinician caring for women with cancer in our community, I’m incredibly proud of the work Southlake is doing to advance women’s health and improve patient experiences,” said Sara Temple, MD, Surgical Oncologist and Chief of Surgery at Southlake. “Women who visit Southlake can be confident that they are receiving leading edge care, close to home when they need it most.”

The World Health Organization anticipates a 77 per cent increase in cancer diagnoses by 2050.  Southlake serves some of the fastest growing communities in Canada and anticipates that the number of patients requiring cancer care will grow. By investing in new technology, Southlake is ensuring that women in the communities it serves have access to leading edge cancer care. All of these investments were funded with support from community donors who generously gave to Southlake to support investments into women’s health at the hospital.

“The generosity of our donor community and the impact they have made for women receiving cancer diagnosis and treatment at Southlake is something we can all take great pride in,” said Jennifer Ritter, President and CEO of Southlake Foundation. “From our Women’s Health Initiative donors supporting new mammography machines, to the Ladies in Philanthropy for Southlake funding the MOLLI 2 System, to our long-standing partners The Edge Benefits and Pheasant Run Golf Club enabling the introduction of MyoSure System through their joint annual charity golf tournament, we are incredibly lucky to share a vision of access to exceptional care for everyone who depends on Southlake when they need us most. Thank you, to every donor who contributed to these important upgrades to care for women.”

Southlake Foundation’s HERE is Where Cancer Meets its Match campaign supports the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre at Southlake. For more information or to make a donation, visit: southlake.ca/HERE.

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Pasteurized milk includes remnants of H5N1 bird flu, U.S. officials say

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that samples of pasteurized milk have tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows.

The agency stressed that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue.

“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The announcement comes nearly a month after an avian influenza virus that has sickened millions of wild and commercial birds in recent years was detected in dairy cows in at least eight states. The Agriculture Department (USDA) says 33 herds have been affected to date.

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FDA officials didn’t indicate how many samples they tested or where they were obtained. The agency has been evaluating milk during processing and from grocery stores, officials said. Results of additional tests are expected in “the next few days to weeks.”

WATCH | Bird flu spread in U.S. cows:

 

Bird flu is spreading in cows. Are humans at risk? | About That

15 days ago

Duration 8:54

For the first time ever, avian influenza, or H5N1 bird flu, was detected in roughly a dozen dairy cow herds across the U.S. About That producer Lauren Bird explores why scientists and public health officials are concerned about the cross-species transmission and whether humans are now at higher risk.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab test the FDA used would have detected viral genetic material even after live virus was killed by pasteurization, or heat treatment, said Lee-Ann Jaykus, an emeritus food microbiologist and virologist at North Carolina State University

“There is no evidence to date that this is infectious virus, and the FDA is following up on that,” Jaykus said.

Officials with the FDA and the USDA had previously said milk from affected cattle did not enter the commercial supply. Milk from sick animals is supposed to be diverted and destroyed. Federal regulations require milk that enters interstate commerce to be pasteurized.

Tests for viable virus underway, agency says

Because the detection of the bird flu virus known as Type A H5N1 in dairy cattle is new and the situation is evolving, no studies on the effects of pasteurization on the virus have been completed, FDA officials said. But past research shows that pasteurization is “very likely” to inactivate heat-sensitive viruses like H5N1, the agency added.

The agency said it has been evaluating milk from affected animals, in the processing system and on the shelves. It said it is completing a large, representative national sample to understand the extent of the findings.

The FDA said it is further assessing any positive findings through egg inoculation tests, which it described as a gold standard for determining viable virus.

Matt Herrick, a spokesperson for the International Dairy Foods Association, said that time and temperature regulations for pasteurization ensure that the commercial U.S. milk supply is safe. Remnants of the virus “have zero impact on human health,” he wrote in an email.

Scientists confirmed the H5N1 virus in dairy cows in March after weeks of reports that cows in Texas were suffering from a mysterious malady. The cows were lethargic and saw a dramatic reduction in milk production. Although the H5N1 virus is lethal to commercial poultry, most infected cattle seem to recover within two weeks, experts said.

To date, two people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu. A Texas dairy worker who was in close contact with an infected cow recently developed a mild eye infection and has recovered. In 2022, a prison inmate in a work program caught it while killing infected birds at a Colorado poultry farm. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.


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Remnants of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, FDA says – Hamilton Spectator

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows.

The agency stressed that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue.

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