Variants of concern now account for more than half of all COVID-19 cases in Ontario — and as people grow tired of more than a year of public health measures, officials are concerned about a dramatic rise in infections as they become the predominant strains of the novel coronavirus.
That was the message from Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe at a provincial news conference Thursday.
There are now 1,563 confirmed variant of concern cases in Ontario, the majority of which are the B117 variant first identified in the U.K. Another 51 are confirmed to be the variant first identified in South African and 54 are the variant first identified in Brazil.
Ontario’s current seven-day average per cent positivity rate is 4.2. However, when it comes to variants of concern specifically, that number skyrockets to 50.5 per cent — up from 43.8 per cent just one week ago.
“Daily cases are increasing, hospitalizations are increasing and ICU admissions are increasing,” Yaffe told reporters. “As [variants] take over to be the predominant strains, the concern is that the infection rate will increase.”
Ontario reported another 2,380 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, though the Ministry of Health said 280 of the cases are attributable to a “data catch-up process” in the province’s system.
Excluding those cases, it is still the highest daily count since Jan. 24, or about two months.
The ministry did not specify when or where those extra 280 cases are from, or why they were missed earlier.
Today’s total includes 1,016 cases in Toronto, 294 in Peel Region, 244 in York Region and 152 in Ottawa.
Record day for vaccinations
They come as Ontario saw another record day for COVID-19 vaccinations. Public health units collectively administered 79, 446 doses yesterday. Some 304,386 people in the province have now had both shots of a vaccine.
Ontario has now given out more than 98 per cent of the 1,780,135 doses of vaccines it has received thus far from the federal government.
Meanwhile, labs completed 60,077 tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and logged a test positivity rate of 3.8 per cent.
The seven-day average of daily cases climbed to 1,794. It has been steadily rising for the last 10 days.
Critical Care Services Ontario (CCSO), a government agency that compiles a daily report for hospitals and health organizations, said the number of patients with COVID-19 requiring intensive care rose to 380. Admissions to ICUs peaked in mid-January at around 420, according to CCSO.
They say their observations could be, in part, due to the prevelance of variants of concern in the province.
As of yesterday, a total of 15,657 test samples that tested positive for COVID-19 had also screened positive for a telltale mutation that indicates the presence of a variant of concern.
Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table, a group of experts that helps guide the province’s pandemic response, estimates that variants of concern now account for about 58 per cent of all new cases.
Public health units also recorded the deaths of 17 more people with the illness, bringing the official toll to 7,280. The seven-day average of daily deaths is currently just more than 10, considerably lower than its second-wave peak of more than 60 during mid-January.
Cost of COVID hospital stays
Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Canada cost $23,000 per stay — about four times as much as the average.
CIHI said the average length of stay for a COVID-related hospitalization in Canada was two weeks.
The agency examined data from from January to November 2020, but did not include Quebec.
In that time period, the estimated total cost of COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Canada was more than $317 million.
There were nearly 14,000 hospital stays for patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in Canada between last January and November, along with more than 85,400 emergency department visits for COVID-19.
Of the 13,906 COVID-related hospitalizations analyzed, CIHI found that 57.1 per cent were discharged home while 18.7 per cent, or 2,605, died in hospital.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
