Ontario reports 1,631 new coronavirus cases; 10 more deaths - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Ontario reports 1,631 new coronavirus cases; 10 more deaths – CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Published

 on


Ontario’s top doctor says that we are in a “race against time” with COVID-19 variants now making up nearly a third of all new cases.

More than 31 per cent of all positive cases in Ontario last week screened positive for a variant of concern, up from 18.9 per cent the week prior.

The rapid rise in the proportion of cases involving new variants has prompted concern about a potential third wave, especially given the fact that the more infectious B.1.1.7 variant has made up the vast majority of the cases.

“We are in a race against time here. We are getting more vaccines and we want to vaccinate as quickly and as many (people) as we can as many as we can but that will take time,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said during a briefing on Monday afternoon. “If we just hold and be firm and be careful for the next couple weeks we can keep even the variants I believe under control, bending the curve from that rapid rise. But there is a sense that it (case numbers) will go up. We just want to make sure that it is not too much and doesn’t compromise our healthcare system.”

The stark warning from Williams on Monday afternoon came a few hours after Ontario reported another 1,631 cases of COVID-19, which was the highest single-day tally since Feb. 5.

Officials, however, later said said the spike was due to data management issues with the province’s coronavirus contact management system.

The province reported 1,299 new cases on Sunday, 990 more cases on Saturday and 1,250 new cases on Friday. Williams, however, said that the data delay likely means that those numbers should have been higher.

“We are in this phase where the model is saying we could be trending up back again and we have seen our variants of concern taking up more and more the percentage of cases day by day. So our concerns are there,” he said. “We need to remain vigilant.”

Across the GTA, Toronto reported 568 cases, the highest daily total that city has seen since Feb. 5, while Peel Region reported 322 new cases, the highest daily total the region has disclosed since Feb. 2.

York Region reported 119 new cases on Monday, while Durham Region reported 68 new cases, Halton reported 51 and Hamilton reported 22.

Provincial labs processed 38,063 tests in the past 24 hours, generating a positivity rate of at least 3.4 per cent.

None of the ten deaths reported on Monday occurred in the long-term care system.

There are now 11,016 active cases of novel coronavirus infection across the province, up from 10,570 one week ago.

A total of 7,077 people are known to have died from COVID-19, while 291,800 people have made a full recovery from illness.

The seven-day rolling average of daily cases rose to 1,155 on Monday, up from 1,069 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, hospitalizations stayed relatively flat when compared to Sunday.

The Ministry of Health says there were 626 people in hospital on Monday, up 20 from Sunday.

Of those, 282 were in intensive care and 184 were breathing with the help of a ventilator.

But a count of data from the province’s 34 local public health units and hospital networks found 832 people in hospital receiving treatment for COVID-19 on Monday.

A Toronto ICU doctor citing data from Critical Care Services Ontario said there were 337 people in intensive care due to COVID-19 on Monday.

Public Health Ontario confirmed an additional 63 cases of coronavirus variants of concern in the past 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed through whole genomic sequencing in the province to 935.

There are also several thousand additional positive specimens that screened positive.

The province said it administered another 21,000 doses of approved coronavirus vaccines on Sunday, bringing the total number of shots administered to 912,486.

More than 273,000 people have now completed the full two-dose inoculation.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)



Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

Published

 on

 

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.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Talks on today over HandyDART strike affecting vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver

Published

 on

 

VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.

No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.

Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.

A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

Transat AT reports $39.9M Q3 loss compared with $57.3M profit a year earlier

Published

 on

 

MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.

The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.

The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.

Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.

On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.

Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version