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‘Sitting back and watching’: Why vulnerable Canadians can’t celebrate the reopening – Global News

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While many Canadians are enjoying the country’s reopening — including gathering in parks, enjoying lunch on a patio and shopping inside stores — the lockdown remains strict for those who are immunocompromised. 

Health Canada states on their website that vulnerable people, including those with underlying medical conditions, a compromised immune system, or are elderly, are at greater risk for severe complications if they are infected with COVID-19.11 

The “reopening” of the country simply doesn’t apply to immunocompromised people, said Kristy Dickinson, 43, the founder of Chronically Simply, a health-care app that helps patients with complex illnesses manage their disease and keep their paperwork in one place.


READ MORE:
As COVID-19 lockdown eases, immunocompromised people not likely to experience new freedoms

Dickinson worries about what could happen to her if she became infected with COVID-19 due to her weak immune system, so she is not spending too much time outdoors. 

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“For an immunocompromised person, we’re just sitting back and watching. Everybody that I’ve talked to, no one feels comfortable,” she said. “Nobody within the communities that I’m active in, no one is rushing out. It’s more of a wait and see on our end.”

“We’re even questioning what happens in September,” said Dickinson, referring to a potential second-wave of COVID-19 cases. 

Having to keep isolating 

Dickinson, from Oakville, Ont, was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), in 2012 year, a rare disease that weakens connective tissues in the body. But it took years after her symptoms for Dickinson to have her illness confirmed as EDS, she said. 

She found that with each pregnancy — Dickinson had three children in her 30s — her health continued to decline. 

While Dickinson says her disease had reached a point where she felt it was managed, the last 12 weeks for her and her family coping with the pandemic has already been difficult. 






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Her husband, a firefighter, also became symptomatic in March, which caused Dickinson to go off of her treatments that suppress her immune system so that she would be less vulnerable at home. 

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Even though her husband has gotten over his illness, they have cancelled all activities for their young children and are limiting outside exposure. That is not going to change although Ontario is reopening, she said. 

Kristy Dickinson pictured with her husband and three children. Photo provided by Kristy Dickinson.


Kristy Dickinson pictured with her husband and three children. Photo provided by Kristy Dickinson.

Photo provided by Kristy Dickinson

All Dickinson’s neighbours know about her health condition, and have allowed her children to play with kids next door as she knows they’ve been isolating as well. 

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But they won’t be going to a garden centre or brick-and-mortar store anytime soon, she said. 

“I drove past a [garden centre] and just felt the tightness in my chest,” she said. 

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There are many people with “invisible” illnesses where you cannot tell what treatments someone is on and that they are immunocompromised, she said.


READ MORE:
‘I get infections all the time’: Protecting the vulnerable from novel coronavirus

Not respecting physical distancing towards others becomes scary for those who are living with those diseases, she explained. 

“Now that things are reopening, it’s like they’ve forgotten about any form of physical distancing. I struggle with that. I wish the government would talk about how you don’t know what others around you are dealing with,” she said. 

With so many unknowns on whether Ontario will see another spike in cases, Dickinson says she feels safer staying put and limiting her time in public. 

“It’s really important that society recognizes that everyone knows someone who has a compromised immune system or deals with a chronic illness.” she said. 

The need to protect others in the community

The level of freedom afforded to each person during this pandemic will be different for those who are more vulnerable and deal with chronic illnesses, even if guidelines are loosened, said Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. 

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“There’s a wide range of conditions that would make someone still have to be super careful,” he said. “We probably all know someone like that.”

COVID-19 has not gone anywhere, even though the disease may be circulating less in the summer, he said.






2:25
Mothers with cancer facing added stress during pandemic


Mothers with cancer facing added stress during pandemic

“If you’re vulnerable you’re going to be playing a risky game by being outside, because at a certain point there’s going to be a second wave,” he said.

“Eventually there is going to be more cases…and are you going to be safe at home, or horribly exposed? That can be very anxiety inducing.”

The safety of more vulnerable people will also depend on their means — if they can afford to isolate in a less populous area that’s not as densely packed as a city, said Furness. 

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“I don’t think that describes most people. We’re going to need to develop a compassionate lens on what can we do, and how can we help,” he said. 

For those who are not more vulnerable or do not have underlying health conditions, there are steps the general public can take to protect others, said Furness.


READ MORE:
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Physically distancing and wearing a mask serve the purpose of protecting others around you, he said. 

“It’s a community behaviour. We really need to continue to ram that point home…we need to protect each other,” he said. 

Wearing a mask can feel like an imposition, and it’s not always an easy thing to do — but it does not curtail your freedoms,  he said. 

‘Try to think of people other than yourself’

Sinead Zalitach, 29, also says she does not feel comfortable going out and she does not trust other Canadians to adhere to social distancing and mask-wearing protocols. 

“It’s like they don’t take into account anyone who has legitimate concerns and are legitimately at risk,” she said. 

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Zalitach, who lives in Toronto, has a rare disease called Parkes Weber syndrome, a vascular system disorder that can be life-threatening. Global News interviewed her about her experiences when the pandemic began in March. 


READ MORE:
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Wearing a mask indoors when it is encouraged to do so is a small things others can do to protect people whose lives could be at risk if they are infected with COVID-19, she said. 

“We think too much about ourselves individually,” she said. “Educate yourself and try to think of people other than yourself.”

Sinead Zalitach pictured with her service dog. Photo provided by Sinead Zalitach


Sinead Zalitach pictured with her service dog. Photo provided by Sinead Zalitach.

Photo provided by Sinead Zalitach

She says signs should remain in place about physical distancing and wearing a mask, so that even with the reopening others do not forget that Canada is in the middle of a pandemic.

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Going to get a haircut, or going to a restaurant is something Zalitach, but she says knows it’s likely not an option even with the reopening. 

“I wish I could have a fully functioning immune system,” she said. “We want to do all of these things, but because of other people’s carelessness, we kind of can’t.”

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Mitchell throws two TD passes as Ticats earn important 37-21 home win over Redblacks

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September 14, 2024

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HAMILTON – It remains faint but Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats still have a playoff pulse.

Mitchell threw two touchdown passes as Hamilton defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 37-21 in the CFL’s annual Hall of Fame game Saturday afternoon. The Ticats (4-9) earned a second straight win to move to within six points of the third-place Toronto Argonauts (7-6) in the East Division.

Hamilton visits Toronto on Friday night.

“Obviously they’re (wins) huge now,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t do ourselves any favours by getting into this position and not being able to really control our own destiny.

“But right now, we need certain people to win at certain times. Our job is to go out there and try to win the next five, then the next three after that.”

Mitchell finished 20-of-27 passing for 299 yards and an interception. He entered weekend action leading the CFL in passing yards (3,383) and TD strikes (21).

Greg Bell’s 15-yard TD run at 11:30 of the fourth and two-point convert put Hamilton up 36-21 after backup Jeremiah Masoli led Ottawa on two scoring drives. Following a 13-yard TD strike to Andre Miller at 2:53, Masoli found Dominique Rhymes on a 10-yard touchdown pass at 7:43 before Khalan Laborn’s two-point convert cut Hamilton’s lead to 29-21.

“When you’re scoring from (15) yards out on a run play, that makes offence easy,” Mitchell said. “It’s one of those things when you get down there as a quarterback, it takes you sometimes five, eight, 10 plays and now it’s ‘OK, now we have to create some stuff and find something.’

“When you hand the ball off and you’re scoring from (15) yards, it makes the offence really easy.”

Ottawa (8-4-1) would have clinched a playoff spot with a victory.

Ottawa committed six turnovers (three interceptions, two fumbles, once on downs) before an announced Tim Hortons Field gathering of 22,119. Lawrence Woods III also returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown at 11:51 of the first quarter that put Hamilton ahead 10-3.

“You’ve got to bring your best every single week and this wasn’t our best, all of us, from coaches to the players,” said Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce. “If you don’t play great for four quarters, I don’t care who you’re playing you’re not going to have a successful day.

“We should’ve made the tackle (on Woods), we had him wrapped up it’s that simple. Even though we didn’t make the play on that, there should’ve been extra bodies there to clean it up when he did break the tackle.”

Hamilton also tied the season series with Ottawa 1-1. The teams meet again at TD Place on Oct. 25.

“If we didn’t turn it over today I would’ve said we played really well offensively and that to me is what the biggest difference is,” said Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich. “Even the turnovers today (interception, fumble), at least they were in their end and we weren’t giving them a short field.

“The biggest play of the game was Woodsie’s return. It got us jump-started, gave us the lead and we were kind of off after that.”

Ottawa starter Dru Brown was 17-of-27 passing for 164 yards and an interception. Masoli entered late in the third and finished 13-of-19 passing for 183 yards with two TDs and two interceptions, but Dyce said Brown will start next weekend against Montreal (10-2-1), which earned a 19-19 tie Saturday night with Calgary (4-8-1).

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s ’24 class of S.J. Green, Chad Owens, Weston Dressler, Vince Goldsmith and Vince Coleman, along with builders Ray Jauch and Ed Laverty (posthumously), was honoured at halftime. All were enshrined Friday night.

Steven Dunbar Jr. and Ante Litre had Hamilton’s other touchdowns. Marc Liegghio kicked two field goals, three converts and two singles.

Ottawa’s Lewis Ward booted two field goals and a convert.

Mitchell culminated a five-play, 96-yard march with a 20-yard TD pass to Litre at 13:34 of the third. It followed Jonathan Moxey’s interception.

Liegghio’s single at 7:05 of the third put Hamilton up 22-6.

Mitchell’s 54-yard TD strike to Dunbar at 14:18 of the second staked Hamilton to its 21-6 halftime lead. The advantage was well-deserved as the Ticats had more first downs (12-six), net offensive yards (260-144) and scored on both offence and special teams.

Mitchell was 14-of-20 passing for 210 yards and a TD, but his interception cost Hamilton at least a field-goal attempt. Dunbar had five receptions for 113 yards and the touchdown.

Brown completed 13-of-21 passes for 127 yards.

Liegghio’s missed 47-yard attempt went for the single at 12:45 to put Hamilton ahead 14-6. It followed a Kiondre Smith catch that was ruled incomplete and at the very least cost the Ticats a first down that would’ve kept the drive alive.

Ward’s 30-yard kick at 9:15 had pulled Ottawa to within 13-6.

Liegghio’s 19-yard field goal at 5:13 pushed Hamilton’s lead to 13-3. It followed the defence stopping Ottawa’s Dustin Crum on third-and-one, giving the Ticats possession at the Redblacks 40.

Liegghio’s 47-yard field goal opened the scoring at 2:42 before Ward tied in with a 24-yard boot at 8:44.

UP NEXT

Redblacks: Host the Montreal Alouettes (10-2-1) next Saturday, Sept. 21.

Tiger-Cats: Visit the Toronto Argonauts (7-6) on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.



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Toronto FC downs Austin FC to pick up three much-needed points in MLS playoff push

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September 14, 2024

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TORONTO – Needing three points to keep their playoff push alive, Toronto FC’s Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr stepped up with first-half goals against Austin FC on Saturday with goalkeeper Sean Johnson doing his bit at the other end.

A 76th-minute goal by Austin’s Owen Wolff made for a nervy ending but TFC hung on for a 2-1 win.

While Toronto (11-15-3) remains on the Major League Soccer playoff bubble in eighth place in the Eastern Conference (the eighth- and ninth-place teams in each conference square off in a wild-card playoff with the winner facing the top seed in the conference), other results went their way.

Seventh-place Charlotte, 10th-place Atlanta and 11th-place Philadelphia all lost while ninth-place D.C. United tied.

Toronto midfielder Alonso Coello called it “a game we had to win.”

“It’s a big win … To see that fight tonight was important,” added coach John Herdman.

Austin (9-12-7) came into the game in 11th place in the West, two points below ninth-place Minnesota. The Texas side has won just one of its last six league games (1-4-1).

Austin outshot Toronto 7-6 (6-2 edge in shots on target) in the first half but found itself trailing 2-0 at the break as Toronto took advantage of its chances and the visitors didn’t in their first-ever visit to BMO Field, before an announced crowd of 25,538.

Toronto had a dream start, catching Austin on the counterattack in the seventh minute. A sliding Austin player dispossessed an onrushing Kerr, who had been set free by a long ball from Coello, but the ball bounced to Osorio, who beat goalkeeper Brad Stuver with a rising shot.

It was the Toronto captain’s second goal of the season in league play and his 65th for TFC in all competitions. Only Sebastian Giovinco (83) and Jozy Altidore (79) scored more in Toronto colours.

TFC went ahead on another counterattack in the 30th minute after an Austin giveaway. Osorio found Richie Laryea outpacing his marker and the wingback unselfishly sent a perfect low cross across goal for Kerr to knock home for his third of the season.

Wolff, the son of Austin head coach Josh Wolff, made it interesting with his late strike. The 19-year-old U.S. youth international, controlling a long ball, beat defender Raoul Petretta and then waited out Johnson before slotting it home for his first of the season.

Toronto survived a nervy six minutes of stoppage time as Austin pressed for the equalizer. Austin outshot Toronto 14-9 (8-3 in shots on target) and had 52.5 per cent possession.

The win evened Toronto’s home record at 7-7-0, while Austin slipped to 3-8-3 on the road.

It was a costly evening for Austin with defender Brendan Hines-Ike, midfielder Jhojan Valencia and star attacker Sebastian Driussi allpicking up cautions to miss Wednesday’s game with Los Angeles FC due to yellow-card accumulation.

Toronto defender Shane O’Neill will miss Wednesday’s game against visiting Columbus for the same reason. Toronto could be short mid-week, too. The hope is veteran centre back Kevin Long, who missed Saturday’s game after tweaking his hamstring in training, will be good to go.

Toronto has five games remaining, including three more at home as it looks to return to the post-season for the first time since 2020 when it lost to Nashville after extra time at the first hurdle.

It is a challenging road.

TFC hosts Columbus, the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami while playing away at the Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire. All but Chicago are in playoff positions.

The only previous meeting between Toronto and Austin was in May 2023, when Zardes scored a 91st-minute winner to give Austin a 1-0 win over visiting Toronto, which was then mired at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That loss prompted a post-game outburst from Italian star Federico Bernardeschi about TFC’s drab play.

Then-coach Bob Bradley benched Bernardeschi for the next game.

Current coach John Herdman made four changes to his starting 11 with Bernardeschi and Osorio returning from suspension and Coello and Kerr also slotting in. Coello, who had missed the last eight league games with a hamstring injury, was impressive in his 59-minute return.

Both Toronto and Austin suffered home losses last time out going into the international break. Toronto was beaten 3-1 by D.C. United while Austin lost 1-0 to Vancouver.

—

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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CF Montreal finds its groove with 2-1 win over Charlotte

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September 14, 2024

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MONTREAL – CF Montreal is back in the win column after securing a 2-1 Major League Soccer win over Charlotte FC on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.

Montreal’s form had suffered of late, with just one win in MLS since July, but Laurent Courtois’ squad showed a level of poise and control over the tempo of the game that had not been seen since the beginning of the season.

“What we’ve changed in the last few weeks or months in terms of our methodology or coaching, is nothing. We did the exact thing, We had the exact same words, and we expressed them the exact same way,” said Courtois. “Today, everything just clicked.”

Caden Clark scored for the first time as a Montreal (7-12-9) player in the 23rd minute, in addition to Bryce Duke’s goal three minutes later that ended up being the winner, while Tim Ream found the back of the net for Charlotte (10-10-8).

Montreal had the first major scoring chance of the match after 15 minutes of play. With a free kick roughly 25 metres away from goal, Gabriele Corbo sent a near-perfect shot smashing off the crossbar.

Montreal would continue to dictate the tempo in the opening phase, finding first blood just seven minutes later.

Following a phenomenal triple-save from Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, the ball fell to Clark who volleyed the ball into the wide-open net, picking up his first goal for the club.

“I think you don’t lose the feeling (of scoring), everything happens for a reason, you just can’t lose yourself in the chaos,” said Clark, who had missed a full season due to injury and was briefly without a club, but was grateful for Courtois’ confidence in him.

“(To have a coach’s confidence) is huge and is something I’ve had both ends of so you just can’t take advantage of that in the wrong way. I’m going to keep my discipline with the game plan and keep my head right.”

With momentum completely on their side, the home side doubled the lead just three minutes later. Montreal continued to build up play on the left flank and found a streaking Raheem Edwards in behind the defence who cut the ball back to Duke, sending the Stade Saputo crowd into a frenzy.

Just after the half-hour mark, Charlotte pulled one back through a set piece — something Montreal has struggled defending all season — as Ream rose above everyone at the back post to score his first with his new club.

The second half began in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Charlotte pressing high up the pitch and forcing several turnovers in dangerous areas. After surviving the pressure, Montreal began to regain control of the game near the hour mark, enjoying the lion’s share of the possession while Charlotte looked to hit back on the counterattack.

“I think when we conceded that goal we were like ‘here we go again.’ 2-1 is a tough lead before halftime … and at the beginning of the half we kind of shot ourselves in the foot and they pressed a bit more, they moved a bit more forward and that opened some gaps,” said captain Samuel Piette.

“I was happy with that, it shows character. At the end of the day, we just wanted the three points and that’s what we got.”

As the game progressed, Charlotte pushed harder to find an equalizer but to no avail. With only one shot on target conceded, the second-worst defence in the league put up an impressive front and confidently rebuffed every single Charlotte attack.

“I’m a big fan of the back five’s performance in their discipline, competitiveness, and synchronization with balls in behind,” said Courtois.

“We can’t explain sometimes in a game it’s not there, they’re capable and today they showed it. Let’s see tomorrow.”

UP NEXT

Both teams are back in action on Sept. 18 away from home as Montreal will look to avenge a 5-0 rout against the New England Revolution while Charlotte visits Orlando City SC.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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