TORONTO —
With “quarantine fatigue” settling in and lockdown restrictions loosening in parts of the country, a casual observer might think the COVID-19 pandemic is ending.
But, as many medical experts will tell you, it’s far from over.
“More than six months into the pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal,” said World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in an online briefing earlier this week.
In Canada, health experts are echoing that sentiment.
“This pandemic is only over for people who don’t survive it,” wrote Toronto physician Dr. Abdu Sharkawy in a tweet about a couple who died just three minutes apart, a stark reminder that the virus is still taking its toll despite economic reopenings.
Here are some other reminders that COVID-19 is still a threat:
Biggest daily spike globally: On Sunday, there were more than 136,000 cases officially recorded globally. That’s the highest number recorded in a single day so far, WHO announced at a daily briefing. “Results from studies to see how much of the population has been exposed to the virus show that most people globally are still susceptible to infection,” said Ghebreyesus. On Monday, there were more than 131,000 additional cases reported to the WHO.
New Brunswick resurgence: In Canada, much has been made about provincial reopenings. New Brunswick, a province of about 776,000, was among the first in the country to loosen restrictions. It went more than two weeks without any new cases in late April and has twice announced that all known cases were resolved. But recent weeks have seen a new spike in cases, many linked to a local physician who had travelled to Quebec. On June 4, the province recorded its first virus-related death and on Monday announced nine new cases, the biggest one-day spike in more than two months.
Increase in younger cases: Health officials in some parts of Ontario this week said that they are seeing an increase in younger people with COVID-19. In Hamilton, health officials said about 40 per cent of recent cases were in their 20s. In Toronto, close to 20 per cent of all confirmed cases were people under 30.
“Those impacted by COVID-19 in recent weeks here in the city are a younger demographic than was seen earlier in the course of our outbreak,” Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen De Villa said. “Does that give rise to concern? I think any amount of COVID-19 gives rise to concern and it should.”
There’s no vaccine: While an unprecedented global effort is underway to develop and produce a vaccine that can protect against COVID-19 infection, that reality is still many months away, according to health experts. The mumps vaccine more than 50 years ago took four years to become widely available – and it is largely considered to be the fastest ever approved. Anticipating “mass vaccinations,” the federal government has already ordered millions of syringes, but experts can’t provide an accurate timeline for when those vaccinations might happen.
Case number is not accurate: Since April, researchers have said that a lack of testing means the number of COVID-19 cases is actually many times higher than is being reported by health officials. In Canada, nearly two million tests have been administered, which represents about 51,000 for every one million people, a far lower rate than dozens of other countries, including the U.S. and the U.K.
Possibility of a second wave: Hasty reopening and “quarantine fatigue” could lead to an “explosive” second wave, warned Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam earlier this month when the government released its latest projections.
“These models all tell us that if we relax too much, or too soon, the epidemic will most likely rebound,” said Tam.
Federal projections estimated that the peak of cases in Canada might come in late spring, with the end of a first wave of infection coming in the summer. Experts insist a second wave is likely, even as much of Canada expects to find some much-needed quarantine relief with summertime reopenings.
NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Police in New Glasgow, N.S., say a 44-year-old woman faces fraud charges after funds went missing from the Pictou East Progressive Conservative Association.
New Glasgow Regional Police began the investigation on Oct. 7, after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston reported that an undisclosed amount of money had gone missing from his riding association’s account.
Police allege that a volunteer who was acting as treasurer had withdrawn funds from the association’s account between 2016 and 2024.
The force says it arrested Tara Amanda Cohoon at her Pictou County, N.S., residence on Oct. 11.
They say investigators seized mobile electronic devices, bank records and cash during a search of the home.
Cohoon has since been released and is to appear in Pictou provincial court on Dec. 2 to face charges of forgery, uttering a forged document, theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.
Police say their investigation remains ongoing.
Houston revealed the investigation to reporters on Oct. 9, saying he felt an “incredible level of betrayal” over the matter.
The premier also said a volunteer he had known for many years had been dismissed from the association and the party.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
PICTOU, N.S. – A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites.
In a decision released Wednesday, a Nova Scotia provincial court judge in Pictou, N.S., found the failure by Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. to ensure scaffolding was properly installed led to the 2020 death of Jeff MacDonald, a self-employed electrician.
The sentence was delivered after the excavation company was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Judge Bryna Hatt said in her decision she found the company “failed in its duty” to ensure that pins essential to the scaffolding’s stability were present at the work site.
Her decision said MacDonald was near the top of the structure when it collapsed on Dec. 9, 2020, though the exact height is unknown.
The judge said that though the excavation company did not own the scaffolding present on its job site, there was no evidence the company took steps to prevent injury, which is required under legislation.
MacDonald’s widow testified during the trial that she found her husband’s body at the job site after he didn’t pick up their children as planned and she couldn’t get in touch with him over the phone.
Julie MacDonald described in her testimony how she knew her husband had died upon finding him due to her nursing training, and that she waited alone in the dark for emergency responders to arrive after calling for help.
“My words cannot express how tragic this accident was for her, the children, and their extended family,” Hatt wrote in the sentencing decision.
“No financial penalty will undo the damage and harm that has been done, or adequately represent the loss of Mr. MacDonald to his family, friends, and our community.”
In addition to the $80,000 fine, the New Glasgow-based company must also pay a victim-fine surcharge of $12,000 and provide $8,000 worth of community service to non-profits in Pictou County.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland on the weekend.
Eugene Earl Spoon, a guest at the hotel, was visiting Newfoundland from Kansas. His remains were found Wednesday morning during a search of the debris left behind after the fire tore through the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake, N.L., on Saturday, the RCMP said in a news release.
“RCMP (Newfoundland and Labrador) extends condolences to the family and friends of the missing man,” the news release said.
Spoon was last seen Friday evening in the community of about 4,800 people in western Newfoundland. The fire broke out early Saturday morning, the day Spoon was reported missing.
Several crews from the area fought the flames for about 16 hours before the final hot spot was put out, and police said Wednesday that investigators are still going through the debris.
Meanwhile, the provincial Progressive Conservative Opposition reiterated its call for a wider review of what happened.
“Serious questions have been raised about the fire, and the people deserve answers,” Tony Wakeham, the party’s leader, said in a news release Wednesday. “A thorough investigation must be conducted to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The party has said it spoke to people who escaped the burning hotel, and they said alarm and sprinkler systems did not seem to have been activated during the fire. However, Stephen Rowsell, the Deer Lake fire chief, has said there were alarms going off when crews first arrived.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
