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What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Friday, April 17 – CBC.ca

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Recent developments:

What’s happening today?

With gatherings banned and most events cancelled or postponed, this year’s Canada Day party will be moving online, the federal government has announced.

Parts of Ottawa’s Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Bank Street Bridge are closing to vehicles starting this weekend to help people in the area get outside.

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The outside lanes of the Bank Street Bridge over the Rideau Canal are now closed to vehicle traffic to give pedestrians and cyclists more space. (Francis Ferland/CBC)

After more than a month of physical distancing, Ottawa Public Health is talking to politicians and health-care partners about what loosening up could look like, but still hasn’t released a timeline of when measures could end.

Distancing could last for months to avoid a resurgence; August or beyond is the opinion of one local top doctor.

WATCH: Easter Saturday drone video of downtown Ottawa

This footage, shot by freelance videographer Peter Warren, shows empty downtown streets on Easter weekend as the COVID-19 pandemic has residents staying in their homes. 2:53

How many cases are there?

There are now 728 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ottawa and more than 1,325 in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

The deaths of 32 people in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties and two more in the wider region have also been tied to COVID-19.

The vast majority of the deaths are seniors. 

From what we know, nearly 400 people out of that regional total have recovered, but most local health units don’t share that data.

Confirmed cases represent only a fraction of the actual number because of limited testing.

Distancing and isolating

Physical distancing remains in effect: avoiding non-essential trips, working from home, cancelling all gatherings and staying at least two metres away from anyone you don’t live with.

Volunteers of the Odawa Native Friendship Centre’s Bannock Bus Outreach program hand out coffee and food to those in need in downtown Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday, April 16, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Anyone who has symptoms, travelled recently outside Canada or, specifically in Ottawa, is waiting for a COVID-19 test result must self-isolate for at least 14 days.

In Ontario, anyone in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is presumed to have COVID-19 must also self-isolate for 14 days.

Ontario also recommends people older than 70 and those with compromised immune systems or underlying health issues go into voluntary self-isolation. 

How daily life is changing

Quebec has banned non-essential travel into and through the Outaouais.

Municipal parks are only open to walk through, provincial and national parks are closed and authorities are watching for gatherings in many communities.

WATCH: The toll on mental health under physical distancing measures

Vera Etches, Ottawa’s chief medical officer of health, is encouraging residents to practice “positive coping strategies,” such as exercising and talking with friends and family remotely. 0:59

Ottawa has cancelled event permits and closed many facilities until July. Quebec has asked organizers to cancel events until September.

Schools in Ontario and Quebec are closed until at least May and non-essential businesses should be closed. 

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

They range from a cold-like illness to a severe lung infection, most commonly fever, fatigue and a dry cough.

Recently added symptoms include a sore throat, runny nose and less common symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, nausea, or loss of taste or smell.

Older people, those with compromised immune systems and those with underlying medical problems are more likely to develop serious problems.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911.

WATCH: Slowing of COVID-19 infections gives health-care system some ‘breathing room,’ 

Doug Manuel, a data scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, says cases of COVID-19 have yet to peak in Ottawa but the rate of infection is slowing, giving officials some “breathing room” to develop a strategy for loosening restrictions. 1:04

The coronavirus primarily spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. People can be contagious without having symptoms.

The germs can also spread through close, prolonged contact, such as handshaking, and via surfaces such as door handles, phones and light switches.

Where to get tested

Anyone concerned they have COVID-19 in Ontario can fill out its online assessment tool. 

There’s also Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000; be prepared for wait times.

Ottawans with symptoms and who meet certain criteria can get tested at the Brewer Arena. 

It’s open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You don’t have to call ahead.

People with mild or moderate symptoms can also visit clinics in Bells Corners or Alta Vista weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The assessment centre at the Kingston Memorial Centre is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for anyone with symptoms.

The public health unit in the Belleville area is asking people only call it at 613-966-5500 if they still have questions after the province’s self-assessment.

Same for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark‘s unit at 1-800-660-5853 extension 2499.

It has testing sites by referral from a family doctor or the health unit only in Almonte and Smiths Falls, a walk-in site in Brockville at the Memorial Centre and a home test service for people in care or with mobility challenges.

A pedestrian walks past a boarded up business in downtown Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday, April 16, 2020. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

There are drive-thru test centres in Casselman and Hawkesbury without needing to call ahead and others in Rockland, Winchester and Cornwall with a referral.

Vulnerable people can call 613-933-1375 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to ask about a home test.

Renfrew County is also providing home testing under some circumstances.

Anyone who doesn’t have or can’t reach a family doctor can call its new primary health-care centre at 1-844-727-6404 if they have any health questions.

Residents of Renfrew County don’t have to lose sleep when they can’t reach their family doctors during this time. 8:37

In western Quebec:

Outaouais residents should call 819-644-4545 if they have a cough or fever, whether they’ve travelled or not. You could be referred to Gatineau’s testing centre.

If your symptoms require a trip to the ER, call ahead if you can to let them know your travel history.

WATCH: How Ottawa could turn to other countries for examples of ‘a new normal’ 

Austria, where new infections have declined, could provide a preview of how best to reopen businesses and relax COVID-19 restrictions. Erich Striessnig, with the Vienna Institute for Demography in Austria, says it’s vital that governments maintain public trust in the process. 1:40

First Nations communities

Local communities have declared states of emergency, put in a curfew or both.

With a confirmed case in the American part of Akwesasne, anyone returning from farther than 80 kilometres away is asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

Anyone in Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte who has symptoms can call 613-967-3603 to talk to a nurse.

Pikwakanagan’s new council has ordered all businesses to close.

Kitigan Zibi has postponed a June election.

For more information

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Measles case reported locally turns out to be negative: health unit

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NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE MUSKOKA DISTRICT HEALTH UNIT
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On March 26, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) was notified by Public Health Ontario’s (PHO) laboratory that due to laboratory error, the case of measles that had been lab-confirmed positive on March 12, based on symptoms and a positive urine measles laboratory result by PHO’s laboratory, is in fact negative for the measles virus.

“With this new information of the negative lab result, we believe that that individual was not infected with measles and that there has not been any public exposure to measles resulting from this individual’s illness,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health. “We recognize that notifying the public of what we believed to be a positive measles case in our area created worry, anxiety and disruption for some, and we regret this.

“We do know that, despite best efforts, on rare occasions laboratory errors can occur. We are working closely with the PHO’s laboratory to do all that we can to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.”

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads very easily through airborne transmission. The measles virus can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.

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Symptoms of measles begin seven to 21 days after exposure and include fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, and red eyes. Small white spots appear on the inside of the mouth and throat but are not always present. Three to seven days after symptoms begin, a red, blotchy rash appears on the face and then progresses down the body.

The risk of transmission to those vaccinated with two doses is low, and when it does occur tends to show a reduction in the severity of these symptoms.

“Although we are relieved for the individual involved, and for all Simcoe-Muskoka residents, that this case has now been confirmed as negative, we know that measles is still active in Ontario at this time and the potential remains for new cases to arise, especially given the increase in Ontarians travelling to areas in the world that have higher numbers of measles cases,” said Dr. Gardner. “This is why we continue to advise individuals to keep up to date with their routine immunizations, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.”

The risk of measles is low for people who have been fully immunized with two doses of measles vaccine or those born before 1970; however, many children have been delayed in receiving their routine childhood immunizations and people who have not had two doses of measles vaccine are at higher risk of contracting the disease.

People who do get sick usually recover without treatment, but measles can be more severe for infants, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Possible complications include middle-ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, or encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and occasionally death in the very young. Even individuals who are up to date with the measles vaccine should watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after exposure.

For more information about measles, please visit smdhu.org or call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to speak with a public health professional.

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Kate Middleton Not Alone. Cancer On Rise For People Under 50, Say Experts

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Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that her cancer was discovered after she received abdominal surgery

London:

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When Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed she was being treated for cancer last week, part of the shock was that an otherwise healthy 42-year-old has a disease that mostly plagues older people.

However, researchers have been increasingly sounding the alarm that more and more people under 50 are getting cancer — and no one knows why.

Across the world, the rate of under-50s diagnosed with 29 common cancers surged by nearly 80 percent between 1990 and 2019, a large study in BMJ Oncology found last year.

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The researchers predicted the number of new cancer cases among younger adults will rise another 30 percent by the end of this decade, with wealthy countries particularly affected.

The increase in cases — and soaring global population — means that the number of deaths among under 50s from cancer has risen by nearly 28 percent over the last 30 years.

This occurred even as the odds of people of all ages surviving cancer have roughly doubled over the last half century.

Shivan Sivakumar, a cancer researcher at the UK’s University of Birmingham, called it an “epidemic” of young adult cancer.

Since Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that her cancer was discovered after she received abdominal surgery earlier this year, Sivakumar and other doctors have spoken out about the uptick in younger cancer patients they have been seeing at their clinics.

While breast cancer remains the most common for people under 50, the researchers expressed particular concern about the rise of gastrointestinal cancers — such as of the colon, pancreas, liver and oesophagus — in younger adults.

Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. For women, it is number two — behind only breast cancer.

One high profile case of colorectal cancer was “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 in 2020.

Why is this happening?

“We just don’t have the evidence yet” to say exactly what is causing this rise, Sivakumar told AFP, adding it was likely a combination of factors.

Helen Coleman, a cancer epidemiology professor at Queen’s University Belfast who has studied early onset cancer in Northern Ireland, told AFP there were two potential explanations.

One is that people in their 40s were exposed to factors known to cause cancer — such tobacco smoke, alcohol or being obese — at an earlier age than previous generations.

She pointed out that the “obesity epidemic” did not start until the 1980s.

Sivakumar felt that at least part of the puzzle could be explained by obesity.

However, there is “another wave” of under-50 patients who are neither obese nor genetically predisposed still getting cancer, he emphasised, adding that this could not be put down to “statistical chance”.

The other theory, Coleman said, is that “something different” has been going on with her generation.

Fingers have been pointed out a range of possible culprits — including chemicals, new drugs and microplastics — but none have been proven.

Some have suggested that so-called ultra-processed foods could be to blame. “But there’s very little data to back any of that up,” Coleman said.

Another theory is that the food we eat could be changing our gut microbiome.

While there is nothing conclusive yet, Coleman said her own research suggested that cancer causes changes to the microbiome, not the other way around.

Anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists have even tried to blame Covid-19 vaccines.

This is easily disproven, because the rise in young adult cancer has taken place over decades, but the vaccines have only been around for a few years.

What can be done?

To address the rise in younger colorectal cancer, in 2021 the US lowered the recommended age for screening to 45. Other countries have yet to follow suit.

But the researchers hoped that Catherine’s experience would remind people at home that they should consult their doctor if they sense anything is wrong.

“People know their bodies really well,” Sivakumar said.

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“If you really feel that something isn’t right, don’t delay — just get yourself checked out.”

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Almost 3,000 students suspended in Waterloo Region over immunization issues

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Close to 3,000 children attending elementary school across Waterloo Region were suspended from school on Wednesday morning for not having up-to-date immunization records.

The region says Waterloo Public Health suspended 2,969 students under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

For several months, the region has been campaigning for people to get their children’s vaccinations up to date, including sending letters home to parents on a couple of occasions, warning that students’ records needed to be up to date or they would be suspended.

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It announced in January that 32,000 students did not have up-to-date records: 22,000 elementary students and 10,000 high school students.


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“We have made remarkable progress from the original 27,567 immunization notices we sent to parents in November and December 2023,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical officer of health, stated.

“Since that time, we have resolved more than 24,500 outdated vaccination records, providing students with valuable protection against these serious and preventable diseases.”

The high school students still have a few weeks to get their records up to date or else face suspension.

The ISPA requires students to have proof-of-vaccination records for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and meningitis, which must be on file with public health.

Public health says caregivers whose children are suspended will need to book an appointment at regionofwaterloo.ca/vaccines for clinics, which will be held in Cambridge and Waterloo on weekdays.

“Given the high number of suspensions, it may take several days before you can be seen at an appointment and return your child to school,” a release from the region warns.

“Record submission and questions must be done in person to ensure immediate resolution.”

The last time suspensions over immunizations were issued was in 2019, when 1,032 students were suspended.

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