covid-19

Saturday June 5, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday June 5, 2021

Popular summer vacation spots likely to be crowded and expensive

With so many people vaccinated and restrictions loosened, many of you are ready to travel. But, if you’re hitting the road this summer, be prepared to put a dent in your wallet! Be prepared, wherever you go, whether you fly or drive, it’s likely to cost more and be more crowded than you expect. 

June 27, 2020

“My biggest piece of advice I’ve been telling people is not to wait for those last-minute deals. They are just not going to be there this summer. In fact, we’re seeing prices across the board: airfare, hotel, car rentals, are continuing to go up to meet the demand that we’re seeing out there right now, ” travel expert Jeannene Tornatore said. 

She says it’s more important than ever to have solid reservations and a good plan than to try and save money.

Since many airlines are adding flights to more destinations, consider destinations that we normally go to in the winter. 

January 9, 2021

“Even to some of these smaller destinations, places like here in Colorado, Vail, Aspen, Crested Butte. They’re adding more direct flights to these because they’re seeing there is a great demand still for those outdoor spaces.”

Places like that are adding attractions like bike trails and museums to try and appeal to all different crowds. 

 “The fact is that while we’re starting to get out of the woods with the pandemic, the data shows that people are still really looking for these outdoor wide open spaces this summer.”

Many state and national parks are filling up before noon. Planning ahead and knowing what to expect can really help you navigate the crowds. One more helpful tip, once you decide where you’re going, follow those places on social media and use hashtags. You’ll see what real people are posting and saying and it can show you what to really expect. (WTSP) 

 

Friday June 4, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 4, 2021

Ontario won’t reopen schools for in-person learning this spring, Ford announces

Ontario students won’t return to in-class learning before September, Premier Doug Ford announced at a news conference Wednesday.

May 27, 2021

“It was a hard choice to make,” Ford said.

“I don’t want to risk the health of our kids and cutting off their summer.”

On Monday, Ford said his government was reviewing responses to a letter sent last Thursday that solicited advice on reopening schools from a range of expert groups including public health officials and teachers’ unions.

At Wednesday’s news conference, Ford said some experts believed students should be back in class, but they could not promise that kids being back in schools wouldn’t lead to thousands of new COVID-19 cases, especially when variants of concern are considered.

In a news release, the province said recent modelling from the Science Advisory Table showed that if Ontario reopened schools to in-person learning, the province could see an increase in the number of new daily COVID-19 cases by six to 11 per cent.

October 14, 2020

That same modelling also predicted a spike in cases could occur if Ontario starts reopening the province before mid-June — something Ford said Wednesday he is now proposing.

“By remaining cautious and vigilant, we protect our summer. We protect September,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said.

The province says schools will continue to remain open until the end of June for special education students who cannot be accommodated through remote learning.

May 29, 2020

Most students in Ontario have been learning remotely since April 19 due to soaring rates of COVID-19 amid the third wave of the pandemic.

Ford said the province is pushing for a “safe and normal” return to school in September. “We’ll use this time to get our teachers and students vaccinated,” the premier said.

The province will also be making upgrades to air systems in schools, Ford said.

Critics slammed the province’s decision Wednesday. During question period, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath pointed out that Ontario is the only province in Canada without kids in class.

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“And there’s a reason for that. It’s not an accident,” she said. “This government walked us right into the third wave, ignoring the advice of experts.

“Kids in the classroom were supposed to come first. That was what was supposed to be the priority.”

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said in a statement that Ford’s government has failed to manage the pandemic by ignoring stakeholders, including recommendations from the science table.

“This advice included repeated calls for smaller class sizes, improved ventilation, and adequate personal protective equipment for educators,” Hammond said.

Young Doug Ford: The Series

“Under false pretenses, Minister Lecce spent nine months insisting schools were safe, without any evidence to confirm this. This government’s utter disregard for the safety of students, educators and other education workers cannot be ignored.”

In a statement, the Children’s Health Coalition, which includes organizations such as SickKids and McMaster Children’s Hospital, said it is “deeply disappointed” that Ontario hasn’t acted upon a “broad consensus for a regional reopening of in-person learning” reached by experts in public health and teachers’ organizations alike. (CBC) 

 

Saturday May 29, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 29, 2021

Government Advisory Panel Calls For An End To Canadian Quarantine Hotels

As the US continues its reopening after COVID-19 pandemic measures, Canada’s restrictions are gradually lifting in some provinces as vaccination numbers increase. Nonetheless, the controversial quarantine hotels are still in place as a precaution against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus — a requirement that some experts are now calling upon the government to lift.

November 28, 2020

A new report has been released from the COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel, a group providing guidance to the federal government, detailing these recommendations. “The current requirement for all air travellers to quarantine in government-authorized accommodations should be discontinued,” writes the panel of doctors and advisors. “However, travellers subject to quarantine must provide a suitable quarantine plan for approval and then adhere to this plan. If the traveller does not have a suitable quarantine plan, they should be required to adhere to an alternative one (for example, in designated quarantine facilities).”

Other factors that play into the recommendation include the administrative costs that these hotels use (and the resources drawn from other pandemic response), as well as the cost to travelers themselves. “Travellers face an added cost (up to $2000 CAD per person), time commitment and a burden to book government-authorized accommodation,” notes the report, which points out that some travelers are bypassing the hotels by crossing into Canada by land from the US. There have been cases where prospective visitors have even falsified test result paperwork to avoid the quarantine (charges were later laid).

February 13, 2021

Introduced earlier this year, the quarantine hotels, meant to reduce casual, non-essential travel to or from Canada, have been largely successful in their intended goal. The mandatory three night stay at a pre-booked quarantine hotel while awaiting results of a PCR (polymerase chain reactions) test discouraged many from flying: February data from the Canadian Border Security Agency showed a decrease of almost 55 per cent in terms of passengers flying into Canada after the quarantine hotel restrictions were implemented. During that month, the Canadian government also began routing all international flights, including those from the US that had been previously exempted, through four airports: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. (Forbes) 

 

Friday May 28, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 28, 2021

As world grows desperate for COVID vaccine, US sits on tens of millions of unused doses

Despite offers of lottery winnings, amusement park tickets and even cold hard cash, unvaccinated Americans are leaving tens of millions of unused doses for COVID-19 sitting on the shelves.

May 11, 2021

Federal officials told state governors that as of earlier this week up to 53 million doses were still waiting to be ordered by the states – a staggering amount that, depending upon the type of vaccine, would offer protection against the virus to some 25 million people.

That federal surplus is in addition to an unknown number of vaccine doses waiting for arms at vaccination sites and pharmacies in states like Wyoming, Idaho, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama that have the lowest vaccination rates.

The potential glut comes as the world’s poorest countries are still waiting on vaccines to protect their health care workers and elderly. Only 0.3% of vaccine supply is going to low-income countries.

“We are right now in possession of a supply that could be shared, that we’re worried about expiring,” Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson told the White House in phone call on Tuesday with other governors. Audio of the private call was obtained by ABC News.

The Biden administration insists that the number of wasted doses in the U.S. is extremely low and that the vast majority of supply is not at risk of expiring. But the idea of a growing vaccine surplus is a new dilemma for the White House, which took control when supply was scarce and the federal government still hadn’t purchased enough vaccine for every American. Now, with nearly 60 percent of eligible Americans having one shot, the pace of those shots has been cut in half in the past six weeks to 1.7 million a day.

April 28, 2021

Meanwhile, global outbreaks have prompted concerns of new mutations of the virus that could chip away at the effectiveness of vaccines and leave vaccinated Americans at risk.

“We are going to have this embarrassing accumulation of surplus,” said Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Morrison, who predicted as many as 30 percent of Americans will refuse the vaccine entirely, said the primary concern for the Biden team will be ensuring any U.S. recovery is “durable” before diverting supply.

“At the same time, we have this wildfire raging beyond our borders that they will have to address or else it will come back and bite us,” he said.

The Biden administration has pledged $4 billion to Covax, the global vaccine effort, and promised to donate 20 million doses of the vaccines currently available in the U.S. by the end of June – a fraction of the 800 million the U.S. says it is buying from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The administration also plans to export 60 million doses of AstraZeneca, a vaccine used overseas but not cleared yet by U.S. regulators. (ABC News) 

 

Thursday May 27, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 27, 2021

Ford solicits advice on reopening Ontario schools

Premier Doug Ford took the unusual step of publicly soliciting advice from medical experts, children’s hospitals and health organizations on how Ontario could go about reopening schools before the end of the academic year next month.

April 8, 2021

In a letter addressed to 55 different groups and people, Ford reiterated that his government has struggled to find consensus on school reopenings, and that it needs input before moving forward with a decision.

Why Ford waited until May 27, and gave the recipients until 5 p.m. Friday to answer, is unclear.

“In recent weeks, there has been a wide range of advice and commentary around the reopening of schools in Ontario,” Ford said in the letter.

“There is consensus in some quarters on how, when and whether schools should reopen, and diverse and conflicting views in others.”

November 12, 2020

He added that new modelling expected in the coming days will show that, if schools were to reopen, there could be between 2,000 and 4,000 more cases of COVID-19 by the end of July compared to if they remain closed.

Ford went on to once again express his concerns about virus variants of concern, particularly the variant first identified in India, and its impact on children. He also pointed to emerging evidence that suggests COVID-19 vaccines are potentially less effective against the variant found in India.

According to Ford, only 41 per cent of teachers and education workers have received a first dose of vaccine, compared to about 62 per cent of Ontario adults in the general population.

August 6, 2020

“Ultimately, this is our government’s decision, but in light of the foregoing, and the diversity of perspectives on the safety of reopening schools, I am asking for your views on a number of issues,” Ford said.

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Earlier this week, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health — who is also listed as a recipient of Ford’s letter — said he would like to see students back in class before the province begins its formal reopening process in mid-June.

Dr. David Williams said most public health units in the province support the reopening of schools, which have been shut to in-person learning since early April.

“My position has been always like our public health measures table and our medical officers of health, that feel that schools should be the last to close and the first to open,” Williams told a news conference on Tuesday. It was the same day that a group of researchers studying how the pandemic has affected children warned of a “generational catastrophe.” (CBC)