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Friday December 17, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 17, 2021

No clinic booster appointments available in Hamilton as Omicron spreads at ‘alarming rate’

Hamilton announced no expansion to COVID vaccine clinics as Premier Doug Ford put out an urgent call for everyone eligible to get their boosters immediately.

March 31, 2021

No third-dose appointments were available in December for the public on the city’s booking system as of Wednesday at 6 p.m. The only spots left were for health-care workers.

The reality on the ground was an obvious mismatch with Ford’s pleas to those age 50 and older to get their boosters by the end of the weekend — before eligibility opens up Monday to anyone older than 18.

The interval between doses will also shorten at that time to 84 days instead of six months.

“Nothing matters more than getting these third shots into arms,” Ford said. “Locking ourselves down out of this isn’t the solution.”

But so far there’s no sign of a significant ramp up in Hamilton, despite the premier asking businesses to offer up their space and unions to organize clinics at workplaces. He also called on dentists, firefighters, paramedics and the general public to volunteer in the rollout.

“We’re going to ramp it up like you’ve never seen before,” Ford said as he declared boosters the best weapon against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

March 4, 2021

“We’re going to make sure that in every corner of this province there’s going to be someone there to give an Ontarian a booster shot,” he said. “That’s the way out of it.”

Medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said Tuesday that public health is considering expanding hours or holding special clinics, with more information expected in the next few days.

Public health didn’t respond to questions from The Spectator on Wednesday about how Hamilton’s rollout will meet the increased demand or what expansion will take place.

Time is of the essence, as Ford described Omicron as moving at an “alarming rate.”

“We are urgently setting back up mass vax sites and hospital clinics,” said Ford. “More and more pharmacies are coming online every single day.”

Richardson said Tuesday that Hamilton is seeing “rapid transmission” of Omicron.

The city reported 93 new COVID cases Wednesday — well above the daily average increase of 56. That seven-day average has risen sharply from 25 on Dec. 1.

There were 28 active outbreaks — up from 20 on Tuesday.

“The Omicron variant is the most contagious,” said Ford. “Omicron is now on the verge of becoming the dominant strain of COVID in Ontario — in fact it may already be.” (The Hamilton Spectator) 

 

Saturday April 4, 2020

April 4, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 4, 2020

Should I keep away from others while walking? Prof says yes

Walking has been a welcome relief for people feeling cooped up in these unprecedented times of social distancing, but even this ordinary activity raises questions about what’s appropriate when approaching fellow pedestrians.

Coronavirus cartoons

Exercise and fresh air are important for both physical and mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak — but so is following some key guidelines, advises Corinne Hart, associate professor of Ryerson University’s Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing.

Maintaining six feet of space is at the top of her list.

Hart is walking her 13-year-old Goldendoodle daily through Toronto’s historic Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

With its wide roads that wind through the cemetery’s picturesque 200 acres, it’s the ideal place to keep a safe distance from others while walking, said Hart.

“It’s so nice, and there’s lots of space,” Hart said Thursday in a phone interview.

But it’s important to keep two arm lengths away from people, she added.

“Don’t stop and have chats with people where you’re going to get close. The smartest thing is to err on the side of caution and keep far away.”

And while dog parks are a popular place to hang out — they’ve been as busy as ever this week as people flock outdoors — Hart said it’s better to stay away from them. Congregating anywhere isn’t a good idea, and dogs are unpredictable.

“I was shocked at how many people were in the dog park actually when I was walking today,” she said. “I would say don’t.”

Dogs might get into tussles, prompting owners to rush and pull them apart, or go talk to the other person, she explained.

“Unless you’ve got a big dog park (to maintain distance) and your dog is really well-behaved and is going to come when you call.”

Hart, who teaches community health nursing and practice at Ryerson, also cautions against walks for people in self-isolation. While people in isolation surely crave the outdoors more than anyone, self-isolating means halting all contact with others. Leaving the house presents too many risks.

“If by some chance something happens — you fall, you get hurt, there’s an accident — then you’re stuck out there with people all over you,” said Hart, who’s also Ryerson’s academic lead for interprofessional education in the Faculty of Community Services.

But for those not in self-isolation, outdoor exercise is recommended. And biking and running don’t pose any more of a risk than walking, as long as they’re not done in close contact with others. (CTV)

 

 

Friday, June 27, 2014

Friday, June 26, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, June 27, 2014

Ontarians voted ‘out of fear,’ Andrea Horwath says

“Fear” and loathing cost the New Democrats the recent election, says Andrea Horwath.

The NDP leader insisted Wednesday her party lost on June 12 because the Liberals frightened Ontarians into voting against the Progressive Conservatives.

“Look, the people in this province, they made a decision to basically choose fear — or to vote out of fear — as opposed to choose positive change,” she said.

Thirteen days after the vote she triggered cost her party the balance of power in the Ontario legislature, Horwath finally met with the media to discuss the election.

“I’m proud of the work that we were able to do in this campaign,” she told reporters at Queen’s Park, adding it was “absolutely not” a bad idea to force the election by rejecting the May 1 budget.

Her comments came the day after Premier Kathleen Wynne’s majority Liberal government was sworn in. That same spending plan will be reintroduced by Finance Minister Charles Sousa on July 14.

Sousa said the Liberals won on a “hopeful, positive” platform.

“The fear that most Ontarians felt was the idea of having an NDP or Conservative government taking extreme measures that would put them in harm’s way,” the treasurer said outside cabinet.

Horwath said Wynne exploited voters’ alarm at Conservative Leader Tim Hudak’s widely loathed proposal to cut 100,000 public service positions over four years.

“Out of fear, the people of Ontario voted. They strategically voted to keep Mr. Hudak’s plan off of the books . . . . That’s their decision to make,” she said of the PC leader who will step down July 2.

“That means we have a lot of work to do around the strategic voting issue.”

While she faces a mandatory leadership review at an NDP convention in November, Horwath said she never considered stepping down after the disappointing election.

Despite controlling the timing of the vote, the NDP appeared surprisingly flat-footed for the first weeks of the writ period. (Source: Toronto Star)

 

ONTARIO LEGISLATURE GALLERY