A look at the local numbers
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting 13 new cases of COVID-19, all in the City of Greater Sudbury area.
Considering resolved cases, there are 149 active cases within the agency’s jurisdiction
Health Sciences North has 32 admitted patients.
Of the 22 positive cases, five patients are in intensive care, and there are nine people still waiting for test results.
Algoma Public Health is reporting six new cases of COVID-19, five from Sault Ste. Marie and area, and one from the Elliot Lake area.
Considering resolved cases, there are 49 active cases with two individuals in the hospital.
Immediate stop of all non-emergency surgeries
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health has issued an order to hospitals across the province that they immediately stop all non-emergency surgeries, as the number of COVID-19cases continues to rise sharply.
The order, from Doctor David Williams, comes after the directive earlier this month that hospitals begin to ramp down elective surgeries to make way for COVID-19 patients.
Provincial health officials note the numbers of people being treated in hospital and in intensive care are already higher than they were during the second wave and they continue to rise.
The province has set 900 as the approximate total number in intensive care before hospitals may have to implement triage procedures deciding who will receive treatment, and who will not.
There are currently 790 people in intensive care across the province.
Paid leave should be considered
A new poll shows a majority of Ontarians support paid sick leave for workers in the province.
The survey, from Manu Public Opinion, shows 76 percent of those asked back the idea of at least five sick days being provided split equally between those who think it should be a COVID-19-only response, and those who feel it should be permanent.
After months of refusing to consider the idea, the Ford government is now actively considering some form of paid time off for those suffering from the effects of the virus but no details have yet been released.
First vaccination not enough
Canada’s top public health official says the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations may not be enough to fully reopen our economies.
While the first shots do give a high level of protection, Doctor Theresa Tam says getting that second inoculation is the key to making sure we don’t see another surge in cases once restrictions are relaxed.
Tam says that easing limits on movement and assembly too quickly was the main cause of the third wave of the virus that’s now sweeping across Canada.
She notes hospitalizations continue to rise despite increasing numbers of vaccinations up 24 percent across the country in the past week.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is considering limits on travel to and from India, as that country experiences a massive surge in COVID-19 infections, with millions of people falling ill.
The consideration comes as the first case of a coronavirus variant first uncovered in India shows up in Canada.
The variant; B-1-1-6-7 has been found in a person living in Quebec.
This latest variant is thought to be behind the rapid increase in cases in India but medical officials are not yet sure how dangerous it may be.