Ontario adviser urges caution despite dip in COVID-19 cases, vaccine delays draw ire - Canada News castanet.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from castanet.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A top science adviser says Ontario is far from in the clear despite a downward trend in COVID-19 cases, while some provinces criticized Ottawa for lower-than-expected vaccine shipments and the pandemic was flagged as an outsized contributor to Quebec s death count last year.
Canada s most populous province reported 2,093 new infections Thursday and 56 more deaths linked to the novel coronavirus. Cases have fallen since Ontario issued a stay-at-home order two weeks ago.
Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, who co-chairs Ontario s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, said new infections are on track to decrease to between 1,000 and 2,000 a day by the end of February. There were several days earlier this month when they topped 3,000.
(Photo: iStock)
We’re almost a year into the pandemic, and while there’s a vaccine rolling out, masking and social distancing remain crucial. Aside from what we already know about protecting ourselves, is there anything different we should be doing when it comes to wearing a mask in the cold weather? We asked two health professionals all of our winter-masking related questions.
Does COVID-19 transmit more readily outside in the cold?
There’s no evidence to suggest that the transmission of COVID-19 happens more easily in frigid temperatures. “There’s been some suggestion that the virus might be a bit more stable on surfaces that are colder. But we don’t truly know if it transmits better because of temperature or humidity differences,” says Dr. Susy Hota, medical director of infection prevention and control at the University Health Network in Toronto.
Ontario to open dedicated pandemic hospital in Vaughan as COVID-19 surges theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
More contagious strains of the coronavirus are rapidly spreading around the world, raising concerns that they may already be silently driving spikes in cases in Canada that threaten to overwhelm the healthcare system.