The CORONAVIRUS REPORT for WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
A look at Ontario numbers
Our province reported 468 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, the highest daily total since early May.
The trend towards younger people contracting the virus continues, with two-thirds of the new infections reported in people under the age of 40.
And most are concentrated in the Greater Toronto and Ottawa areas.
There are now 82 people being treated in hospital, 24 of them in intensive care.
Three more deaths were also reported, increasing the toll to 28-hundred and 32.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says she’s very concerned about the rising number of cases.
She says the province will take whatever action is necessary to rein in the spread of the virus.
Flu vaccination program in Ontario
Premier Doug Ford says the first stage of the government’s plan to battle the twin threats of COVID-19 and influenza will start with the largest flu vaccination program in Ontario’s history.
The province has ordered 5.1-million doses of flu vaccines, an increase of 700-thousand over last year.
That includes 1.3-million high-dose vaccines for senior citizens.
More details of the plan are due out in the coming days.
They include funding to eliminate the backlog of surgeries in the province, to prepare hospitals for an influx of coronavirus and flu cases over the fall and winter.
Maintain COVID-19 protocols
Canada’s chief medical officer of health is warning that the coronavirus will come back faster and stronger in the coming weeks unless we take action to limit our personal contacts.
Doctor Theresa Tam says the increase in the number of infections across the country in the past few weeks could lead to a situation where our hospitals are overwhelmed, and our social and economic life disrupted again.
Tam says we have to re-adopt the social separation and personal protection measures we took last spring if we’re to head off another wave of infections.
Throne Speech today
The federal Liberal government will introduce its latest Speech from the Throne later today as Parliament resumes, and it’s expected to centre around the battle against COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will address the nation this evening.
South of the border
The United States passed another grim milestone yesterday, with more than 200-thousand COVID-19 deaths now being reported, 21 percent of the global total.
Almost 6.9-million people in the U-S have been infected, 22 percent of the total around the world.