Thunder Bay's top doctor says district 'doing okay' with COVID cases, but numbers could go either way
CBC
In terms of COVID-19 case counts, the situation in Thunder Bay and its surrounding region appears to be under control as evidence suggests the sixth wave of the pandemic may be peaking in Ontario, but the region's top health official says that could still change.
"We really are starting to see though the increase in cases and outbreaks related to this essentially the second wave of Omicron that the province and the country has been experiencing for the last little while," said Dr. Janet DeMille.
"But it is not anywhere near like what we had in the beginning in January when we had that first Omicron wave."
DeMille is concerned the numbers are trending upwards and said several factors could influence which direction they move.
Those include people's activities, level of mask use, vaccination rates, past infections including those who've recently had infection.
"It's all the interplay of all of these things," DeMille said.
"COVID is still with us," she said. "It's still has significant implications especially for people who are at high risk"
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has been tracking more outbreaks in high risk settings, which is of concern for DeMille.
"There certainly are implications even if the number isn't super high," she said.
One of the recent outbreaks is at Southbridge Roseview long term care in Thunder Bay.
That was the site of the deadliest outbreak of COVID-19 in northwestern Ontario. In late 2020, 150 residents and staff were infected with the virus and 23 residents died.
"What happened at Roseview before was really very difficult and tragic," DeMIlle said. "We are in a very different place right now in terms of this pandemic and where we're at."
She said the immunization rate at the facility is high, including for the fourth booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Because of the high uptick of booster shots in the Thunder Bay area, DeMille said most of the illness experienced by residents in long term care translates to milder symptoms and less hospitalizations.
Seven years into an early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Sandra Demontigny's home is full of reminders.
A blizzard gusting across southern Manitoba is leaving a long list of highway and school closures.
While a blizzard threatened outside, Saskatoon city council endured an icy blast inside city hall from a Riversdale business leader over its homeless initiatives.
This is a story about fire, faith and marshmallows.
Alberta’s population bucked the trend that almost every other Canadian province and territory experienced last quarter, Statistics Canada population estimates suggest.
A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked Michigan from enforcing a 2020 order to shut down Enbridge's Line 5 oil pipeline running beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, ruling that pipeline safety is a federal responsibility.
When retired RCMP constable Jason Hydamacka heard the news that the insurance money for his amputated leg was coming, he sat in his truck and cried.
As Neskantaga First Nation’s youngest band councillor, Lashaunda Waswa says she wants to inspire the next generation to protect the community’s land, water and wildlife.
Toronto has seen a drop in crime rates across the city, but its police chief says youth crime rates continue to be a cause for concern.
Cambridge council has voted to request a pedestrian safety review of Cedar Street from the region after two back-to-back collisions last week, one of which killed a three-year-old girl.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation has received a $1-million donation to create an endowment fund that it will use to upgrade common areas at the Charlottetown hospital.
A new study by the Center for European Policy Analysis suggests Russia and China are pulling ahead of NATO nations, including Canada, in the race to develop and field drones capable of operating in harsh Arctic conditions.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. President Donald Trump hasn't given him any indication that he's willing to walk away from the North American free trade deal that was struck during his first term at the White House.