COVID-19: Key health indicators continue to improve a week after restrictions eased, Ontario’s top doctor says

Sreeparna Chattopadhyay is associate professor, sociology, School of Liberal Education at FLAME UniversityNever miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!

Bed blocking and covid cases are contributing to poor performance at Paisley’s struggling Royal Alexandra Hospital.

gatherings and congregations – social, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, religious, festival-related and others – may be resumed, provided that Covid Appropriate Behaviour is duly adhered to.

NEW ORLEANS - At least one person was killed and many others were injured after a large tornado tore through New Orleans and surrounding areas on Tuesday night, leaving a trail of damage in its wake as it flipped cars and even lifted a house into the air and dropped it onto the street with a family inside.Videos showed a large, multi-vortex tornado that went into the Arabi area, a suburb of New Orleans. It then moved east across the Mississippi River into the Lower 9th Ward and parts of St. Bernard Parish — both of which were badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago.St.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Tempe Police and the Arizona Attorney General's office announced on March 22 two Arizona men are headed to prison after being found with hundreds of pounds of meth, more than two dozen pounds of cocaine and more than 20 pounds of heroin, about a year and a half ago.On Sept. 20, 2020, police executed a search warrant at a home after a months-long investigation, and that's where the DEA says the drugs were found.Diego Bernal-Robles, 29, and Cipriano Arturo Rojas-Armenta, 44, were living at a Tucson home when police found 230 pounds of meth, 25 pounds of cocaine, and 25 pounds of heroin, along with equipment and chemicals used to manufacture meth.The estimated street value of these drugs: $1,311,000.Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced the two were convicted for being involved in a drug trafficking organization, the DEA said.Bernal-Robles plead guilty to possession of a dangerous drug for sale, and manufacture of a dangerous drug.

The Courts Service last year paid the GAA just over €1m to stage criminal trials and other cases at Croke Park.

NEW ORLEANS - The tornado that ripped through a New Orleans suburb lifted one house into the air and dropped it onto the middle of a street with a family of three inside.Neighbors said the parents of a girl climbed out of the wreckage screaming frantically for help. Their daughter was on a breathing machine, and now was stuck inside.Chuck Heirsch told The Times-Picayune / New Orleans Advocate that he called 911 as he saw his neighbor on Prosperity Street trying to reach his daughter.Damage pictured from a tornado on March 22, 2021, near New Orleans, Louisiana. (Credit: WVUE-TV) RELATED: New Orleans tornado kills 1, leaves trail of damage in its wake"They were screaming.

Grubhub is offering special meal deals at some of your favorite restaurants during the NCAA Tournament. (Photo courtesy of Grubhub) WASHINGTON - As the NCAA Tournament heats up for the upcoming Sweet 16 matchups, fans are likely thinking about what to eat during the games.

TISHOMINGO, Okla. - Six high school students in Oklahoma who were killed this week in a crash with a semi-truck had been riding in a small car with only four seats, officials said. The crash was reported Tuesday afternoon in Tishomingo, a rural city of about 3,000 located about 115 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The six teens, all girls and students at Tishomingo High School, were at a stop sign at the intersection of U.S.

testing restrictions. The provincial case total now stands at 1,143,014.The death toll in the province has risen to 12,356 as 13 more virus-related deaths were added.

COVID-19 as the province saw a slight dip in hospital numbers Wednesday.Pandemic-related hospitalizations stood at 1,034, a nine-patient drop compared with the previous day. This comes after 99 people were admitted while 108 were discharged.Officials say 50 patients were in intensive care, an increase of four.The province recorded 2,111 new novel coronavirus cases, but the daily tally isn’t reflective of the situation since only certain high-risk groups have access to PCR screening.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Four Republican candidates for governor in the party's crowded primary race say they will not join a debate before the primary election unless it is moderated by a Republican who lives in Pennsylvania, eliciting criticism that they are afraid of hard questions.The four — Lou Barletta, Jake Corman, Bill McSwain and Dave White — issued the joint statement Monday night, eight weeks before the May 17 primary election.That prompted a response from Republican candidate Charlie Gerow, who suggested the four are scared of a challenge and said he is "not afraid to debate anytime, anywhere, any candidate on the ballot."Another Republican candidate, Melissa Hart, said the four's "diva-esque debate demands" are hypocritical for men "who will leap at the chance to bemoan ‘cancel culture' or ’safe spaces' if they think it will earn them a spot on cable news that night."The Democratic Party piled on, saying the candidates are afraid of "mean questions."The Republican primary is unusually crowded, with nine candidates filing paperwork to run, more than party leaders expected or have ever seen in a such a high-profile primary contest.The big field is the reason the candidates said they would restrict their participation in debates to ones moderated by a Republican who lives in Pennsylvania, who has not criticized the candidates, or donated money or endorsed in the race.Democrat Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s two-time elected attorney general, has a clear path to the party’s nomination. Gov.

Sean Samuels, 37, is accused of abducting a teenage girl on her walk to school and later sexually assaulting her.  READING, Pa. - Police in Reading have arrested and charged a man in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a teenage girl last week. On the morning of March 16, Reading police responded to a hospital for a report of a sexual assault that occurred on the 1200 block of Hill Road. The 14-year-old victim told police that she was walking to school when she was abducted and taken to another location. There, she says she was sexually assaulted twice. Investigators say they later identified Sean Samuels, 37, as a suspect.

John McGrath, 56, is facing several charges relating to stealing more than $25,000 from Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School.  MAPLE GLEN, Pa. - A Montgomery County school principal is facing charges related to stealing thousands from his school, according to District Attorney Kevin R. Steele. According to Steele's office, 56-year-old John C.

Bridgerton actor wrote in a recent Instagram post. While her castmates from the popular Netflix and Shondaland series were dressed to the nines for the season two premiere red carpet, was home after testing positive for Covid earlier that day.Since didn’t get the red carpet treatment for the first season—which premiered in late 2020, during a high point of COVID-19 cases—Nicola shared her disappointment at having to miss this premiere because of the virus…again.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department and the Shooting Investigation Group are asking for the public's help with a shooting in North Philadelphia. According to police, the shooting took place at 2500 N.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A scramble to collect enough signatures over just a week and a half to make it onto the primary ballot began over the weekend, kicking off what is certain to be a year of political change in the Pennsylvania Legislature.The state Supreme Court cut in half the normal three-week petition-gathering period last week, when the court approved new General Assembly maps.The justices left in place the May 17 primary date but gave candidates until Monday to get the signatures required to make the ballot — 500 for state Senate and 300 for the House.The pandemic and general wariness about disclosing personal information are not making the the process any easier."To be perfectly honest, this is a tough time," said seven-term Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, after spending several days knocking on doors in a suburban Harrisburg district that underwent significant changes in reapportionment.

A GoFundMe page has been launch for Tricia Paddock's family. Paddock died at the hospital after collapsing at the finish line of the LA Marathon. LOS ANGELES - A woman who collapsed at the finish line of last weekend's Los Angeles Marathon has died at the hospital.According to marathon officials, Trisha Paddock, a participant in the Charity Challenge Half Marathon, was identified as the runner who fatally collapsed during Sunday's race.As of Tuesday evening, officials did not specify what prompted Paddock to collapse in the first place.

PHILADELPHIA - Officers with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating a shooting in North Philadelphia. Police say the shooting took place at W. Cecil B.

Joshua Bassett is opening up about his near-fatal health crisis.

About 60 per cent of Canadians surveyed in a recent poll by Ipsos done exclusively for Global News say they’re concerned they might not have enough money to feed their family, a percentage that’s up 16 per cent from a similar poll conducted in November 2021.

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson returned to the Senate for a third day of hearings Wednesday as Republicans try to paint her as soft on crime and Democrats herald the historic nature of her nomination to become the first Black woman on the high court."America is ready for the Supreme Court glass ceiling to shatter," Sen. Dick Durbin, the Judiciary Committee chairman, said as Jackson's second and last day answering senators questions began.In Tuesday's marathon hearing, Republicans aggressively questioned her on the sentences she has handed down to sex offenders in her nine years as a federal judge, her advocacy on behalf of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, her thoughts on critical race theory and even her religious views.

news.com.au: “I was so bored.

Russia on Wednesday condemned what it called a “reckless” Polish proposal to send international peacekeepers into Ukraine and warned that it could lead to a direct clash between Russian and NATO forces.Poland said last Friday it would formally submit a proposal for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the next NATO summit. NATO summit a chance to bolster Ukraine response, experts say.

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FILE IMAGE - Brian Houston is pictured in a file image taken on May 23, 2009, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Paul Harris/The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images) SYDNEY - Brian Houston, a founder of the Australian-based megachurch Hillsong, has resigned after an internal investigation by its board found that he had breached the church’s code of conduct at least twice over the past decade by behaving inappropriately toward two people.Houston’s resignation was announced by Hillsong Church in a statement Wednesday posted to its website. "We understand there will be much emotion at this news, and we all share these feelings," Hillsong said in part. It added, "We acknowledge that change is needed.

WILMINGTON, Del. - An investigation is underway in Wilmington after a man died from gunshot wounds, according to authorities. Police say the incident happened on Tuesday around 9:00 p.m.

OAKLAND, Calif. - WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers.UPDATE: The man who was shot was identified as an innocent Army veteran. Read more here: A man was killed and a woman injured after a shooting at a gas station in East Oakland over the weekend.Surveillance video from a gas station at 102nd Avenue and International boulevard captured part of Saturday's incident.A woman can be heard in the video arguing with someone and saying "don't leave" repeatedly.Moments later several gunshots are heard, and a woman is seen running holding what appears to be a gun.She screams, "Oh my God.

PHILADELPHIA - The woman accused of driving under the influence when she struck and killed two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a civilian earlier this week appears to have previously boasted about drunk driving on social media. Jayana Tanae Webb, 21, faces more than a dozen charges, including three counts of third-degree murder, three counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, and two counts of second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer. Webb was allegedly under the influence behind the wheel of an SUV when she struck and killed state troopers Martin F. Mack, 33, and Branden T.

With the launch of iGaming on the horizon, advocates are speaking out about what they say could have detrimental effects on bricks and mortar casinos and first nations communities. Frazer Snowdon has more.

Pollen season is about to kick off in Scotland as we enter into the spring period.

Moderna said it would ask regulators to approve two small-dose shots, as the vaccine generated a similar immune response to adults in its clinical trial. 

Free lateral flow tests are still available for people who do not have symptoms of coronavirus in Scotland.

University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University will pause their COVID-19 mask and proof of vaccination requirements as of May 1.However, both post-secondary institutions said the mandates can be brought back on short notice if needed. University of Guelph pausing vaccine, masking requirements May 1 In a joint letter, Laurier president and vice-chancellor Deborah MacLatchy and provost and vice-president Tony Vannelli said the high vaccination rate at the school is one of the main remains reasons they are able to make changes.“Community members should remain up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, including third and fourth doses, as recommended by public health,” they said.“Remaining up-to-date on your vaccination status will ensure your work or study is not disrupted, should vaccinations be required to access any of our campuses or locations in the future and/or the meaning of ‘fully vaccinated’ changes to include additional doses.”Should vaccination requirements be reinstated, the university will not offer remote or hybrid options for in-person classes for students who do not meet the vaccination requirement.“Failure to demonstrate proof of vaccination under a future mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy risks deregistration from in-person courses for students who cannot verify compliance,” the school said.The University of Waterloo said it will maintain a requirement for everyone to provide information on their vaccination status in order to minimize any disruption to work and learning if vaccine requirements return.The school said it will also not be offering virtual or hybrid learning options for those who are unable to attend campus.

This Morning fans were delighted today to once again be greeted by much-loved host Holly Willoughby.The popular ITV presenter, 41, was forced to miss almost two weeks on the show after she tested positive for Covid-19 and had to stay at home to prevent the spread of infection to her co-stars. Holly returned to the show this morning alongside friend and overjoyed co-host Phillip Schofield and she waved an excited "Hi!" to her beloved viewers. "Do you know? It's so nice to be back," she told Phil.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health says mask mandates will be removed by the end of March as long as positive public health trends continue.Dr. Kieran Moore says the province can “only mandate masking for so long,” with the risk from COVID-19 decreasing.He says Ontario has a very high vaccination rate, hospitalizations have been declining, and he believes the worst is behind us.However, he says that due to limited access to PCR testing, the true number of daily new COVID-19 cases can be estimated by multiplying the number of positive tests by 10, meaning there could be more than 22,000 new cases today.

COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their staff even as they lift the proof-of-vaccination requirement at facilities such as community centres.The province’s vaccine certificate system covering restaurants, bars, gyms, cinemas, event spaces ended Tuesday and several municipalities confirmed vaccination would no longer be required to enter their recreation facilities and arts centres.But many municipalities that enacted policies requiring employees to be double vaccinated or lose their jobs are keeping those mandates in place.In Toronto, the city said that despite the other public health measures lifting, its policy that employees need to be vaccinated isn’t being removed.

Ontario’s opposition leaders are urging caution with the government suggesting that the province’s COVID-19 mask mandate will be eased in the coming weeks.Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park Tuesday, Health Minister Christine Elliott said that masking requirements will be eased “probably within the next few weeks.”Elliott noted, as she and other government officials have said in the past, that the decision will be depending on advice from chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore.

Thames Valley District School Board say COVID-19 vaccination mandates will be lifted on Thursday when it comes to the use of facilities during non-school hours by not-for-profit community groups.It comes as the province lifted proof-of-vaccination and capacity rules Tuesday, along with most other COVID-19 public health measures, save for mask mandates.The TVDSB says permit holders may choose to continue requiring proof of vaccination after Thursday.Face masks must also continue to be worn on school premises, with requirements followed dependent on the activity.“Additionally, up to two nonparticipants for each participant, such as spectators, will be allowed inside the school facility during the hours of rental,” the board said in a statement. London Ont., concert venues and restaurants hopeful COVID-19 restrictions will stay loosened As of Tuesday, mask mandates remain in place across Ontario, but businesses like gyms, cinemas and restaurants no longer need to check patrons’ vaccination status.Remaining capacity limits have also been lifted for venues such as nightclubs, sporting arenas and concert halls.

COVID-19 system has come to an end and capacity limits have been dropped as of Tuesday.The government said the two public health measures would be lifted as part of its reopening plan as the province inches closer to returning to life before the global pandemic began in March 2020.Businesses do have the option of keeping proof of vaccination in place if they choose to do so, the government said.Premier Doug Ford has also previously said the proof of vaccination requirement would be a temporary measure when it came into effect in September 2021.Physical distancing requirements and indoor/outdoor social gathering limits have also been dropped.However, masking in indoor public settings will remain in place. Ontario to end COVID proof of vaccination March 1, mask mandate to remain in place Masking is one of the last remaining provincial measures that has not yet been eliminated.Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr.

Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has received its first shipment of medical masks for students, as schools continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.In an email to Global News Monday evening, Ryan Bird a spokesperson for TDSB, confirmed the board has received its first shipment of level 3 medical masks.According to Bird, the board has received two sizes of the masks.He said “they’ll begin being delivered to schools” on Tuesday.

Doug Ford said the province isn’t “far away” from lifting its mask mandate.Ford made the comment at an unrelated press conference Monday morning in response to a question from a reporter about the status of masking requirements in the province.“Right from the get-go, I’m listening to the chief medical officer,” Ford said. Mask mandate will likely be lifted in schools when it is removed for wider public: Ontario top doc “It’s his advice when they’re going to come off and we’ll wait for his advice and recommendations and once he gives the recommendations, we’ll be able to move forward.”Ford hinted that the province’s masking requirements could be lifted in the third week of March.“What I’m hearing: over the next few weeks, maybe after March break when the kids get back, but we’ll see.

Ontario’s mask mandate will likely be lifted in schools when it is removed for most public spaces, the province’s top doctor says.Dr. Kieran Moore made the comment during his weekly COVID-19 update Thursday, but noted that masking requirements will remain in place “for the time being.”“Making does remain an important tool in our tool box and even when it’s no longer required in public settings, it will continue to be an effective tool for reducing transmission and protecting those recovering from illness, their close contacts, and those who may be more vulnerable to severe COVID-19 infection,” Moore said.“Some in our communities may also choose to continue wearing them regularly and we need to be respectful of individual choices once masking is no longer required.” Ontario mask mandate will likely be reviewed in March, top doctor says Moore was asked by a reporter whether all masking requirements would be removed at the same time, or if it would be phased and if so, where schools stood on that list.“The consultations have started and we will be working with school boards, with parents, with the ministries and make a decision together,” he said.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr.

Ontario’s long-term care minister says a mandate requiring workers in the sector to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is under review.Paul Calandra says the rule is being looked at as the government reviews all of its sector-specific vaccination policies and other pandemic measures.Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s top doctor, has said that he wants to end workplace COVID-19 vaccination policies by March 1, when proof-of-vaccination rules in indoor spaces are also set to end.

Ontario should “strongly” look at easing masking requirements in schools, Brampton’s mayor said Wednesday.During his weekly COVID-19 update, Patrick Brown highlighted Quebec’s recent announcement that masking requirements in that province’s classrooms would be lifted starting on March 7.Quebec students will still be required to wear masks in common areas and on school buses. Quebec to lift classroom mask requirements for COVID-19 after March break “I’m very encouraged that the Quebec public health is going (in) this direction,” Brown said.“I think it’s appropriate to get children back to normal where they can learn in an environment that is easier and more comfortable….

City of Hamilton’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for municipal employees will be staying put for now, despite Ontario’s chief medical officer of health suggesting such policies are no longer required.Dr. Kieran Moore said last week that he thinks the period of highest COVID-19 risk is over and that means workplace vaccination policies are “no longer necessary” and recommended that they be removed by March 1 — the same day the province’s proof-of-vaccination system is lifted.During a media briefing on Tuesday, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said the city will be reviewing the policy but there are currently no plans to lift it.

COVID-19 emergency operations team expects bylaws requiring face coverings in the city’s indoor settings to remain for some time despite the province’s chief medical officer beginning a review of Ontario’s mask mandates in March.Mayor Fred Eisenberger says masks will be around “for a while” since the Omicron variant continues to put pressure on Hamilton’s hospital system.“I’d like nothing more than to have all of these restrictions go, but we don’t want to throw away two years of effort to protect people in our community,” Eisenberger said in an update on Tuesday.Dr. Kieran Moore made remarks on the review during his weekly COVID-19 update on Thursday.Moore said he anticipated a review will be done in the second or third week of March, allowing for data to be reviewed after the province lifts capacity limits and the proof of vaccination requirement on March 1.“If and when we transition, it would be from a mandate to mask, to a recommendation to mask,” Moore said.“I would certainly hope that vulnerable members of our community that are at risk for this virus, that are immune suppressed or transplant patients, in public spaces would continue to mask.”Medical officer of Health Dr.