Cautious optimism as curve is flattening
Cautious optimism as curve is flattening
Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eileeen de Villa:
By Ysh Cabana
The Philippine Reporter
TORONTO–Physical distancing measures are working to slow the coronavirus pandemic.
“We haven’t seen the dramatic surges in hospitalizations that we originally feared. In fact, the number of new hospitalizations each day has started to decrease,” says chief medical officer Dr. Eileen de Villla at the Toronto CIty Hall April 20 briefing.
For weeks Torontonians have embraced strict measures to stop the spread of COVID-19; but Dr. de Villa adds now is not the time to ease restriction.
“All of this information gathered together should be considered with cautious optimism,” she said.
Dr. De Villa said the city’s in the midst of two distinct COVID-19 outbreaks — both within the community and the city’s long-term care homes.
She said those in the broader community tend to see hospitalizations more whereas those who live in long-term care facilities, also referred to as nursing homes, has different risk factors causing coronavirus-related deaths.
“We also see COVID-19 infections leading to different outcomes in these two settings.”
De Villa said with a change in COVID-19 testing guidelines by the Ontario government and an increase in the amount of testing, it’s difficult to specifically project what Toronto will experience with cases.
New directives also state anyone being admitted to a long-term care home needs to be isolated for 14 days, and must complete the isolation even if they have tested negative for COVID-19.
To date, 181 people have died from coronavirus in Canada’s biggest city. De Villa said the majority of deaths in the city are driven largely by patients in long-term care homes.
Toronto cracked the 3,000 case mark on Friday (April 17). As of Monday April 20, she says the city has total cases of 3,682. Some 262 patients are in hospital, while 99 are receiving intensive care, and 81 are intubated.
Modelling data from the city comes as the provincial reports Ontario’s COVID-19 outbreak “behaving more like best case” with recent projections of less than 20,000, compared to previously reported scenario of 300,000 possible cases by the end of the month.
“I do need to stress that the only way we will continue to be successful is if we continue to keep these measures in place for more time, and for everyone to continue to do their part by staying at home,” De Villa said.
“We continue to learn new information about this virus each day. We need to be open to working outside our comfort zones, we must be nimble and armed with empathy to respond and adjust our actions as new facts are confirmed.
“When we are divided, the virus gets through the cracks between us.”
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