By Pepper Parr

April 6th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Students will not be on school buses for the next couple of months.

Classrooms won’t have students in them this morning – but there will be thousands of students sitting in front of computers communicating with teachers at the other end of an internet connection.

Every restaurant in town will be empty – except for those who have decided to offer a take-out service.

Just about all of them are not certain they will ever be able to open again.

The schools will, at some point, re-open.
The Gazette will report on the hospitality industry later in the week. The federal government loan program has been announced – it will take a few days for the hospitality people to get a clear sense as to what this will mean for them. A $40,000 loan doesn’t really go all that far.

Kerry Sagar didn’t know that she would be teaching from a computer screen several months ago.

This morning Kerry Sager will begin her classroom session with the iStem students at Aldershot high school. Sager

Julia Hunt Gibbons is a Superintendent with the Halton District School Board. When the schools were closed by the province her work load increased as she, along with all the other Superintendents who had to reflect, refine, and plan roll outs of continuity of learning/distance learning.

Superintendent Julie Hunt Gibbons will be doing a lot more explaining and advising for the next few months – by telephone and online.

Hunt Gibbons won’t be doing any direct teaching to students, although she does spend a lot of time “answering their questions on the Board FAQ.”

Her primary role is “more of a supporter of teachers, a writer — along with Secondary Program Department members offering lesson suggestions, assessment and evaluation, IT on-boarding, problem-solving and Ministry/board messaging.”
What Superintendents really have to do will become much clearer in the next few days as both parents and students adjust to how an education is going to be delivered.
One of the ironies with how students are going to be taught now (electronically) is that this was one of the issues teachers were fighting the Ministry of education over. Teachers wanted limits on just how much education would be delivered electronically – now that is all they a have to work with.
The biggest job now for everyone is facilitating the sharing that has to take place between teachers across the system, largely through Google Hangouts these days.

The Gazette has created a small team of parents who have children in elementary classes. They are as concerned as the teachers who have to make the best of what they have. We will report on what the parents have to say. You can follow their views and comments in the Coping series.

As for Kerry Sagar, she is organizing her day getting ready to teach.

Related news story

How parents are coping with having the kids at home.

By Pepper Parr

March 21st, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

We received the following from a trusted source:

I am told on good authority Spencer Smith Park was full of people today (Saturday March 21) and they were like 6 inches not 6 feet apart.

Secondly this past week, on several evenings’, soccer teams were holding practices at city parks.

I would think aside from being dangerous these likely violate provincial rules on Social Distancing.

Sad people aren’t better than this.

There are some people who are not yet getting it. Those of you who do get it – reach out to those who don’t understand what we are up against. Be blunt if you have to.

Mayor Meed Ward is doing her best.

By Staff

March 20th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

There are a number of very authoritative sources on just what the COVID-19 virus does to people.

The Guardian newspaper, one of the best in the world has done a feature article on what happens to people who are infected.

How is the virus affecting people?

Guardian Australia spoke with Prof John Wilson, president-elect of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and a respiratory physician.

He says almost all serious consequences of Covid-19 feature pneumonia.

Wilson says people who catch Covid-19 can be placed into four broad categories.

The least serious are those people who are “sub-clinical” and who have the virus but have no symptoms.

Next are those who get an infection in the upper respiratory tract, which, Wilson says, “means a person has a fever and a cough and maybe milder symptoms like headache or conjunctivitis”.

He says: “Those people with minor symptoms are still able to transmit the virus but may not be aware of it.”

The largest group of those who would be positive for Covid-19, and the people most likely to present to hospitals and surgeries, are those who develop the same flu-like symptoms that would usually keep them off work.

A fourth group, Wilson says, will develop severe illness that features pneumonia.

A doctor looking at x-ray images of a patient’s lungs.

He says: “In Wuhan, it worked out that from those who had tested positive and had sought medical help, roughly 6% had a severe illness.”

The WHO says the elderly and people with underlying problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness.

How does the pneumonia develop?

When people with Covid-19 develop a cough and fever, Wilson says this is a result of the infection reaching the respiratory tree – the air passages that conduct air between the lungs and the outside.

He says: “The lining of the respiratory tree becomes injured, causing inflammation. This in turn irritates the nerves in the lining of the airway. Just a speck of dust can stimulate a cough.

“But if this gets worse, it goes past just the lining of the airway and goes to the gas exchange units, which are at the end of the air passages.

“If they become infected they respond by pouring out inflammatory material into the air sacs that are at the bottom of our lungs.”

If the air sacs then become inflamed, Wilson says this causes an “outpouring of inflammatory material [fluid and inflammatory cells] into the lungs and we end up with pneumonia.”

He says lungs that become filled with inflammatory material are unable to get enough oxygen to the bloodstream, reducing the body’s ability to take on oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide.

“That’s the usual cause of death with severe pneumonia,” he says.

How can the pneumonia be treated?

Points at which fluid builds up in the respiratory tract.

Prof Christine Jenkins, chair of Lung Foundation Australia and a leading respiratory physician, told Guardian Australia: “Unfortunately, so far we don’t have anything that can stop people getting Covid-19 pneumonia.

“People are already trialing all sorts of medications and we’re hopeful that we might discover that there are various combinations of viral and anti-viral medications that could be effective. At the moment there isn’t any established treatment apart from supportive treatment, which is what we give people in intensive care.

“We ventilate them and maintain high oxygen levels until their lungs are able to function in a normal way again as they recover.”

Wilson says patients with viral pneumonia are also at risk of developing secondary infections, so they would also be treated with anti-viral medication and antibiotics.

“In some situations that isn’t enough,” he says of the current outbreak. “The pneumonia went unabated and the patients did not survive.”

Is Covid-19 pneumonia different?

Jenkins says Covid-19 pneumonia is different from the most common cases that people are admitted to hospitals for.

“Most types of pneumonia that we know of and that we admit people to hospital for are bacterial and they respond to an antibiotic.

Wilson says there is evidence that pneumonia caused by Covid-19 may be particularly severe. Wilson says cases of coronavirus pneumonia tend to affect all of the lungs, instead of just small parts.

He says: “Once we have an infection in the lung and, if it involves the air sacs, then the body’s response is first to try and destroy [the virus] and limit its replication.”But Wilson says this “first responder mechanism” can be impaired in some groups, including people with underlying heart and lung conditions, diabetes and the elderly.

A group of seniors taking part in a Bfast transit meeting – these are the people most at risk. They will not be able to meet like this until the COVID-19 pandemic is over

Jenkins says that, generally, people aged 65 and over are at risk of getting pneumonia, as well as people with medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer or a chronic disease affecting the lungs, heart, kidney or liver, smokers, Indigenous Australians, and infants aged 12 months and under.

“Age is the major predictor of risk of death from pneumonia. Pneumonia is always serious for an older person and in fact it used to be one of the main causes of death in the elderly. Now we have very good treatments for pneumonia.

“It’s important to remember that no matter how healthy and active you are, your risk for getting pneumonia increases with age. This is because our immune system naturally weakens with age, making it harder for our bodies to fight off infections and diseases.”

By Staff

March 18th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Medical Officer of Health for Halton Region today confirmed the fifth case of COVID-19 in Halton region.

Halton’s fifth case, a female resident from Oakville in her 50s, returned to Toronto from Los Angeles on March 8 (Flight AC790; Air Canada). She became symptomatic on March 8, and presented herself for testing at Joseph Brant Hospital on March 14. As per established infection prevention and control protocols, the hospital took all precautions, including testing in an isolated environment with all necessary personal protective equipment. Halton Region Public Health is actively engaged in contact tracing and case management. The case is self-isolating at home.

Another individual is awaiting confirmatory testing—a female resident from Burlington in her 20s who returned to Toronto from Los Angeles on March 2. She became symptomatic on March 8, and presented herself for testing at Joseph Brant Hospital on March 13.

This case is self-isolating at home. It has been determined that the case was symptomatic during a recent trip to Ottawa on the following flights: Toronto to Ottawa on March 9 (Flight WS3464; WestJet) and then Ottawa to Toronto on March 11 (Flight WS371; WestJet). Individuals who have travelled on these flights are considered exposed to a case of COVID-19.

Passengers who travelled on any of the above-mentioned flights need to self-monitor and self-isolate if they become symptomatic within 14 days of being on the flights.

Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Halton Region Medical Officer of Health.

“While we continue to see more cases, I want to reassure residents that most individuals who do contract COVID-19 with mild symptoms will recover on their own,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Halton Region Medical Officer of Health.

“We are starting to see cases emerge where there is no direct link to a confirmed case and thus indicate community transmission. Please continue to follow the advice provided by health care professionals, self-monitor or self-isolate as appropriate and simply stay at home if you are feeling unwell.”

“Joseph Brant Hospital has taken important measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our patients and visitors as well as our staff, physicians and partners,” said Eric Vandewall, President and Chief Executive Officer at Joseph Brant Hospital. “We have set-up isolated areas for immediate screening and care, have reduced elective program and service offerings, as directed by the Ministry of Health, and we are preparing larger clinical areas should the need for more inpatient capacity arise. All of our physicians and staff are prepared for the increased demands and additional infection control precautions that are required during this time.”

Halton Region Public Health is focusing on those most at risk of COVID-19. Our current priority is to hear from high-risk groups only:

• health care providers who are seeking or reporting information;
• residents who have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19; and
• health care workers or essential services workers who are experiencing symptoms.

Not everyone requires testing. Most people with mild symptoms will recover on their own at home. It is recommended to rest, drink fluids, eat well and stay home. You do not need to contact Public Health.

As always, if you have severe symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.

The best way to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19 is to:

• stay home when ill;
• cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve;
• wash hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand rub;
• clean and disinfect objects and surfaces; and
• do your best to keep at least two metres away from others.

Residents are encouraged to stay informed by regularly reviewing credible information sources. For more information on COVID-19 including confirmed cases in Halton, symptoms, risks and when to contact Halton Region Public Health, please visit halton.ca/COVID19.