This is DAY 24   of the COVID-19 pandemic. An unvarnished view of what we should expect in the coming days and weeks in Ontario's fight against COVID-19. And Ontario’s fight is Canada’s fight <<<>>>> Here’s what you need to know on Friday, April 3, 2020 Some dire projections from Ontario this afternoon. As promised, Premier Doug Ford and provincial public health officials shared their COVID-19 modelling projections. Doctor Peter Donnelly is the CEO of Public Health Ontario. He told the Queen’s Park press gallery …and laid out the stark numbers the Premier’s referred to. You heard correctly. The best case scenario, if we all do everything we can to curb the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Donelly says there would be 3000-15000 COVID related deaths in the next 18-24 months. For some important perspective… The death rate for influenza in Canada is 500 to 1500 cases per year. 500-1500 for all of Canada. Based on the projections presented Friday afternoon, Ontario’s COVID death toll alone would  6 to 10 times greater than the national death toll from the flu. Dr. Donelly stresses in order to keep those numbers as low as possible, we must all take an aggressive stance…Flattening the curve won’t be good enough. We need to chop the top off the curve. Even at that, given this best-case scenario…the projections suggest 80 thousand Ontarians will be infected by COVID-19 by the end of April. And the Premier says that’s going to mean hundreds of fatalities in mere weeks. Again, for some perspective, the modelling suggests Ontario’s death toll would be more than 1600 by the end of the month. As of Friday afternoon on April the 3rd, Ontario is reporting 67 deaths It means the wave will continue to mount, it’s far from cresting and will crash into our already stressed healthcare services. The projections suggesting that Ontario’s Intensive Care Unit beds will be at capacity within weeks and will still be stressed if the province is able to add 900 more beds before the end of April. Much has been made of the shortage of medical supplies and that became more complicated when US President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act requiring companies to prioritize the production of masks and ventilators to fight the spread of COVID-19. Sugical mask manufacturer 3M says the White House has requested it cease exports of U.S.-made N95 face masks to Canada. 3M is pushing back on the order and so is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau wouldn’t comment on whether the federal government is considering imposing retaliatory measures. <<<<>>>>  For all the attention on data and modelling and projecting what may be coming… But there was data hiding in plain view four months ago that predicted the novel corona virus that has resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic. Katherine Ellison is an author and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist based in San Fransisco who says researchers combed through social media data in December saw the rise of the new corona virus in China.   <<<<>>>  IF YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford. DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.    

This is DAY 23 of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Canadians are demanding to see the numbers that governments are seeing. How bad will this outbreak really be? Here’s what you need to know on Thursday, April 2, 2020 PM Trudeau questioned on COVID-19 projections, implores people to stay home 'You deserve to know': Ontario will release modelling data on 'extremely serious' COVID-19 threat Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 10,000 COVID-19: Cases jump to nearly 2,100 in Montreal, with 14 deaths Number of COVID-19 deaths confirmed by local public health units is nearly double what Ontario is reporting New rule prohibits walking within two metres of another person in Toronto parks. Offenders could face fines of up to $5000. And Canada’s major charities and non-profit organizations say the time has come for them to be represented at the federal Cabinet table to cope with the COVID-19 fallout. <<<<<>>>>>  We are now into the fourth week of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are universally being told that the struggle to come is going to be tougher than anything we’ve seen so far. So, it’s not surprising that Canadians want to understand what to expect. How bad will this be? What are the projections for confirmed cases, for fatalities, for supply shortages? The Prime Minister addressed the issue in his daily briefing this morning, but he offered no specifics. Trudeau did say the matter of sharing the modelling projections would be the subject of discussion when the first minister’s meet this evening. But Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford made a firm commitment this afternoon to share the numbers and projections he’s seeing with the public. But, he warns, we aren’t going to like what we see. <<<<>>>>  And Canada’s major charities and non-profit organizations say the time has come for them to be represented at the federal Cabinet table to cope with the COVID-19 fallout. Our RoundTable discussion includes Mark Rodgers, President and CEO at Leadership Village, Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine Canada and Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child USA and Canada <<<<>>>  IF YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford. <<<<>>>> DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.    

Today, we begin WEEK 4 on DAY 22 of the COVID-19 pandemic. And all indications are that the toughest fight is still to come with Public Health officials telling us we should expect little relief from the isolation and physical distancing measures for months…not weeks. Here’s what you need to know on Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 *Toronto’s top doctor Dr. Eileen de Villa says she wouldn’t expect public health measures will have to remain in place up to 12 more weeks. Despite some “glimmer’s of hope” in some jurisdictions, the numbers continue to rise sharply right across the country… There's been a 500% increase in 14 days…in Toronto alone. Toronto’s Mayor John Tory ordered city events and venues to be canceled and closed in the coming weeks. That includes Pride Week at the end of June. Tory says it only underlines the seriousness of the situation.. The questions of how much and how long…were among the questions posed to Prime Minister Trudeau during his Wednesday morning briefing. *Christopher Nardi at the National Post cites a government document that “Current GoC [Government Operations Centre] modelling suggests as a best case scenario that current measures continue until at least July.” Meanwhile….Ontario’s Premier, Doug Ford says there are 'Dark days ahead': warning little separates the province from devastation we’ve seen in Italy and Spain. Researchers in Calgary also have a warning for you. Beware of the “conspiracy” theories you may see in your social media feeds. A report released by the University of Calgary School of Public Policy suggests Russia is waging a disinformation war and you are the target. Using various platforms, the campaign offers “evidence” the virus was created in America in order to halt the economic growth of China. <<<<<>>>>  It’s our intention and effort to make sure you’ve got a broad range of the best information available about COVID-19…and that’s why I make sure we provide links to the sources we’re using and to the voices we’re quoting. And it’s clear there’s an appetite for up to date, reliable and resourced information about COVID-19. To date, we’ve had more than 61 thousand downloads for our daily show and those numbers continue to increase. So thank you for listening. Thank you for the questions you’re sending along. I promise we will get to them and I will let each of you know when your questions will be addressed in the coming shows. We’re in this for the long haul…right along with you. If you like what you hear… I’d be grateful if you’d subscribe. I’d be thrilled if you shared it through your social media networks. <<<<<>>>>  One the media outlets that has been on the forefront of the COVID-19 story is STAT News out of Boston. And I had the opportunity to talk to STAT’s senior science writer Sharon Begley on my Weekend Morning Show on Newstalk 1010, back in early February. The headline on the story questioned: What happens if we don’t contain the novel Corona Virus? Nearly two months later, here we are. Sharon Begley joined us  from her home office in Boston and for all of our best intentions, as smart as we may all be…it’s clear that we didn’t pay close enough attention to this. If we’d responded sooner we may have been able to avoid some of the grief we’re going through now, never mind save some lives. Sharon Begley is a Senior Science Writer with STAT news   <<<>>>  IF YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford. <<<<>>>> DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.    

The COIVD-19 Daily Podcast   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_Canada#January https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic_in_mainland_China     This is DAY 21 of the COVID-19 pandemic.   3 weeks ago, March 10th, Canada had 96 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Today, at the time of this recording, Canada has nearly 82 hundred cases. More than half of all Canadian cases to date are in the province of Quebec/ Here’s what you need to know on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Business is putting the common good ahead of the bottom line. Industries across Canada are stepping up to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak. Non-medical industries are retooling to manufacture made in Canada medical supplies.   The help can’t come soon enough. Quebec’s premier says the province could run out of key medical supplies in 3 to 7 days   Ontario Premier Doug Ford extends state of emergency for another two weeks   Food industry 'decimated' as consumers abandon restaurants, report finds   Air Canada to temporarily lay off 16,500 staff   Lines of urns in Wuhan prompt questions about the veracity of China's COVID-19 death toll   Moscow orders partial lockdown as coronavirus cases in the capital pass 1,000 mark   US President Donald Trump says US in good shape to meet 'peak'   <<<<>>>>  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is spending $2 billion to procure more diagnostic testing, ventilators, and personal protective equipment for front-line workers in the COVID-19 fight, with some supplies set to be ready within days. Trudeau says a handful of companies are close to or have already signed contracts with the government to help boost the health sector’s stockpile of medical supplies. Every sector of the economy has been staggered by the COVID-19 outbreak but there are questions and concerns that restaurants may not recover. David Lefebvre is a VP at Restaurants Canada. He tells BNN Bloomberg it’s nothing short of carnage. Today marks the end of the first quarter for 2020. The TSX closed the day up 2 and a quarter per cent…but down more than 20% since the first of the year. <<<<<>>>>>  This pandemic has shaken our health and wealth to their core…and in the coming months governments and business will be forced to recalibrate our approaches to everything from government service delivery to long standing corporate cultures. Tony Chapman at Tony Chapman Reactions is a marketing strategist and host of the podcast Chatter that Matters. He says we will have to act quickly to respond to the lessons learned from this crisis. An important part of the culture change will include a broader corporate focus on social purpose, i.e., placing the interests of corporate stakeholders, employees, and consumers on par with corporate shareholders. Faith Goodman is the CEO of Goodman Sustainability Group and says we’re already seeing several large Canada companies step up and put “community first”. <<<<>>>>  IF YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford. DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.    

This is DAY 20 of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are told that what we do or fail to do today to help curb the spread of COVID-19 will be felt three weeks from today. Three months ago, Canada had 1 confirmed case. Three weeks ago, Canada reported 96 confirmed cases. Today, at the time of this recording, Canada has more than 72 hundred cases.   Here’s what you need to know on Monday, March 30th, 2020   PM Trudeau updates businesses aid eligibility, says military 'gearing up' for COVID-19 response   Most Quebec stores will be closed on Sundays as coronavirus cases mount   Ontario Premier Doug Ford extends state of emergency for another two weeks   Saskatchewan reports First 2 deaths from COVID-19 and 20 new cases   Seven residents of a long-term care home in Bobcaygeon, Ont. have died after a respiratory outbreak was declared at the facility on March 18. Three other residents and 24 staff members have tested positive for the virus.   COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. reached 2,479 on Sunday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, surpassing the 2,445 American casualties recorded in the war in Afghanistan.   A Second wave of virus feared in Wuhan,China   An outbreak slowdown suggests restrictions in Seattle working   <<<<>>>>  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered more details about the wage subsidy program he announced on Friday morning. The subsidy will apply to businesses that have lost 30% or more in revenues due to the pressures of the pandemic and it will apply to all businesses no matter how many workers they employ. But the PM also made it clear there would be no tolerance for companies attempting to “game” the system. Trudeau also says the Canadian Armed Forces are prepared to step up and support vulnerable communities; and assist provinces or municipalities with logistics or direct assistance if needed.   In other news…   Religious and faith communities along with other non-profit charitable organizations are facing severe cashflow pressures…so much so that they are laying off staff and risk curtailing the support they provide for the marginalized and at-risk members of communities across the country.   Neil MacCarthy is the Director of Public Relations and Communications at the Archdiocese of Toronto. He says the situation is on the verge of dire.   Dr. Samantha Nutt is the founder and president of War Child Canada. She has sent a letter to the federal government with more than 200 non-profit signatories calling on Ottawa to treat these charities like essential service.   <<<<>>>>  IF YOU HAVE A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford.   DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.

This is DAY 19 of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what you need to know on Sunday, March 29th, 2020 Prime Minister Trudeau announced new funding to help seniors and children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. United Way Canada will receive $9 million to distribute to local organizations to support, while Kids Help Phone will receive $7.5 million to bring on additional counsellors.   Trudeau also says he will continue his self-isolation until he has no reason to believe he could have been exposed to COVID-19 for more than 14 days. Meanwhile, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has been given a clean bill of health. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 12th.   Washington’s top-infectious disease expert is warning he coronavirus outbreak could kill as many as 200,000 Americans. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made the dire prediction of fatalities on CNN's "State of the Union," suggesting that millions in the U.S. could become infected. By midday Sunday, the U.S. had about 125,000 infections and 2,200 deaths, according to the running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.   <<<<>>>>    As we wade through the effects and COVID-19 on our health and our economy, there is no shortage of questions as the pandemic begins to affect the lives and livelihoods of Canadians. So we want to devote this episode to some of those questions and we ask them of our cast of medical, science, legal and financial experts.   We’re first joined by Dr. Mitch Shulman – an Emergency Medicine specialist in Montreal and Preet Banerjee – a wealth management consultant and founder of MoneyGaps.   <<<<>>>>  In this segment we’re joined by Dr. Marla Shapiro, CTV’s medical correspondent and Howard Levitt – an employment and labour lawyer.. <<<<>>>>  We will feature more of your FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS in coming episodes. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford. DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.    

March 28 - Welcome to this SPECIAL edition of the COVID-19 Podcast for Bell Media and iHeart Radio. In this hour we will get into the big questions and issues that we confronted this week in the fight against COVID-19. While the number of cases continues to rise around the world and across Canada, the health crisis is quickly becoming a financial crisis and this week was all about the money. So we begin by talking about the bounces we saw on the markets in Canada and the US. Jon Erlichman is the host of The Open on BNN BLOOMBERG and he spoke to me from his home office in Toronto…and we started by addressing the relief package outlined and passed by Parliament on Wednesday morning. <<<<<<<>>>>>>  We are now well into WEEK 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada’s government has launched its relief package for Canadians and businesses affected by the outbreak. But is it enough? Especially to help small and medium sized businesses…I asked Catherine Swift, former President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Indpendent Business and Tony Chapman for Tony Chapman Reactions and host of the podcast CHATTER THAT MATTERS.   Coming Up….we’ll touch base with our medical correspondent, Dr. Mitch Shulman..   <<<<<>>>>>    DISLAIMER Dr. Mitch Schulman is a Montreal Emergency Physician and is just wrapping up 14 days of self isolation. Mitch had attended a conference in Africa just before the pandemic was declared and we require to isolate when he came home. He is encouraged  by the global response but is still concerned by what we’re seeing.   Many of us are experiencing our own fears and frustrations as we cope with this crisis…and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s frustrations were on full display Thursday afternoon…when he called out a Toronto grocery store – accusing Pusateris of gouging its customers. In a statement, Pusateris called the issue a “mistake” and promised to issue full refunds to customers who purchased the product at the higher price point.  “Our stores are facing immense pressure on all levels of operation,” CEO Frank Luchetta said in a statement. “As a result of this mounting pressure, critical elements were overlooked including the incorrect pricing of this product. “This was our mistake, our error, our oversight and we apologize to everyone impacted." Be sure to subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts – just search on OUTBREAK: The Covid-19 Daily Podcast.

This is DAY 18 of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Here’s what you need to know on Saturday, March 28th, 2020   More travel restrictions in Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau says Canadians with COVID-19 symptoms to be denied boarding on domestic flights and trains   Ontario corporations, individuals could face 'staggering' fines for price gouging And Premier Doug Ford says his government is considering a ban on gatherings of more than 5 people.   B.C Health officials say physical distancing restrictions are successfully beginning to slow the rate of spread of new COVID-19 cases in the province, perhaps by as much as half.     China donates thousands of medical masks, personal protective equipment to Canada   A lab in the US has received marketing approval for a diagnostic test for the coronavirus that can deliver results to patients within minutes and be used in physicians offices and urgent care clinics, as well as hospitals.   <<<<<>>>>>  The Prime Minister held his daily briefing outside his official residence in Ottawa Saturday morning and announced more travel restrictions – these are focused on domestic travel.. Canada's Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo says these restrictions are an extension of the physical distance orders…telling Canadians to stay in your "bubble." On Thursday, you may have heard Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford accusing a Toronto grocer of gouging customers. On Saturday, Ford said his government has taken steps to outlaw any and all price gouging – including stiff fines and potential jail time.   <<<<>>>>  We know that hospitals are bracing for the next wave of pressures in their intensive care units in the coming days and weeks. And that is why public health officials have been so adamant about flattening the curve – by that they mean – slowing the rate of increases in confirmed cases. Flattening the curve doesn’t mean an end to the virus, but theoretically, it means there would be fewer patients demanding precious critical health care resources. If the system is overwhelmed, healthcare and hospital officials will be facing daily ethical questions and life and death decisions. Kerry Bowman is a Clinical Ethicist at Mount Sinai Hospital and a professor at the University of Toronto. Professor Bowman joined us from his home office to talk about the challenges ahead. <<<<>>>>  Just a programming note: We will devote tomorrow’s podcast episode to the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS we’ve been getting from you. And we’ve put them to our cast of medical, science, financial and legal experts.   If you have a question or A STORY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OR A GOOD NEWS COMMUNITY STORY YOU WANT TO SHARE…send me an email. DAVE@DAVETRAFFORD.COM or connect with me on TWITTER @DaveTrafford.   THE VIEWPOINTS EXPRESSED IN THIS PODCAST REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE HOST AND PARTICIPANTS AS OF THE DATE OF PUBLICATION AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL ADVICE AND BEST PRACTICES BY LEADING MEDICAL AUTHORITIES AS THE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING.