DAY 34 - The COVID-19 Daily Podcast with Dave Trafford

This is DAY 34   of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Here’s what you need to know on Monday, April 13th 2020   <<<<>>>  As the cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, some state governors in the US are talking about reopening their economies and easing physical distancing protocols.   President Donald Trump took to twitter to say the decision to re-open the economy is up to him alone – no the governors.   Meanwhile, Spain has reopened part of its ecnomy on Monday. Slowing death tolls in some of the worst-hit parts of the country boosted hopes the curve may be starting to flatten and lockdown restrictions could soon be eased.   Here at home, Ontario plans to extend state of emergency by 28 days. The provincial legislature will sit Tuesday to approve the extension and discuss if or when the school year will restart.   In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault says all 2,600 seniors' residences in in the province  will be inspected. The announcement follows news over the weekend that a privately run residence in Montreal was the subject of separate public health and police investigations. 31 patients at Maison Herron had died in recent weeks - five of them from COVID-19.   Thousands of healthcare workers have been laid off in the US. As hospitals and emergency rooms deal with a surge of patients affected by the coronavirus, clinics and other health care centers are losing money because of a decline in elective surgeries, procedures, preventive care and non COVID-19 ailments.   A new website that tracks self-reported symptoms allows you to find out whether people in your community have tested positive for COVID-19. COVID Near You is an initiative created by epidemiologists and software developers from Harvard University, which maps out where cases of COVID-19 could be, based on data from users of the website.   And Coming Up… A nation-wide service has been established that helps first responders avoid crowds and have their groceries delivered to their front door. BUT FIRST…Ontario’s telehealth program now provides online mental health support. <<<>>  The Big White Wall BWW harnesses the protective and therapeutic effects of connectedness and healthy social networks in its unique community where people share with, and support each other.   GroceryHero is a free delivery matching service to help our frontline medical professionals focus on fighting COVID-19. Food delivery services are oversubscribed. And frontline medical professionals do not want to go inside grocery stores and expose the public. Instead, volunteers are matched with a medical professional in their neighbourhood by postal code to help with delivery. <<<>>>>  <>> Before we go, we reported on the passing of John Prine last week. Prine was considered one of America top songwriters and story tellers. He and Bruce Springsteen were each labelled as the Next Dylans. Bruce sang back up on this Prine track called Take a Look at My Heart. Some of you were inquiring about Prine after he died of corona virus complications and I would refer you to a piece posted Monday morning on the Rolling Stone web site. He’s remembered as “a big-hearted genius who championed new artists and made the most of the small things in life.” I’ve include a link to the story in the show notes for this episode. <<<<<>>>>>>  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.