NEW: #COVID19 has claimed two more lives in Niagara.
That is 12 people, members of this community, who have died with the virus since April 1. As with 🌊2, Niagara politicians are silent as the death toll grows.
I am not saying things like the George Floyd verdict are unimportant. They are very important. But this is 12 lives lost in this community in another pandemic that was entirely preventable had politicians at the provincial and local levels listened to the experts.
As I have said before, these are not just stats. They were people who contributed to this community and whose friends and family are grieving. The loss at least deserves some acknowledgement.
**another pandemic wave, that should read. (Although given the variants, some experts classify this wave as a new pandemic within a pandemic.)
Correction: That should read the Chauvin verdict. Mr. Floyd was the victim.
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Ok, Niagara, here is your local, weekly #COVID19 data deep dive. And, well, it is not looking good. The very preventable🌊3 is still growing. So let's break it down and look at where the region is at. (thread)
Active cases are now at a new record high of 2,020. With yesterday's two new deaths, the total loss in our community is at least 389 people (12 since April 1)
The infection rate shows no signs of slowing down (something that is reflected in a number of charts here.) with 199 cases confirmed today. There is no doubt that🌊 3 is, in terms of the infection rate, objectively worse than 🌊 2. (And again, this wave was preventable.)
Good afternoon, Niagara. Here is your quick Tuesday #COVID19 data snapshot. Remember, tomorrow is Wednesday, which is when we do our weekly data deep dive. (thread(
So that's 144 new cases confirmed today, which as you can see above, shows the 3rd is shaping up to have a greater overall volume of infections than its predecessor wave. There is also no sign the trend is waning yet.
Looking at the basic indicators, active infections is now nearly at the 2nd wave peak (1854) with 1849 cases, and more on the way.
The political #COVID19 debate has heated up in Niagara, on social media at least, with people attacking @mustafahirji and at least one regional councillor caught between questioning the MoH, pushing back against those who threaten to vote her out and pushing misinformation.
In a local hospitality Facebook page that has a lot of cross over with an anti-masker group, people are calling @mustafahirji names, calling for him to be fired and representing the data. Welland reg. coun, Leanna Villella is in the thick of it.
A couple of things to note about what the councillor says here.
The first is that the MoH does not "override" the province. The authority of an MoH is CREATED by provincial law. When an MoH issues a sec. 22 order, it is under his/her authority as granted by the province.
So, some folks and politicians are reacting today's grey zone news by saying, in effect, "cases are very low, we should be red or orange zone."
This overstates where Niagara is, underestimates the 2nd wave, and redefines "low" when it comes to #COVID19 cases. (thread)
So let's look at some data. This chart is very helpful, looking at new cases per day, and can be a useful way to track the general path of the pandemic locally.
"Not having those vaccines in time created the perfect storm," says @WSendzik, in talking about how Niagara's second #COVID19 wave claimed so many lives.
The mayor says "we have really got a handle on #COVID19."
This is not what yesterday's science table modelling showed, which indicated that without strong measures in place, we are headed for a spring 3rd wave.
The mayor is correct when he says the infection rate locally has dropped considerably in recent weeks. But as my reporting later today will show, that drop is VERY recent and @mustafahirji says he has to be pushed down further still.
Big congrats to the team at @cbcfifth for their doc on police accountability and the local cop-on-cop shooting in Niagara. Bit a professional thrill to be part of an episode on an investigative news show I grew up watching and was inspired by! (thread)
It is a truism in journalism that the work done, day in and day out by local, daily newspaper journalists is relied on by our broadcast counterparts for their work, often forming part of the spine of their own investigations.