Every day at noon for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, a group led by Mayor George Pirie called the Timmins Health Table will issue an update.
FOURTH DEATH REPORTED
Medical officer of health Dr. Lianne Catton says announcing a death due to COVID-19 doesn’t get any easier.
She has had to announce four such deaths since the pandemic began – the latest one being last night.
“This male in his 80s was identified during the outbreak at Timmins and District Hospital,” she told the Health Table today, “tested positive on April 22nd and was admitted to hospital.”
The overall number of cases remains at 59, with 43 recovered.
COVID-19 WOULD COMPLICATE HOSTING FLOOD EVACUEES
Despite complications presented by COVID-19, Timmins Mayor George Pirie is confident that his city could host flood evacuees from the James Bay coastal community of Kashechewan this spring.
The thing is, Kashechewan doesn’t want to evacuate to Timmins.
“They have been self-isolating in Kashechewan since the outbreak and they are a healthy community,” says Pirie, “and there’s also no guarantee with the community spread we have in Timmins that they could arrive here and be guaranteed that they would be leaving healthy.”
Still, if the Albany River floods, the province might have to ask Timmins to host some evacuees.
Mayor Pirie is concerned about the impact on the district hospital – coping with its own outbreak – and EMS, which the mayor says is doing a magnificent job, but is stretched.
“All of our service agencies are stretched, notwithstanding all of the rules of social distancing and such. But yes, there’s tremendous complications with taking evacuees right now.”
No evacuation decision has yet been made.
Here is raw audio of today’s session.
