Weekly update, the slight downward trend continues for now. Japan still experiencing their highest death toll since the start of the pandemic.
In total 5.21 million new cases were reported last week (slightly down from 5.65 million)
Also another 16,286 more deaths were reported (slightly down from 17,503) to a total of 6,485,647
USA reported 657K new cases (slightly down from 681K) and 3,528 more deaths (slightly up from 3,364)
Europe reported 1.18 million new cases (slightly down from 1.22 million) and 4,996 more deaths (slightly down from 5,662)
The continents
All slowly heading down as we're heading into spring/fall across the world.
Corners of the world
The latest local data (August 17) shows a slight decrease in wastewater surveillance. Estimates are we're on a downward trend although hospital occupancy went up a bit last week.
Meanwhile we're doing less and less with the next fall wave looming out ahead
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-science-table-to-be-dissolved-next-month-as-director-warns-that-pandemic-will-continue-to-be-a-daunting-challenge-1.6043546
A group of volunteer scientists and public health experts who have provided independent advice on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic say that their work is being discontinued, even as the Ford government insists that is not the case.
The Ontario Science Advisory Table has released a statement confirming that it was told by Public Health Ontario last week that it will be dissolved as of Sept. 6.
Premier Doug Ford, however, told reporters during a news conference in Niagara Falls on Friday that the work previously undertaken by the table will be “absorbed” by Public Health Ontario and will continue in some form.
...
Razak, however, warned that the “pandemic will remain a daunting challenge for the foreseeable future” and expressed hope that the “principals the table was based on” will live on in some form.
“I hope we can all take the steps necessary to reduce the burden of the pandemic to keep our system functioning in the difficult months ahead,” he said.
Advice was often ignored by government
...
The dissolution of the table, at least in its current form, comes with case loads trending down in more than half of Ontario’s public health units, even as experts warn of a fall wave of the pandemic that could put further strain on Ontario’s already overburdened healthcare system.
Students are also set to return to classrooms next month, with mask mandates no longer in effect and many other temporary public health meatuses, such as cohorting and mandatory physical distancing, no longer in place.
At this point it is not clear what form the advisory group could take under Public Health Ontario.
