30 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Mississauga Friday; province invests millions to expand access to mental health resources

Peel Public Health confirmed 30 new cases of COVID-19 in Mississauga Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the city to 230.

The increase was part of a total of 50 new cases confirmed across the region, which now has 412 cases across its three municipalities, including four deaths, with the most recent two deaths announced this morning. The jump marks a 33 percent increase in the number of new infections in a matter of three days.

With 30 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed Thursday in Mississauga, the city's total rises to 230.

While the numbers are still well below those being seen in some of Canada’s other large cities, the prevalence is a different story. Mississauga’s 230 cases equate to a per capita rate of 3.06 infections per 10,000 people. In Toronto, the figure sits around 2.45 per 10,000. 

The additional cases come after the region’s public health unit issued an apology Thursday evening for mailing incorrect testing information to a number of residents. 

According to the apology from Interim Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh, the region accidentally mailed 16 letters to residents on Tuesday and Wednesday advising them that their COVID-19 test results were negative, when they were actually positive. 

“I know the relief those residents felt for a few moments has sadly been transformed into feelings of fear and uncertainty. Our team is working quickly to notify these residents and make sure they have what they need to manage this difficult situation,” Loh writes.  

“On investigation, we found that several positive test slips were mixed with a batch of negative results received from labs. This error was not noticed until after the notification letters were mailed,” he adds. “We have made changes to our process to ensure that this situation does not occur again in the future. On behalf of the Region of Peel, I extend apologies to those residents impacted by this error."

In Peel, 50 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed Friday for a total of 412 infections. To date, four people have died from the novel coronavirus in the region.

As the virus continues its troubling spike across the province, more residents in Mississauga are requiring hospital treatment from the highly contagious COVID-19. 

According to numbers from Trillium Health Partners, 272 people have received positive COVID-19 diagnoses at its two treatment centres, and currently 31 people are being treated for COVID-19 in its hospitals. 

Across Ontario, 462 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Thursday evening, pushing the provincial total to more than 3,000, with 3,255 confirmed cases. While the increase in new infections has been expected by health and government officials, the rate at which it is happening is concerning, as Friday morning numbers mark the third consecutive day the province has seen an increase of more than 400 cases with 401 confirmed yesterday and 426 the day before.

As the infection continues its dangerous spike, Premier Doug Ford and the provincial government were set to release projections for how their experts foresee the infection progressing over the coming weeks. During a press conference Thursday, Ford said the numbers would be a “wake-up call” for the “selfish” individuals who continue to flaunt social and physical distancing measures. On Friday the frightening figures were presented by Ford and his team. The provincial projections show 80,000 cases in Ontario and 1,600 deaths by the end of the month, unless more serious measures are taken to slow the spread.

In the United States, where similar projections were released earlier this week, the country predicts that before the end of the pandemic, between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could lose their lives to COVID-19. 

Premier Ford is expected to hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. today to make Ontario’s projections public. 

Residents in Mississauga will also benefit from yesterday’s announcement from the province of Ontario which is investing up to $12 million into online and virtual mental health supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Staying inside for long stretches and bombarded with uncertainty about what the months ahead will bring is creating anxiety across the province. Calls to mental health helplines have been increasing since the start of the pandemic, and on Thursday Premier Doug Ford announced an investment into expanding these available resources in order to reach those in need. 

"Dealing with an evolving crisis like COVID-19 puts a lot of stress on everyone, including people who are self-isolating, families with kids out of school, and the frontline health care workers and first responders who are keeping us safe each and every day," stated Premier Ford in a news release on the provincial government's website. "This very difficult situation will impact different people in different ways, but I can assure everyone we will be there to support you and help you cope in every way we can. Clearly, protecting our health and well-being is everything, and that includes our mental health."

An additional $2.6 million will be put toward hiring psychologists and other mental health support workers solely for supporting members of the Ontario Provincial Police. 

These resources have the potential to assist individuals who may be isolated from their regular support and counselling groups. With physical and social distancing measures paramount to stopping the spread of the virus, groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and other mental health support services, like those offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) have been suspended. 

Having access to supports for those looking to stay on the path to recovery from addiction, or manage a mental health condition, is particularly significant in the Region of Peel, where such resources were already limited before COVID-19. 

According to the CMHA, one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year. At Peel’s current population, that means there could be 276,000 people effected every year. The Peel-Dufferin branch of the CMHA estimates that due to funding restrictions, it reaches less than 10 percent of these individuals. Further, Peel Children's Centre, the leading agency in the region that delivers mental health programs and services to children and youth, states that with current funding it can only serve 5,000 patients. This means at any time some 41,000 kids, potentially, and 18,000 young adults, are not receiving adequate care.

To make matters worse, for those looking to receive mental health treatment in a monitored setting, the wait lists are long. The Mississauga-Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), has one mental health bed for every 78,649 residents, while the Central West LHIN, which includes Brampton has one bed for every 66,808 people, a stark comparison to Toronto which has one bed for every 3,549 people. 

It means that every small measure has the potential to assist many people in need. 

“We’re living in an unprecedented time amid this COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re thankful that the provincial government recognizes the effect this widespread uncertainty can have on everyone’s mental health,” stated CMHA Ontario CEO Camille Quenneville in a news release. CMHA’s BounceBack program is a key component of the online resources, which helps those struggling develop coping mechanisms to overcome current and future challenges. “We encourage Ontarians who may be struggling at home to access BounceBack and the other expanded mental health services the government announced [yesterday].”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @JoeljWittnebel

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