[ShonTron]

It's large, but it has limitations which really show when you try to go to one outside of Toronto. Even the older GTA cities have extremely car-centric LCBO locations spread very far apart. My parents live in the old City of Hamilton and the nearest LCBO is a significant drive away, at least 12 minutes in the car, so it's a commitment to go there unlike here in Tornoto where I pass 4 LCBOs on my 10 minute streetcar commute home. There's lots of grocery stores and Drug Stores in between though, and most of those open earlier and close later than any LCBO location. Out in the outer suburbs they build mega LCBO's that cover a 5 km radius around them. Not sure it's great to go to a store packed with 80 customers to pick up a test to see if you have COVID as you have a decent chance of picking it up while you are there.

Depends. There are sometimes older smaller LCBO locations in the downtown cores of Toronto suburbs. Downtown Brampton has a small 1960s-era LCBO on George Street; Port Credit has one too, as does Downtown Burlington and Downtown Whitby. There's also a LCBO in Jackson Square, right in the middle of Downtown Hamilton. Though I hate what they did to Centre Mall, there's a LCBO there, right in the middle of East Hamilton.

Though LCBO did follow the retail trend of larger stores in big box centres, they did not abandon the inner cities. In Oshawa, the LCBO simply moved to the old GM lands off Ritson Road, still walking distance from Downtown Oshawa.

 

[tiffer24]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1471482643749515267

 

[APTA-2048]

At this point vaccines hardly seem effective at preventing breakthrough cases, even with 3 doses (see calgary flames) I have no idea what the answer is but I'm losing hope and desire to keep persevering rapidly.

Try to stay hopeful (I know, easier said than done). Vaccines are still seen as very effective. Even if you do get COVID, the illness is usually very mild if you're vaccinated. If it keeps people out of the hospital, that's still a win.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Try to stay hopeful (I know, easier said than done). Vaccines are still seen as very effective. Even if you do get COVID, the illness is usually very mild if you're vaccinated. If it keeps people out of the hospital, that's still a win.

Yup, I think the best course is to moderate the spread so that it doesn't spike so badly as to create problems at hospitals/ICU while triple vaxxing everyone fast - you probably can't put Omicron back into the box.

AoD

 

[Richard White]

Yup, I think the best course is to moderate the spread so that it doesn't spike so badly as to create problems at hospitals/ICU while triple vaxxing everyone fast - you probably can't put Omicron back into the box.

AoD

Honestly, this thing is spreading like wildfire. I would not be surprised to see us top 10000 daily cases after new years.

That being said, vaccines are seemingly ineffective against the Omicron variant. Even those who are fully vaccinated with boosters are still testing positive which is a telltale sign of problems to come.

At some point however, we will need to accept the fact Covid-19 is here and learn to live with it. That is unless we want to be dealing with a pandemic for the next 20 years.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Honestly, this thing is spreading like wildfire. I would not be surprised to see us top 10000 daily cases after new years.

That being said, vaccines are seemingly ineffective against the Omicron variant. Even those who are fully vaccinated with boosters are still testing positive which is a telltale sign of problems to come.

At some point however, we will need to accept the fact Covid-19 is here and learn to live with it. That is unless we want to be dealing with a pandemic for the next 20 years.

It still seem to be effective against severe disease, which is the most important thing.

AoD

 

[Johnny Au]

This province and country needs an army of mental health workers. Mental health services (counselling and psychotherapy) should be 100% covered by OHIP for all Ontarians. Having a therapist is great and sure helped me. But a lot of people either can't afford it or don't have benefit plans to cover the fee. And the suffer without help. That's needs to change! I too have lost many amazing people to suicides. It's one of the hardest thing to go through.

It's not just kids suffering, work from home is doing a number on people's mental health too. I actually know a few people who have become alcoholics because they are stuck at home so much. It's taking a toll on everyone. Young and old.

I know substance-abuse overdose deaths are way up. A lot of those could be counted as suicides? Not sure if they are or not.

Don't forget that consuming far-right "news" media on a regular basis may be a mental disorder:

r/FoxBrain

r/FoxBrain: FoxBrain is a support group for people who struggle with family and friends who have succumbed to the paranoia, xenophobia, and hatred …

reddit.com

r/QAnonCasualties

r/QAnonCasualties: Have a friend or loved one taken in by QAnon? Look here for support, resources and a place to vent. Peruse old posts, settle in …

reddit.com

I have linked two subreddits: one for those addicted to far-right "news" media and one for QAnon, which has many far-right tenets. Both subreddits are for those whose loved ones are addicted to hating certain "dangerous" ethnic groups and other "dangerous" minorities.

 

[tiffer24]

Remember that the Ontario government held onto these tests for months...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1471508500081614863

 

[Towered]

It still seem to be effective against severe disease, which is the most important thing.

AoD

This is the most important thing. The vaccines were never about preventing you from getting the virus, just to keep people who get it out of the hospital system.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

This is the most important thing. The vaccines were never about preventing you from getting the virus, just to keep people who get it out of the hospital system.

Well the vaccines are about interrupting the transmission and enabling herd immunity; but since that aspect of the shots failed due to Omicron, the fallback position of preventing/reducing severe disease is just as important.

AoD

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Honestly, this thing is spreading like wildfire. I would not be surprised to see us top 10000 daily cases after new years.

You definitely aren't wrong with that guess:

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

The speed at which this shot up is insane. Guess I am switching to N95 masks when I do have to go out until I get my 3rd shot.

AoD

 

[DirectionNorth]

You definitely aren't wrong with that guess:

Toronto, Canada and Global Breaking News – CP24

Most recent News News business news stories and video from CP24

www.cp24.com

The speed at which this shot up is insane. Guess I am switching to N95 masks when I do have to go out until I get my 3rd shot.

AoD

Wasn't that what they said in spring?

 

[Bjays92]

Wasn't that what they said in spring?

This is significantly different than spring. Spring they were forecasting a worst case scenario which never happened due to lockdowns causing a drastic cut in transmission.

Omicron is scientifically way more contagious than delta and even with restrictions given our current numbers and trends, and how they also usually lag the actual situation by several days at best, 10k cases a day are likely a lock regardless of any action taken.

 

[christiesplits]

I guarantee you the footage this morning of all the long lines for rapid tests will be prominent in Liberal and NDP campaign ads.

 

[Bayer]

Unfortunately it's too late for boosters to have much effect in the next couple of weeks. We need restrictions now. The science table says no lockdown is necessary despite also saying it will be the worst wave of the pandemic. It's probably now that it is needed the most. Capacity restrictions where people take off their masks with a virus that transmissible will be useless.