Being from Toronto, I'd just like to share a little insight for those of you who aren't following that closely:
- The Toronto Blue Jays hosted a $1 a ticket game last night and the stadium was filled with almost 50,000 fans. This was done to show that Toronto is still a safe place and you can go to large venues without fearing for your safety.
- A number of stars have cancelled appearances here for fears of catching SARS. If close contact is required for the spread of SARS, why are they worried? They're always surrounded by their own bodyguards to make sure people don't get close anyway. Some of the more famous would include Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, Elton John, and Billy Joel.
- The World Health Organization yesterday lifted the travel advisory they had issued last week about coming to Toronto.
- As of yesterday, there were 69 probable/suspect cases in the hospital, 16 at home, and no further cases under investigation. These figures are for the entire province of Ontario, not just Toronto. (note, almost all of the cases are in the Toronto region).
-Probable case: A probable case is someone who either has chest x-ray findings of pneumonia or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome OR is a suspect case with an unexplained respiratory illness resulting in death, with findings of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome of unidentifiable cause AND has had close contact with a probable or suspect case of SARS or traveled to Hong Kong, Vietnam, China, Taiwan or Singapore in the last 10 days.
- Suspect case: A person with a history of high fever (over 38 degrees C)AND respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, difficulty
breathing AND no other known cause of current illness AND has had close contact with a probable or suspect case of SARS or traveled to Hong Kong,
Vietnam, China, Taiwan, or Singapore in the last 10 days.

Knowledge is the best weapon in any fight.