H1N1: Going, going, gone!

According to the latest statistics published by the Public Health Agency of Canada, H1N1 is almost a thing of the past.  The number of reported outbreaks has crashed faster than the stock market last year.  During the latest week for which data are available, there were 28 reported outbreaks of which 27 were in Quebec and 1 in New Brunswick.  The 28 outbreaks represents a drop of about 95% compared to the peak reached about 5 weeks earlier.

The number of new confirmed cases of H1N1, as tested in provincial labs, in down by about 96% from the peak in early November.  Recently, the numbers have fallen by more than half in each week.  Check it out

• Oct 24:   2,880
  
• Oct 31:   4,802
• Nov 7:     6,151
• Nov 14:   6,007
• Nov 21:   3,725
• Nov 28:   1,764
  
• Dec 5:       687
  
• Dec12:      260

The cumulative number of deaths from H1N1 so far have been 397 as of December 17.  That's 397 people in 9

Bad idea amid the H1N1 frenzy

I pray that I never see one of these in a Catholic church.

A company called Purity Solutions has developed a hands-free communion dispenser to cope with the H1N1 panic. While I can appreciate their good intentions and the practicality of this tool for Protestants who don't believe in the Real Presence, this would certainly be a no-no in a Catholic Mass.

The first picture on the right shows the device, which comes in gold, silver and "white" (whatever substance that is). Or maybe the "gold" and "silver" on their website only refers to the color of the device, not the metal it's made of.  Now gold and silver would certainly be suitable precious metals for a Catholic paten or ciborium, but if they are made of stainless steel and simply coated with gold or silver paint, that's a non-starter.  

Even if they were made of gold or silver, it gets more complicated.  As you can see by the second picture, the hosts are not directly placed inside the metal device. They are placed in plastic cartridges, much like Pringle potato chips, which are subsequently inserted into the aforementioned communion dispenser.  There they will remain remain throughout the consecration and during the distribution of communion. Somebody refresh my memory:  does plastic qualify as a valid precious material for the sacred vessels?  The company also sells hosts that are pre-soaked with wine, so that you can

Clever idea amid the H1N1 frenzy

This fellow in Italy developed a cool-looking hands-free holy water dispenser.

It works just like those hands-free soap dispensers you find in some restaurants.  You just pass your hands in front of the motion detector and the machine drops a bit of holy water in your hands.  He even designed an elegant cover with a cross and a small receptacle at the bottom to collect and wayward drops.

Sounds like a good idea to me.  I'd rather have one of these in my church than no holy water at all.  We all benefit from the grace of God that flows through this sacramental.

Well done, Luciano Marabese!! 

H1N1 gradually fizzling out

On Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada released fresh statistics on H1N1 activity in Canada.  The data is for the week ended November 21st, because there is a certain delay before data from hospitals across the country are received and compiled.

The new stats show that H1N1 activity continues to decline.  Since April 18, 2009, there have been a total of 280 deaths related to H1N1.  My deepest sympathies go out to the families that have been affected.  Yet, from a scientific perspective, that's not an alarming rate at all.  Experts estimate that the regular garden-variety flu kills about 4,000 Canadians each year.  So the fact that we've only had 280 deaths since April (7 months) is quite underwhelming.  It's not much.

The number of outbreaks of H1N1 has dropped off a cliff