Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, April 10, 2020:
- There have been 5,759 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 483 cases (or 9.2 per cent) from the previous day. There are 2,305 people recovered from the virus while 200 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 88,698 of which 1,208 have pending results.
- Canada’s confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 case total is 19,774. The country has 461 COVID-19 related deaths – 48 in British Columbia, 29 in Alberta, three in Saskatchewan, three in Manitoba, 200 in Ontario, 175 in Quebec, two in Newfoundland & Labrador and one in Nova Scotia.
- There are now 137 lab confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark, 14 more than the previous day. The number of dead is still eight, based on data collected by the health unit as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.
- A COVID-19 outbreak at Almonte Country Haven in Mississippi Mills has led to at least 10 deaths from complications associated with the virus, according to multiple media reports. A total of 12 people have died.
- The local health unit has started breaking out community cases by geographic region. Those don’t include cases in long term care homes or front line health care workers. The central region, which includes Brockville, Front of Yonge, Athens and Elizabethtown-Kitley has eight community cases of COVID-19.
- The health unit is reminding you that Easter and Passover are typically times to get together with family – but not this year. Groups larger than five (5) are forbidden by the province to prevent COVID-19 spread. The exemption is for families larger than five who all live under the same roof. It’s also asking people who have cottages and trailers to stay home.
- The plea to not get together is being echoed by Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands Mayor Corinna Smith-Gatcke. “Visiting could spread the COVID-19 virus to friends and family,” she said. Boat ramps in the townships are closed and cottagers are discouraged from visiting their getaways. The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority has also closed all conservation areas, as of April 9.
- The province recorded what is believed to be the first health care worker death related to COVID-19. A Brampton man in his 50s was an environmental services associate at a Brampton hospital. Public health officials believe he caught the virus in the community and not at work.
- The Ontario government has launched a Jobs and Recovery Committee which will plan to get people and business back up and running after the pandemic is over. Statistics Canada released jobless figures Thursday showing more than 400,000 people lost their jobs in March. Over a million jobs were lost across the country.
- Even with strong control measure in place, the Public Health Agency of Canada projects that 11,000 to 22,000 Canadians will still die from COVID-19 in the coming months. The agency released its modelling data Thursday morning but suggested to take the data with a grain of salt. “Models are not crystal balls and we cannot predict the future with them,” it said.
- With adoptions on hold, the Ontario SPCA has set up an Urgent Animal Care Fund to cover the cost of housing, feeding and caring for the animals.
- The MS Society of Leeds-Grenville has postponed all in-person events and programs through May 30.
Have a story or news release related to COVID-19? Send it along for possible inclusion in a future digest on Brockville Newswatch. Email editor@brockvillenewswatch.com. Please put “COVID-19 Digest” in the subject line.