Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Wednesday, September 30, 2020:
- There have been 51,085 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 554 (or 1.1 per cent) from the previous day. There are 43,450 people recovered from the virus while 2,844 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 3,887,712 of which 54,759 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 156,961. The country has 9,291 deaths from the virus – 234 in British Columbia, 266 in Alberta, 24 in Saskatchewan, 20 in Manitoba, 2,844 in Ontario, 5,833 in Quebec, two in New Brunswick, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit region added a new case on Tuesday to bring the region to 264 confirmed positive cases. There was also an adjustment to the statistics, adding one case to the City of Cornwall and removing one case from SD&G. Local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis says a previous case, which initially had a South Stormont (SD&G) address, actually lived in Cornwall. Fifty-four cases are active and 198 are resolved. There are two people in hospital and 12 deaths to date. Testing increased by 998 to 57,909. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 167 cases (32 active), SD&G 64 cases (17 active) and Cornwall 33 cases (five active).
- St. Lawrence College says a student at the Cornwall campus has tested positive for COVID-19. Contact tracing is underway and SLC says other students who are deemed high risk contacts will be contacted by the health unit. The college adds that “extensive cleaning” is being done where the student had been on campus. The student is isolating at home. The last time they were in the building was Wednesday last week (Sept. 23). In an email to students and employees, CEO Glenn Vollebregt says “their (the student’s) contraction of COVID-19 is suspected to have taken place outside of the Cornwall community.”
- Three cases were added in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit region Tuesday to bring the total to 384 confirmed cases. There are 14 cases active and 318 have recovered. The breakdown is: Leeds-Grenville East (eight active), Leeds-Grenville West (three active), Lanark County West (one active) and Lanark County East (two active). Fifty-two people have died during the coronavirus crisis.
- Holy Cross Catholic School in Kemptville closed Tuesday after a second case of coronavirus. There are now two confirmed cases – one staff member and one student. A tweet from Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario says the school is closed through to and including Tuesday, Oct. 5.
- The LGL Health Unit says Lanark County paramedics will be holding pop-up testing centers in Carleton Place at the Carmabeck Community Center on Wednesday and the Conlon Farm Recreation Complex in Perth on Friday. The testing is by appointment only by getting tickets for testing through Eventbrite.
- The Ontario government is making changes to visitor policies at nursing homes in the hot spot areas of Toronto, Peel and Ottawa. Starting Monday (Oct. 5) visitors to long-term care home will be restricted to only staff, essential visitors and essential caregivers. The province also announced $540 million for long-term care homes – most of it for staffing support, more PPE and supplies.
- Toronto’s medical officer of health is recommending people in her city do away with the social bubble and limit interactions to only people within the household. Toronto had another 251 cases on Tuesday, following 344 on Monday.
- Restaurant owners in Montreal feel they are being treated unfairly by the government. They say with no outbreaks within their industry they don’t know why they are being ordered to close. Montreal, Quebec City and another region near the capital will be under a 28 day shutdown. On Tuesday, Quebec reported 799 new cases and seven deaths.
- The Canadian government has reached a deal with pharmaceutical company Abbott to buy nearly eight million COVID-19 rapid test devices. Those devices still have to get Health Canada approval.
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