Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Tuesday, December 22, 2020:
- There have been 158,053 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 2,123 (or 1.4 per cent) from the previous day. There are 134,867 people recovered from the virus while 4,167 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 7,426,037 of which 39,106 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 515,314. The country has 14,332 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, 765 in British Columbia, 860 in Alberta, 122 in Saskatchewan, 572 in Manitoba, 4,167 in Ontario, 7,766 in Quebec, eight in New Brunswick, four in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit added 11 new cases on Monday to bring the regional total to 639 confirmed cases, of which 33 are active (17 fewer than Friday) and 553 are recovered (28 more than Friday). The number of deaths to date is 53. There are no institutional outbreaks. The community case breakdown is: Leeds-Grenville East (three active), Leeds-Grenville Central (six active), Leeds-Grenville West (nine active), Lanark County West (10 active) and Lanark County East (five active).
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit region added 42 cases over the weekend to bring the regional total to 1,213 confirmed cases, of which 278 are active (14 fewer than Friday) and 903 are resolved (56 more than Friday). The number of deaths is 32. Five people are in hospital (three fewer than Friday), including two in ICU (no change). There are 13 active outbreaks (includes nursing and retirement homes, lodging homes, group homes, schools and daycare), two more than Friday. Testing increased by 472 to 90,948. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 722 cases (134 active), SD&G 239 cases (93 active), Cornwall 212 cases (50 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 40 cases (one active).
- New modelling data from Ontario shows the overall cases levels for COVID-19 are twice the “red” level. In the next week-and-a-half, the ICU bed occupancy will be above 300 and will be as much as 1,500 beds by the middle of next month, under a worst case scenario.
- Premier Doug Ford announced “province-wide shutdown” for 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day (Dec. 26). “If we fail to take action now, the consequences could be catastrophic.” Read more about what it means for you, here.
- Ford says he’s “extremely alarmed” by the new strain of COVID-19 spreading in the United Kingdom. Ford added that despite lockdowns in some regions, people are still travelling region-to-region across the province.
- The 40 million doses of the Moderna vaccine ordered by Canada are enough to inoculate two-thirds of Canadian adults, according to the company’s Canadian general manager. Health Canada still needs to approve the vaccine which is expected soon.
- Canada halting air travel from the United Kingdom for 72 hours has caught a lot of Canadians abroad by surprise. One Canadian entrepreneur in the UK says it’s disconcerting for those looking to visit friends and family in Canada over the holidays.
- A survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies of more than 300 people who had COVID-19 shows more than one in three people were worried they might die from the virus. Around 27 per cent said it was like no illness they had ever experienced before.
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.