Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Thursday, September 9, 2021:
- There have been 571,332 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 554 cases from the previous day (319 unvaccinated, 56 partially, 136 fully vaccinated, 44 unknown). There have been 555,723 people recovered from the virus while 9,569 have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 17,419,066 of which 13,944 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 1,529,300. The country has 27,106 deaths from the virus – eight in the Yukon, one in the Northwest Territories, four in Nunavut, 1,842 in British Columbia, 2,425 in Alberta, 615 in Saskatchewan, 1,198 in Manitoba, 9,569 in Ontario, 11,296 in Quebec, 47 in New Brunswick, seven in Newfoundland & Labrador and 94 in Nova Scotia.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit added two cases Wednesday to bring the regional total to 1,823 confirmed cases, of which 12 are active (two more than Tuesday) and 1,751 are recovered (no change from Tuesday). There are 60 deaths to date. There is no one in hospital. There are no active institutional outbreaks. The community case breakdown is: Lanark County East 397 cases (three active), Lanark County West 415 cases (one active), Leeds-Grenville Central 216 cases (three active), Leeds-Grenville East 362 cases (five active), Leeds-Grenville West 206 cases (zero active) and Unknown/Out of Region 19 cases (zero active).
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit area added seven cases Wednesday – three in Prescott-Russell, two in SD&G and two in Cornwall – to bring the regional total to 4,933 confirmed cases, of which 64 are active (two more than Tuesday) and 4,757 are resolved (five more than Tuesday). The number of deaths is at 112. There are three people in hospital (no change) and one in the ICU (no change). There are no institutional outbreaks. Testing increased 436 to 152,258. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 2,065 cases (32 active), SD&G 1,175 cases (15 active), Cornwall 1,333 cases (14 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 360 cases (three active).
- Vaccines: Ontario 21,023,890 (+38,174, last update Sept. 8); EOHU 297,925 (last update Sept. 8, +622 from previous update Sept. 7); LGL 142,665 individuals living in LGL with first doses, 133,916 with second doses (last update Sept. 7, +1,162 first doses, +1,435 second doses since previous update Aug. 31).
- Education Minister Stephen Lecce says all 72 publicly funded school boards in Ontario have met the goal of having stand-alone HEPA filter ventilation installed in learning spaces that didn’t already have mechanical ventilation.
- A Quebec coroner’s inquest into a Montreal-area nursing home where dozens of people died during the first wave heard from the public health director Wednesday. Dr. Nadine Larente says there weren’t many employees at Residence Herron in late March 2020 and she called her own family to help care for residents. Larente says she was told many of the employees had stayed home because they were afraid.
- A federal all-candidates debate in northern British Columbia had to be cancelled over a perceived public safety risk. The executive director of the Dawson Creek chamber of commerce says there has been an escalation in violent behaviour, including threats to officials, over COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine passports.
- A pandemic-related rent freeze in British Columbia will end on Dec. 31. The rent increase will be capped at 1.5 per cent in 2022.
- A candidate for Calgary mayor will be spending some weekends in jail. Kevin J. Johnston will serve 40 days for violating three COVID-19 health orders. Johnston also has to pay a $20,000 fine to Alberta Health Services.
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