Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Wednesday, April 29, 2020:
- There have been 15,381 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 525 cases (or 3.5 per cent) from the previous day. There are 8,964 people recovered from the virus while 951 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 253,040 of which 6,282 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 50,026. The country has 2,859 deaths from the virus – 105 in British Columbia, 80 in Alberta, five in Saskatchewan, six in Manitoba, 951 in Ontario, 1,682 in Quebec, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 27 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit total number of confirmed cases in the region remains at 91: 14 in Cornwall, 17 in SD&G and 60 in Prescott-Russell. There are three people in hospitals and two of those are in ICU. There have been no deaths. The number of resolved cases rose by three on Tuesday to 45. There have been 1,930 tests performed in the EOHU region, 172 more than Monday.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties added another nine cases, reaching 300 cases. There was also one more death reported in a long term care home, leading to a total of 40. In Leeds-Grenville, community cases are 19 in the central region (14 recovered), 12 in the west (four recovered) and six in the east (four recovered). Those community numbers don’t include long term care home cases.
- Social assistance emergency funding will be going to 13 Leeds-Grenville agencies. Read that story on our sister publication, Brockville Newswatch, by clicking here.
- Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says an estimated 35 people may have died because their heart surgeries were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, citing a University Health Network report using forecast models. Elliott also believes an untold number died due to sidelined cancer surgeries.
- One of the biggest hurdles for business is red tape and heeding the call during the pandemic is no different. The Ontario government is looking to change that during the pandemic, launching a website called Tackling the Barriers, where proposals can be submitted for changing rules and regulations surrounding the retrofit of businesses to produce health-related products.
- Quebec is already planning its reopening next month. Premier Francois Legault says most stores outside Montreal will be allowed to open May 4 and in greater Montreal on May 11 provided physical distancing rules are in place. Elementary schools and daycare centers will reopen by May 19. More than half of the coronavirus cases and deaths in Canada have been in Quebec.
- Members of Parliament held a virtual sitting of the legislature for the first time Tuesday. About 90 per cent of the 338 MPs took part and sorted through the typical technical difficulties.
- Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, says forecasting models three weeks ago under-predicted deaths from novel coronavirus. The new forecasting models estimate that as many as 3,883 people could die by Tuesday (May 5). There could also be as many as 66,835 cases by that time.
- In northern New York State, St. Lawrence County (the county that includes Massena, Canton and Potsdam) recorded its second coronavirus death. There have been 176 confirmed cases in the county according to the county’s public health department. There are 295,106 people in the state that have tested positive – just over half of those in New York City.
- With the start of the season postponed and no start date in the foreseeable future due to coronavirus, the Canadian Football League is asking the federal government for $150 million in financial aid.
- Moving to a virtual world has given some St. Lawrence College students a unique opportunity. Those enrolled in Brockville’s Music Theater – Performance program get to ask Broadway stars, like Sean Allan Krill in New York’s Jagged Little Pill and Toronto’s Astrid Van Wieren from Come From Away, about their theater experiences during a Broadway Friday Chat class feature through Zoom.
Have a story or news release related to COVID-19? Send it along for possible inclusion in a future digest on Cornwall Newswatch. Email editor@cornwallnewswatch.com. Please put “COVID-19 Digest” in the subject line.