Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, May 8, 2020:
- There have been 19,121 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 399 cases (or 2.1 per cent) from the previous day. There are 13,569 people recovered from the virus while 1,477 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 380,854 of which 13,012 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 64,922. The country has 4,408 deaths from the virus – 126 in British Columbia, 114 in Alberta, six in Saskatchewan, seven in Manitoba, 1,477 in Ontario, 2,631 in Quebec, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 44 in Nova Scotia.
- Another novel coronavirus was added to the Eastern Ontario Health Unit Thursday, bringing the total to 112. The newest case was in Prescott-Russell. The breakdown is 14 in Cornwall (14 resolved), 21 in SD&G (14 resolved) and 77 in Prescott-Russell (31 resolved). There are three people in hospitals and two of those are in ICU. There have been two deaths to date. The number of resolved cases increased by three to 59. There have been 3,005 tests performed in the EOHU region, 92 more than Wednesday.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties added another two cases to bring its total of confirmed cases to 313. The number of deaths remain at 43. For community cases in Leeds-Grenville, there are 18 in the central region (16 recovered), 12 in the west (10 recovered) and seven in the east (five recovered).
- The Ontario government has unveiled a framework to allow hospitals to plan for the “gradual resumption” of elective surgeries. The timelines will vary by hospital and have to be approved by regional oversight.
- Once the pandemic is over, the minister of long term care says there will be a review conducted on the long term care home system. Merrilee Fullerton says “the system is broken.”
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government has reached an agreement with all the provinces and territories for a wage top-up for essential workers. Details are being finalized but the overall money being put towards wages is $4 billion Canada-wide. “If you’re risking your health to keep this country moving and you’re making minimum wage, you deserve a raise,” he said.
- Greyhound Canada will temporarily suspend routes in the country. The company says ridership has dropped 95 per cent during the pandemic. The suspension takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday (May 12). Four hundred employees at the busing company will be affected.
- Trust your doctor? It seems a lot of people do in the midst of a pandemic. A Proof Strategies survey suggests almost nine in 10 Canadians now have trust in doctors. For scientists, it’s more than eight in 10. But trust fell for media and CEO’s to around three in 10.
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.