Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Saturday, May 9, 2020:
- There have been 19,598 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 477 cases (or 2.5 per cent) from the previous day. There are 13,990 people recovered from the virus while 1,540 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 397,149 of which 14,641 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 66,434. The country has 4,569 deaths from the virus – 127 in British Columbia, 115 in Alberta, six in Saskatchewan, seven in Manitoba, 1,540 in Ontario, 2,725 in Quebec, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 46 in Nova Scotia.
- The number of coronavirus cases took a sizable jump Friday as tragedy struck a regional nursing home. The Eastern Ontario Health Unit reported another 18 cases, bringing the total to 130. Four residents of Pinecrest Nursing Home also died, bringing the total number of deaths to six. The breakdown of cases is 14 in Cornwall (14 resolved), 22 in SD&G (14 resolved) and 94 in Prescott-Russell (33 resolved). There are three people in hospitals and two of those are in ICU. The number of resolved cases increased by two to 61. There have been 3,107 tests performed in the EOHU region, 102 more than Thursday.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark counties added another case bring its total of confirmed cases to 314. 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 Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Unit has another outbreak at a long term care home – this time in Brockville. A staff member at Royal Brock Retirement Residence is isolating at home after testing positive. There are now five active outbreaks in the region.
- Ontario is allowing professional sports training facilities to reopen, provided the leagues have infection and safety control measures in place. Both the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) say limited player workouts will start next week.
- The federal government is extending its emergency wage subsidy program beyond when it was supposed to end in early June. It covers 75 per cent of worker’s wages up to $847 a week. Details on the extension are expected next week. This extension comes as the country learned almost two million jobs were lost in April – a record high.
- Cornwall’s BASF has donated hand soap, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and goggles to local health care facilities. Local numbers were not provided by the chemical company but it has donated 175,000 liters of hand sanitizer and over 100 million masks worldwide.
- A high profile curling tournament has been cancelled for this year. The Shorty Jenkins Classic, usually held in mid-September, has been scrubbed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will return in 2021 for the tournament’s 25th anniversary.
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.