Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Monday, July 13, 2020:
- There have been 36,723 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 129 (or 0.4 per cent) from the previous day. There are 32,534 people recovered from the virus while 2,719 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 1,691,419 of which 16,174 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 107,590. The country has 8,783 deaths from the virus – 187 in British Columbia, 160 in Alberta, 15 in Saskatchewan, seven in Manitoba, 2,719 in Ontario, 5,627 in Quebec, two in New Brunswick, three in Newfoundland & Labrador and 63 in Nova Scotia.
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit stands at 166 confirmed cases with 151 resolved. Two people are in hospital. There have been 11 deaths to date. Testing is at 20,399. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 113 cases (100 resolved + 11 deaths), SD&G 29 cases (28 resolved) and Cornwall 24 cases (23 resolved). (Numbers are not updated on the weekend)
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit region remains at 354 cases and 52 deaths. Three hundred cases have resolved. In the United Counties of Leeds-Grenville, there is only one active community case in the western portion of the area. (Numbers are not updated on the weekend)
- The Ford government is expected to announce plans today (Monday) for the third and final stage of reopening across Ontario. The premier’s spokesperson confirmed the plan to CTV News Toronto. The stage will be phased in, much like how stage two was done across the province. Stage three is expected to include such activities as indoor dining, bars, movie theaters and gyms.
- The Conservatives want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to testify before a parliamentary committee about the government’s decision to have WE Charity administer the $900 million Canada Student Services Grant program. There are allegations of an ethics violation after it was learned Trudeau and several members of his family were paid for WE events – $300,000 over four years – for speaking engagements. The program would have paid students $1,000 for every 100 volunteer hours, up to five grand.
- Montreal health officials are urging anyone who worked or went to a bar in the city since Canada Day (July 1) to get a COVID-19 test. An official said Saturday there’s been at least eight cases in five Montreal bars. Contact tracing is difficult because there are no registries at the establishments, hence the blanket call for testing.
- Florida had the largest single day increase of coronavirus cases on Sunday of any state in the union, as there were 15,299 new infections. Some in Florida are still defiant on mask wearing.
- The novel coronavirus isn’t mutating a lot, but it’s changing just enough to allow researchers to link individual cases. The $40 million Genome Canada COVID-19 project is building a map of how the virus is spreading across the country.
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.