Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Tuesday, October 20, 2020:
- There have been 65,075 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 704 (or 1.1 per cent) from the previous day. There are 55,978 people recovered from the virus while 3,050 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 4,690,277 of which 16,303 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 201,437. The country has 9,778 deaths from the virus – 253 in British Columbia, 292 in Alberta, 25 in Saskatchewan, 42 in Manitoba, 3,050 in Ontario, 6,044 in Quebec, three in New Brunswick, four in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
- With the second wave, Canada has now surpassed 200,000 cases after going past 100,000 cases four months ago. The country’s first case was in late January and it took roughly five months to reach 100,000 cases.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit region added 26 cases over the weekend to bring the region total to 435 confirmed cases, 159 active and 263 resolved. There was one new death recorded at a nursing home in Hawkesbury, bringing the total deaths to 13. There are four people are in hospital, one in ICU. There are five institutional outbreaks. Testing increased by 511 to 70,071. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 303 cases (123 active), SD&G 90 cases (27 active) and Cornwall 42 cases (nine active).
- The 26 new EOHU cases are as follows: Casselman (1), Russell (1), Clarence-Rockland (3), Champlain (2), Alfred and Plantagenet (1), Hawkesbury (8), East Hawkesbury (1), North Stormont (1), South Stormont (1), North Glengarry (1), South Glengarry (4), Cornwall (2). Only 10 of the 26 cases were related to outbreaks at nursing homes.
- The province and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit will make a collective decision on a modified Stage 2 in the “next couple of days,” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis said Monday. The new case growth per 100,000 people has been steadily climbing since Sept. 13 and peaked at 37.4 cases per 100,000 people the week of Oct. 4. Preliminary numbers show the viral growth rate was 48 per 100,000 last week. Anything above 25 is considered high level virus transmission. That coupled with the fact EOHU is sandwiched between hot zones of Ottawa and Quebec doesn’t bode well for us. As far as justifying the introduction of restrictions, “if you look at the numbers we’re there,” Roumeliotis said.
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit added a half dozen cases Monday to bring the regional total to 418 confirmed cases, of which 13 are active and 353 are recovered. The breakdown is: Leeds-Grenville East (four active), Leeds-Grenville Central (one active), Leeds-Grenville West (two active), Lanark County West (two active) and Lanark County East (four active). There have been 52 deaths to date.
- Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams is recommending kids in the hot spots of Peel, York, Toronto and Ottawa not go trick-or-treating for Halloween. Williams says families should not travel outside their neighbourhoods as well. As for outside the hot zones, William says kids should only go trick-or-treating with members of the household – both groups of neighbourhood children.
- The non-essential travel ban at the Canada-U.S. border has been extended until Nov. 21. The restriction has been in place since mid-March.
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