Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, November 20, 2020:
- There have been 99,372 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 1,210 (or 1.2 per cent) from the previous day. There are 83,301 people recovered from the virus while 3,443 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 5,779,019 of which 44,493 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 315,751. The country has 11,265 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, 321 in British Columbia, 451 in Alberta, 32 in Saskatchewan, 198 in Manitoba, 3,443 in Ontario, 6,744 in Quebec, six in New Brunswick, four in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit area added five cases Thursday to bring the regional total to 783 confirmed cases, of which 121 are active and 634 are resolved. There have been 28 deaths associated with the virus. Six people are in hospital, two fewer than the previous day. There are four active outbreaks (includes nursing homes, schools and daycare). Testing increased by 312 to 80,182. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 514 cases (48 active), SD&G 118 cases (15 active), Cornwall 125 cases (50 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 26 cases (eight active).
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit remained at 480 confirmed cases on Thursday. There are 15 cases active and 412 are recovered. There are three people in hospital, two of them in ICU and one on a ventilator. The community case breakdown is: Leeds-Grenville East (eight active), Leeds-Grenville Central (zero active), Leeds-Grenville West (two active), Lanark County West (zero active) and Lanark County East (five active). The total number of deaths is 53. There are no active institutional outbreaks.
- Quebec Premier Francois Legault is asking residents to isolate one week before Christmas and one week after. Legault says gatherings up to 10 people would be allowed during the week of Christmas if people abide by the so-called moral contract. There were 1,207 new cases on Thursday and 34 more deaths reported.
- Data from the Canadian Institutes for Health Information show almost half of all surgeries were cancelled in the first four months of the pandemic compared to the same period last year as hospitals waited for a crush of patients, similar to Italy and China.
- Yukon’s chief medical officer of health has told residents to cancel non-essential travel. Meanwhile in the north, Nunavut has started a two-week lockdown after cases spiked from one to 74 over a couple of weeks.
- Canada Revenue Agency figures show that some of the country’s wealthiest applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. There were 115,000 people who earned between $100,000 and $200,000 annually in 2019 who applied for the $2,000 a month benefit. The CERB wrapped up in October.
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