Newswatch COVID-19 Digest: Tuesday November 24, 2020

Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Tuesday, November 24, 2020:

  • There have been 105,501 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 1,589 (or 1.5 per cent) from the previous day. There are 88,992 people recovered from the virus while 3,505 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 5,957,723 of which 18,394 have pending results.
  • Canada’s coronavirus case total is 337,555. The country has 11,521 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, 348 in British Columbia, 476 in Alberta, 37 in Saskatchewan, 236 in Manitoba, 3,505 in Ontario, 6,842 in Quebec, seven in New Brunswick, four in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
  • The Eastern Ontario Health Unit area added 15 cases over the weekend to bring the regional total to 802 confirmed cases, of which 106 are active and 667 are resolved. There have been 29 deaths associated with the virus. Five people are in hospital (one fewer than Friday). There are three active outbreaks (includes nursing homes, schools and daycare), one fewer than Friday. Testing increased by 410 to 81,014. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 524 cases (52 active), SD&G 121 cases (11 active), Cornwall 126 cases (38 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 31 cases (five active).
  • Five of the six new cases reported Monday in Prescott-Russell are at the Prescott-Russell Residence in Hawkesbury. The new cases are three residents and two staff. There has been another death at the nursing home. There have been 104 resident cases with 76 resolved and 66 staff cases with 63 resolved.
  • In the EOHU region, there are currently three active COVID-19 cases at three schools. There have been 38 cases in 21 schools since school started this fall.
  • A French elementary school in Casselman underwent a “precautionary closure” Friday for two weeks after a staff member was symptomatic at work. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis decided to close the school because the worker was “roaming around the school as part of their job” and health officials couldn’t pinpoint any specific classroom as a high risk exposure area. Roumeliotis stressed that there’s no outbreak at the school which has around 150 students.
  • The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit remained at 480 confirmed cases on Monday. There are 12 cases active and 415 are recovered. One person is out of the hospital. There are two remaining in hospital, two of them in ICU and one on a ventilator. The community case breakdown is: Leeds-Grenville East (five 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.
  • Premier Doug Ford says the COVID-19 vaccine could be available to Ontarians as early as January. General Rick Hillier will lead the rollout of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The retired general will be the head of the Ontario government’s newly announced Ministers’ COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force. The committee will advise the province on how to deploy and give the vaccine.
  • The province wants to extend Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams appointment. Premier Doug Ford says you don’t change a dance partner in the middle of a dance and Williams is “a good dancer.” If it’s approved in the legislature, the appointment would be extended until September 2021. Williams’ appointment was to wrap up in February.
  • The Atlantic bubble has burst. PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador have pulled out of the bubble. Those two provinces are suspending non-essential travel for two weeks. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are dealing with soaring case numbers.
  • In New Brunswick, a seventh person – a person in their 80s from the Saint John region with underlying health issues – has died from COVID-19. The province has 89 active cases and no hospitalizations at the moment. The last two deaths happened about a month ago.
  • The federal government will table an economic update at the end of the month. While the Liberals have delivered a fiscal snapshot with an estimated deficit of $343 billion, they have not tabled a budget this fiscal year.

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.