Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Saturday, November 28, 2020:
- There have been 111,216 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 1,855 (or 1.7 per cent) from the previous day. There are 94,366 people recovered from the virus while 3,595 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 6,126,465 of which 54,241 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 359,064. The country has 11,894 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, 395 in British Columbia, 519 in Alberta, 44 in Saskatchewan, 280 in Manitoba, 3,595 in Ontario, 6,984 in Quebec, seven in New Brunswick, four in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit area added nine cases on Friday to bring the regional total to 835 confirmed cases. The number of active cases increased by six to 90, while resolved cases increased by three to 714. The number of deaths to date is 31. Four people are in hospital. There are four active outbreaks (includes nursing homes, schools and daycare). Testing increased by 359 to 82,780. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 544 cases (51 active), SD&G 128 cases (14 active), Cornwall 132 cases (23 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 31 cases (two active).
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit area added three cases Friday to bring the regional total to 484 confirmed cases. There are seven active cases, three more than Thursday, and 424 are recovered. There are two people in hospital, both in ICU and one on a ventilator. The community case breakdown is: Leeds-Grenville East (zero active), Leeds-Grenville Central (zero active), Leeds-Grenville West (four active), Lanark County West (zero active) and Lanark County East (three active). The total number of deaths is 53. There are no active institutional outbreaks.
- Businesses in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit area may get a visit next week from provincial education and enforcement teams. The EOHU has confirmed that the area is part of the provincial campaign. Officers will be checking on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Dec. 3-5) to make sure businesses are complying with COVID-19 safety rules, including that they have a safety plan in the workplace. While it’s an education campaign, “officers can exercise their enforcement discretion if they find significant non-compliance,” the health unit said.
- In order to alleviate lineups during the pandemic, ServiceOntario has started appointment booking at 42 Ontario locations, including Brockville (King and Market), Cornwall (Brookdale and Fourteenth) and Kemptville (Campus and Concession). Appointments can be booked up to two weeks in advance on the government website.
- Premier Doug Ford wants more information about when Ontario will receive the COVID-19 vaccine, what supplier is delivering and how many doses are coming. Ford says he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday and none of the premiers’ on the call got the answers they were looking for. But Ford says he will “take him (Trudeau) at his word” that the information will be coming.
- Another high-ranking military member will be overseeing the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine. The government announced that Maj. Gen. Dan Fortin is overseeing the logistics. He has been named vice president of logistics and operations for the Public Health Agency of Canada.
- Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam continues to warn that data suggests the country could hit 10,000 cases per day. The daily average has been 5,300 infections over the past week.
- Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe remains in home isolation until Sunday even after testing negative for COVID-19. Moe was tested earlier this week after going to a Prince Albert restaurant for breakfast where someone tested positive.
- With more vulnerable Manitobans being infected, the province is cracking down on shops that fail to follow public health orders. In one case, a Winnipeg Costco was hit with a $5,000 fine.
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.