Newswatch COVID-19 Digest: Monday March 8, 2021

Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Monday, March 8, 2021:

  • There have been 308,296 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 1,299 (or 0.4 per cent) from the previous day. There are 290,840 people recovered from the virus while 7,067 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 11,398,354 of which 20,057 have pending results.
  • Canada’s coronavirus case total is 886,574. The country has 22,239 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, one in Nunavut, 1,380 in British Columbia, 1,914 in Alberta, 398 in Saskatchewan, 907 in Manitoba, 7,067 in Ontario, 10,472 in Quebec, 28 in New Brunswick, six in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
  • The Eastern Ontario Health Unit area stands at 2,870 cases, of which 164 are active and 2,638 are resolved. There are 68 deaths to date. Four people are in hospital and one in the ICU. There are five active institutional outbreaks. Testing was up 560 to 112,239. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 1,226 cases (45 active), SD&G 637 cases (38 active), Cornwall 748 cases (47 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 240 cases (17 active). (The health unit doesn’t update statistics on weekends)
  • The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit stands at 908 confirmed cases, of which 49 are active and 805 are recovered. There are 54 deaths to date. Three people are in hospital, including one in ICU on a ventilator. There are no active institutional outbreaks. The community case breakdown is: Lanark County East 184 cases (34 active), Lanark County West 172 cases (nine active), Leeds-Grenville Central 97 cases (one active), Leeds-Grenville East 127 cases (two active) and Leeds-Grenville West 124 cases (two active). (The health unit doesn’t update statistics on weekends)
  • Vaccines: Ontario 890,604 (+30,192, updated daily); EOHU 9,617 (last update March 5, +378 from previous update March 4); LGL 4,796 individuals with at least 1 shot (last update March 1, +1,842 from previous update Feb. 22).
  • Two more COVID-19 cases have surfaced at Catholic schools in Williamstown and Cornwall. In the case at Iona Academy in Williamstown reported Thursday, the classroom affected has been closed. The other case Friday at St. Joseph Catholic Secondary School has not affected school operations. The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario has a total of four active cases according to its website. Provincial data shows the other cases are an infected staff member at Bishop MacDonell in Cornwall (March 2) which closed a classroom and a student case at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School.
  • Numbers continue to drop in Quebec where 707 new cases were reported Sunday. There were seven more deaths. Much of the province is planning to transition from red to orange under the colour-coded alert system, which is a lower restriction.
  • Statistics Canada is studying whether the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in permanent residents leaving Canada. Data from the agency shows the number of immigrants in Canada fewer than five years dropped four per cent between 2019 and 2020 compared to three per cent increases in the years prior.
  • A health expert in St. John’s, Newfoundland believes the U.K. variant that quickly spread through the province and derailed the provincial election, was likely caused by young people who had little or no symptoms, didn’t know they were carriers and spread it though activities like after-school sports where physical distancing is difficult. Over 550 cases have been linked to the outbreak.
  • A tourism report from Destination Canada says the aftermath of the pandemic on the industry will be greater than 9-11, SARS and the 2008-2009 global financial crisis combined. The domestic travel promoter says people should consider travelling in Canada in order to kick-start the economy.

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.