Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Sunday, April 25, 2021:
- There have been 441,404 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 4,094 cases from the previous day. There have been 392,044 people recovered from the virus while 7,887 have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 13,831,115 of which 31,933 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 1,172,004. The country has 23,927 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, four in Nunavut, 1,554 in British Columbia, 2,064 in Alberta, 473 in Saskatchewan, 967 in Manitoba, 7,887 in Ontario, 10,869 in Quebec, 35 in New Brunswick, six in Newfoundland & Labrador and 67 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit area stands at 4,255 confirmed cases across the region, of which 415 are active and 3,742 are resolved. There are 98 deaths to date. Twenty-nine people are in hospital with six in the ICU. There are 17 active institutional outbreaks. Testing is at 132,843. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 1,771 cases (188 active), SD&G 1,018 cases (82 active), Cornwall 1,160 cases (127 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 306 cases (18 active). (The health unit doesn’t update statistics on weekends)
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit area stands at 1,562 confirmed cases across the region, of which 78 are active and 1,426 are recovered. There are 58 deaths to date. Seven people are in hospital with two in ICU on a ventilator. There are no active institutional outbreaks. The community case breakdown is: Lanark County East 325 cases (15 active), Lanark County West 368 cases (eight active), Leeds-Grenville Central 175 cases (23 active), Leeds-Grenville East 298 cases (19 active) and Leeds-Grenville West 176 cases (12 active). (The health unit doesn’t update statistics on weekends)
- Vaccines: Ontario 4,527,368 (+126,694, last update April 24); EOHU 48,336 (last update April 23, +1,221 from previous update April 22); LGL 32,264 individuals with at least 1 shot (last update April 19, +4,672 from previous update April 12, week-to-week change includes doses not previously linked to health unit).
- Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to close all non-essential travel to Canada immediately. “We need more action on our border right now,” he said in a statement Saturday morning. Public Health Ontario confirms that 36 cases of the B1617 variant first detected in India have shown up in Ontario – most caught at border entry points.
- Canada’s chief public health officer notes continued strain on the health care system. Dr. Theresa Tam’s numbers show a 22 per cent week to week increase in COVID-19 patients being treated in Canadian hospitals as of Thursday.
- A second blood clot case in Ontario after a person received the AstraZeneca vaccine. It’s a man in his 60s from the Hamilton area, who remains in hospital from the rare side effect.
- Two Amazon warehouses in Peel Region have been partially shut down under the region’s rules where shutdowns have to occur when there are five or more COVID-19 cases over two weeks in a workplace. The shutdown can last up to a week-and-a-half while affected employees isolate.
- Unlike the rest of the world, 50,000 concert-goers crammed a rugby stadium in New Zealand where social distancing isn’t required after the country virtually stamped out the spread of the virus. The concert by New Zealand band Six60 was billed as the largest live act in the world since the pandemic began.
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