Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, July 30, 2021:
- There have been 549,952 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 218 cases from the previous day. There have been 539,200 people recovered from the virus while 9,328 have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 16,530,453 of which 8,054 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 1,429,577. The country has 26,575 deaths from the virus – six in the Yukon, four in Nunavut, 1,771 in British Columbia, 2,325 in Alberta, 578 in Saskatchewan, 1,177 in Manitoba, 9,328 in Ontario, 11,240 in Quebec, 46 in New Brunswick, seven in Newfoundland & Labrador and 93 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit added another case in Prescott-Russell Thursday to bring the regional total to 4,746 cases, of which 12 active (one more than Wednesday) and 4,623 are resolved (no change from Wednesday). The number of deaths to date is 111. There is no one in hospital. There are no active institutional outbreaks. Testing increased 60 to 146,694. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 1,986 cases (five active), SD&G 1,124 cases (zero active), Cornwall 1,277 cases (seven active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 359 cases (zero active).
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit stands at 1,768 confirmed cases, of which two are active and 1,706 are recovered. There are 60 deaths to date. There is one person in hospital. There are no active institutional outbreaks. The community case breakdown is: Lanark County East 386 cases (zero active), Lanark County West 400 cases (zero active), Leeds-Grenville Central 208 cases (zero active), Leeds-Grenville East 349 cases (zero active) and Leeds-Grenville West 203 cases (two active). (The health unit is not updating statistics from July 26-30, 2021 as the statistician is on vacation. Next report comes Tuesday, Aug. 3.)
- Public Health Ontario data shows the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit added one new case on Wednesday (July 28).
- Vaccines: Ontario 19,293,701 (+89,157, last update July 29); EOHU 264,620 (last update July 29, +2,672 from previous update July 28); LGL 134,049 individuals living in LGL with first doses, 103,020 with second doses (last update July 20, +1,463 first doses, +16,602 second doses since previous update July 13).
- Ontario reached a vaccine milestone Thursday with 80 per cent of people over the age of 12 being partially vaccinated. Local MPP Jim McDonell tweeted the “exciting milestone” was “terrific news.” The benchmark means the province has reached one of the conditions for moving beyond the third step in the Roadmap to Reopen plan.
- The opposition Conservatives want the Liberal government to act on Canadians having trouble with international travel due to mix-and-match vaccines. Health critic Michelle Rempel Garner points to multiple cases where Canadians have been denied entry into countries because their first and second doses are not the same vaccine.
- Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canadians need to respect the decisions of other countries on who they let enter their borders. Freeland was asked after Canada was left off a list of countries where people don’t have quarantine when they enter the United Kingdom. There’s been no reason given why Canada was left off the quarantine exemption.
- Alberta lifted most of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions Thursday, including the requirement for people who’ve been in close contact with a positive case to isolate. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi calls it the height of insanity. Cases across the province have been steadily going up in recent weeks.
- With surgeries, put on hold during the pandemic, now resuming and restrictions being lifted, Canadian Blood Services is seeing blood demand starting to rebound. With a somewhat normal summer, CBS is already seeing a strain on blood supply.
- The Olympics’ host city set another all-time daily high record of infections on Thursday. Tokyo had 3,865 new infections, which health experts say is being fueled by the Delta variant. The IOC says the spike is not linked to the Games. As far as Olympic athletes, two are hospitalized and 38 are self-isolating.
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