Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Friday, October 8, 2021:
- There have been 590,104 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 587 cases from the previous day (VAX: 349 unvaccinated, 27 partially vaccinated, 164 fully vaccinated, 47 unknown). There have been 575,753 people recovered from the virus while 9,776 have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 18,299,448 of which 16,548 have pending results.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total is 1,651,236. The country has 28,141 deaths from the virus – 10 in the Yukon, six in the Northwest Territories, four in Nunavut, 1,996 in British Columbia, 2,814 in Alberta, 737 in Saskatchewan, 1,215 in Manitoba, 9,776 in Ontario, 11,405 in Quebec, 70 in New Brunswick, 10 in Newfoundland & Labrador and 98 in Nova Scotia.
- The Eastern Ontario Health Unit added 57 cases Thursday – four in Prescott-Russell, eight in SD&G and nine in Cornwall – to bring the regional total to 5,515 confirmed cases. There were 36 Akwesasne cases as part of a data catch-up. Of all cases, 160 are active (eight more than Wednesday) and 5,240 are resolved (48 more than Wednesday). One more person has died, bringing the total to 115 deaths to date. There are 11 people in hospital (one more than Wednesday) and six in the ICU (two more from Wednesday). There are nine institutional outbreaks (one more than Wednesday). Testing increased 331 to 161,718. The breakdown of cases is: Prescott-Russell 2,173 cases (24 active), SD&G 1,285 cases (37 active), Cornwall 1,628 cases (83 active) and Akwesasne (ON/QC) 429 cases (16 active)(Akwesasne health department reports six new cases Thursday: 444 total cases, 26 active).
- The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit added five cases Thursday to bring the regional total to 1,911 confirmed cases, of which 23 are active (five more than Wednesday) and 1,828 are recovered (no change from Wednesday). There are 60 deaths to date. There are two people in hospital, two in the ICU and one on a ventilator (no change from Wednesday). There are no active institutional outbreaks. The community case breakdown is: Lanark County East 419 cases (two active), Lanark County West 423 cases (one active), Leeds-Grenville Central 238 cases (15 active), Leeds-Grenville East 389 cases (two active), Leeds-Grenville West 212 cases (two active) and Unknown/Out of Region 22 cases (one active).
- Vaccines: Ontario 21,974,193 (+25,240, last update Oct. 7); EOHU 318,478 (last update Oct. 7, +609 from previous update Oct. 6); LGL 149,118 individuals living in LGL with first doses, 140,928 with second doses (last update Oct. 4, +1,595 first doses, +2,041 second doses since previous update Sept. 27).
- The Cornwall Community Hospital and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit call the recent spate of Cornwall cases and not enough people getting the COVID-19 vaccine a “worrying trend.” In a joint statement Thursday, the health agencies say some parts of the city have the lowest vaccination rates in Ontario while positivity rates are five times higher than the provincial average. They are worried the situation is only going only get worse over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
- Meantime, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health says Thanksgiving can look a little more like old times. But Dr. Kieran Moore says gatherings should be as small as possible and there should be frequent hand washing. For people we pre-existing conditions like compromised immune systems – they should stay home.
- There are newly confirmed COVID-19 cases associated with Bridgewood Public School and CCVS – both in Cornwall. Both schools are running normally.
- Pfizer is expected to start shipping a pediatric version of its vaccine shortly after it gets the go-ahead from regulators. Health Canada is expected to review it in the coming days. This shot would be for children younger than 12.
- The Windsor Regional Hospital has fired 57 employees for not getting a COVID-19 shot. The deadline to be vaccinated was yesterday. The hospital says 98.5 per cent of the workforce complied with the new policy.
- Saskatchewan has its emergency operations center in place. That allows the province to redeploy nursing staff and health care workers to hospitals dealing with a COVID-19 crisis. There are close to 350 people in hospital and around 78 in ICU – most of them unvaccinated.
- U.S. President Joe Biden is promoting vaccination requirements across the country in a bid to get 56 million Americans to roll up their sleeves and get a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s being looked at as a tactic of last resort in order to deal with what he feels is a stubborn slice of the public.
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.