Here are the latest local, regional and national coronavirus headlines (COVID-19) for Monday, February 28, 2022:
- Public Health Ontario reported 35 deaths on Friday, 31 on Saturday and nine on Sunday to bring the total to 12,430. There are 842 people in hospital (~10 per cent of hospitals not reporting weekend bed census), 281 in ICU (down three from the previous day) and 181 on a ventilator (up nine from the previous day). Although PHO reported 2,001 new cases Sunday, the statistic is likely lower than the number of infections given the limited testing in Ontario. The total case count is 1,100,696.
- Canada’s coronavirus case total (as of 9 a.m. Feb. 25) is 3,269,546. The country has 36,377 deaths from the virus – 21 in the Yukon, 19 in the Northwest Territories, five in Nunavut, 2,840 in British Columbia, 3,885 in Alberta, 1,091 in Saskatchewan, 1,668 in Manitoba, 12,347 in Ontario, 13,931 in Quebec, 300 in New Brunswick, 15 in PEI, 64 in Newfoundland & Labrador and 191 in Nova Scotia.
- There were seven people in hospital in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit area Friday (three fewer than Thursday) with one in the ICU (no change from Thursday). There were four deaths added, bringing the total to 198. There are eight (no change from Thursday). Test positivity from limited testing in high-risk populations is 12.3 per cent (up 0.8 from Thursday). Public Health Ontario says the cumulative case total for the region as of Sunday is 13,607.
- In its Friday report, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit has nine people in hospital (two more than Wednesday), one in the ICU (three fewer than Wednesday) and one on a ventilator (no change from Wednesday). The number of deaths to date is 81 (no change from Wednesday). There were 38 cases added since Wednesday but due to limited testing, the number of cases locally is likely higher than what is being reported. Local case numbers are updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Public Health Ontario says the cumulative case count for the region as of Sunday is 6,721. There are five lab-confirmed outbreaks in congregate care, communal living and other facilities (one more than Wednesday). A partial list of active .
- Vaccines: Ontario 31,673,271 (+27,897, last update Feb. 27); EOHU 458,339 (last update Feb. 25, +518 from previous update Feb. 24); LGL 162,025 individuals living in LGL with first doses, 156,379 with second doses, 103,432 with third doses, 1,761 with fourth doses (new metric). (last update Feb. 20, +128 first doses, +685 second doses, +1,348 third doses since previous update Feb. 13).
- Across the river in St. Lawrence County (which includes Massena, Potsdam and Canton), there were 59 newly reported cases Friday bringing the active case count to 290. There are five people in the hospital, three of which were admitted for COVID while two were admitted and then tested positive. There have been 176 deaths to date. Just over 60 per cent of the county population is fully vaccinated. The positivity rate is 4.9 per cent compared to 2 per cent across New York State. (St. Lawrence County Public Health stopped creating maps showing active case counts. The last map was on Feb. 18.)
- The southern portion of Akwesasne had two new positive cases in its Thursday update to bring the total active cases to four in the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal area. One of the active cases is a child younger than 5 years old. There have been 1,074 cases and seven deaths to date.
- A trucking convoy in the United States which left California Friday heading for Washington, D.C. has fizzled out. By the time it got to Las Vegas, there were five trucks, according to Freedom Convoy USA organizers.
- A pair of studies released over the weekend point to a market selling live animals in Wuhan, China as the likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies, which are yet to be published in a scientific journal or peer-reviewed, were co-authored by a biologist at the University of Arizona. The researchers found no evidence of the other theory the virus escaped from a Wuhan laboratory.
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