Three new cases of COVID-19 in Greater Sudbury
The City of Greater Sudbury has three new cases of COVID-19 according to Public Health Sudbury and Districts.
The agency states in a release that one case is unknown, another is linked to travel and the third is close contact with another confirmed case.
And, it adds despite the new cases, the number of active cases dropped by one on Tuesday, from 10 to nine as four other cases were declared resolved.
With the three new cases, the agency service area has had 257 confirmed cases since March.
Inmate tests positive
The Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre in Sault Ste. Marie has another inmate that has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Brent Ross, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, says an inmate has been isolated and is receiving medical care.
He says they are also working with Algoma Public Health with contact testing adding voluntary testing of inmates and staff is also underway.
Ross says another inmate had tested positive, but that case is resolved.
The health unit has had 63 confirmed cases of COVID-1i since March including those at the centre in Sault Ste. Marie, but no fatalities.
Moderna vaccine on the way
More COVID-19 doses should be arriving in Ontario soon, following Health Canada’s approval of the new Moderna vaccine.
Estimated 168-thousand doses are to arrive in Canada by the end of this month, with the first arriving within days.
Inoculations can now begin in more remote areas since Moderna’s vaccine does not need the super-cold freezers required by Pfizer’s product.
Ontario is slated to receive about 53-thousand doses before year’s end, with the shot being administered to long-term care residents.
There will be a total of 1.2-million doses of both vaccines in Canada by the end of January….tens of millions more are on order for later in the winter and spring.
Travelling in the UK
Canada is extending its travel ban on visitors from the United Kingdom until at least January 6th.
The ban was implemented after a new strain of the coronavirus was detected there.
While scientists don’t think the changed version causes people to become sicker, it is said to be up to 70 percent more transmissible.
British health officials say they’ve detected a second mutation in people arriving from South Africa….it, too, is considered much easier to transmit from person to person.
Canadian health officials say, so far, neither strain has been detected here.