Here are the latest local, regional and national headlines on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) for Wednesday, December 23, 2020:
There have been 160,255 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Ontario, an increase of 2,202 (or 1.4 per cent) from the previous day. There are 136,767 people recovered from the virus while 4,188 people have died. The number of Ontario people tested is 7,471,302 of which 47,872 have pending results.
Canada’s coronavirus case total is 521,509. The country has 14,425 deaths from the virus – one in the Yukon, 777 in British Columbia, 871 in Alberta, 125 in Saskatchewan, 590 in Manitoba, 4,188 in Ontario, 7,794 in Quebec, eight in New Brunswick, four in Newfoundland & Labrador and 65 in Nova Scotia.
Clinical Director Dr. Benson Kelly and Pharmacy Supervisor Joan Westcott opening the first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. Dec. 21. Photo: St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
Dec 21, 2020
Saint Regis Mohawk Health Services says it has received its first 200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a press release, the initial shipment will be given to Akwesasne health care workers, tribal police officers, and other frontline personnel as soon as early January.
It will require a second dose to be administered about a month later.
More will arrive in the coming months, officials say, but the first shipment of the vaccine provides a vital tool in combating the coronavirus. It’s one of two vaccines currently authorized by the FDA and is about 94% effective at preventing symptoms from developing.