A look at local numbers
Public Health Sudbury & Districts is reporting 29 new cases of COVID-19, one in the Manitoulin District, the rest in Greater Sudbury.
Considering resolved cases, there are now 285 active cases.
The agency says most are caused by close contact or outbreak-related.
Public Health Sudbury & Districts has also declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Chartwell Southwind Retirement Residence in Greater Sudbury.
The agency is actively working with the retirement home to investigate the outbreak and to protect residents and staff.
Health Sciences North has 30 admitted patients, 18 confirmed and 12 others waiting for results.
Of the 30, seven are in intensive care.
And Algoma Public Health is reporting 20 active cases of the virus.
All are self-isolating and there are no individuals in the hospital.
Doctors want a more active role
Ontario’s family doctors say they want to become more involved in the province’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians says a survey shows 87 percent of Ontarians go to their family doctor first for health advice.
The college says that with one-third of Ontarians expressing skepticism about the vaccines, involving their members could help overcome that reluctance to get inoculated.
It says there must be an “all hands on deck” approach to COVID-19 vaccinations, with a central role for family doctors.
AstraZeneca gets a warning label
Health Canada is in the process of adding a warning label to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The move follows similar action in some European countries, after reports of blood clots in a few patients who had received the vaccine.
The warning will include advice to medical professionals about what to look for, to determine whether clots might be forming.
However, federal health officials add that doesn’t mean the product is unsafe, they still believe the benefits far outweigh the risks.