ontario 2,447 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Ontario, 2,349 new cases reported in Quebec The second wave of COVID-19 is taking its toll on Ontario’s long-term care homes. Hard-hit Quebec learned some lessons during the first wave, but Ontario didn’t implement many changes and some say what’s happening now is ‘unacceptable and unforgivable.' nigeria New coronavirus variant appears to emerge in Nigeria, Africa CDC says Another new variant of the coronavirus appears to have emerged in Nigeria, Africa's top public health official said Thursday, but he added that further investigation was needed. The discovery could add to new alarm in the pandemic after similar variants were announced in Britain and South Africa, leading to the swift return of international travel restrictions and other measures just as the world enters a major holiday season. "It's a separate lineage from the U.K. and South Africa," the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told reporters. He said the Nigeria CDC and the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in that country — Africa's most populous — will be analyzing more samples. (NOTE: Africa has been barely touched by the coronavirus. RJS)

lockdown Ontario to move into lockdown on Saturday Ontario reports single-day record of 2,447 new COVID-19 cases, 49 more deaths