2 more COVID-19 deaths as N.L. ends deadliest month of the pandemic

Newfoundland and Labrador reported two more deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, raising the province's toll to 40 since the pandemic began more than half of them in the past month alone.

Both people were over the age of 70: a manin the Eastern Health region and a woman in the Central Health region. The deaths are the 20th and 21stin January.

The province also reported 183 new cases of COVID-19. Twenty-two people are in hospital due to COVID-19 down one from Sunday's record high of 23 with nine people in critical care.

A total of 900 COVID-19 tests have been completed since Sunday, for a positivity rate of 20.3 per cent. The province has completed 481,461 tests since March 2020.

With 222 new recoveries, the province's known active caseload dropsto 2,121.

The Department of Health also announced the province will stay in a modified version of Alert Level 4 for another week but said changes will comeinto effect next Monday, with details to be announced at a briefing on Thursday.

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