Ontario records first COVID-19 death of nursing-home worker
Ontario has gone from zero to 518 COVID-19 deaths in the space of one month, with the tally now including a personal support worker who cared for residents at a Scarborough nursing home.
The unidentified woman from the Altamont Care Community in West Hill is the first personal support worker to die in the growing outbreaks that have now hit at least 106 of the province's 626 long-term care facilities, a problem Premier Doug Ford has dubbed a "wildfire."
"She will be sadly missed by all of her colleagues and by all the residents she cared for," said Lois Cormack, president and chief executive of Sienna Senior Living.
The woman was "much loved and valued," Cormack added in a statement breaking the "difficult news."
Staff in long-term care account for almost 60 per cent of the 1,068 cases of COVID-19 among all health-care workers. There have been concerns that nursing home employees have not had enough masks and other personal protective equipment.
According to the latest Ministry of Health figures, there have now been 1,854 cases of COVID-19 in long-term care, which includes 1,229 residents and 621 staff. The number of residents testing positive increased by 296, or 32 per cent, in the 24 hours preceding the ministry's reporting deadline of 4 p.m. Thursday.
At least 216 nursing home residents have died, prompting Ford's government to increase protection measures - including increased testing to better determine the extent of the spread - amid criticism that more action should have been taken sooner.
Ontario's first fatality from the new coronavirus was reported March 17, just days into voluntary-self isolation. The death toll has almost doubled since this time last week.
Another 574 Ontarians have confirmed or probable cases of the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to a Star compilation of data from the province's regional health units as of 11 a.m. Friday.
That's an increase of 5.9 per cent, which is in line with recent daily growth in cases. There were 49 new deaths.
There were 829 Ontarians in hospital, including 245 in intensive care and 200 of those critically ill patients on ventilators to breathe.
The Ministry of Health said 4,555 people have recovered from COVID-19 since the first case was identified in January.
It's believed there are thousands more cases of COVID-19 than official figures indicate because many people with mild symptoms have not been tested and were asked to stay at home in self-isolation.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1