Health officials in Ontario have reported a third COVID-19-related death in the province.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit said Saturday that the patient was a man in his 70s who was being treated at a hospital in Barrie and had close contact with an individual who had COVID-19 and died on March 11.
Both of the patients were being treated at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
“Firstly, RVH extends its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased patient. His death is a tragedy and underscores the seriousness of this pandemic,” RVH president and CEO Janice Skot said in a statement.
“I want to further assure our community that RVH remains well-prepared to care for COVID-19 patients, strictly following infection control protocols to keep our patients, healthcare workers and our community safe.”
Simcoe Muskoka has nine cases of COVID-19 as of Saturday, the most recent involving a woman in her late 30s who went to a hospital in Newmarket on March 17.
Officials said she is in serious condition and it’s believed she may have acquired the infection from community spread.
Ontario reported 59 new cases of novel coronavirus on Saturday morning.