The health unit representing the City of Kawartha Lakes says a man in his 80s died of COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — on Sunday.
According to a statement posted online, the man was hospitalized at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay on Thursday, March 19, after presenting with flu-like symptoms, including a high fever.
“Tests were conducted and late on March 21 it was confirmed the man tested positive for COVID-19,” the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health said.
He passed away Sunday afternoon. Both pneumonia and COVID-19 are listed as the cause of death, the health unit said.
The health unit says the man did not have any travel history or contact with anyone else who has tested positive for the disease.
“Unfortunately, this man’s tragic passing highlights that we now have community transmission of COVID-19 in our area,” said Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, the health unit’s medical officer.
COVID-19 presents an increased risk for people over the age of 65 or those with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions.
Social distancing has been encouraged by public health officials across the country as a way of slowing down the spread of the virus and giving the health-care system a chance to manage the disease.
On Friday, the health unit confirmed COVID-19 cases among three residents of a long-term care home in Bobcaygeon — marking the first nursing home cases in the region.
The cases — an 89-year-old man, a 94-year-old woman, and a 61-year-old man — are all residents of Pinecrest Nursing Home and were last reported in isolation there.
The City of Kawartha Lakes confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 15 — a woman in her 60s who had recently travelled to Germany.
The health unit has 9 total confirmed cases of COVID-19: 5 in the City of Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland County.
Earlier on Sunday, York Region reported its first COVID-19 death. A 72-year-old Markham woman became the first person in the area to die from the disease since the coronavirus outbreak began.
York Region’s medical officer of health said the woman had returned from overseas on Saturday and died a short time later.
Toronto Public Health also reported Sunday afternoon that a Toronto man died from COVID-19.
A man in his 70s had recently returned from the U.K. He was self-isolating at home after testing positive at a hospital. He died on Saturday.
As of March 22, there are 1,430 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 20 deaths, according to Health Canada and provincial health officials. Eighteen people have recovered so far from the illness across the country.
Prior to the Kawartha Lakes health unit reporting a death, Ontario had reported five deaths, as well as 425 confirmed cases. Eight people in Ontario have recovered from the illness so far.
— With files from Global News reporter Nick Westoll