Ontario’s health ministry reported Thursday that five more people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Ottawa, two of whom have been admitted to hospital.
Three of the five new confirmed cases are related to travel, while another person contracted the virus through close contact. The type of transmission was listed as “pending” for the fifth case.
A man who recently travelled to Spain and a woman who recently travelled to Egypt and Dubai are the two cases in hospital, according to a daily update from the province on the status of COVID-19 cases in Ontario. Both adults are in their 60s.
The third travel-related case is a man also in his 60s who travelled to Spain as well. He is self-isolating, according to health officials.
A woman in her 70s who caught COVID-19 from close contact with another case is self-isolating. The fifth case, a woman in her 40s, is also in self-isolation.
Ottawa’s health unit investigating 51 confirmed cases of COVID-19
Ottawa Public Health — which reports local COVID-19 cases separately from the province — said Thursday it is investigating 51 confirmed cases of the virus.
For its part, the Ontario government has so far confirmed 32 cases of the novel coronavirus in the national capital.
Local health officials have warned repeatedly that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the city is likely much higher — probably in the thousands — because of the limitation around testing.
News of the additional confirmed cases comes a day after Ottawa’s public health unit announced Ottawa’s first resident to die from the new coronavirus: a man in his 90s who lived at home and had no recent travel history.
The city’s medical officer of health, Dr. Vera Etches, and the Ottawa Hospital’s medical director of emergency management are expected to provide an update on Ottawa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Ontario confirmed 170 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. The province now has 837 active cases.
Thirteen people have died from the virus in the province. Eight cases have been resolved.
Nearly 11,000 test results are pending in Ontario.
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