Toronto’s medical officer of health says eight more residents at an east-end Toronto nursing home have died from coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 16.
Dr. Eileen de Villa made the announcement during a news conference at Toronto city hall Wednesday afternoon, noting there were still four more deaths of residents being investigated.
“Unfortunately we anticipate that there may be additional deaths among those residents who have become ill with COVID-19 over the past few weeks,” she told reporters.
READ MORE: 8 dead at east-end Toronto nursing home, 69 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases
“We are continuing to work closely with Seven Oaks to ensure all outbreak measures are in place and that staff, residents and families are supported as best as possible during these very challenging circumstances.”
De Villa said as of Wednesday, there were 45 confirmed cases and 56 probable cases of COVID-19 among 249 residents. There were also 13 confirmed cases among staff members.
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She said the rate of new infections is slowing down due to new control measures, but with an incubation period of up to 14 days, there will be a delay in seeing the impact of the new control measures.
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“I would like to thank each and every person working at Seven Oaks Long-term Care, or in any other long-term care or retirement home, for caring for our loved ones,” De Villa said.
“They are responding courageously during these unprecedented times.”
However, a City of Toronto spokesperson confirmed to Global News that a number of staff members at the Seven Oaks Long-term Care Home were using surgical masks that were later recalled by the City due to the masks being “poor quality.” In total, 200 masks were used at two facilities.
READ MORE: Ontario long-term care homes preparing families for the worst
On April 1, the City of Toronto first announced an outbreak at the long-term care facility located near Morningside Avenue and Ellesmere Road.
At the time, officials said six residents died in addition to two more who previously died. They said six residents and nine staff were currently dealing with COVID-19 and there were 54 resident cases that were deemed “probable.”
As of Wednesday morning, the Ontario government said there were 5,276 cases of COVID-19 in the province. In total, 174 Ontario residents have died and 2,074 cases have been deemed resolved.
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