8 dead, 123 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Leeds, Grenville, Lanark region

COVID-19 cases are spreading rapidly in the rural region covered by the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit.

On Wednesday, the health unit says there was a total of 123 novel coronavirus cases in the region, and eight people have died from the disease, seven of whom are from long-term care homes, while the eighth person was a member of the community at large.

As a comparison, the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington region only has 53 cases, and has a larger urban centre than the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark area.

There are also currently 31 health-care workers in the region that have been diagnosed with the virus, with six outbreaks at local long-term care facilities.

Numbers have grown especially over the last two days, with 28 cases identified between Monday and Tuesday, and 30 cases identified between Tuesday and Wednesday.

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The public health unit says 16 of its 21 municipalities have been affected.

Before that, the rural region’s largest jump was 13 cases, seen on April 2.

The local public health unit reported it’s first case of COVID-19 on March 26.