Advertisement

COVID-19 death toll at Kitchener long-term care home rises to 32

Click to play video: 'Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario health officials ‘remain extremely concerned’ about long-term care homes'
Coronavirus outbreak: Ontario health officials ‘remain extremely concerned’ about long-term care homes
WATCH ABOVE: Ontario health officials ‘remain extremely concerned’ about long-term care homes – Apr 24, 2020

Waterloo Public Health says 32 residents of Forest Heights Long-Term Care in Kitchener have now suffered COVID-19-related deaths.

The death toll now accounts for more than half of the 61 people who have died in the region amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The health unit announced six more COVID-19-related deaths on Monday, all coming from retirement or long-term care homes.

Five of those involved residents of Forest Heights while another resident of Trinity Village in Kitchener also died bringing the total deaths at that facility to five.

Waterloo Public Health’s dashboard is updated daily based upon the numbers it has compiled at 7 p.m. the previous evening.

Story continues below advertisement

Over the weekend, the dashboard was adjusted, adding LTC/retirement homes under its types of transmission.

Click to play video: 'Can you become immune to COVID-19?'
Can you become immune to COVID-19?

The change shows that 60 per cent (or 409) of the region’s coronavirus cases have occurred at such facilities. This total includes the 133 residents and 52 staff members at Forest Heights who have tested positive for the coronavirus as well as 31 residents and 28 staff members at Trinity Village who have also seen tests come back positive.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

A total of 158 cases have occurred in the area through community transmission while 80 have come through close contact and another 36 contracted the virus while travelling.

With seven more positive tests, there have now been 683 cases of the novel coronavirus in the area, a number which includes the 199 people who have been cleared of the virus and the 61 deaths.

Story continues below advertisement

Thirty-two people are currently in area hospitals as a result of the virus.

Ontario reported 424 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday and 57 additional deaths, bringing the provincial totals to 14,856 cases and 892 deaths.

Sponsored content

AdChoices