3 new cases of COVID-19 in the Kingston region, total now 68

The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) region has recorded three new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday.

This makes a total of five new cases in the region this week, with two other cases identified earlier this week.

Those two new cases were both identified in women, one in her 20s and one below the age of 20, according to provincial data released Wednesday.

For the first of those cases, identified in a hospital worker at Kingston General Hospital, KFL&A Public Health has yet to identify a close contact who may have given her the disease, pointing to community transmission.

Public health said Wednesday that both of this week’s earlier cases are still being investigated.

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KFL&A Public Health does not release identifying data of new cases, so it’s unclear how the three new cases of COVID-19 were transmitted.

But the Rustic Spud, a local restaurant, posted to Facebook Wednesday evening saying one of their employees had contracted the virus.

“The individual showed symptoms on Tuesday June 23 and attended a testing facility on the same day. We were informed of the positive test result today June 24 shortly after the individual received their results,” the Facebook post read.

The restaurant’s Facebook post said the employee was working in “interior food service only with the exception of a short period on Thursday June 18 on the patio.”

“The health officials have indicated to us that anyone that did not have direct and prolonged contact with the individual or was not at the Spud after Thursday the 18th would be considered a very low risk individual,” the Rustic Spud said.

All staff at the restaurant have been tested and are currently awaiting results, according to the post.

The restaurant has closed their doors until further notice from KFL&A Public Health.

Hours before the new case numbers were released, Dr. Kieran Moore, medical officer of health for the region, said it was normal to expect more cases of the virus now that the Kingston region had entered stage 2 of the province’s reopening plans.

The region’s total has gone up from staying steady at 63, with no active cases, for over a week to now standing at 68, with five active cases.

The region has not seen three new cases in one day since early May, with only sporadic cases showing up now and again over the last month or so.