Here are the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic in the Greater Toronto Area for Wednesday:
Dozens of COVID-19 cases, 29 deaths at Scarborough long-term care home
Kennedy Lodge Long Term Care Home in Scarborough has confirmed that 92 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 29 have died in its latest outbreak which began on Oct. 2.
As of Wednesday, there were 30 residents with active cases of the virus and 32 residents have recovered.
A total of 35 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Kennedy Lodge and 17 of those cases have resolved.
York Region Public Health says 17 cases linked to 2 weddings
York Region Public Health says it has confirmed 17 cases of COVID-19 to two weddings and related events.
The two events were on Oct. 28 and 30: 12 cases are from York Region while five are from Toronto.
Public Health has steps outlined here, as to next steps for those who attended one or both events.
No Frills staff member at Toronto store tests positive for coronavirus
A Loblaw spokesperson says in a statement a staff member at Mike’s No Frills on Lansdowne Avenue, south of Dundas Street West, has tested positive for coronavirus.
The spokesperson said the employee last worked on Nov. 2 and those who worked closely with the employee are at home in self-isolation.
“We have been working with the local public health team and have taken a number of steps to minimize risk, including increased sanitization protocols and enforcing social distancing practices in the store,” the statement said, adding additional cleaning of the store has been arranged.
Ontario commemorates Remembrance Day virtually, socially distanced
TORONTO — A small crowd gathered at a Toronto cenotaph to mark Remembrance Day in one of several pared-down ceremonies across the city.
While the event at Old City Hall was closed to the public, several bystanders _ most of them wearing masks _ gathered as city officials laid wreaths and paid respects to the country’s veterans.
Mayor John Tory noted that Toronto had been marking Remembrance Day at the cenotaph for 100 years, with the first ceremony taking place during another pandemic, the Spanish flu.
New jury trials, selection postponed in Toronto, Brampton due to COVID-19 numbers
The start of new jury trials is being pushed back in several Ontario cities due to rising COVID-19 cases.
The Superior Court of Justice says jury selection and new jury trials were set to resume in Toronto and Brampton, Ont., next week but will now be put off until at least Nov. 30 as a result of the deteriorating public health situation.
Status of cases in the GTA
Ontario reported a total of 1,426 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.
Of those:
- 384 were recorded in Toronto
- 468 were recorded in Peel Region
- 180 were recorded in York Region
- 72 were recorded in Halton Region
- 30 were recorded in Durham Region
Ontario reports 1,426 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, 15 more deaths
Ontario reported 1,426 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, yet another new single-day record, bringing the provincial total to 88,209.
Wednesday’s case count beats out Tuesday’s which saw 1,388 cases and was the previous single-day high. On Monday, 1,242 new cases were reported. This is also the sixth straight day that daily case counts have been above 1,000.
The death toll in the province has risen to 3,275 as 15 more deaths were reported.
More than 36,700 tests were processed in the last 24 hours. Resolved cases increased by 886 from the previous day.
Ontario long-term care homes
According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, there have been 2,041 deaths reported among residents and patients in long-term care homes across Ontario which is an increase of 24 deaths. A discrepancy between the daily death increase reported by the province and the death increase reported from the ministry can be due to a delay in uploading it into the system.
There are 93 current outbreaks in homes, a decrease of two.
The ministry also indicated there are currently 683 active cases among long-term care residents and 410 active cases among staff — up by 36 cases and 11 cases respectively in the last day.
Ontario child care centres and schools
Meanwhile, government figures show there have been a total of 3,063 school-related COVID-19 cases in Ontario — 1,743 among students and 383 among staff (937 individuals were not identified). This is an increase of 198 more cases from the previous day — the highest single-day increase since schools reopened.
The COVID-19 cases are currently from 654 out of 4,828 schools in the province. Two schools in Ontario are currently closed as a result of positive cases, the government indicated.
There have been a total of 547 confirmed cases within child care centres and homes — an increase of 19 (six new child cases and 13 staff cases.) Out of 5,243 child care centres in Ontario, 126 currently have cases and 20 centres are closed.
—With files from The Canadian Press