Ontario confirms 356 new COVID-19 cases, 45 more deaths

Clusters of COVID-19 cases in workplaces have gone up in the last week, but as Cynthia Mulligan reports, the premier is still striking an optimistic tone when it comes to moving towards the second phase of the province’s reopening plan.

By News Staff, The Canadian Press

Ontario confirmed 356 new cases of novel coronavirus on Thursday. There were 338 cases reported yesterday.

Forty-five more people have died, bringing the total death count to 2,357.

Of the 2,357 total deaths, 1,509 were in long-term care, Public Health Ontario reports. The Ministry of Long-Term Care reports that 1,679 people who have died were in long-term care – a discrepancy attributed to a lag in reported deaths.

The provincial total of confirmed cases now stands at 29,403 with 78.9 per cent considered resolved.

Ontario completed 20,822 tests in the previous day, more than the 20,000-per-day goal the province has pledged earlier in the pandemic.

The management of a ninth long-term care home was taken over the province today as well. Woodbridge Vista Care Community in Vaughan will now be under the management of the William Osler Health System.

The long-term care home has seen 65 resident cases of the coronavirus and 20 staff cases. Seventeen people have died.

Toronto Public Health reported 183 new cases on Thursday, which is a 1.6 per cent increase over the previous day.

Public health officials also reported 38 new deaths which is more than three times what was reported yesterday and the highest total since May 9. The total number of deaths now sits at 883.

The total number of cases in the city is 11,835 with just over 9,000 recovered cases.

Meanwhile, the Ontario government made former federal health minister Jane Philpott an adviser.

Philpott, a physician, will help with the design and implementation on a new health-data platform.

The government says the platform will assist researchers and health-system workers as they access anonymized data.

The information will be used to help research and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philpott served as a minister in the federal government until she was ejected from the Liberal caucus in 2019. That came after she resigned from cabinet in solidarity with Jody Wilson-Raybould over the SNC-Lavalin affair.

She was defeated in the last federal election and took a new role at Queen’s University earlier this year.

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