The province of Ontario confirmed another 59 positive COVID-19 cases, including three in Simcoe-Muskoka that the local health unit reported yesterday.
Information compiled from the health unit and local hospitals yesterday and this morning indicates the most recent positive tests were confirmed in a Barrie man in his 40s, a Bradford man in his 20s, and a Collingwood man in his 50s.
The Barrie man was tested at Stevenson Memorial Hospital, and is currently hospitalized. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported the man contracted the virus through travel to the UK. Ontario Health is reporting he travelled to England, specifically.
The Collingwood man is the first confirmed case in the community. He was tested on March 13 and was then sent home to self-isolate. His test was confirmed on March 19, and announced March 20.
The Bradford man in his 20s was tested at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH) on March 15 and was then sent home to self-isolate. OSMH reported yesterday the man contracted the virus through travel, and the provincial list indicates the travel was to Ecuador. However, SMDHU reports the man contracted the virus through close contact.
There are now eight positive COVID-19 cases reported in Simcoe Muskoka region, including one death confirmed caused by COVID-19 in a man in his 70s who died at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) where he was hospitalized 20 hours before he died. A COVID-19 test came back positive after the man had died and a coroner ruled the virus as the cause of death. He contracted the virus through close contact.
In one other RVH case, a man in his 70s from Alberta visiting Barrie has been hospitalized. The health unit reports he contracted the virus through travel. His case is being connected to the death at RVH caused by COVID-19.
The remaining three cases in the region include a man in his 40s from Barrie who travelled to Spain, a woman in her 50s from Bradford who travelled to Ecuador, and a man in his 60s from Orillia who travelled to Austria. All were sent home after testing to self-isolate.
There are now 377 confirmed cases reported in Ontario, however reports from hospitals and health units over the last week have shown those results can take from two days to seven days to be confirmed in a lab and reported back to health units.
So far, the province reports there have been 23,384 patients approved for COVID-19 testing, and there are 7,239 cases currently under investigation. Six COVID-19 patients in Ontario have now recovered, and two have died.
