COVID-19 outbreaks continue to take a heavy toll in York Region as another resident of a Newmarket long-term care centre, and a resident of an East Gwillimbury group home, are among six more fatalities.
An 83-year-old Newmarket man passed away Tuesday, April 28 at Mackenzie Place Long-term Care Home, after receiving positive test results April 14, according to York Region spokesperson Patrick Casey.
He is the sixth resident to die at the Revera facility on George Street, which has one of the most serious of 39 institutional outbreaks in the region with 57 residents and 19 staff confirmed with COVID-19.
An East Gwillimbury resident passed away Monday, April 27 at New Leaf Pines Residence, which supports individuals with developmental disabilities and complex needs. The resident began experiencing symptoms on the day COVID-19 was confirmed, April 23.
York Region public health is no longer providing specific details of age and gender when a death occurs in smaller group home settings, like New Leaf The Pines, to protect the privacy of the individual.
Five residents and four health-care workers have tested positive at the The Pines residence. New Leaf, on Leslie Street in Queensville, operates 13 residences in rural locations, according to its website, and five locations in York Region are currently experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.
And two more residents of Villa Colombo Di Poce Centre in Kleinburg have passed away, a 91-year-old woman on April 27 and an 83-year-old woman on April 26, who was not confirmed positive until April 28.
As of today, 67 of region's 96 COVID-19 related deaths are residents of a long-term care and community care facilities, and one death is a health-care worker.
"We are still having challenges controlling the outbreaks at long-term care and congregrate living spaces where two-thirds of our deaths are occurring," York Region medical officer of health Dr. Karim Kurji said in a video update April 27.
Increasing by 13 cases to 477 cases, institutional outbreak is the major cause — at 32 per cent — of COVID-19 in York Region's 1,487 cases.
Newmarket's outbreak cases increased to 107, or 65 per cent of its cases — including 67 residents and 40 health-care workers (who do not all reside in York Region).
In the growing number of deaths associated with community-acquired COVID-19, a 62-year-old Vaughan woman died Tuesday, April 28 at Toronto General Hospital, after testing positive April 10.
In Newmarket, where 16 cases, or 12 per cent, are local transmission, a 61-year-old Newmarket man was the first to die of community-acquired COVID-19 on April 27 at Southlake Regional Health Centre.
In York Region, there are 286 cases acquired by local transmission, which is 19 per cent of the region's cases.
Cases of local transmission, or community spread, are acquired without close contact with a travel-related case or any known case of COVID-19.
The sixth fatality is an 87-year-old Markham woman who died today, April 29, at Markham Stouffville Hospital. The close contact case was confirmed April 18.
Resolved cases in the region increased by 32 today, bringing the total to 611, or 41 per cent.
One new case today brings Newmarket's total cases to 138, with 32 (23 per cent) resolved.
Health-care workers with COVID-19 increased from 82 to 83 today: eight are in Newmarket; three in Aurora, one in East Gwillimbury, one in Georgina, three in Whitchurch-Stouffville; seven in Richmond Hill, 25 in Vaughan; and 35 in Markham.
Of 1,487 cases in York Region:
- 637 are confirmed in Vaughan (+ 12 today), 37 deaths, 325 resolved;
- 362 in Markham (+ 8 today), 37 deaths, 107 resolved;
- 155 in Richmond Hill (+ 3 today), 4 deaths, 86 resolved;
- 138 in Newmarket, 9 deaths, 32 resolved;
- 73 in Aurora (+ 2 today), 6 deaths, 27 resolved;
- 34 in Georgina (+ 3 today), 4 resolved;
- 33 in East Gwillimbury; 1 death; 6 resolved;
- 32 in Whitchurch-Stouffville (+ 1 today), 10 resolved;
- 21 in King, 2 deaths, 14 resolved.
The number of hospitalized patients in York Region is 44 today, with 16 cases critically ill in ICU.
As of 4 p.m. April 29, Southlake Regional Health Centre has eight COVID-19 patients, five on ventilators, in ICU. Twelve COVID-19 patients are in inpatient units. The number of inpatients under investigation for COVID-19 is 14. Total deaths have increased by one to seven.
