COVID-19: Man in his 50s dies in Halton, 43 new cases in Ontario

TORONTO, ON., March 19, 2020 – Today Ontario reports 43 new COVID-19 cases and a second death, a man in his fifties passed away Thursday. He had underlying health conditions and was being treated at both Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and Milton District Hospital.

The provincial total of cases has now risen to 257, marking the biggest daily rise in confirmed cases thus far since the first cases were announced in late January.

Of the 43 new cases so far today, there is only information for 22 thus far. Of those 22 cases, 8 patients are from Toronto, 3 are in Peel, 2 in Ottawa, 2 in Halton, 2 in Hamilton, and 1 each in Durham, Waterloo, Eastern Ontario and Kawartha-Haliburton.

Four of the 22 cases are in their 20s, two in their 30s, five in their 50s, 3 in their 60s, one 70s and one 80s.

With the new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Toronto that raises the total number of confirmed Toronto cases to 126, according to Dr. Eillen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. 11 of those cases are currently hospitalized and the remainder self-isolating.

Meanwhile, yesterday there were 25 new cases confirmed following 11 on the previous day.

Twelve of the new cases have been attributed to recent travel abroad, including the United States, U.K, Europe (Spain, Germany, Malta, Belgium Finland), and the Philippines, and one case has been as ‘close contact with a previously confirmed patient.’

Ontario’s first fatality was a 77-year-old man at Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital who tested positive posthumously.

There are now 3,972 other Ontarians under investigation for possible infection, the highest number of people with testing in progress since the outbreak began.

Also, after the Ontario government’s Telehealth toll-free number was down for hours yesterday despite adding 300 new lines, Health Minister Christine Elliott said another 1,300 lines have been added Thursday.

Ontario’s next COVID-19 confirmed cases update will be at 5:30 pm.