Ontario confirms 401 more cases of COVID-19 and 16 new deaths

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TORONTO — Ontario health officials have confirmed 401 more cases of COVID-19, including 16 more deaths, bringing the provincial total to 2,793 patients.

The new patients were announced on Thursday as the province stated that an additional 2,000 people are currently under investigation for the novel coronavirus.

According to the province, there have been 53 deaths linked to COVID-19 recorded in their database by 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

However, as of Thursday afternoon, data gathered by CTV News Toronto and CP24 shows the total number of deaths reported by all of the province's 34 local public health units totals 75.

As well, two additional deaths linked to an outbreak at a long-term care home in Bobcaygeon, Ont. were confirmed by the facility to CTV News on Thursday morning. The total number of deaths at the facility is now 16 and the wife of a resident has also died.

When asked about this discrepancy at Wednesday afternoon’s news conference held at Queen’s Park, Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said she was “surprised.”

She attributed the difference in numbers to information not being accurately implemented by local public health units into their database, the integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS).

At Thursday’s 3 p.m. news conference, Yaffe addressed the discrepancy again, saying she knows the province’s numbers are an “underrepresentation.”

“As I indicated yesterday, we do continue to work very hard to ensure that our systems are as up-to-date as possible so that we can provide as current information as possible,” she said.

Currently, there are 405 patients in hospital for the novel coronavirus in the province. Of those 405 patients, 167 of them are in an intensive care unit and of those 167 patients, 112 of them remain on ventilators to assist with breathing.

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On Thursday, Yaffe said that Ontario “continue to see an increase in the number of resolved cases.”

The number of resolved cases in the province currently sits at 831.

To date, more than 62,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 across the province.

Yaffe said the number of tests being conducted in a day is increasing, noting that 4,859 lab tests were conducted over the past 24 hours.

There are no specific treatments for the virus and there is no vaccine that protects against it.

Symptoms of the virus, which can include fever, cough and shortness of breath, are similar to other respiratory infections.

The Ontario government’s website advises those experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus to contact their primary health care provider or Telehealth Ontario.