A total of 210 people have died of COVID-19 in Toronto, with more than half of the deaths in long-term care homes, the city’s medical officer of health said on Wednesday.
Dr. Eileen de Villa told reporters that 290 people are in hospital, while 106 are in intensive care units. The number of dead in Toronto is 20 more than reported on Monday.
Toronto has 4,069 cases, with 3,685 confirmed and 384 probable ones. A total of 243 people have recovered.
At a news conference at city hall, De Villa expressed condolences to Toronto residents who have lost family members. She said the number of people who have died in long-term care homes is “very concerning.”
“Our thoughts are with everyone who has lost loved ones, as well as those recovering from this virus,” De Villa said.
The medical officer of health urged Toronto residents to continue staying at home as much as possible and practising physical distancing, saying the city cannot lift restrictions just yet because the pandemic is continuing.
“In order to get to the point where we can go back to enjoying our city with our friends, our families and our loved ones, we need to stay the course,” she said.
“Please be assured that when the time is right we will begin easing some of our public health and physical distancing measures,” de Villa continued.
She added: “At this time, we are not yet in a position to be to be easing up on public health measures on a large scale. We need to see better control over the virus in our community before we can take these steps.
“When the time comes, we will need to strike a delicate balance between easing up on measures for our broader community, while keeping the residents of our long-term care homes and other vulnerable residents in our city safe.”
She said it will require “significant work” across the city to ensure people and organizations can effectively maintain physical distancing when measures ease.
