Ontario reports fewer than 100 new cases for sixth day
Province says it has processed 26,000 tests for virus in past 24 hours
Ontario reported 70 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death related to the virus on Saturday.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says it marks the sixth consecutive day the province has reported fewer than 100 new cases of the virus.
The total number of cases is now 39,967, with 36,131 marked as resolved and 2,784 deaths.
Elliott says hospitalizations and ICU admissions have continued to decline, while the number of patients on ventilators remains stable.
The minister also says 29 out of 34 of the province’s public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with15 reporting no new cases.
The province says it has processed 26,000 tests over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, more flights have been added to the list alerting passengers who arrived at British Columbia airports of potential exposure to COVID-19.
The BC Centre for Disease Control says passengers on a Delta flight on July 29 from Seattle to Vancouver and a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver on Aug. 1 may be at risk.
All travellers from outside Canada must self-isolate for 14 days, which can limit the possible spread of the illness from international flights.
But the centre says passengers on a WestJet flight from Calgary should also self-monitor for symptoms for the next 14 days.
It says a person with COVID-19 was on board flight 538 on July 29, affecting rows 5 to 11.
The latest advisories come as B.C. announces 53 more cases on Friday and another outbreak in a long-term-care facility.
B.C. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena sent a letter to her federal counterpart earlier this week asking for help in getting airlines to provide more complete information on passengers to aid contact tracing efforts.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Tuesday that the lack of contact information public health officials get from airlines “would shock you.”
Henry said the airlines collect information for a different reason, which means health officials might get the name of the person or company who booked the ticket rather than the person who was actually on the flight. She said they’ve told officials at Transport Canada that during the pandemic, public health workers need to be able to contact people quickly.
“Introductions from other provinces, but also from countries into Canada, are one of the things that put us at risk. So, we need to have a system that allows us to identify people rapidly.”
A joint statement from Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix says there were no new deaths. The death toll has been unchanged at 195 for a week.
There are a total of 3,934 cases in the province, although 3,353 people who tested positive have recovered. Eleven people are in hospital and four of those are in intensive care.
In a tweet on Friday, the president of the Vancouver Police Union said three officers tested positive for COVID-19 after responding to a party with more than a hundred people.
Ralph Kaisers said two patrol teams are self-isolating and he urged people to “party responsibly.” He did not say when or where the party happened.
There are 118,915 confirmed cases in Canada.