Ontario health officials have confirmed a new case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the fourth in the province since the global outbreak began late last year.
Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s associate chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, spoke to media at Queen’s Park following word of a new presumptive case over the weekend.
De Villa said during the news conference that a woman in her 20s arrived in Canada from China on Friday and went to North York General Hospital in Toronto with an intermittent cough. She had travelled to the epicentre of the virus in January.
“In that travel to China, we know it did include some travel to Hubei province and to Wuhan in particular,” she said, referring to the Chinese province and city where the virus first emerged late last year.
De Villa said the woman was tested for the new virus and was sent home for self-isolation because her symptoms were “resolving” and she was doing “quite well.”
Officials said the woman’s local tests came back positive for the virus on Sunday.
A sample was sent to the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg and, after Monday’s news conference ended, officials learned that it came back positive.
Patient has had ‘very, very limited exposure to others’
Since arriving in Toronto, de Villa said the woman has had “very, very limited exposure to others.”
“Our staff at Toronto Public Health [is] following up directly to connect with this individual on a very regular basis and we are monitoring her symptoms,” she said.
De Villa said they will be monitoring a family member who drove the infected individual from the airport to her home. The family member was wearing a mask during their interaction, Williams said.
Officials said the province is co-ordinating with local public health units to ensure that they will contact and monitor passengers who sat close to the woman on the plane.
De Villa said the current research advises the agency follow up with people who sat up to two seats away in all directions from the infected individual.
System to manage spread of virus ‘working’
This is the province’s fourth case and the third in Toronto, however health officials said the process put in place to manage the spread of the virus is working well.
“The whole process that has been followed from start to finish here shows that, in fact, the system is working quite well to keep people safe,” de Villa said.
She said the patient was able to identify her symptoms and travel history to officials, staff followed the appropriate precautions and the patient wore a mask and limited her exposure to others.
“At this time, the risk here in Toronto continues to be low,” she said.
On top of the three resolved cases and the most recent positive case, Yaffe said nine cases are still under investigation in Ontario and there have been 540 negative tests.
Ontario’s first three cases ‘resolved’
According to the province, Ontario’s first three cases of the new coronavirus are all “resolved,” which means each of those patients has had two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
Three people in Ontario had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19, including a married couple in Toronto and a Western University student in London, Ont., after all of them recently returned from travelling in China.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
