This article was last updated on Wednesday at 10:32 a.m.
Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), said data from Public Health Ontario suggests that the COVID-19 variant is now present in the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, formerly known as Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene, reports CBC. Further testing is still required to confirm if the variant is one first detected in the United Kingdom.
Canada Post has said that customers “should expect delays with their parcels” as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak at a facility in Mississauga, reports CP24. In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Canada Post said that they are aware of 224 positive cases at their Gateway facility since January 1, including a dozen that have come to light over the last 24 hours.
22 support staff at Beverly School, a public school in Toronto’s downtown that serves students with developmental and physical disabilities, are refusing to work for a second consecutive day due to concerns about their safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reports CTV News. The Toronto District School Board has confirmed that there have been a total of five positive COVID-19 cases at Beverly School, one involving a student, one involving a staff member and three involving bus drivers.
On Tuesday, Hamilton recorded eight new COVID deaths and a record-high 53 active outbreaks, reports the Hamilton Spectator. Of the city’s 53 outbreaks, more than half are in retirement homes, long-term-care homes and hospitals, six are in workplaces, four are in shelters and two are in daycares.
In reponse to reporting by the Hamilton Spectator on the tragic conditions workers at the Grave Villa long-term-care home, APANS Health Services, which operates the home has said, “the safety of our residents, staff and family members is paramount and these statements are deeply concerning,” said CEO Mary Raithby to the newspaper. Workers at the home sent letters and emails to their local MPP’s detailing conditions at the home, which has become the site of Hamilton’s deadliest outbreak.
