Second COVID-19 death reported in Thunder Bay District

A second person in the Thunder Bay District has died from COVID-19.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit listed the death on its online COVID-19 data web page on Tuesday.

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre incident manager Dr. Stewart Kennedy said the individual, who was a patient in the hospital, passed away on Monday night.

"It's been distressing and difficult for the family," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said there are two patients with COVID-19 currently hospitalized, with none in the intensive care unit.

The previous COVID-19 related death reported in the Thunder Bay District was in April.

Kennedy said the recent outbreak at the Southbridge Roseview long-term care facility is "a concern," with hospital staff meeting daily to prepare to potentially provide assistance. That outbreak has expanded to 12 residents having tested positive, along with three staff members.

Those preparations include possibly reopening the hospital's COVID-19 unit, he added.

"We have not confirmed that yet because we're going to see how things evolve over the next several days," Kennedy said.

The hospital is updating itsentrance screening assessment criteria, effective Wednesday. Travel outside ofnorthwestern Ontario, similar to the health unit's revised travel recommendations, will make visitors ineligible to get into the facilty, except for urgent care needs.

The health unit also reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Twelve are close contacts of existing cases, while two had no known exposure to the virus, including one person located in a district community outside of the Thunder Bay area.

Marathon municipal officials confirmed that case is located within their town.

Mayor Rick Dumas said the town's emergency control group met on Tuesday to review the second phase of their pandemic plan.

"We are hopeful that we do not have to implement it, but we are prepared," Dumas said in a written statement. "I am asking residents to be very vigilant and not to travel outside Marathon unless absolutely necessary, avoiding social gatherings, and limiting interactionswith others."

There are 82 known active cases in the Thunder Bay District.