Ontario records 415 new cases of COVID-19, with more than half from reporting delay

Ontario's health ministry reported415 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.

The ministry says 192 of the cases are new while 223 of the cases were reported on Sunday because of a lag in reporting between laboratoriesand public health units.

The cumulative provincial total is now 30,617. The ministry says2,426 people have died of COVID-19 in Ontario, whileatotal of24,252 people have recovered.

A tally by CBC News, using data from local public health units, has found that the most current death toll is 2,485.

Atotal of635 people are in hospital, with 117 people in intensive care units and 92 on ventilators.

The ministry said 19,374 tests were completed on Saturday. The province has said it has the capacity to handle up to 25,000 samplesdaily through apartnership of about 20 public, commercial and hospital labs.

According to the ministry, of all cases reported in the province since the pandemic began:

• 44.6 per centof cases are male, while 54.5 per centare female.
• 38.1 per centof cases are 60 years of age and older.
• Greater Toronto Area public health units account for 67.2 per centof cases.
• 12.1 per centof cases were hospitalized.

The ministry said 311 outbreaks have been reported in long-term care homes to date and no new outbreaks were reported on Sunday.

Of the all the deaths reported by the ministry from mid-Januaryto Saturday,1,557 were of residents in long-term care homes, or 64.2 per cent, while five have been of health care workers in long-term care homes.

Canadian Armed Forces to helpVaughancare home

In a letter to families on Saturday, the private company that runs Woodbridge Vista Care Communityin Vaughan has announced that the Canadian Armed Forces is going to be deployed to help the long-term care home.

WoodbridgeVista Care Community is currently struggling to contain an activeCOVID-19 outbreak.

As of Saturday at 5 p.m., there have been 22 deaths fromCOVID-19 of residents at the home, according to York Region. The home has had 102 residents' cases in all, including deaths, and 40 cases involving health care workers.

"This is good news for us, and will provide our organization with much-needed capacity during the time ahead," Lois Cormack, president and CEO of Sienna Senior Living, said in the letter.

"I want to assure you that we will continue to work closely with all partners to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Our sole focus is on ensuring residents' and our health-care teams' safety and well-being during this unprecedented time."

The news of the deploymentfollows anannouncementby the province on Thursday that ithas appointedWilliam Osler Health System to manage Woodbridge Vista Care Community. The health system serves Brampton, Etobicoke and nearby communities.

Cormack said the home welcomes the support of the armed forces and hospital. She said the armed forces will support "the provision of care" at the home.

And it follows news that a top official with Sienna Senior Livingis no longer employed with the company after she was overhead mocking family members of residents there aftera virtual town hall meeting.

Joanne Dykeman, formerexecutive vice-president of operations forSienna Senior Living, is now out of a job. She mocked two family members after an online call organized to address family concerns on Wednesday.

Hospital to provide 'rigorous management structure'

In a news release on Thursday, Ontario's long term care ministry saidthat the home has not been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 among its residents even though it has received support fromWilliam Osler Health System.

The appointment of the hospital as an interim manager will provide the home with a "rigorous management structure" to help contain the spread, the ministry said.

As well, taking control means the hospital will be able to return the home to normal operations, it added.

"During these unprecedented times, it's important to use every tool available to keep Ontarians safe," Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, long-term care minister, said in the release.

Sienna Senior Living, for its part, now says families should email the home if they have any questions about the intervention of the hospital and armed forces.

Numbers follow extension of emergency orders

The new numbers come a day afterthe province extended its emergency orders until June 19. The orders include a ban on people dining in bars and restaurants and a ban on gatherings of more than five people.

"It is critical that we keep these emergency orders in place so we can continue to reopen the province gradually and safely,"Premier Doug Ford said in a news release on Saturday.

"We are not out of the woods yet, and this deadly virus still poses a serious risk. We encourage businesses to begin preparing to reopen, so when the time comes, they will be able to protect employees, consumers and the general public."

The emergency orders that have been extended include those that enable front-line care providers to redeploy staff, allow public health units to redeploy or hire staff to support case management and contact tracing, and prohibitlong-term care and retirement home stafffrom working at more than one home.

The Ontario governmentdeclared a provincial emergency on March 17under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. This declaration has been extended and is nowin effect until June 30.