One new COVID-related death, hospitalizations rise in northeastern Ontario
Another person has died from COVID-19, the Porcupine Health Unit said Thursday, marking the 32nd pandemic-related death in the health unit's coverage area.
It's the second death in two days, after Algoma Public Health reported its 21st fatality Wednesday. In total, seven deaths have been reported in the area this week, following five deaths in Greater Sudbury reported Monday.
Sudbury's health unit also reported two new outbreaks Thursday, both at retirement homes: Golden Years Retirement Home and Southwind Retirement Home.
Sudbury has the most in hospital with the disease – 38 – including four in ICU. They're followed by Sault Ste. Marie, which has nine, Timiskaming with five and North Bay/Parry Sound with three.
Overall, there are 2,834 active cases of COVID-19 in northeastern Ontario as of 5 p.m. Thursday, a drop of 46 cases in the last 24 hours. Public Health Sudbury & Districts has the highest number of active cases, at 983, followed by Porcupine at 861.
All health units in the northeast now caution that active cases aren't an accurate measure of how many actual cases there are in the area.
"Due to changes in the availability of testing, driven by increasing COVID-19 cases related to the Omicron variant, case counts in our current data reports are an underestimate of the true number of individuals with COVID-19 in Ontario," the Porcupine Health Unit said.
"These case numbers are an underestimation of the true number of COVID-19 cases in the community, due to changes in testing eligibility that took effect on Dec. 31," added the Timiskaming Health Unit.
"PCR testing at assessment centres is now limited to the most vulnerable people and people in highest risk settings."
The North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit now reports its numbers as only reflecting "individuals who are eligible for PCR testing."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.