SUDBURY -- Two more lives have been lost in connection to a COVID-19 outbreak in Kapuskasing.

The Porcupine Health Unit has confirmed two additional deaths, both of which are connected to the outbreak at Extendicare Kapuskasing.

"The Porcupine Health Unit offers their most sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones," Dr. Lianne Catton, the region's medical officer of health, said in a news release. Our most vulnerable community members need our help to protect them from COVID-19 and the tragic outcomes associated with this infection."

This now marks six lives lost in connection to the outbreak at Extendicare Kapuskasing, which was first declared on Jan. 7.

The health unit is continuing to work closely with the home, where vaccinations for COVID-19 began on Thursday.

According to the home, all residents continue to isolate in their rooms, with staff remaining cohorted to help prevent any further spread of the virus. Residents are being screened twice every day, a protocol that has been in place since the start of the pandemic.