A timeline of every COVID-19 case in Canada throughout May 16-31

As cases of COVID-19 continue to spread around the world, Canadians are increasingly concerned about their health and safety.

Authorities in Canada are working to contain the spread of COVID-19, which the World Health Organization deemed a pandemic in mid-March.

This is a timeline of cases from May 16-31. For the latest news on cases around the nation, you can find them here. For a breakdown of cases from throughout May 1-15, you can read here.

May 31

Quebec sees biggest spike in fatalities due to “data transmission problem”

A “data transmission problem” is behind Quebec’s biggest daily jump in fatalities, as the province reported 202 victims on Sunday.

Thirty-seven people died in the last 24 hours throughout the entire province, but health officials are just announcing 165 victims that “were not counted” in days and weeks prior, all in the Montreal region. The city remains the province’s epicentre, with 25,437 cases (up by 210 since Saturday) and 2,919 fatalities (up by 179).

This isn’t the first time that Quebec has announced data problems; in early-May, the province said a computer error failed to count 1,317 positive COVID-19 cases throughout April.

The most recent data transmission problem has factored into why, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the province saw its active cases decrease. As of Sunday, there are 30,072 active cases in Quebec. A total of 16,346 have recovered (up by 276) and 4,641 people have died.

Throughout the pandemic, the province has recorded 51,059 total cases of COVID-19. Health officials announced 408 new cases on May 31, marking the smallest daily increase the province has recorded since March 28.

Throughout Quebec, there are 1,198 people in hospital (up by one), which includes 171 in intensive care (up by four).

Quebec’s testing numbers are reflective of its outputs two days prior. In its most recent stretch, it failed to meet its goal of 14,000, but came close with 13,636 completed tests.

Dozens of migrant workers at Ontario farm test positive

Eighty-five cases among migrant workers have been identified at a farm operation in Norfolk County, south of Simcoe, according to CBC.

The workers, many of whom are from Mexico, are employed by Scotlynn Group in Vittoria, which is a major producer of watermelon, sweet corn, pumpkins and asparagus.

Of the group of 85, five are in hospital because of the respiratory virus, while 25 are currently showing symptoms.

Migrant workers have been permitted to come to Canada amid the pandemic, but they must self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival. In early April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allocated $50 million in federal funding to help employers of migrant workers as they adapt to the challenges of COVID-19 quarantine rules.

The Norfolk County farm operation is not the first to experience a COVID-19 outbreak among its migrant workers. A farm in St. Thomas, Ontario Plants Propagation, saw 20 cases linked to their facility this past week, as it continues to await other test results. Multiple health units are currently contact tracing for the particular outbreak, since workers live in London, but travel to the Elgin County farm for daily work.

Thirty-three new cases in the agriculture sector were also reported on May 25, by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, but it did not specify which farms, greenhouses or other businesses had cases.

In late-April, 40 people at Greenhill Produce in Chatham-Kent were diagnosed with COVID-19, which forced the company to move about half of its workforce into isolation. Since the start of the outbreak in Chatham-Kent, 101 workers have contracted the respiratory virus.

Ontario continues its stretch of under 400 new daily cases, maintains high testing outputs

Ontario’s Ministry of Health reported 326 new cases of COVID-19, after completing 17,014 tests in its latest 24-hour stretch.

It marks the fourth straight day that health officials in Ontario have surpassed their goal of 16,000 tests. It’s also the sixth straight day that the province logged less than 400 new cases of COVID-19, after going through a five-day stretch over that mark.

As of May 31, Ontario’s seven-day averages are 337 cases out of 15,282 tests. On May 24, the seven-day averages stood at 407 cases out of 9,506 tests.

Along with the new cases, the Ministry of health reported 19 fatalities, increasing the death toll to 2,266.

Of its total cases, there are 21,810 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 457 since Saturday’s update. Across the province, there are 781 people in hospital (down by 20), which includes 118 in intensive care (down by three) and 90 who require a ventilator (up by six).

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Health, there remains 114 outbreaks around the province. Among those facilities, there are 1,642 residents who have passed away (an increase of six), while 1,184 people remain currently infected (down by 62). In addition, there are 986 active cases among staff members (down by 62), while seven have died.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

Four residents, linked to “irresponsible” doctor, test positive at seniors’ home in New Brunswick

There are now 12 active cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick’s Campbellton region, after a family doctor defied social-distancing rules following a personal trip to Quebec.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said on Sunday that four residents of the Manoir de la Vallée long-term care facility have tested positive over the weekend. Earlier this week, a health-care worker at the facility was diagnosed with COVID-19, prompting all staff and residents to get tested.

“An outbreak in a seniors home is everyone’s greatest fear,” said Russell, as COVID-19 continues to have a devastating impact on long-term care facilities across the country.

Premier Blaine Higgs said all four cases (three announced Sunday, and one Saturday) have been located in a single unit of Manoir de la Vallée, which houses 18 of its 51 total residents. All other residents who tested negative will still be monitored for 14 days as they self-isolate.

New Brunswick previously had no active cases, after all of its patients had recovered by May 16. But over the past 11 days, they’ve discovered 12 new cases in the Campbellton region, all linked to a cluster that officials believe was started by a health-care professional who exposed at least 150 people to the virus.

Instead of following a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period following his trip to Quebec earlier this month, the doctor continued to see patients during a two-week stretch at Campbellton Regional Hospital in the Restigouche area. He has since been suspended, as RCMP and Vitalité Health Network (a New Brunswick health authority) investigate for potential charges.

"We have a two-week period ahead of us where we're going to be watching very very carefully what is happening in that region and also around the province,” said Russell. “We know that people have left that region since the time that there have been transmission of COVID-19."

One of the people linked to the family doctor works at Manoir de la Vallée in the village of Atholville. According to the president of Groupe Lokia, which owns the special care home for seniors, about 100 people were exposed. The staff member worked three shifts while contagious, untils she was diagnosed on Thursday.

The facility is for independent seniors who don’t have major illnesses that require significant health care, instead they receive assistance for one to three hours a day.

"We are lucky because the shifts were at night. This limits the exposure, since night activities are at a minimum," said Tremblay.

Of the province’s now 12 active cases, there remain three in hospital. But as of Sunday, there is one person in intensive care due to the respiratory virus.

Along with testing those at the long-term care facility, Russell said about 2,000 negative tests were completed over the weekend, when they made a push to test asymptomatic people in the Campbelltown region. The results have informed their decision to go back to only testing people who have at least two-symptoms of COVID-19.

“This is is the part of the two-year process until we get a vaccine,” said Russell on Sunday on the future of COVID-19 in New Brunswick.

“We need to be cognisant of the fact that we don’t live on an island. We can’t shut our borders completely and as long there are cases outside of our jurisdiction, we’re always going to be at risk for more clusters and outbreaks.”

Before discovering the first case of the cluster on May 21, in a child who visited two daycares, the province had gone through a two-week stretch where it reported no new cases. Throughout that timeframe, all of its then 120 patients also recovered from the virus.

Officials were able to link all of the new patients after identifying the health-care professional, whose case was announced on Wednesday in New Brunswick, as Higgs called him an “irresponsible individual.”

One more fatality in Saskatchewan, possible transmission at Walmart

A resident of Saskatchewan’s North region, who was in their 70s, has passed away. The victim increased the province’s death toll to 11.

Indigenous Services Canada (First Nations Inuit Health Branch), in partnership with Saskatchewan Health Authority, also announced on Sunday that an individual who tested COVID-19 positive visited the North Battleford Walmart on May 21, when they were likely infectious.

Officials are asking anyone who was at that specific Walmart location on May 21 to immediately self-isolate.

On Sunday, one new case of COVID-19 was also recorded in Regina, increasing the province’s total to 646. That includes 582 (up by two since Saturday), who have recovered from the virus.

Of its 53 active cases, 38 of them are in the Far North. Across Saskatchewan, there are four people in hospital, which includes one in intensive care.

There remains 50 health-care workers who have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release. It’s unclear how many have recovered.

To date, 47,824 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Third straight day without new victim in Alberta, more than 7,000 cases

Eighteen new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Alberta, raising the total case count to 7,010.

Of those cases, there are 6,283 people who have recovered, up by 38 since Saturday’s update.

No new fatalities were reported in Alberta for the third-straight day, as the death toll remains at 143.

There are now 584 active cases in the province. Of those patients, 440 of them are found in the Calgary zone. Across the province, there are 52 people in hospital (down by one), which includes six in intensive care (up by one).

As of its last update, health officials have completed 260,365 tests for COVID-19.

New patient in Manitoba

Health officials have identified a new case of COVID-19 in Manitoba, the first in the province since May 28.

It increases its total case count to 295, which includes 278 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus. WIth the death toll remaining at seven, there are now 10 active cases in Manitoba.

As of its last update, the province’s health officials have completed 43,886 tests for COVID-19.

May 30

B.C. reports 11 new cases, declares one of its earliest outbreaks over

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced on Saturday that an outbreak at Haro Park long-term care home has been declared over.

Haro Park was among the earliest COVID-19 outbreaks in a facility of its kind in British Columbia, with restrictions imposed March 18. According to Global News, the long-term care home recorded 89 cases and 13 deaths due to the virus throughout the pandemic.

As of Saturday, it’s been COVID-19 free for at least 28 days, which is the standard requirement to declare an outbreak over in B.C.

“We know that residents were severely impacted by COVID-19 very early on in our pandemic, so this is very good news and I’m relieved,” said Henry. “I want to express my gratitude and thanks to all of the care teams at Haro Park. It was a very challenging time, when we knew very little about this virus early on.”

The Evergreen House long-term care home’s outbreak has also been declared over, after restrictions were initially imposed in early-May. With no new breakouts reported in the past 24 hours, there are now 13 long-term care or assisted living facilities and one acute-care unit that have active COVID-19 outbreaks.

On Saturday, Henry also announced 11 new cases of COVID-19 in the province, increasing its total to 2,573.

For the second day in a row, British Columbia has not recorded a victim related to the respiratory virus.

Among its total cases are 2,181 people who have recovered from COVID-19, up by 11 since Friday. Of the 228 active cases, there are 35 individuals in hospital (up by one), which includes five in intensive care (down by one).

Fewest new cases in Quebec in over a month; Canada surpasses 7,000 deaths and 90,000 cases

On Saturday, Quebec health officials announced that they identified 419 new cases of COVID-19, marking the smallest daily increase the province has recorded since March 28.

The update increased its total case count to 50,641, which now includes 4,439 fatalities, after officials announced 76 more victims on Saturday. Canada’s death toll also surpassed 7,000 with the latest update, while cases reached 90,000 nationwide.

Montreal remains the province’s epicentre, with 25,227 cases (up by 184 since Friday) and 2,740 fatalities (up by 50).

In the entire province, there are 1,197 people in hospital (down by 68), which includes 167 in intensive care (down by five). Among its total cases are 16,070 patients who have recovered (up by 162).

Quebec’s testing numbers are reflective of its outputs two days prior. In its most recent stretch, it failed to meet its goal of 14,000, but came close with 13,849 completed tests. According to Steve Faguy of the Montreal Gazette, Quebec has now tested five per cent of its population, which is only behind Alberta (5.2 per cent).

Doug Ford starts to deliver on promise with record-high testing in Ontario

Ontario’s Ministry of Health reported 323 new cases of COVID-19, after completing a record-high 20,640 tests in its latest 24-hour stretch.

It’s the closest the province has come to hitting its max-capacity of 21,000 tests in a day, but it’s the third straight occasion that health officials have surpassed their goal of 16,000. The 323 cases out of 20,640 also led to a positive test rate of 1.56 per cent, the lowest Ontario has recorded since March 17, when 963 people were tested and 12 cases were identified.

Ontario’s testing outputs have come under fire in recent weeks, but they’ve recently improved as Premier Doug Ford expanded the province’s scope. On May 20, when Ontario was in the third day of a 10-day stretch of not hitting its testing goal, Ford made a promise.

"We’re going to ramp up the testing like this province has never seen. Another three, four weeks, we’re going to do a lot of testing, I can stand here and promise you that, I’m going to be all over this testing," said Ford, noting that he was “shocked” by the outputs.

In an effort to increase testing, Ford released a new plan Friday that aligns with what he said last week. Anyone who is concerned they may have COVID-19 won’t be refused a test at any of the province's 131 assessment centres. Ontario will also have "targeted campaigns" aimed at testing employees in key, high-risk sectors such as agri-food, auto and retail industries.

Last weekend, health officials started to test both symptomatic and asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, as well as completed a second round of testing in long-term care homes. Chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said earlier in the pandemic that Ontario doesn’t have a system in place over the weekend to move some of its tests to labs, therefore it’s expected to see an increase later into the week.

Over the past month, the province has seen its testing outputs fluctuate. Between April 28-May 7, Ontario had a three-day stretch (May 1-3) where it hit its goal of 16,000 tests each time, but failed to meet that mark on the days before and after.

Between May 8-17, the province went through a 10-day stretch where it hit its goal on seven different occasions. In the following 10-day stretch (May 18-27), it failed to meet it each time.

The province has now hit its testing goal for three straight days, but Ford and health officials have yet to prove they can do it consistently. They’ve said on multiple occasions that increased testing is crucial in understanding the scope of the virus’ impact on the province, and that without it they won’t be able to make follow-up decisions for how to further reopen the economy.

Along with the latest 323 patients, the Ministry of Health reported 17 fatalities, the fewest since May 19. The update increases Ontario’s death toll to 2,247. Of its total cases, there are 21,353 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 370 since Friday’s update. Of its 3,933 active cases, 1,964 of them are located in the City of Toronto’s public health unit.

Across the province, there are 801 people in hospital (down by 25), which includes 121 in intensive care (down by eight) and 84 who require a ventilator (down by 16).

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Health, there are 114 outbreaks around the province, down by nine. Among those facilities, there are 1,636 residents who have passed away (an increase of 11), while 1,304 people remain currently infected (down by 172). In addition, there are 1,048 active cases among staff members (down by 65), while seven have died (an increase of one).

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

One more case in New Brunswick Campbellton region

There are now nine active cases of COVID-19 in New Brunswick’s Campbellton region, after a health-care professional defied social distancing rules following a personal trip to Quebec.

The most recent case was announced on Saturday, but health officials didn’t hold a press conference to clarify the reason for transmission. Instead in a public statement they wrote that the individual, who is their 70s, is “still under investigation.”

New Brunswick previously had no active cases, since all of its then 120 patients had recovered by May 16. But over the past 10 days, they’ve discovered nine new cases. The first eight have been linked to one cluster, which officials believe was started by a health-care professional who defied social-distancing rules after returning to New Brunswick’s Campbellton region.

Instead of following a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period following his Quebec trip earlier this month, the doctor continued to see patients during a two-week stretch at Campbellton Regional Hospital in the Restigouche area. He has since been suspended, as Vitalité Health Network and RCMP investigate for potential charges.

Officials with Vitalité (one of two health authorities in New Brunswick) are worried that the doctor exposed at least 150 people to COVID-19, which includes health-care workers and those in the community.

"We know based on our contact tracing that people living outside that region are in the circle of transmission," said the province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell on Friday. "Please limit your close contact with others. ... It could easily spread to other regions.”

On Saturday, officials announced that there are now three cases in hospital, but none of them are in intensive care. A day earlier, the province had two cases in ICU.

Saskatchewan has its fewest active cases in over two months

Four more people in Saskatchewan have contracted COVID-19, increasing its total case count to 645.

One of the new cases is in Regina, while the other three are in the Far North region.

According to a press release, “the number of active COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan is 55 - the lowest number since March 22.”

Of the 55 active cases, 38 are located in the Far North. Across the province, there are three people in hospital, which includes one in intensive care.

Ten more people have recovered since Friday’s update, increasing the number of resolved cases to 580.

There remains 50 health-care workers who have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 47,114 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Nova Scotia records one more case, death at Halifax LTC

Nova Scotia health officials have recorded one new case of COVID-19 and one more fatality, increasing its totals to 1,056 and 60, respectively.

It’s the first death the province has reported since May 26. On Friday, it also reported that for the first time since March 15, it didn’t have a new daily case of COVID-19.

The latest fatality occurred at the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax Regional Municipality. The facility has recorded 53 of Nova Scotia’s 60 total deaths.

Of its 1,056 cases of COVID-19, there remains 978 people who have recovered. Of the 18 active cases, there are seven in hospital (down by one), which includes two in intensive care (also down by one).

There is currently one licensed long-term care home, Northwood in Halifax, that has an active outbreak; 10 residents and four staff members are currently infected.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, health officials in the province have also completed 41,391 negative test results.

Alberta records 13 new cases, no fatalities for second straight day

Thirteen new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Alberta, raising the total case count to 6,992.

Of those cases, there are 6,245 people who have recovered, up by 25 since Friday’s update.

No new fatalities were reported in Alberta for the second-straight day.

There are now 604 active cases in the province. Of those patients, 461 of them are found in the Calgary zone. Across the province, there are 53 people in hospital (up by three), while there remains five in intensive care.

As of its last update, health officials have completed 257,227 tests for COVID-19.

May 29

Dozens of students, staff infected after Quebec reopens schools

Forty-one staff and students have tested positive for COVID-19 in Quebec since it opened its elementary schools on May 11, the province’s education department confirmed to The Canadian Press on Friday.

A survey, conducted on May 25, revealed that 19 students and 22 staff members have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Their infections were identified throughout the first two weeks that elementary schools reopened across the province, with the exception of Montreal.

The Laurentians and Monteregie regions, which are located north and southeast of Montreal, had the highest number of cases with 10 each.

The survey didn’t include statistics from 12 of Quebec’s 72 school boards, because they did not provide data.

Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s director of public health, said on Thursday the cases have not led to any “significant negative impacts.”

“It's normal that by having the daycare, the school being open to the community, there can be cases. ...The advantage in those areas is that they're young children, and we didn't put any personnel who was high-risk [in the classroom]."

A school in Trois-Rivières, École Saint-Paul, had to close for several days, but reopened Wednesday, after four teachers and two students tested positive. Arruda said that he believes some of the teachers had become infected before returning to schools.

One other school about 50 kilometres west of Montreal also identified multiple cases, but the rest of the patients are spread throughout the province.

In early May, Quebec officials said that people under the age of 70 are able to return to work without “significant risk.” High schools, CEGEPs and post-secondary institutions will remain closed till the end of August, along with all schools in Montreal as the spread of COVID-19 continues.

A spokesman for Quebec’s education department said that about 51 per cent of private school students and 46 per cent of public school students returned to class the week of May 11. There were about 200,000 students who were eligible to return, according to The Globe and Mail.

In other provinces, Ontario has cancelled classes for the rest of the school year, while children can start going to school voluntarily in British Columbia on June 1.

Update for rest of province

On Friday, Quebec health officials identified 530 new cases of COVID-19, marking the smallest daily increase the province has recorded since March 31.

The update increases its total case count to 50,232, making Quebec the first province to surpass the 50,000 mark. Of those cases, there are 25,043 in the Montreal region, which has also logged 2,690 of Quebec’s 4,363 deaths.

Sixty-one new fatalities were reported on Friday.

In the entire province, there are 1,265 people in hospital, down by 66 since Thursday’s update. That includes 172 in intensive care, down by six.

Among its total cases are 15,908 who have recovered, up by 290.

Quebec’s testing numbers are reflective of its outputs two days prior. For the first time this week, the province announced that it had surpassed its goal of 14,000, by completing 14,753 tests.

Nova Scotia reports first day without a new case in over two months

Nova Scotia did not identify a new case of COVID-19 in its latest 24-hour stretch, which marks a first since March 15.

Of its 1,055 total cases of COVID-19, 978 people have recovered (an increase of one since Thursday’s update). The death toll remains at 59.

Of the 18 active cases, there remain eight in hospital, which includes three in intensive care.

There is currently one licensed long-term care home, Northwood in Halifax, that has an active outbreak; 10 residents and four staff members are currently infected. The facility has recorded 52 of Nova Scotia’s 59 total deaths.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, health officials in the province have also completed 40,914 negative test results.

On Friday, Premier Stephen McNeil said people can now gather in groups of up to ten (up from five) either indoors or outdoors, but physical distancing is still required for those from different households. A day earlier, McNeil said that most businesses, such as restaurants, gyms, barber shops and spas, will be allowed to reopen June 5.

Ontario completes its second most tests, but records most deaths this week

For the second straight day, Ontario has surpassed its testing goal of 16,000, this time by recording its second highest output throughout the pandemic.

Among 18,525 completed tests, the Ministry of Health was able to identify 344 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, setting a positive test rate of 1.9 per cent and increasing the province’s total case count to 27,210.

After a worrisome stretch last week, Ontario is starting to see a positive trend in its COVID-19 fight. As of May 29, Ontario’s seven-day averages are 369 cases out of 13,104 tests. On May 22, the seven-day averages stood at 387 cases out of 11,160 tests.

In an effort to increase testing, Premier Doug Ford released a new plan Friday that aligns with what he said last week. Anyone who is concerned they may have COVID-19 won’t be refused a test at any of the province's 131 assessment centres. Ontario will also have "targeted campaigns" aimed at testing employees in key, high-risk sectors such as agri-food, auto and retail industries.

Over the weekend, health officials started to test both symptomatic and asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, as well as complete a second round of testing in long-term care homes. Chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said in the past that Ontario doesn’t have a system in place over the weekend to move some of its tests to labs, therefore it’s expected to see an increase later into the workweek.

Along with the new cases, 41 more COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch. It’s the biggest increase since Ontario reported 43 fatalities on May 20.

There are now 20,983 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 310 since Thursday’s update. Among the province’s 3,997 active cases of COVID-19, there are 826 people in hospital (down by seven), which includes 129 in intensive care (down by eight) and 100 on ventilators (up by seven).

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Health, there are 123 outbreaks around the province, down by six. Among those facilities, there are 1,625 residents who have passed away (an increase of 34), while 1,476 people remain currently infected (down by 179). In addition, there are 1,113 active cases among staff members (down by 47), while there remains six who have died.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

New Brunswick cluster gets worse after doctor fails to follow social-distancing rules, exposes 150 people

Two more COVID-19 cases have been identified in New Brunswick’s Campbellton region, and they are believed to be in connection to a doctor who defied social-distancing rules after a personal trip to Quebec.

All eight of the province’s active cases are now part of the recent cluster linked to the health-care professional. Officials with Vitalité Health Network (one of two health authorities in New Brunswick) are worried that the doctor exposed at least 150 people to COVID-19, which includes health-care workers and those in the community.

"We know based on our contact tracing that people living outside that region are in the circle of transmission," said the province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell. "Please limit your close contact with others. ... It could easily spread to other regions.”

Instead of following a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period following his Quebec trip earlier this month, the doctor continued to see patients during a two-week stretch at Campbellton Regional Hospital in the Restigouche area. He has since been suspended, as Vitalité and RCMP investigate for potential charges.

Premier Blaine Higgs said the investigation will also determine what information was “supplied at the border,” when the doctor returned to New Brunswick after visiting the province with the most cases in Canada.

Of the two new patients announced Friday, one of them is an individual in their 60s and the other is a health-care worker in their 30s, who works in a long-term care facility. Russell said they’re currently testing everyone at the LTC, including residents and staff, while also completing contact tracing in connection to their other patients.

The recently announced employee works at the Manoir de la Vallée in the neighbouring village of Atholville, according to CBC, who received confirmation from Guy Tremblay, general director and president of Groupe Lokia, which owns the special care home for seniors.

Tremblay said that about 100 people, which includes 57 residents, could have been exposed before the worker was diagnosed on Thursday. The facility is for independent seniors who don’t have major illnesses that require significant health care, instead they receive assistance for one to three hours a day.

"We are lucky because the shifts were at night. This limits the exposure, since night activities are at a minimum," said Tremblay.

Two of the province’s eight cases are now in intensive care, but in stable condition. Stephanie Anglehart-Paulin, Campbellton’s mayor, said it’s worrisome considering the region only has four ICU beds for its population of about 20,000. She, along with many others, believed that the province had freed itself of COVID-19 when all of its then 120 patients had recovered on May 16.

“They’re mad, they’re really peeved,” Anglehart-Paulin said about the region’s reaction on social media.

“They just can’t believe how someone, who was a professional, could have made that bad of a decision. But everyone makes mistakes. We thought it would never happen to Campbellton, but here we are today, it’s like a horror movie really.”

The emergency department at the Campbellton Regional Hospital is now closed until further notice due to the increased risk of COVID-19, while all non-urgent or elective procedures have been cancelled. People in the region are also being asked to schedule a test.

"The good news in this very unfortunate and challenging situation is that we have the ability to ramp up testing in a region and on very, very short notice," said Russell.

On Thursday, three new cases were announced, involving an individual under the age of 19, an individual in their 40s, and a person over the age of 90. One of them is a healthcare worker, said Russell.

The other two patients part of the cluster are a senior in their 90s and a child who attended two daycares.

The child was identified on May 21, following a two-week stretch where New Brunswick reported no new cases, while also having all of its then 120 patients recover from the virus.

Officials were able to link all of the cases after identifying the health-care professional, whose case was announced on Wednesday in New Brunswick, as Higgs called him an “irresponsible individual.”

Because of the cluster, Russell said they expect to see more cases in the upcoming weeks.

B.C. records best weekly stretch since mid-March

British Columbia health officials announced four new cases of COVID-19, increasing its total to 2,562.

According to CBC, the 56 cases in the last seven days is the lowest weekly stretch the province has recorded since a public health emergency was declared on March 18 in B.C.

No new fatalities were reported Friday, as the death toll remains at 164.

Among its total cases are 2,170 people who have recovered from COVID-19, up by 17 since Thursday. Of the 228 active cases, there are 34 individuals in hospital (up by one), while there remains six in intensive care.

No new outbreaks have been reported in the past 24 hours. There are still 15 long-term care or assisted living facilities and one acute-care unit that have active COVID-19 outbreaks.

A couple dozens new cases, testing opens for everyone

Twenty-four new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Alberta, raising the total case count to 6,979.

Of those cases, there are 6,220 people who have recovered, up by 60 since Thursday’s update.

There are now 616 active cases in the province. Of those patients, 483 of them are found in the Calgary zone. Across the province, there are 50 people in hospital (down by five), while there remains four in intensive care.

As of its last update, health officials have completed 253,459 tests for COVID-19.

No new fatalities were reported in Alberta on Friday.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said that testing is now available for anyone in the province, even if they don’t have symptoms.

The decision was made to prepare the province for Stage 2 of its relaunch, which is expected to take place in mid-June. Stage 2 includes the reopening of schools, libraries and theatres with restrictions, while it will also allow more surgeries to be scheduled.

Saskatchewan identifies two new cases

Two more people in Saskatchewan have contracted COVID-19, increasing its total case count to 641.

One of the cases was found in the province’s South region, and the other in Saskatoon.

Two more people have recovered since Thursday’s update, increasing the number of resolved cases to 570. Of the province’s 61 active cases, 45 are found in the Far North region.

Four people remain in hospital, which includes two in intensive care (down by one). There also remains 50 health-care workers who have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 46,454 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

May 28

Newfoundland and Labrador records first case in almost three weeks

After a 20-day stretch of reporting no new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador, the province has identified its first new patient since May 7.

The individual is a male in his 40s in the Eastern Health region. According to Peter Cowman of CBC, the case is related to travel, but it’s not clear which destination.

Newfoundland and Labrador now has three active cases out of 261 total diagnoses. Three people have died since the start of the pandemic, while 255 patients have recovered.

Among its three active cases is one who’s in intensive care.

The province is currently in “Alert Level 4”, which is the second phase of its reopening plan. Gatherings at funerals, burials and weddings are restricted to no more than 10 people, while municipal parks have reopened and regional health authorities are now allowed to resume some services.

N.L. moved to Level 4 on May 11, and said it will take 28 days for officials to determine whether they can proceed to Level 3. The next stage of its plan permits the reopening of campgrounds and personal service businesses such as hair salons, spas and barber shops.

New Brunswick cluster continues to get worse after doctor disobeyed rules, exposed 150 people

There are now six COVID-19 cases part of a cluster — believed to be linked to an “irresponsible” health-care professional — after three more patients were identified in New Brunswick’s Campbellton region.

Premier Blaine Higgs first described the individual as “irresponsible” on Wednesday, because they did not self-isolate upon return to the province after a personal trip to Quebec earlier this month. Instead, the individual in their 50s continued to see patients during a two-week stretch at Campbellton Regional Hospital in the Restigouche area.

“Information on this health-care professional has been passed along to the RCMP to determine exactly what took place, and whether charges are warranted,” Higgs said on Thursday in New Brunswick, where you must self-isolate for 14 days upon returning to the province.

The head of Vitalité Health Network, one of two health authorities in New Brunswick, said in an interview with CBC that at least 150 people were exposed to the infected doctor. That includes 50 health-care workers at the Campbellton Regional Hospital and 100 people in the community.

Gilles Lanteigne said there are "definitely more."

Of the six cases part of Campbellton’s new cluster, two are in intensive care. Stephanie Anglehart-Paulin, Campbellton’s mayor, said it’s worrisome considering the region only has four ICU beds for its population of about 20,000.

Over the next couple days, Lanteigne expects 500 people to be tested for COVID-19. Lanteigne did not disclose the identity of the health-care professional, but did say he is a man.

The emergency department at the Campbellton Regional Hospital is now closed until further notice due to the increased risk of COVID-19. The doctor has been suspended, Vitalité has confirmed.

The three new cases that were announced on Thursday involve an individual under the age of 19, an individual in their 40s, and a person over the age of 90. One of them is also a health-care worker.

The other two patients part of the cluster are a senior in their 90 and a child who attended two daycares.

The child was identified on May 21, following a two-week stretch where New Brunswick reported no new cases, while also having all of its then 120 patients recover from the virus.

Officials were able to link all of the cases after identifying the health-care professional, whose case was announced on Wednesday in New Brunswick.

Because of the cluster, the province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell said they expect to see more cases in the upcoming weeks.

On Thursday, officials announced that “as a result of the outbreak,” activities previously scheduled to be permitted on May 29 as part of the “Yellow” phase will be delayed by one week to June 5. That includes outdoor public gatherings and indoor religious services of 50 people or fewer, as well as the reopening of gyms, yoga and dance studios, among other activities.

The province’s legislative assembly has also adjourned until June 9, two days after reopening, in order for all members to continue to focus on COVID-19.

On Wednesday, officials made the decision to move the Campbellton zone back to “Orange,” which prohibits personal services such as barbers and spas from reopening. The entire province moved to the second phase, “Yellow,” on Friday.

Ontario hits its testing goal after increased measures, but records most deaths this week

After a 10-day stretch of Ontario not reaching its testing goal, the province has finally surpassed 16,000 tests in a day.

Among 17,615 completed tests, the Ministry of Health was able to identify 383 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, setting a positive test rate of 2.2 per cent and increasing the province’s total case count to 26,866.

In an effort to increase testing, Premier Doug Ford said anyone in the province can now can be investigated for COVID-19 if they feel they need to be. Previously, you needed to have at least one symptom or a history of being in a high-risk setting to qualify for a test.

“I will be like an 800-pound gorilla on their backs every single day, if I have to, until I see these [testing] numbers go up,” said Ford, late last week, on how he plans on working with health officials to reach their goals.

Over the weekend, health officials started to test both symptomatic and asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, as well as complete a second round of testing in long-term care homes. Chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said in the past that Ontario doesn’t have a system in place over the weekend to move some of its tests to labs, therefore it’s expected to see an increase later into the workweek.

Along with the new cases, 34 more COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch. It’s the biggest increase since Ontario reported 43 fatalities on May 20.

There are now 20,673 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 301 since Wednesday’s update. Among the province’s 4,004 active cases of COVID-19, there are 833 people in hospital (down by 14), which includes 137 in intensive care (down by 13) and 94 on ventilators (down by 23).

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Health, there are 129 outbreaks around the province, down by six. Among those facilities, there are 1,591 residents who have passed away (an increase of four), while 1,655 people remain currently infected (down by 110). In addition, there are 1,160 active cases among staff members (down by 56), while there remains six who have died.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

Seventy-four more fatalities, Quebec adds victims to its deadliest day

Quebec health officials have identified 563 new cases of COVID-19, to go along with 74 more fatalities.

The update increases its totals to 49,702 and 4,302, respectively.

According to Quebec’s public health website, only seven of the 74 fatalities happened in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch. Instead, the province continues to add backdated deaths to its tallies from weeks prior.

April 29, which is the deadliest day on record, now has 133 fatalities. Two more Quebec victims (out of the 74 announced today) were added to its tally.

Among its total cases are 15,618 people who have recovered from COVID-19, an increase of 299 since Wednesday’s update. Of its active cases, there are 1,331 in hospital (down by 47), which includes 178 in intensive care (down by six).

In its latest 24-hour stretch, the province completed 12,960 tests. It’s now the fourth straight day that officials have failed to reach Quebec’s goal of 14,000 tests a day, after reaching the mark twice at the end of last week. The province’s testing numbers represent what health officials were able to gather two days ago. Along with 12,960 completed tests on May 26, health officials were able to gather 14,696 test samples.

Manitoba reports its first case(s) this week

After five days of not reporting a new case of COVID-19, health officials have identified two more patients in Manitoba.

Both are men in their 20s in the Winnipeg health region.

The update increases the province’s case count to 294. That includes 14 active cases, since seven people have died and 273 have recovered from COVID-19.

Since the start of the pandemic, health officials in Manitoba have completed 41,191 tests for the respiratory virus.

Alberta reports two additional fatalities

Two more people have died in Alberta after contracting COVID-19, increasing the province’s death toll to 143.

The two most recent victims involved a woman in her 80s who was a resident at Agecare Sunrise Gardens retirement community in Brooks, and a woman in her 100s who was a resident of Intercare Chinook Care Centre in Calgary.

Twenty-nine new cases were also identified in the past 24 hours, raising the total case count to 6,955. Of those cases, there are 6,160 people who have recovered, up by 54 since Wednesday’s update.

There are now 652 active cases in the province. Of those patients, 518 of them are found in the Calgary zone. Across the province, there are 50 people in hospital (up by seven), while there remains four in intensive care.

As of its last update, health officials have completed 245,949 tests for COVID-19.

Two more victims, Mission Institute outbreak declared over

British Columbia health officials announced two more fatalities and nine new cases of COVID-19, increasing its total to 164 and 2,558, respectively.

The two latest victims lived in the Fraser Health region.

According to a statement issued by B.C. officials, “today’s numbers reflect a small data correction. An additional case reported yesterday in the Vancouver Coastal Health region has been removed.”

Among its total cases are 2,153 people who have recovered from COVID-19, up by nine since Wednesday. Of the 241 active cases, there are 33 individuals in hospital (down by four), which includes six in intensive care (down by one).

“There has been one new health-care outbreak at the Nicola Lodge in the Fraser Health region,” said the statement, noting that there are now 15 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one acute-care unit that have active outbreaks.

In positive news, officials have declared the outbreak at the Mission Institution (Medium Security) federal corrections facility over.

“This was one of the largest outbreaks that we have experienced in our province,” said the statement. “An incredible effort, especially by the Fraser Health region, was put into the outbreak response.”

Two new cases in Saskatchewan

Two more people in Saskatchewan have contracted COVID-19, increasing its total case count to 639.

One of the cases was found in the province’s North region, and the other in Saskatoon.

Nine more people have recovered since Wednesday’s update, increasing the number of resolved cases to 568. Of the province’s 61 active cases, 46 are found in the Far North region.

Four people remain in hospital, which includes three in intensive care. There also remains 50 health-care workers who have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 45,869 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Nova Scotia reports two new cases

Two more people in Nova Scotia have been diagnosed with COVID-19, increasing the total case count to 1,055.

Among the diagnoses are 977 patients who have recovered from the respiratory virus, up by two since Wednesday’s update. Of the active cases, there are eight in hospital (up by one), which includes three in intensive care.

There is currently one licensed long-term care home, Northwood in Halifax, that has an active outbreak; 12 residents and four staff members are currently infected. The facility has recorded 52 of Nova Scotia’s 59 total deaths.

May 27

Health-care worker who travelled, didn’t self-isolate, creates new cluster in New Brunswick

New Brunswick health officials have identified a third case of COVID-19 in the past week, after enjoying a five-day stretch of having no active cases in the province.

All three patients are part of a single cluster in the Campbellton region, according to the province's chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell. They’re all related to a health-care professional at Campbellton Regional Hospital, who travelled but did not self-isolate upon their return from a personal trip to Quebec.

“We are still contact tracing but we know this zone is currently at a higher risk due to the actions of one irresponsible individual," Premier Blaine Higgs said.

In New Brunswick, you must self-isolate for 14 days upon return to the province. But that didn’t stop the individual, who is their 50s, from seeing multiple patients over the two-week period following their return from Quebec, which has the most cases in Canada.

The other two patients part of the cluster involve a senior in their 90s, and a young child who attended two daycares.

"If charges need to be laid, they will," Higgs said. "We don't have all the facts, but over the coming days, we will get them."

On May 16, New Brunswick had announced that all of its then 120 patients had recovered from the respiratory virus. But since May 21, after enjoying a two-week stretch of reporting no new cases, the province has identified three new patients, bringing its total to 123.

Russell said heath officials now expect to see more cases in the coming weeks.

"Unfortunately not everyone is taking this seriously. It is very important that people be truthful with public health staff."

The Campbellton region (Zone 5) will now go back to the first stage of its reopening plan, the “Orange phase.” The entire province moved to the second phase, “Yellow,” on Friday, which included the reopening of more businesses and activities, as well as easing of gathering restrictions among close friends and family.

“Based on the information I’ve given today, we might want to think about how many close contacts we have,” Russell said. “No matter what colour we’re in.”

Rare syndrome among kids investigated in one possible case in Alberta

Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said there’s now one possible case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) that’s being investigated in an Albertan child.

The syndrome is believed to be linked to COVID-19, and is most commonly seen in kids and young adolescents. Hinshaw could not share the age of the child, but said that they’re in stable condition in hospital.

MIS-C has been reported in Quebec, and it’s also being investigated in about 20 kids in Ontario. America, Italy and the United Kingdom have all also reported cases of the syndrome, which is similar to Kawasaki disease but is curable with steroids.

Hinshaw said common symptoms involve the inflammation of multiple organs, such as the heart, kidneys, blood vessels and the nervous system. A fever is most common, but patients have also experienced having a rash, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Based on early information, a majority of children that have COVID-19 are not expected to have MIS-C, but it doesn’t present itself until a couple of weeks to a month after infection.

“It appears to be rare, and is treatable,” said Hinshaw. “But it is a reminder that we continue to learn new things about this virus, and we must be cautious about our relaunch.

A confusing aspect of MIS-C is that many children will test negative for COVID-19, but then they’ll test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, which suggests they were infected. All 20 cases that are being investigated in Toronto have tested negative after having used a nasal swab.

Along with the potential case of MIS-C, Hinshaw announced there are 25 additional cases in the province, increasing its total case count to 6,926. That includes 6,106 recoveries, an increase of 58 since Tuesday’s update.

There are now 679 active cases in the province, the fewest since March 30, said Hinshaw. Of those patients, 531 of them are found in the Calgary zone. Across the province, there are 43 people in hospital, including four in intensive care.

Two more people have also died, increasing the death toll in Alberta to 141.

Toronto shares map showing COVID-19 hotspots, Ontario reports fewer than 300 cases for second straight day

Toronto Public Health has released a data map that shows that the city’s COVID-19 hotspots are in northwest Etobicoke and northeast Scarborough.

Toronto’s public health chief, Dr. Eileen de Villa, said these neighbourhoods are subject to lower incomes and more racial diversity compared to other parts of the city.

The data shows where people live, but not where there were infected, said de Villa, therefore people should not be afraid of visiting these areas, or think that they’re safe in less affected areas.

"Our data confirm that COVID-19 is present in every single neighbourhood in Toronto," said de Villa. “These cases are our friends, they are our colleagues and they are our family members. These numbers represent people, people in our city.”

Toronto is Ontario’s epicentre; as of Tuesday evening’s statistics, the city has 1,931 of the province’s 3,956 active cases of COVID-19. In the past 24 hours, Toronto reported 152 new cases, out of Ontario’s 292.

Humber Heights-Westmount in north-central Etobicoke currently has the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases in Toronto, with 1,525 people infected for every 100,000 residents.

Milliken in northeast Scarborough, situated in the city’s northeast area, has 1,374 people infected for every 100,00 residents.

The map shows that the Rouge River area of Scarborough has the most cases at 400, followed by Mount Olive and Jamestown areas of Etobicoke with 385 cumulative infections.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Yonge and Eglinton area has 11 cases, the Mount Pleasant East neighbourhood has nine, and the Lambton area of south Etobicoke has seven.

Ontario’s Ministry of Health update

The Ministry of Health reported 292 new cases in Ontario, after completing 15,133 tests for COVID-19.

It marks the second straight day the province has recorded less than 300 new cases of COVID-19, which it hasn’t done since March 29. The latest update increases its total case count to 26,483.

The latest testing figure is the highest Ontario has administered in a 24-hour stretch since May 17. It still falls behind its goal of 16,000 tests a day, or the 21,000 its labs are capable of administering.

Ontario’s testing outputs have come under fire over the past few weeks. Over the weekend, in an effort to increase its outputs, Premier Doug Ford announced that testing is now open to anyone who feels they need to be investigated. Health officials also started to test both symptomatic and asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, as well as complete a second round of testing in long-term care homes.

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said in the past that Ontario doesn’t have a system in place over the weekend to move some of its tests to labs, therefore it’s expected to see an increase later into the workweek.

Along with the new cases, 32 more fatalities were reported, increasing the death toll to 2,155. Also among the province’s total cases are 20,372 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 414 since Tuesday’s update.

There are now 847 people in hospital, down by one. That includes 150 in intensive care (up by seven) and 117 on ventilators (up by four).

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Health, there are 135 outbreaks around the province. Among those facilities, there are 1,587 residents who have passed away, while 1,765 people remain currently infected. In addition, there are 1,216 staff members who’ve been diagnosed, while six have died.

Premier Doug Ford announced today that his provincial government will take over management of Eatonville Care in Etobicoke, Hawthorne Place in North York, Altamont Care in Scarborough, Orchard Villa in Pickering and Camilla Care in Mississauga.

Four of the five long-term care facilities were the subject of a ‘heartbreaking’ report shared by the Canadian Armed Forces, who were deployed to the five care homes to provide assistance.

Along with staffing shortages and a lack of personal protective equipment, the report outlines problems relating to “significant” fecal contamination, rotten food, cockroaches, and residents not being cleaned and bathed.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

Saskatchewan’s Far North records two more fatalities

Two more people from Saskatchewan’s Far North have passed away after contracting COVID-19, marking the second straight day that the region has recorded a fatality.

One of the victims is an individual in their 80s and the other is an individual in their 60s.

According to Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 database, four of the province’s 10 total fatalities have taken place in the Far North.

Along with the increase to its death toll, health officials announced three new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 637. Two are in the Regina region, while one is in the Far North, which has 55 of the province’s 68 active cases.

Ten more people have recovered since Tuesday’s update, increasing the number of resolved cases to 559.

Four people are currently in hospital (down by one), and three in intensive care. There remains 50 health-care workers who have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 45,118 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Eighty-nine more fatalities, Canadian military releases report on Quebec CHSLD

Quebec health officials have identified 541 new cases of COVID-19, to go along with 89 more fatalities.

The update increases its totals to 49,139 and 4,228, respectively.

Among its total cases are 15,319 people who have recovered from COVID-19, an increase of 320 since Tuesday’s update. Of its active cases, there are 1,378 in hospital (down by 25), which includes 184 in intensive care (up by three).

In its latest 24-hour stretch, the province completed 10,098 tests. It’s now the third straight day that officials have failed to reach Quebec’s goal of 14,000 tests a day, after reaching the mark twice at the end of last week.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Armed Forces’ Quebec report was made public, which described the conditions at 25 long-term care homes around the province, where 1,050 soldiers have been deployed.

"Several of the report's findings, such as the understaffing, are among the reasons why Premier Legault asked for help from the Armed Forces a month and a half ago," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "These are serious issues that deserved to be brought to the attention of Quebec and we sent them the report last night."

Among the key problems that were outlined in the CHSLDs report was a lack of division between “hot” and “cold” COVID-19 zones, staffing shortages, and proper use of protective equipment. Long-term care homes have accounted for at least 60 per cent of Quebec’s total deaths.

Following the release of the report, Premier François Legault requested that the Canadian military stay in Quebec’s CHSLDs until Sept. 15.

The Quebec report comes a day after the Canadian Armed Forces released an Ontario report, since soldiers have also been deployed to five care homes in the province. Ontario has requested that the Armed Forces extend its assistance mission for 30 more days, until June 12.

"The report they provided us were heartbreaking, they were horrific, it's shocking that this can happen here in Canada. It's gut-wrenching and reading those reports was the hardest thing I've done as premier,” said Doug Ford.

Along with staffing shortages and a lack of personal protective equipment, the Ontario report outlines problems relating to “significant” fecal contamination, rotten food, cockroaches, and residents not being cleaned and bathed.

On Tuesday, the Canadian military said that there are 39 members who have tested positive after working in long-term care homes in both provinces. A total of 1,675 members have been deployed. Of the 39 cases, 24 are in Quebec and 15 in Ontario.

One more fatality, nine new cases in B.C.

British Columbia health officials announced nine new cases of COVID-19, increasing its total to 2,550.

Among those diagnoses are 2,144 people who have recovered from COVID-19. Of the 244 active cases, there are 37 individuals in hospital, which includes seven in intensive care.

One more person has died from COVID-19 in the last day in the Fraser Health region, increasing the province’s total to 162.

There are still 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities, and one acute-care unit that have active outbreaks. No new COVID-19 outbreaks have been discovered in the past 24 hours.

One new case in Nova Scotia

One more person in Nova Scotia has been diagnosed with COVID-19, increasing the total case count to 1,053.

Among the diagnoses are 975 patients who have recovered from the respiratory virus. Of the active cases, there remain seven in hospital, which includes three in intensive care.

There is currently one licensed long-term care home, Northwood in Halifax, that has an active outbreak; 12 residents and four staff members are currently infected. The facility has recorded 52 of Nova Scotia’s 59 total deaths.

May 26

B.C. records no new deaths, just 11 new cases

Dr. Bonnie Henry announced B.C. recorded no new deaths in the last 24-hour stretch, but there were 11 more positive diagnoses of COVID-19 in the province. B.C. case toll now stands at 2,541.

There remain 258 active cases in the provinces.

Alberta records 22 new cases, reaches new milestone in recoveries

Alberta posted the latest COVID-19 data of the province on its website today which included 22 new cases and one death. Alberta’s case toll now stands at 6,901, including 139 deaths.

A total of 6,048 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19 so far.

One more COVID-19 case in New Brunswick

A man in his 90s has tested positive for COVID-19 in the province, bringing the total number of cases to 122. One hundred and twenty people have recovered from the virus, while two active cases remain.

New Brunswick is currently in Phase 3 of its reopening plan, which allows for family and friends to create a “bubble” for socializing with specific people outside of one’s own household, and personal services and businesses to resume operations. By the end of this week, gatherings of fewer than 50 people for weddings, religious ceremonies and other events can begin to take place again.

Quebec reports 70 more deaths

A total of 4,139 people have died due to COVID-19 in Quebec, as the province announced on Tuesday 70 deaths since their last report. An additional 614 cases of COVID-19 were also reported on Tuesday.

There are currently 1,403 people in hospital for reasons related to COVID-19. Of those, 181 people are in intensive care.

Nova Scotia sees two new cases, one additional death

On Tuesday, another death of someone with COVID-19 brought the province’s total number of deaths to 59. The deceased was in her 80s and had underlying health conditions. She was not a resident of a long-term care facility.

There are now 1,052 cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. Eleven residents and four employees of a long-term care home in Halifax, Northwood, have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Ontario reports 21 more deaths, fewest cases in over a month

The province has seen a total of 2,123 people die due to COVID-19 since the virus came to Ontario. There are now 26,191 cases of COVID-19 that have been diagnosed in the province as of Tuesday.

The 287 new cases marks the smallest increase the province has reported since March 31. It comes after Ontario health officials completed 9,875 tests, which is below its goal of 16,000 a day.

May 25

Twelve new cases in British Columbia, four more deaths

After not releasing statistics on Sunday, health officials announced 12 new cases that were identified in the past 48 hours in British Columbia.

From May 23 to May 24, the province found five new cases. From May 24 to May 25, seven other patients were also identified.

Throughout that 48-hour timeframe, four more died after contracting the respiratory virus. All four victims were in Fraser Health; the update increases the province’s death toll 161.

Three more fatalities in Alberta

Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, reported that three more people in the province have died, increasing the death toll to 138.

Nineteen new cases were also identified in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 6,879. That includes 5,979 people who have recovered, while there remains 762 active cases across Alberta.

There are currently 45 people in hospital, with five of them in intensive care units.

Saskatchewan reports two new cases

There are two new COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan since the last provincial update, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 634. Eighty-one of the cases are considered active.

The majority of cases remain in the Far North region of the province, where there are currently 68 active cases.

One new case of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia

A total of 1,051 cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed in Nova Scotia as of Monday. One long-term care facility is currently experiencing an outbreak; Northwood in Halifax has 16 active cases, including 12 residents and four staff members.

Quebec reports 85 more deaths due to COVID-19

Provincial officials said Monday that Quebec now has 4,069 deaths due to COVID-19. The province is also reporting a total of 47,984 cases, up from 573 cases in the previous report.

The latest updates come as Montreal, the epicentre of the outbreak in Quebec, permits retail store with street level entrances to reopen. Premier François Legault also announced at his daily press conference that shopping malls outside of Montreal can reopen beginning June 1.

Twenty-nine more deaths reported in Ontario

Ontario saw 404 new cases and 29 more deaths reported in the province on Monday, pushing the national number of cases past 85,000.

Of the 2,102 deaths due to COVID-19 in Ontario, 1,323 of them have been in long-term care homes. According to the Ministry of Public Health, there are 1,926 confirmed cases in long-term care homes in the province, although according to the Public Health Ontario Daily Epidemiologic Summary (iPHIS), there have been more than 4,000 cases.

There are currently 859 patients in Ontario who have been hospitalized due to COVID-19; 148 are in the ICU, and 114 are on a ventilator.

The number of tests being performed by the province are still well below the target number of 16,000 per day. Ontario reported that it had processed 8,170 tests since its last update.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

May 24

Ontario reports its biggest increase in cases in over 2 weeks, Ford opens testing for everyone

On Sunday morning, while condemning a large Toronto park gathering that happened a day earlier, Premier Doug Ford said he’s going to open testing to everyone in Ontario.

Previously, you needed to have at least one COVID-19 symptom or a history of exposure in a high-risk setting to have qualified for a test.

“I’m here to ask for your help today,” said Ford. “If you’re worried you have COVID-19, or that you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 — even if you’re not showing symptoms — please go get a test.

“You will not be turned away, you don’t need an appointment, just show up.”

Ford made the announcement after the Ministry of Health reported 460 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario. Health officials were able to identify the new patients by completing 11,383 tests in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch.

It’s the biggest spike the province has recorded since May 8, while it marks the fourth straight day that it has eclipsed 400 new daily cases. It’s also the seventh straight day that Ontario has failed to meet its goal of 16,000 tests, or its max capacity of 21,000.

Between May 9 and May 18, the province had gone through an encouraging stretch where it stayed below the 400 daily case mark each day, while also hitting its testing goal on six of those 10 occasions.

But throughout the past week, Premier Doug Ford and health officials have both reported “concerning” trends. As of May 24, Ontario’s seven-day averages are 407 cases out of 9,506 tests. It’s a worrisome difference compared to May 17, when the seven-day averages stood at 345 cases out of 15,833 tests.

Ford said the province has 129 assessment centres for COVID-19. Next week, he also plans on releasing a detailed testing strategy, in which health officials will target various hotspots and sectors around the province, such as truckers, taxi drivers, and workers in automotive and food processing plants province-wide.

The premier said that the only way for the province to move into the next phase of its reopening plan, is if health officials see a downward trend in its daily case numbers among adequate testing outputs. On the contrary, if there aren’t any improvements, he said he won’t hesitate to roll back the province’s reopening plans, with Ontario currently in its first phase, which kicked off Tuesday.

Ministry of Health update

Along with the new cases on Sunday, 25 more people have died after contracting the respiratory virus, increasing Ontario’s death toll to 2,073.

There are now 19,477 who have recovered, an increase of 331 since Saturday’s update, setting a recovery rate of 76.4 per cent in Ontario.

In hospitals around the province, there are 878 patients (down by 34), which includes 148 in intensive care (up by one) and 104 who require a ventilator (down by 15).

In long-term care facilities there are 161 outbreaks, which is a decrease of four, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Health.

In those facilities, 1,392 staff members are currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of 45). Among residents there are 1,954 infected (a decrease of 194), and 1,525 who have passed away (an increase of 30). Six staff members have also died after contracting the virus.

Another 573 cases in Quebec, numbers dropping

The number of new reported deaths due to COVID-19 in Quebec dropped to its lowest in a week Sunday.

Quebec health authorities announced that 44 more people have died due to COVID-19, and the number of confirmed cases rose by 573. There were 287 new recoveries.

To date, Quebec has had 47,411 cases, including 14,331 recoveries and 3,984 deaths.

Alberta announced new cases, no deaths

Alberta recorded 42 new cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday, bringing the total number of active cases to 801.

No additional deaths were reported in the latest update, meaning the provincial death total remains at 135. In total, 5,924 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.

According to the province, hospitalization rates remain low with 46 people in hospital, six of whom are in intensive care.

The province said 216,168 Albertans have been tested and labs have performed 236,789 tests, with 4,015 tests completed in the last 24 hours.

Two new cases in Sask.’s Far North

There are two new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, both in the Far North region.

Three more people have recovered as of Sunday, while five people remain in hospital. Two people are in hospital receiving inpatient care, three are in intensive care.

Of the 632 cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, 141 cases are related to travel, while 357 are community contacts. There are 78 cases that have no known exposure to the virus, and 58 cases are still under investigation.

One new case in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is reporting one new case of COVID-19 and four new recoveries. The province has a cumulative total of 1,050 cases, including 973 recoveries and 58 deaths.

No new cases in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador

No new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in New Brunswick. The province has a cumulative total of 121 cases, including 120 recoveries and no deaths.

There are also no new cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador. The province's cumulative total stands at 260 cases, including 254 recoveries and three deaths.

After reporting no new cases in Manitoba, the province's cumulative total stands at 292 cases, including 268 recoveries and seven deaths.

May 23

Worrisome trends continue in Ontario’s COVID-19 fight

The Ministry of Health reported 412 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario, after performing 11,028 tests in its latest 24-hour stretch.

It now marks the sixth straight day that the province has failed to meet its goal of 16,000 tests a day, or its max capacity of 21,000. It’s also the third day that Ontario has reported more than 400 cases.

In comparison, between May 9 and May 18, the province had gone through a stretch where it stayed below the 400 daily case mark each day, while also hitting its testing goal on six of those 10 occasions.

Throughout the past week, Premier Doug Ford and health officials have both called the trends “concerning.” As of May 23, Ontario’s seven-day averages are 390 cases out of 10,197 tests. It’s a steady rise compared to May 16, when the seven-day averages stood at 338 cases out of 16,033 tests.

The premier said if there aren’t improvements he won’t hesitate to roll back the province’s reopening plans, with Ontario currently in its first phase, which kicked off Tuesday.

To ramp up testing over the weekend, Ford said the province will investigate both symptomatic and asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, and also perform a second round of testing in long term care homes.

More details on a new testing plan are also expected next week, which could include “random testing” of asymptomatic people in high-risk settings, such as truckers, taxi drivers, and workers in automotive and food processing plants province-wide.

Ministry of Health update

Along with the new cases on Saturday, 27 more people have died after contracting the respiratory virus, increasing Ontario’s death toll to 2,048.

There are now 19,146 who have recovered, an increase of 379 since Friday’s update, setting a recovery rate of 76.5 per cent in Ontario.

In hospitals around the province, there are 912 patients (down by 49), which includes 147 in intensive care (down by six) and 119 who require a ventilator (down by one).

In long-term care facilities there are 165 outbreaks, which is a decrease of six, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Health.

In those facilities, 1,437 staff members are currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of 86). Among residents there are 2,148 infected (a decrease of 104), and 1,495 who have passed away (an increase of nine). Six staff members have also died after contracting the virus.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

Quebec, Canada’s worst-hit province, reaches its testing goal for the first time

Quebec health authorities have reported that they’ve completed 14,572 tests in a 24-hour stretch.

It means for the first time, Canada’s worst-hit province has surpassed its goal of 14,000 tests a day, which was set May 1.

There’s a two-day delay in Quebec’s testing statistics, therefore the 14,572 stat is for May 21. In addition, Quebec’s health system reported that they collected 16,273 samples that same day.

Health officials have made it clear that increased testing is crucial for the province to understand the scope of COVID-19’s impact on its population. Earlier this week, Justin Trudeau also pledged to help Quebec and Ontario reach their testing goals.

"The 14,000 tests is a key ingredient, and the other key ingredient is to follow the guidelines," said Quebec deputy premier Geneviève Guilbault, while pointing to the importance of physical distancing and wearing a mask.

On Saturday, the province also reported that 75 more people have died, increasing its death toll to 3,940.

The victims are among its 46,838 cases, an increase of 697 since Friday’s update. There are 14,044 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, up by 225. In the past 24 hours, Quebec has released 27 people from hospital. Of its 1,452 patients in hospital, there are 167 who are in intensive care, down by four.

Montreal’s COVID-19 epidemic continues with 23,696 cases and 2,508 fatalities, increases of 283 and 54, respectively. Laval and Montérégie join it as the only other two regions with over 5,000 cases, while Montreal is the only one with at least 1,000 fatalities.

Three more cases in Saskatchewan

Health authorities in Saskatchewan have identified three new cases of COVID-19, increasing its total count to 630.

Two of those cases are in the Saskatoon area and the other is in the Far North, which has 76 of the province’s 88 active cases.

Fourteen more people have recovered from the respiratory virus, meaning that there are 535 resolved patients throughout Saskatchewan.

Six people are currently in hospital (up by one), and three in intensive care. Forty-nine health care workers have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 43,419 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

No new cases among LTC residents in British Columbia

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was “happy” to report that no new cases were found among residents of long-term care facilities over the last day, as the total remains at 330 residents.

There are still 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities, and two acute-care units that have active outbreaks. At those facilities, there are 540 cases, which includes 210 staff.

Unfortunately, Henry announced two more fatalities on Saturday, both residents of long-term care homes in Fraser Health, to increase British Columbia’s death toll to 157.

Ten more cases were also identified in the past 24 hours, raising the province’s total to 2,517.

There are now 303 active cases, since 2,057 people have recovered from the virus (an increase of 15 since Friday’s update). Thirty-nine patients are in hospital (down by two), while there remains eight in intensive care.

Henry announced a new outbreak at the Nature's Touch frozen fruit processing plant in Abbotsford, where five people have tested positive. The facility is working with Fraser Health to make sure all necessary precautions are in place. Nature's Touch has decided to close the plant over the weekend.

Henry also said an additional case has been identified in a correctional facility staff member in connection to the Mountain and Matsqui institutions. The Mountain outbreak, in Agassiz, is believed to have started after one inmate was transferred to the facility from Matsqui, in Abbotsford.

Eighteen new cases in Alberta

Alberta identified 18 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death, increasing its totals to 6,818 and 135, respectively.

According to its online database, there are now 48 people in hospital (down by six), while there remains six in intensive care. Sixty-eight more people have recovered since Friday’s update, for a total of 5,869.

Of the 814 active cases that remain (down 51), 641 are in the Calgary zone (down 48).

As of its last update, Alberta has completed 232,774 tests for COVID-19.

One more case, no recent victims in Nova Scotia

No new victims were identified for the second straight day in Nova Scotia, but health officials did report a new case of COVID-19, increasing its total to 1,049.

Among its total cases are 969 people who have recovered from the virus (up by eight), while there are six people in hospital (down by two), including three in intensive care (down by one).

Two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19. According to a press release, the Northwood facility in Halifax has 12 residents (down by four) and four staff members who are currently infected. One other facility has one resident with an active case.

To date, Nova Scotia health officials have also performed 37,671 negative tests for COVID-19.

May 22

Trudeau to help provinces with testing, contact tracing

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government wants to help fund provincial testing efforts, assist with contact tracing, while findings way for jurisdictions to share data.

Trudeau is also “strongly recommending” that Canadians download a soon-to-be-determined app, which will help with monitoring to limit the spread of COVID-19.

"Taking strong, collaborative action to expand testing and contact tracing is important for both Canadians and businesses to have confidence that we're on the right foot," said Trudeau.

Canada has trained federal government employees who can make 3,600 contract tracing a calls a day. Statistics Canada will also help, since they’ve trained 1,700 employees who can make 20,000 daily calls.

“We need to accelerate our ability to do contact tracing,” said Trudeau. “After we've confirmed and isolated new cases, we have to get in touch with everyone who may have been exposed to the virus and make sure they take measures to quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms or get tested.”

The move comes a day after Trudeau pledged to help Ontario and Quebec reach their testing goals. The two worst hit provinces in the country, Ontario has failed to meet its goal of 16,000 tests for five straight days; Quebec has yet to hit its goal of 14,000/day, since it set the benchmark May 1.

Canada has the capacity to test 60,000 people a day, but has been averaging about 28,000 , according to the Canadian Press.

Ontario sees biggest case increase in two weeks, reaches 2,000 fatalities

The Ministry of Health reported 441 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the biggest daily increase Ontario has reported since May 8.

The cases were identified after health officials administered 11,276 tests, leading to a 3.9 per cent positive test rate. It’s now the fifth straight day that Ontario has failed to meet its testing goal of 16,000 tests a day, or its anticipated goal of 20,000.

Premier Doug Ford on Friday once again said the recent trends in Ontario are “concerning,” since cases have been slowly increasing as Ontario fails to reach its testing goals.

"I think of it 24/7," said Ford. "We're seeing some peaks and valleys but hopefully we're going to see the trend go down...I know the last few days it has gone up and it's concerning. These are things you are up all night thinking about.

"It's tough."

Ontario’s seven-day averages, as of May 22, are 387 cases out of 11,160 tests. On May 15, the seven-day averages stood at 332 cases out of 16,242 tests.

Dr. Barbara Yaffe, the province's associate chief medical officer of health said that the spike in cases is concerning, as health officials continue to monitor certain “hotspots.” Yaffe said almost 64 per cent of cases in the province are in the Greater Toronto Area, primarily Toronto Peel, as well as York and Durham. Ottawa and Windsor have also been identified as locations with higher case numbers.

Ford said his team is working to develop a new testing plan, focused on “random testing” of asymptomatic people. Starting this weekend, the province will test both symptomatic and asymptomatic frontline health-care workers, and also perform a second round of testing in long term care homes.

In addition, the premier would like to target groups such as truckers, taxi drivers, and workers in automotive and food processing plants province-wide as part of this “random testing” initiative.

The premier has said on multiple occasions that he won’t hesitate to roll back his decision to lift restrictions, which started Tuesday with Ontario entering the first stage of its reopening plan. Health officials and the premier have made it clear that increased testing is crucial for understanding the scope of the COVID-19 situation in Ontario, since it has an influence on what restrictions will be lifted.

“I will be like an 800-pound gorilla on their backs every single day, if I have to, until I see these [testing] numbers go up,” said Ford on Thursday.

On Friday, the Ministry of Health also reported 28 more deaths, raising Ontario’s death toll to 2,021. They are among the province’s 24,628 total cases, which includes 18,767 recovered patients (an increase of 258 since Thursday).

In hospitals around the province, there are 961 patients (down by 23), which includes 153 in intensive care (down by two) and 120 who require a ventilator (up by three).

In long-term care facilities there are 171 outbreaks, which is a decrease of four, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Health.

In those facilities, 1,523 staff members are currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of 41), while among residents there are 2,252 infected (a decrease of 204), and 1,486 who have passed away (an increase of 34). Six staff members have also died after contracting the virus.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

Quebec continues reopening as it falls under testing goal

Sixty-five more people have died in Quebec after contracting COVID-19, increasing the province’s death toll to 3,865.

The victims are among its 46,141 cases, an increase of 646 since Thursday’s update. There are 13,819 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, up by 492. In the past 24 hours, Quebec has released 25 people from hospital. Of its 1,479 patients in hospital, there are 171 who are in intensive care, down by three.

Montreal’s COVID-19 epidemic continues with 23,413 cases and 2,454 fatalities, increases of 777 and 87, respectively. Laval and Montérégie join it as the only other two regions with over 5,000 cases, while Montreal is the only one with at least 1,000 fatalities.

On Friday, Quebec deputy premier Geneviève Guilbault and culture minister Nathalie Roy announced that as of May 29, museums will reopen at a limited capacity, to allow people to maintain physical distance. Libraries will also reopen for pickups and returns; visitors won’t be allowed to roam the aisles.

Recording of concerts without a present audience, and recording studios are next, since they’ll be permitted to reopen June 1.

The news comes as Quebec continues to fail to meet its testing goal of 14,000 a day, which was set May 1. Since then, the province has yet to reach the mark.

On Friday, Quebec reported that they completed 12,506 tests, while they collected 12,654 test samples.

"The 14,000 tests is a key ingredient, and the other key ingredient is to follow the guidelines," Guilbault said, while pointing to the importance of physical distancing and wearing a mask.

Four of Saskatchewan’s five new cases in Far North

Health authorities in Saskatchewan have identified five new cases of COVID-19, increasing its total count to 627.

Four of those cases are in the Far North; the epicentre has 85 of the province’s 99 total active cases. The other case reported Friday was in the South.

Twelve more people have recovered from the respiratory virus, meaning that there are 521 resolved cases throughout Saskatchewan.

Five people are currently in hospital, and three in intensive care. Forty-nine health care workers have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 42,843 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Two new cases in Nova Scotia, no recent victims

After three straight days of watching its death toll rise, health officials didn’t report any new fatalities in Nova Scotia’s latest 24-hour stretch.

Two new cases were identified, increasing its total case count to 1,048.

Among its total cases are 961 people who have recovered from the virus (up by two), while there are eight people in hospital (down by one), including four in intensive care.

Two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19. According to a press release, the Northwood facility in Halifax has 16 residents (up one) and four staff members who are currently infected. One other facility has one resident with an active case.

To date, Nova Scotia health officials have also performed 37,405 negative tests for COVID-19.

Manitoba reports two new patients

After three straight days without a new case, health officials said they identified two new patients in Manitoba’s latest 24-hour stretch.

There are now 18 active cases since 267 people have recovered, while one person is in hospital due to the respiratory virus. The number of deaths remains at seven.

Since early February, health officials in Manitoba have administered 37,272 tests for COVID-19.

Alberta records 32 new cases, 91 recoveries

Alberta identified 32 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths, increasing its totals to 6,800 and 134, respectively.

According to its online database, there are now 54 people in hospital (down by five), while there remains six in intensive care. Ninety-one more people have recovered since Thursday’s update, for a total of 5,801.

As of its last update, Alberta has completed 225,588 tests for COVID-19.

On Friday, Premier Jason Kenney announced that Calgary and Brooks will join the rest of Alberta on Monday in being allowed to open restaurants, bars, hair salons and barbershops.

Of the 865 active cases that remain (down by 61 since Thursday), 689 are in the Calgary zone (down 55). The South zone, which is home to Brooks, has 93 active cases (down by four).

On Thursday, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the province is not seeing any discouraging trends in either community, and said that the cases are mostly linked to the Cargill and JBS food processing plants.

Three more deaths, one outbreak declared over in B.C.

Three more people have died in British Columbia’s Fraser Health region, increasing the province’s death toll to 155.

Along with the latest fatalities, 18 more patients were identified. But the province added 28 cases to its total compared to yesterday, for a total of 2,507, because of a system change.

“The discrepancy between new cases and total cases with the Interior Health and Island Health regions reported today are a data consolidation to reflect COVID-19 cases based on where individuals reside, even if they were not in the health authority during their illness,” said the press release.

“Nine of the cases in Interior Health and one case in Island Health are individuals associated with the Kearl Lake outbreak, who completed their self-isolation in Alberta and have since recovered.”

There are now 310 active cases, since 2,042 have recovered from the virus (an increase of 22 since Thursday’s update). Forty-one patients are in hospital, including eight in intensive care.

No new outbreaks were announced Friday, while one has been recently declared over at Lions Gate Hospital. In total, there are 14 long-term care or assisted-living facilities, and two acute-care units that have active outbreaks.

“Public health teams continue to provide support for community outbreaks at the Mountain Institution and Mission Institution – both federal corrections facilities, at the Oppenheimer Group, facilities in the poultry sector and with those connected to the Kearl Lake plant in Alberta,” said the press release.

May 21

New Brunswick identifies first case in two weeks

After five days with no active cases in the province, New Brunswick health officials have identified one new COVID-19 patient.

N.B. had seen all 120 of its patients recover from the virus on May 16. But further testing has helped identify its first new case since May 6.

The newest patient is under the age of 19, and is in the Campbellton region, according to a press release.

To date, 21,474 tests have been conducted in New Brunswick, while the province plans to enter the third stage of its recovery plan on Friday.

Prince Edward Island now remains the only province without an active case, after all 27 of its patients recovered from the virus. All 16 cases in Canada’s three territories have also been marked as resolved.

Newfoundland and Labrador has four active patients, while health officials haven’t identified a new case in two weeks.

Infections spike among Canadian Armed Forces members in LTCs

Twenty-eight service members, who have been deployed to long-term facilities in Ontario and Quebec, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Last week, the Canadian Armed Forces only reported that five members had contracted the virus.

Because of the spike, the Armed Forces will now publish a daily update (instead of a bi-monthly one) as its 1,675 members continue to help Quebec and Ontario manage their COVID-19 responses in long-term care facilities.

Across 25 centres in Quebec, there are 16 CAF members who have tested positive, while the remaining 12 cases are among soldiers in five Ontario LTCs.

Before deployment, each member was trained on how to work in a long-term care facility. They’ve also been given protective equipment, as they help with residents’ medical needs, as well as cleaning and serving food.

Ford voices his frustration over testing, says rise in cases is ‘concerning’

Ontario Health officials were able to identify 413 new patients after completing 10,506 tests for COVID-19 in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch.

Despite it being an increase compared to days prior, it marks the fourth straight time that Ontario has failed to meet its quota of 16,000 tests a day, or its anticipated goal of 20,000, which labs have the capacity to administer.

“Am I frustrated? Yes, I’m frustrated,” said Premier Doug Ford on the lack of testing in Ontario by health officials.

“But I have confidence in the team. They’re working hard and doing everything they can; we’ll hit those numbers...I will be like an 800-pound gorilla on their backs every single day, if I have to, until I see these numbers go up.”

Ford said his team is working to develop a new testing plan, focused on “random testing” of asymptomatic people. Since the province is not “seeing traffic to assessment centres,” Ford said he would like to target groups such as truckers, taxi drivers, workers in automotive and food processing plants province-wide. He’d also like to go back to long-term care facilities to retest residents and staff.

“We can’t just be testing people with symptoms, we have to start going to the broader public, testing asymptomatic people,” said Ford. “Until we do that, we can’t get our hands around the whole system. How do we know how many asymptomatic people are out there? If we keep testing and tracing, and testing and tracing, we’re going to get it done.”

Next week, Ford will provide an update on his team’s testing plan, but he says he can’t currently set a timeline for when it could go into action. The decision comes as Ontario starts to see a worrisome trend in its daily case updates.

"We've seen [new cases] go up...and the [testing] numbers haven't been there. It's concerning," said Ford.

As of May 21, Ontario’s seven-day averages are 372 cases out of 12,171 tests. On May 14, the seven-day averages stood at 351 cases out of 15,948 tests.

The premier said that he won’t hesitate to roll back his decision to lift restrictions, which started Tuesday with Ontario entering the first stage of its reopening plan. Health officials and the premier have made it clear that increased testing is crucial for understanding the scope of the COVID-19 situation in Ontario, since it has an influence on what restrictions will be lifted.

Later in the day, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams said that the province’s daily cases are “plateauing,” but it’s “disappointing” that they’re not coming down as anticipated. Williams said that upon further investigation, health officials discovered that there were still some tests from its long-term care survey, which was completed last week, that weren’t processed until yesterday.

Ministry of Health update

Along with the 413 new cases and 31 more victims, the Ministry of Health reported that there are now 18,509 people who have recovered, an increase of 319. In hospitals around the province, there are 984 patients (down by seven since Wednesday), which includes 155 in intensive care (down by five) and 117 who require a ventilator (down by three).

In long-term care facilities there are 175 outbreaks, which is a decrease of eight, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Health.

In those facilities, 1,564 staff members are currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of 47), while among residents there are 2,458 infected (a decrease of 105), and 1,452 who have passed away (an increase of 25). Six staff members have also died after contracting the virus (an increase of one).

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

Four more deaths in Alberta long-term homes

Alberta's chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported four fatalities, all residents of Calgary long-term care facilities, increasing the province’s death toll to 132.

• A man in his 80s at Extendicare Hillcrest

• A woman in her 80s at Intercare Brentwood Care Centre

• A woman in her 90s at Chartwell Eau Claire Retirement Residences

• A man in his 70s at Carewest Sarcee

Hinshaw said that the average age of death in Alberta is 82, which is why long-term care facilities remain a priority.

Along with the recent victims, 33 new cases were identified, raising its total case count to 6,768. There are now 59 people in hospital (up by one) and six in intensive care (down by one). Seventy-three people have recovered since Wednesday’s update, for a total of 5,710.

"The good news is that we continue to see a downward trend across the province in active cases," Hinshaw said. "While it is too early to see the full impact of the relaunch, so far, our case numbers have held steady."

Of the 926 active cases that remain, 744 are in the Calgary zone and 97 in the South zone. Among workers at the two meat processor outbreaks, there are five cases that remain of the 943 at Cargill plant in High River, while 10 employees of 640 are still infected at the JBS plant in Brooks.

Despite the outbreaks, Hinshaw said they’re not seeing any concerning trends in either plant’s communities. Calgary and Brooks continue to go through a gradual reopening compared to the rest of the province, but Hinshaw said they can expect an update tomorrow on restrictions moving forward.

As of its last update, Alberta has completed 225,588 tests for COVID-19.

Three fatalities, new prison outbreak in B.C.

Three more people have died in British Columbia, increasing the province’s death toll to 152.

Along with the latest fatalities, 12 more patients were identified. They are among the province’s 307 active cases, since 2,020 have recovered from the virus (an increase of 19 since Wednesday’s update).

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that there’s a new confirmed outbreak at Matsqui Institution, a federal prison in Abbtoford, B.C, after one person tested positive for COVID-19.

“This person was identified early and has very few risky contacts, so that is a good thing for us,” said Henry, while noting that the B.C. government is working in collaboration with the Correctional Service of Canada and Fraser Health.

In positive news, the United Poultry processing plant in Vancouver has been declared over, while there remains 17 active outbreaks among long-term care, acute care and assisted living facilities in the province.

Two more cases in Far North

Saskatchewan reported two new cases of COVID-19, bringing its total to 622.

Both of the cases were identified in the Far North, which is now home to 93 of the province’s 106 active cases.

Fifteen more people have recovered, for a total of 509 throughout Saskatchewan. Five people are currently in hospital (an increase of one), and two in intensive care (an increase of two). Forty-nine health care workers have been infected, but the source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 42,443 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Quebec sees biggest increase in recoveries

Eighty-two more people have died in Quebec, increasing the province’s death toll to 3,800. Of the newly announced fatalities, 25 occurred more than five days ago.

The victims are among its 45,495 cases, an increase of 720 since Wednesday’s update. There are 13,327 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus; the 505 increase is the largest Quebec has seen in resolved cases since the start of the pandemic, according to Steve Faguy of the Montreal Gazette.

In the past 24 hours, Quebec has released 12 people from hospital. Of its 1,504 patients in hospital, there are 176 who are in intensive care, down by seven.

As of its last update, Quebec has performed 314,247 negative tests for COVID-19 to go along with its positive diagnoses.

Montreal’s COVID-19 epidemic continues with 22,636 cases and 2,367 fatalities, increases of 428 and 44, respectively. It’s the only region in Quebec with at least 5,000 cases or 1,000 fatalities.

Nova Scotia once again sees same increase to case count, death toll

For the third straight day, Nova Scotia health officials have reported exactly one additional death and case in the province.

The update increased its total case count to 1,046, which includes 58 deaths. The latest victim was a resident of the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax Regional Municipality, which has recorded 52 fatalities.

Among its total cases are 959 people who have recovered from the virus (up by three), while there are nine people in hospital (up by one), including four in intensive care.

Two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19. According to a press release, the Northwood facility in Halifax has 15 residents (down by four) and four staff members (up by one) who are currently infected. One other facility has one resident with an active case.

To date, Nova Scotia health officials have also performed 37,078 negative tests for COVID-19.

May 20

Alberta reports smallest case spike in two months

Alberta identified 19 new cases of COVID-19, which marks the smallest increase to its total case count since March 16.

The update also increases its total case count to 6,735. That includes 128 fatalities, after no new deaths were reported for the second straight day.

At least 5,637 people have recovered from COVID-19. That leaves 970 active cases, with the Calgary zone being home to 784 of them. In the entire province, there are 58 people in hospital and seven in intensive care.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw didn’t hold a press conference on Wednesday, after deciding to scale back her public availability now that Alberta has entered Stage 1 of its reopening plan.

As of the province’s last update, health officials have completed 221,571 tests for COVID-19.

Ford ‘shocked’ as Ontario fails to meet testing goal for third straight day

Along with 43 new deaths — the most Ontario has recorded since May 12 — the Ministry of Health reported 390 new cases of COVID-19 in its latest 24-hour stretch, setting its total case count at 23,774.

Ontario completed 7,382 tests in that timeframe, which marks the third straight day that health officials haven’t reached their goal of at least 16,000 a day. The province also has its eyes set on ramping up testing to 20,000 a day.

"It kind of shocked me too. But in saying that, we have a strong plan to ramp up testing,” said Premier Ford Doug on the province’s low numbers.

"We're watching the trends like a hawk right now...We're watching the rate of the spread. We're watching closely for any sudden surges or flare-ups...We won't hesitate to roll things back if necessary."

This isn’t the first time that Ford has raised concerns about Ontario’s testing efforts. In early May, he told health officials to start “picking up your socks and start doing testing” after they failed to meet expectations.

This time, his plea comes after Ontario just started the first stage of its reopening plan. On Tuesday, the province allowed construction, certain health and medical services, recreational and seasonal activities, and some household and animal services to resume.

“We can't open things up to stage two until we can fully assess what the effects of stage one are on the community,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said. “So testing becomes all the more important. And we do have a plan to ramp it up considerably."

It’s not clear what’s behind the low testing outputs, but health officials have pointed to multiple factors; the Victoria Day long weekend might have had an impact on the system; all testing of long-term care residents and staff has been completed; and the province "can't force" people to be tested, said Ontario's chief medical officer of health David Williams.

“We do want to increase our testing, and we do want to use that to drive our overall knowledge and base of the ongoing transmission within the province of Ontario,” Williams said, while nothing that the province’s daily increase in cases haven’t “come down as quickly as [he] would like.”

The 390 new cases set a positive test rate of 5.3 per cent, which is the second-highest Ontario has recorded in May, just behind Tuesday’s 7.3 per cent mark.

Among the province’s total cases are 18,190 people who have recovered (up by 292 since Tuesday), setting a recovery rate of 76.5 per cent. There are four additional patients now in hospital, for a total of 991 but there are seven less people in ICU (160), and 120 who require a ventilator (down by three).

LTC update

Around Ontario, there are 183 outbreaks among LTCs, down by seven since Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Health.

In those facilities, 1,611 staff members are currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of four), while among residents there are 2,563 infected (an increase of 25) and 1,427 who have passed away (an increase of 19). Five staff members have also died after contracting the virus.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

One fatality in Saskatchewan, nine of province’s 21 new cases in La Loche

An individual in their 60s from Saskatchewan’s North region has passed away after contracting COVID-19, raising the province’s death toll to seven.

Before today’s update, Saskatchewan had not recorded a death since April 29.

Along with the increase to its death toll, health officials identified 21 cases for a total of 620. It’s the biggest increase to its case count since the province announced 25 cases on May 6.

Of those new 21 cases, one is in the Saskatoon area and four in the North, while 16 are in the Far North; that includes six in Beauval and nine in the province’s epicentre La Loche.

There are also now 494 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 24 since Tuesday’s update. Of Saskatchewan’s 120 active cases, 102 are in the Far North.

Four people are in hospital, including one in intensive care, a decrease of one for both categories since yesterday. Forty-nine health care workers have been infected, an increase of one. The source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 41,951 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Three victims in B.C., one new outbreak

Three more people have died in British Columbia, increasing the province’s death toll to 149.

One of the victims died in Vancouver Coastal Health region, while the other two were in Fraser Health.

In a written statement, B.C. health officials said they’ve identified 21 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 2,467. There remain 317 active cases, since 2,001 people have recovered from the respiratory virus.

“There has been one new health-care outbreak at The Cedars in Mission assisted-living facility,” the statement read. “Both outbreaks at Ridge Meadows Hospital have now been declared over. In total, 15 long-term care or assisted-living facilities and three acute-care units have active outbreaks.”

Quebec reports 71 fatalities

Seventy-one more people have died in Quebec, increasing the province’s death toll to 3,718.

The victims are among its 44,775 cases, an increase of 578 since Tuesday’s update, which also includes 12,882 people who have recovered (up by 385). There are now 1,516 people in hospital (down by 268), including 183 in intensive care (up by three).

As of its last update, Quebec has performed 307,437 negative tests for COVID-19 to go along with its positive diagnoses.

Montreal’s COVID-19 epidemic continues with 22,636 cases and 2,367 fatalities. It’s the only region in Quebec with at least 10,000 cases and 1,000 fatalities.

One more death at Nova Scotia LTC

Nova Scotia health officials reported one additional death and case in the province.

The update increased its total case count to 1,045, which includes 57 deaths. The latest victim was a resident of the Northwood long-term care home in Halifax Regional Municipality, which has recorded 51 fatalities.

Among its total cases are 956 people who have recovered from the virus, while there are eight people in hospital, including four in intensive care.

Two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19. According to a press release, the Northwood facility in Halifax has 19 residents and three staff members who are currently infected.

To date, Nova Scotia health officials have also performed 36,656 negative tests for COVID-19.

May 19

Two new cases in B.C., but three deaths

As the second phase of B.C.’s opening plan gets underway, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that only two new cases were found in the province, the lowest since March 6 (which was five days before the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 crisis a pandemic). The province’s total number of cases is 2,446.

Three patients died, all connected to long-term care homes. The province’s death toll is now 146.

No new deaths in Alberta, but 33 new cases

Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced Tuesday that 33 patients tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the province’s total to 6,716. More than 83 per cent of patients — or 5,584 individuals — have recovered.

No new COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Alberta, keeping the death toll in the province at 128.

Saskatchewan reports seven new cases

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan has now reached 599, and the death total remains the same at six.

The seven new cases reported on Tuesday are all in the Far North region of the province, which has a total of 107 active cases. There are 123 active cases now in the province.

Quebec identifies 570 new cases

Premier François Legault confirmed on Tuesday that 44,197 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Quebec, and 3,647 people have died after contracting the virus in the province.

The increase of 570 cases is the smallest daily increase since April 11.

Most of the province has reopened, however, retail stores and daycares in the Montreal area, which is the epicentre of the pandemic in the province, will remain closed until June. Residents of Quebec are still being asked to respect social distancing measures.

Nova Scotia reports one additional death

On Tuesday, the province reported that one more case had been identified and one more death had been reported in Nova Scotia. The total number of deaths in the province is now 56, and total number of cases is 1,044.

Ontario reports more long-term care facility deaths

A total of 1,408 deaths have been reported in long-term care homes, according to the Ministry of Long-Term care. This makes up the bulk of the 1,919 deaths that have been reported in the province as of Tuesday. Ontario also saw an increase in the number of infected persons as it reached 23,384 total cases, an increase of 427 cases since Monday, while 17,898 of the total number of cases have been resolved.

Ontario has begun breaking out major subsets within its case reporting to paint a clearer picture of who is being impacted in the province. Of all the cases that have occurred in the province, 4,235 have been residents of long-term care facilities, and 1,456 have been health care workers who are associated with long-term care facilities.

May 18

British Columbia to begin Phase 2 of reopening

The province has recorded 16 new COVID-19 cases in the 48-hour period between Saturday and Monday, as the province prepares to enter Phase 2 of its pandemic response with a gradual reopening of businesses and services.

Speaking in a daily briefing on Monday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said there have been two more deaths from the illness in the province.

There were eight cases on Saturday and a further eight on Sunday, bringing the total to 2,444. There are 335 active cases in B.C., 47 are in hospital, 12 of them in the ICU.

Meanwhile, 1,966 people have recovered.

Alberta reports 39 new cases, 1 death

Monday’s announcement brings the total number of active cases in Alberta to 1,036, nearly 30 fewer active cases than the province's last count on Sunday.

The provincial update also said hospitalization rates were still low with just 65 people currently in hospital, nine of them in intensive care. As of Monday, Alberta has seen 6,683 cases of COVID-19 with 5,519 people having recovered from the illness.

The Alberta government reported 3,458 COVID-19 tests were completed in the last 24 hours. As of Monday's update, 216,536 total tests for the illness have been performed in Alberta.

In Alberta's continuing care facilities, there were 93 active cases of COVID-19 and 596 recovered cases. These facilities have also seen 94 residents die from COVID-19.

There have been a total of 128 deaths in the province from the disease.

No new cases in Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan government is reporting no new cases of COVID-19 in the province as of Monday.

Premier Scott Moe said it's the first day since March 15 that the province has not had a new positive case of the virus. Five people are currently in hospital, three are in intensive care in Saskatoon, and two people are receiving inpatient care (one in Regina, one in Saskatoon).

The province said 11 more people have recovered from COVID-19 as of Monday, bringing the total active cases to 131.

Six people have died of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, but there hasn't been a new death recorded since April 29. In total, Saskatchewan has had 592 confirmed cases.

1 new case in Manitoba

Manitoba was unable to make it a full week without a new case of COVID-19 being identified, as public health officials announce one new case Monday.

The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the province is 290, though there are only 26 active cases.

One person is in hospital, but not in intensive care.

Seven people have died from COVID-19 in Manitoba, and 257 people have recovered from the virus.

Quebec announce high number of cases again, slight drop on previous days

The province recorded 707 new coronavirus cases Monday, which is down from 737 reported Sunday and 763 on Saturday.

They also announced a further 34 deaths, compared to 79 on Sunday and 82 the day before.

Quebec is now reporting an additional 45 coronavirus recoveries. That moves the provincial total to 12,045.

No new cases in New Brunswick

As New Brunswickers enjoy the nice weather on Victoria Day, the province reported no new cases of COVID-19 for a 12th consecutive day.

There are 120 recovered cases and no active cases.

No new cases in Newfoundland and Labrador

The province reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, marking 11 straight days without a single new case.

The total number of cases in the province that were diagnosed remains at 260, with eight cases currently active.

Nova Scotia reports 3 new cases of COVID-19; 946 people recovered

The province announced three new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.

Despite the new cases, Monday marks the third consecutive day without a death in the province. The most recent deaths in the province were announced on Friday, when four residents at a Northwood long-term care facility died from the disease.

The QEII Health Sciences Centre's microbiology lab completed 237 tests on Sunday.

Eight people are currently in hospital. Four of those patients are in intensive care units.

Ontario cases surge toward 23,000

The province has reported 304 new cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 22,957.

There were 23 new deaths, a total of 1,904, while nearly 17,638 cases are considered resolved, which makes up 76.8 per cent of all confirmed cases.

The reported number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is 972 (up by 38 ), with 174 in intensive care (up by three) and 133 on a ventilator (up by four).

According to the Ministry of Long-Term Care, there have been 1,389 deaths reported among residents and patients in long-term care homes across Ontario, an increase of one. There are currently 189 outbreaks in long-term care homes.

The ministry also indicated there are 2,526 confirmed cases among long-term care residents and 1,606 cases among staff.

May 17

Quebec surpasses 3,500 deaths, student tests positive after return to school

A COVID-19 case among elementary school students in Quebec was announced late Saturday. The Draveurs school board said in a news release that the child attends École de l'Orée-des-Bois in Cantley, Que., which is about 20 kilometres north of downtown Ottawa.

Outaouais public health authority has conducted a risk assessment, and will allow classes to continue, since the risk for other students is considered to be “low,” according to the news release. The student’s reason for transmission has not been made publicly known.

On May 11 — the day that Quebec became the first province to reopen its elementary schools (with the exception of the Greater Montreal area) — another École de l'Orée-des-Bois student was pulled from class because a family member had tested positive.

On May 13, a student at Lord Aylmer Elementary School in Gatineau, Que., was sent home because they were exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, but it’s not clear if they’ve since tested positive.

On Quebec’s public health website, officials have advised parents that “based on available evidence in Quebec, children and teenagers account for a low percentage of cases (fewer than 5%). In general, they do not become severely ill. Most infected children have had mild symptoms.”

High schools, CEGEPs and universities across Quebec will remain closed until the end of August, as well as elementary schools in the Greater Montreal area.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan announced on Friday that schools in the province can begin in-person, part-time classes on June 1. In Ontario, schools are scheduled to remain closed until May 31, but Premier Doug Ford is expected to have an update on Tuesday.

Quebec’s COVID-19 update for Sunday

Seventy-nine more people have died in Quebec, increasing the province’s death toll to 3,562.

The victims are among its 42,920 cases, an increase of 737 since Saturday’s update, which also includes 11,754 people who have recovered (up by 296). There are now 1,766 people in hospital (up by three), including 183 in intensive care (up by four).

Montreal’s COVID-19 epidemic continues with 21,717 cases and 2,276 fatalities, increases of 307 and 42 in the past 24 hours, respectively. As of its last update, Quebec has performed 290,192 negative tests for COVID-19 to go along with its positive diagnoses.

Ontario reports its fewest deaths in over a month, Canada’s recovery rate surpasses 50 per cent

The Ministry of Health reported 23 more COVID-19 related deaths, increasing Ontario’s death toll to 1,881. It’s the fewest fatalities the province has recorded in a 24-hour stretch since April 13, when it had 17.

Along with the new fatalities, the Ministry of Health reported 340 new cases of COVID-19, increasing Ontario’s total to 22,653. In its latest 24-hour stretch, it administered 16,217 tests for COVID-19 — leading to a 2.1 per cent positive test rate.

Ontario also saw a decrease of 41 in hospitalized patients for a total of 934, the fewest it has had since April 25. That includes 171 people in intensive care (down by nine), and 129 patients on ventilators (down by six), which marks a low since April 2 for both statistics.

There are now 17,360 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 340 since Saturday’s update, setting a recovery rate of 76.6 per cent.

With Ontario’s latest update (the first of the day on Sunday), Canada also reached a significant milestone. Of the nation’s 76,193 confirmed COVID-19 patients, at least 50 per cent (38,172) have now recovered.

LTC update

Around Ontario, the dire COVID-19 situation in long-term care homes continues. There are three additional outbreaks in LTCs, increasing the total to 189, according to the Ministry of Long-Term Health.

In those facilities, 1,631 staff members are currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of six), while among residents there are 2,500 infected (an increase of 10) and 1,388 who have passed away (an increase of 28). Five staff members have also died after contracting the virus.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

One more case in Saskatchewan’s Far North

Saskatchewan reported one new case of COVID-19, bringing its total to 592. The patient is located in the Far North, where there are 118 of Saskatchewan’s 142 active cases.

In the last 24 hours, 11 more cases have been resolved, meaning that there are now 444 recovered patients in the province. As of Sunday’s update, there are five people in hospital (down by three), which includes three in intensive care (all in Saskatoon).

Forty-eight health care workers have been infected. The source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 40,806 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

Alberta records one more fatality

One more person has died in Alberta after contracting COVID-19, raising the province’s death toll to 127. The fatalities are part of its 6,664 total cases, after 57 new patients were identified in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch.

There are also 5,453 people who have recovered, an increase of 76 since Saturday. Of the province’s 1,064 active cases, 856 of them are in the Calgary zone.

As of Sunday, 57 people are in hospital (down by three) and nine in intensive care (up by one).

It’s unclear at this point who is the most recent fatality and what’s the latest on the province’s several outbreaks, since Alberta did not hold a press conference Sunday. Instead health officials released their most recent statistics through an online database.

As of the province’s last update, health officials have completed 213,078 tests for COVID-19.

Three more cases in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia health officials have diagnosed three additional patients with COVID-19, increasing the province’s case count to 1,040.

For the second straight day, no new deaths were reported, meaning the death toll remains at 55.

Among its total cases are 938 people who have recovered from the virus, up by eight since Saturday. Eight people remain in hospital, including four in intensive care.

Two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19. According to a press release, the Northwood facility in Halifax has 24 residents (down by one) and nine staff members who are currently infected. The LTC has seen 49 of the province’s 55 total deaths.

To date, Nova Scotia health officials have also performed 35,970 negative tests for COVID-19.

May 16

New Brunswick has no more active cases, joins four other provinces and territories

All of New Brunswick’s 120 patients have recovered from COVID-19, meaning there are no more active cases in the province.

For the tenth straight day, New Brunswick has also not identified a new infection.

This is the second time that all of its patients have recovered. It previously had zero active cases, when on May 2 it announced all 118 of its patients had recovered. But a few days later, the province identified two more patients, for a total of 120.

Since the start of the pandemic, New Brunswick has conducted 20,032 tests for COVID-19.

Alongside New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island is the only province with no active cases. All 27 of its patients have recovered, after its last case was recorded April 28. Health officials have administered 4,556 tests in P.E.I. as of its last update.

All 16 cases in Yukon and the Northwest Territories have also been marked as resolved, while Nunavut has yet to confirm a positive diagnosis. Yukon and the Northwest Territories have outlined their plans to lift restrictions, while Nunavut is expected to release a plan next week.

The last case to be identified in Canada’s three territories was on April 20.

Positive trends in other provinces

On Saturday, Manitoba announced that it had not discovered any new cases for the fourth straight day. Twenty-five active cases in the province remain; 257 of its 289 patients have recovered, an increase of three since yesterday. Health officials in Manitoba have administered 33,953 tests since February.

Newfoundland and Labrador also didn’t report a new case for the ninth straight day. Of its 260 patients, 249 of them have recovered, an increase of one. At least 10,525 people have been tested.

For a breakdown of how New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador have started to open up their economies, you can click here.

Ontario reports its most daily diagnoses this week, Canada reaches 75K cases

The Ministry of Health reported 391 new cases of COVID-19, marking the biggest daily spike Ontario has seen since the province recorded 477 new cases on May 8.

In the Ministry of Health’s latest 24-hour stretch, it administered 17,768 tests for COVID-19 — the third most it’s ever recorded — leading to a 2.2 per cent positive test rate.

The latest update on Saturday increased Ontario’s case count to 22,313, and Canada’s to over 75,000.

Along with the new cases, the Ministry of Health reported 33 more COVID-19 related deaths, increasing Ontario’s death toll to 1,858. There are now 17,020 people who have recovered from the respiratory virus, an increase of 379 since Friday’s update, setting a recovery rate of 76.3 per cent.

Ontario also saw a decrease of 11 in hospitalized patients, for a total of 975. That includes 180 people in intensive care (up one), while there remains 135 on ventilators.

Around Ontario, the dire COVID-19 situation in long-term care homes continues, with outbreaks among 186 facilities, according to the Ministry of Health. There are 1,637 staff members currently infected with COVID-19 (a decrease of 10), while among residents there are 2,490 infected (an increase of 61) and 1,360 who have passed away (an increase of 40). Five staff members have also died after contracting the virus.

On Saturday, Ontario opened its golf courses, marinas, boat clubs and public boat launches. The province plans to continue to ease restrictions on Tuesday, when the first stage of its reopening plan kicks off.

Premier Doug Ford is urging businesses only to reopen if “they’re ready.”

For the past two weeks (May 3-16), Ontario has started to see a downward trend in its daily reported cases. In the past 14 days, Ontario has had 11 days with less than 400 new cases of COVID-19.

Before that stretch, the province recorded only one day below the 400-case-mark between April 19 and May 2. It also saw its daily case count reach over 500 on eight different occasions throughout those 14 days.

Please see note at end of article with regards to Ontario's long-term care reporting structure compared to the Ministry of Health’s.

One new case in Saskatchewan, long term care facility outbreak declared over in La Loche

Saskatchewan reported one new case of COVID-19, in the Saskatoon area, bringing its total to 591.

Health officials have also announced that the outbreak at the long term care facility in the La Loche Health Centre has been declared over, since no new cases have been identified for 28 days. The outbreak was originally announced April 17.

La Loche remains the epicentre of Saskatchewan’s Far North area. Of the province’s 152 active cases, 127 of them are in the Far North.

Twenty-five more cases have also been marked as resolved, meaning that there are now 433 recovered patients in the province. Currently, there are eight people in hospital (down by one), which includes three in intensive care (all in Saskatoon).

Forty-eight health care workers have been infected. The source of infection for each case may not be related to their line of work, according to a press release.

To date, 40,097 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province.

One more fatality in B.C.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that one more fatality has been recorded in the past 24 hours, increasing British Columbia’s death toll to 141.

The latest victim lived in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

Twenty-one new cases were also identified in the province, increasing its total to 2,428.

That includes 1,932 people who have recovered (an increase of eight since Friday’s update). There are now 49 people in hospital (down by two) and 11 in intensive care (down by one).

There remains 20 outbreaks among long-term care, acute care and assisted living facilities in the province. Health officials continue to pay increased attention to its latest outbreak, Abbotsford Regional Hospital’s acute-care centre, where six staff and two patients have tested positive.

Alberta records its 126th fatality

One more person has died in Alberta after contracting COVID-19, raising the province’s death toll to 126. The fatalities are part of its 6,587 total cases, after 72 new patients were identified in the province’s last 24-hour stretch.

There are also 5,377 people who have recovered, an increase of 60 since Friday. Of the province’s 1,084 active cases, 876 of them are in the Calgary zone.

As of Saturday, 60 people are in hospital (down by two) and eight in intensive care (down by one).

It’s unclear at this point who is the most recent fatality and what’s the latest on the province’s several outbreaks, since Alberta did not hold a press conference Saturday. Instead health officials released their most recent statistics through an online database.

As of the province’s last update, health officials have completed 209,317 tests for COVID-19.

Quebec reports 82 fatalities

Eighty-two more people have died in Quebec, increasing the province’s death toll to 3,483.

The victims are among its 42,183 cases, an increase of 763 since Friday’s update, which also includes 11,458 people who have recovered (up by 419). There are now 1,763 people in hospital (down by 59), including 179 in intensive care (down by 12).

As of its last update, Quebec has performed 282,551 negative tests for COVID-19 to go along with its positive diagnoses.

Montreal’s COVID-19 epidemic continues with 21,410 cases and 2,234 fatalities, increases of 372 and 80, respectively.

Three more cases in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia health officials have diagnosed three additional patients with COVID-19, increasing the province’s case count to 1,037.

No new deaths were reported in the province’s latest 24-hour stretch, meaning the death toll remains at 55.

Among its total cases are 930 people who have recovered from the virus, up by 12 since Friday. Eight people are currently in hospital (down by one), including four in intensive care (up by one).

Two licensed long-term care homes and unlicensed seniors' facilities in Nova Scotia have active cases of COVID-19, which is a decrease of one. According to a press release, the Northwood facility in Halifax has 25 residents and nine staff members (down by six) who are currently infected. The LTC has seen 49 of the province’s 55 total deaths.

To date, Nova Scotia health officials have also performed 35,703 negative tests for COVID-19.

For a timeline of cases throughout May 1-15, please check our roundup here.

Note about Ontario’s reporting: The Ministry of Health’s statistics are current as of 4:00 p.m., the day before they are released, and are compiled through the province’s Integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), which is reliant on local public health units inputting statistics. The system has faced scrutiny for under-reporting Ontario’s numbers; their statistics on LTCs also differ from the Ministry of Long-Term Care.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care’s statistics, released at 10:30 a.m., are current as of 3:30 p.m. the evening before. Their statistics are compiled through immediate contact with long-term care facilities across the province.

The iPHIS also reports statistics among the province’s long-term care facilities, but it includes “all outbreak-related cases and deaths reported in aggregate outbreak summary counts, regardless of whether the case was laboratory confirmed.”