TORONTO -- A man in his 80s has died at a hospital in Lindsay after testing positive for COVID-19, making him Ontario’s sixth death related to the virus.
Officials with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit say that the man was admitted to Ross Memorial Hospital on March 19 “after presenting with a high fever and influenza-like illness.” They say that tests were then conducted and on Saturday he was confirmed to have COVID-19. He passed away on Sunday afternoon with pneumonia and COVID-19 listed as the cause of death, officials say.
The man had no recent travel history and is believed to have contracted the virus through community transmission.
“We offer our sincere condolences to this man’s family and our thoughts are with them during this sad time,” Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, who is the medical officer of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, this man’s tragic passing highlights that we now have community transmission of COVID-19 in our area.”
There have been a total of six deaths involving individuals with COVID-19 in Ontario so far, including three on Sunday alone.
On Sunday officials in Toronto also confirmed their first death from the virus, a man in his 70s who had recently returned from the United Kingdom.
