THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay District Health Unit announced 17 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday, with the number of active cases rising by 13.
Of the newest cases, 16 involved individuals in Thunder Bay and the surrounding areas, while the health unit also reported one case in a First Nation for the first time since Dec. 18.
Twelve of the cases were considered a result of close contact with a previously identified case, two were a result of travel outside of Northwestern Ontario, and an exposure category for three others was pending.
The TBDHU's medical officer of health, Dr. Janet DeMille had advocated for the extension of lockdown measures in the region, despite a recent decline in active cases.
The health unit reported 62 active cases in the district Saturday, an increase of 13 from the previous day as 4 cases were newly resolved. The number of active cases had stood more than twice as high during parts of December.
Four individuals were hospitalized with the virus, one in the Intensive Care Unit, as of Saturday morning. The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has said it would consider reopening a dedicated COVID-19 ward if hospitalizations rose to six.
With the cases reported Saturday, the district had seen a cumulative total of 652 confirmed cases since the pandemic arrived here in March.
Of those, 568 were considered resolved, 62 were active, while the virus had claimed the lives of 22 individuals, including 20 at the Southbridge Roseview long-term care home.
Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the number of active cases in the Thunder Bay District had increased by four on Saturday. The correct number is 13. Tbnewswatch.com regrets the error.
