The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to rise, but according to public health officials, this is a fraction of the impact the virus could have had if additional safety measures and protocols had not been introduced.
There are now 81 cases of the virus in Northern Ontario, the majority of which are located within the Timmins, Cochrane and Hornepayne districts, with Greater Sudbury and the Manitoulin districts being a close second.
Public Health Sudbury and District (PHSD) confirmed the 26th case of COVID-19 in the region on Saturday, a woman in her 70s who recently returned home to Greater Sudbury following international travel.
She was tested on April 1 and has since been hospitalized, said the release. No further details were provided.
There have been 22 cases reported in Greater Sudbury since the outbreak, two in the Sudbury area and two in the Manitoulin district as of 10 a.m. on April 3.
PHSD has processed the most tests of any health unit in Northern Ontario with a total of 879, of which 662 were negative and 191 are under investigation.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit reported three new cases of COVID-19 in its area on Friday, all of which are residents of Nipigon.
There have been eight cases confirmed in Thunder Bay and surrounding communities since the outbreak and four in Nipigon as of 4 p.m. on April 3.
Five hundred individuals have been tested for the virus in the area to date, 430 of which were negative and 58 are awaiting results.
Two individuals have recovered from the virus in the area.
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has reported the least amount of cases thus far with a total of six.
There have been 355 tests conducted in the region as of 3 p.m. on April 3, 245 of which were negative and 104 are awaiting results.
Nine people have recovered from the virus in the area and one has passed away as a result.
The Algoma Public Health Unit has the second-lowest number of cases with a total of 8, following the testing of 528 individuals, 336 being negative and another 184 awaiting results as of 10:30 a.m. on April 4.
The latest case was announced on Saturday to be a woman in her 20s who was in close contact with another case. She was tested on April 2 and is currently in self-isolation.
The highest number of cases are located within the Timmins, Cochrane and Hornepayne districts, cared for by the Porcupine Health Unit.
There are 29 confirmed cases in the area as of 8:30 a.m. on April 3, following the testing of 407 individuals of which 332 were negative and another 46 are awaiting results.
Five people have recovered from the virus in the area and two have died.
Ontario has reported a total of 3,630 confirmed cases in the province as of 10:30 a.m. on April 4, following the testing of 71,338 tests of which 1,336 are still under investigation.
There are currently 506 individuals hospitalized for the virus in Ontario, 196 in the intensive care unit, 152 of which are on a ventilator.
The total number of people who have recovered from the virus in the province is 1,219, while the total number of deaths is 94.
As of 12:49 p.m. on April 4, there are 12,936 confirmed and 18 presumptive cases of the virus in Canada.
Two hundred and fourteen people have passed away in relation to COVID-19 in the country while 2,504 have recovered.
The World Health Organization has reported a total of 1,056,159 confirmed cases of the virus across the globe and 57,206 related deaths, in 208 countries, areas or territories.
