NORTH BAY, Ont. — Public health officials say a second person has died in connection with a COVID-19 outbreak at a North Bay, Ont., apartment building where a variant of the virus has been found.
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit says the person who died had tested positive for a variant of concern.
The health unit says 42 people have contracted COVID-19 in the building outbreak, including 27 who have tested positive for a variant.
The variant first detected in South Africa has been detected in one case, while the specific variant strains in the other cases have yet to be determined.
The health unit announced the first death in the outbreak just a week after it was declared on Feb. 8.
The district is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 variant cases, which the health unit says is particularly worrying because variants spread more easily.
North Bay is one of only three regions in Ontario that remain under a stay-at-home order.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2021.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
The Canadian Press
