Published Sunday, January 17, 2021 6:04PM EST The Canadian Red Cross has been deployed to a Barrie long-term care home dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has resulted in nine resident deaths. A spokesperson for Long-Term Care Minister Dr. Merrilee Fullerton said in a statement to CTV News that the Red Cross will support Roberta Place, where there are 62 residents and 43 staff with COVID-19. “We are pleased and excited about the swift action and assistance demonstrated by the Canadian Red Cross and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them,” said Stephanie Barber, a spokesperson for Jarlette Health Services, which operates Roberta Place.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit confirms 63 residents and 53 staff members, and two essential visitors have tested positive since Jan. 8. Nine residents have now died in the past 10 days.
ORILLIA, ONT. Ontario is asking hospitals to be ready to use their surge capacity within 48 hours should soaring COVID-19 cases prompt the need for extra beds at short notice. Ontario reached another record-breaking day with COVID-19 numbers, and the Ontario Hospital Association s (OHA) board of directors warned things could get much worse. We have surveys that tell us a lot of Ontarians aren t planning on abiding by the guidelines over the holidays, said Dr. Samantha Hill, Ontario Medical Association president. The organization said the worsening pandemic and related pressure on hospitals is deeply concerning. The physicians I know, whether they work on the frontline or public health, we re all very concerned that there is the possibility of these numbers to hit 10,000 by mid-January, and frankly, we just don t have the system resources to deal with that, added Hill.