Three more people in Ontario have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the province's cumulative total to 23 and one other patient has been declared recovered from the virus.
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said one of the new patients is a woman in her 50s who returned to Canada from Italy on March 3 and later went to Grand River Hospital in Kitchener with symptoms.
The second patient returned to Toronto from Iran on Feb. 29 and went to Sunnybrook Hospital on March 3 with symptoms.
Dr. Jessica Hopkins, Peel Region's medical officer of health, said a Mississauga man in his 60s was assessed at Trillium Health Partners on Wednesday after returning to Canada on Feb. 28. He had respiratory symptoms including cough.
The man was aboard the Grand Princess Cruise Ship out of San Francisco from Feb. 11 to Feb. 21, officials said. The cruise ship has been ordered to stay back from the coast by state officials after a passenger died of the virus from a previous voyage, and two others contracted the disease.
Global Affairs said there are 235 Canadians onboard the cruise ship. Gavin Newsom, the state's governor, said the Grand Princess will not be allowed to come on shore until all 3,500 passengers are "appropriately assessed."
"This case contracted the illness outside of Peel Region and there remains no community spread to date of COVID-19," Hopkins said, adding that they are actively following up with all the people he had contact.
All three patients were discharged to their homes and are in self-isolation, with local public health units monitoring and assisting them.
"As a result of the coordinated efforts of our health care and public health system, all individuals who have tested positive have been quickly assessed and isolated," Williams said.
They said one more patient has made a full recovery from the respiratory illness, meaning they have had two tests come back negative for the virus 24 hours apart.
A total of four Ontario patients have made full recoveries from the illness, including a Toronto couple in their 50s who travelled to China and a London, Ont. university student in her 20s, who also travelled to China.
“All our cases related to China and Wuhan have now resolved," Williams said.
Seventy-eight people remain under investigation for possible infection in Ontario.
Williams said the number of tests per day has gone up as more people are coming forward to request a test.
“Overall, the containment continues well,” Williams said. “The risk of transmission in Ontario is low.”
On Thursday evening, Alberta reported its first presumptive case of coronavirus. Earlier, health officials in Quebec said they had a second person test positive for the virus.
In British Columbia, 13 people have been infected with the virus, including a woman in her 80s who is now in critical condition in hospital. On Thursday, an addition eight new cases were announced.
Provincial officials said they have tested 1,566 people so far.
Thirty-seven people have come down with the virus in Canada so far, which has sickened more than 95,000 people worldwide, killing more than 3,500.
- with files from The Associated Press
