In the past week, there have been three COVID-related deaths in the region.
They are the first deaths related to the virus reported by the Porcupine Health Unit so far this month. The last local death related to the virus was reported in the Oct. 19 update.
In the health unit's weekly update, 36 new lab-confirmed cases were also reported. Access to testing for cases included in the official numbers is limited. So far this year, there have been 5,591 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region.
There are currently three active outbreaks and eight people in area hospitals have tested positive.
The health unit does not report information on virus-related deaths. The provincial database with the area's COVID-19 data has not been updated since early October.
Earlier this week, Timmins and District Hospital expanded its services at the COVID-19 assessment clinic to respond to the significant increase in people visiting the emergency room for respiratory illnesses.
The clinic is offering appointment-only physician assessments for people two years of age and older who have mild to moderate respiratory illness symptoms. You do not need a primary care provider to access the clinic. More details are available here.
