Number of COVID-19 Cases Among Canadian Military Assisting in Care Homes Quintuples

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd May, 2020) The number of Canadian service members who have contracted the novel coronavirus while assisting in long-term care facilities (LTCF) across the province of Ontario and Quebec has quintupled in less than a week, updated data from the Department of National Defense revealed.

"As of May 20, the breakdown of COVID-19 cases within the CAF population employed on Operation LASER working in LTCFs in Quebec and Ontario is as follows: Ontario 12 tested positive, Quebec 16 tested positive," the Department of National Defense said on Thursday.

On Friday, the Department of National Defense announced five service members had contracted the novel coronavirus, an increase of 460 percent in just six days.

The dire situation in care homes across Ontario and Quebec has garnered national attention and prompted a request for military assistance from the provincial premiers.

Collectively, Quebec and Ontario account for more than 94 percent of all deaths across Canada, with Canadian health officials estimating that 79 percent of all Canadian fatalities are attributed to outbreaks in care homes.

The Canadian military has deployed some 1,400 service members to assist 25 LTCFs in and around the Montreal area and 275 members to five care homes in the province of Ontario. Canadian Rangers are also assisting with novel coronavirus containment and response efforts in northern and eastern Quebec, North Saskatchewan and doing contact tracing in Ontario.