TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th May, 2020) Five Canadian military members have contracted the novel coronavirus while assisting in long-term care facilities (LTCF) across Ontario and Quebec, the Department of National Defense said in a statement.
The dire situation in care homes across Ontario and Quebec amid the novel coronavirus outbreak has garnered national attention and prompted a request for military assistance from the provincial premiers.
"As of May 15, 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 1 tested positive, Quebec 4 tested positive," the statement said on Friday.
The Canadian military has deployed around 1,400 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 COVID-19 containment and response efforts in northern and eastern Quebec, North Saskatchewan and doing contact tracing in Ontario.
The Canadian military has classified the total number of COVID-19 infections among personnel, citing military operational security, only saying in early March that it had identified three cases within the ranks.
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.
Many other nations, including Russia and United States regularly issue updated figures on COVID-19 spread among service members.
