Multiple employees test positive at quarantine hotel
by Cici Fan and Mark McAllister
Posted May 3, 2021 5:59 pm EDT
Last Updated May 3, 2021 at 6:08 pm EDT
CityNews has confirmed multiple employees at one of the federal government’s designated quarantine hotels have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says the facility is now taking directions on next steps from Toronto Public Health.
“We’re working with the facility to identify those who are impacted to review and advise on all the appropriate infection prevention and control measures,” Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said.
“You have to very carefully balance information that’s released to the public and the individual’s right to privacy. So we’ll continue to conduct our investigation.”
Is Canada Ready to Meet the Next Wave of Pandemic Challenges?
As Canada grapples with rising COVID-19 cases and new, more transmissible strains of the virus, experts in medicine and emergency preparedness say it’s worth taking stock and preparing to better meet the next stage of pandemic challenges.
Dr. Shawn Whatley, a past president of the Ontario Medical Association, says that last year in the early days of the pandemic, the government didn’t yet know what it was dealing with, but at this stage officials should be thinking more strategically in several areas.
Whatley, a Munk senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, says that although the vaccine rollout in Canada will provide much-needed relief, it’s not a cure-all and governments should adjust their approach in order to save lives in the long run.