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COVID-19

The latest developments on COVID-19 in Canada

May 10, 2020 | 4:19 PM

ckpgThe latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times Eastern):

11 a.m.

A Cargill meat-processing plant south of Montreal is closing temporarily after at least 64 workers tested positive for COVID-19, marking the second time the company has experienced an outbreak at one of its facilities in Canada.

A spokeswoman for the union representing the workers says the plant in Chambly, Que., will close as of Wednesday so all its workers can be tested.

Roxanne Larouche says 171 workers were sent home last week as a preventative measure, and 30 of them have tested negative.

She says the workplace had implemented safety measures for employees, including installing plexiglass between workers where possible, staggering arrival and departure times and providing masks, visors and safety glasses.

A Cargill beef-packing plant in High River, Alta., reopened last Monday after a two-week shutdown.

More than 900 of 2,000 workers at that plant have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

10:45 a.m.

Ontario is reporting 294 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 more deaths related to the virus.

The province now has 20,238 confirmed cases and a death toll of 1,634.

The daily growth rate of the virus was just 1.5 per cent, the lowest level since March.

The province has marked 14,772 of the cases as resolved, which is 73 per cent of all confirmed cases.

9 a.m.

Toronto Western Hospital has declared another outbreak of COVID-19 after ramping up testing.

The University Health Network says the new outbreak is on the hospital’s 9A Fell unit, which had previously been declared one of its “COVID negative units.”

The organization didn’t reveal how many cases are part of the new outbreak.

But it says across its network, 83 staff members have tested positive for the virus from January to May 4.

A spokesperson says an increase in positive cases was expected after the hospital began mass testing all patients and staff last week.

The UHN declares an outbreak when one individual patient tests positive, and implements appropriate control measures.

Several outbreaks of the virus have been declared at the hospital.

The organization believes it is doing the most testing of any hospital in the country.

The Canadian Press

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