Sudbury-area health unit reports 11 COVID-19 deaths in less than 2 weeks

Sudbury's medical officer of health said despite a high COVID-19 death toll so far for 2022, most cases aren't as severe as those seen in previous waves of the pandemic.

In less than two weeks, Public Health Sudbury and Districts reported 11 new COVID deaths, including five deaths reported on Tuesday.

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe said locally and across the province, more deaths related to COVID-19 are being reported.

"Certainly there are populations that are more vulnerable," she said.

"Those being in particular those who are older and have underlying medical conditions and that's what we're seeing here."

Sutcliffe said the Omicron variant of this virus appears to be less severe, "however because the numbers are so high, we are of course seeing more severe outcomes including very sadly these deaths."

She said despite the increased case number, most of the illness is not as severe.

"Thankfully we are not seeing the same kind of severity and the rates of severe illness and death that we saw in earlier waves of the pandemic. So probably small comfort certainly for many who are affected," she said.

"This is a different kind of virus that we are facing right now."

As for the recent deaths, Sutcliffe said they had no connection as some lived in the community while others lived in congregate settings.

So far, there have been 58 deaths in the district since the pandemic began.