CORNWALL – The last COVID-19 patient to be released from hospital in Ottawa was “one of the first” cases in the Eastern Ontario Health Unit area, the region’s medical officer of health shared Monday.
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis told SD&G county council this morning (Monday) that the man in his 50s, who had underlying medical conditions, along with his entire family contracted novel coronavirus after returning from a trip. The disease nearly killed him.
“This individual from Prescott-Russell was one of our first cases, was very sick, and was admitted. He was travelling, went abroad, came back. Him, his wife and his grandson, all got sick. But he got very sick and was admitted…almost died. Just to show you the severity,” he told councillors.
“In some people it’s a cold and in some people it can kill them.”
Roumeliotis says the man is still going through rehab and requires oxygen and the disease has caused “a lot of problems.”
The collective state of emergency between the City of Cornwall, the United Counties of SD&G and the United Counties of Prescott-Russell has been in place since March 26.
Roumeliotis says he met last week with the mayor of Cornwall and the wardens of SD&G and Prescott-Russell to reevaluate the declaration.
“We decided that given the government has extended some of the emergency orders and that we’re entering school in the fall that, at this point, we wanted to continue with the declaration and not stop it.”