Toronto’s death toll from the SARS virus rose to 31 on Sunday when a 60-year-old woman died from the disease, and health officials were probing if five further deaths could be blamed on it.
“I don’t want to leave you with the impression that we’re optimistic,” Dr. Colin D’Cunha, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said at a news conference.
He said 17 people were in critical condition and the number of probable cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome had risen to 52 from 46 on Saturday.
SARS broke out anew in Toronto nearly 10 days ago as hospitals let down their guard after an initial SARS outbreak in March and April, which was regarded as over when no new cases were reported for a 20-day period.
More than 5,000 people remain in quarantine, mostly around Toronto, the epicenter of the SARS outbreak in Canada and the only place outside Asia where the illness has claimed lives.