4 new COVID-19 deaths in Leeds-Grenville-Lanark

Four more people have died from COVID-19 in Leeds-Grenville and Lanarkcounties, bringing the total number of deaths from the respiratory illness there to 15.

In its Saturday afternoon update, the Leeds, Grenville and LanarkDistrict Health Unitsaid there were now 187 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their region.

At least 10 of those deaths have occurred at a single long-term care facility in the community of Almonte, Ont., just west of Ottawa.

It's not clear if the new deaths are connected to the Almonte Country Haven, however, or were reported elsewhere in the region.

The home said in a statementSaturday that an 11th resident had died of what administrators "believe is COVID-19," but they were still waiting for the cause of death to be confirmed by public health officials.

The Ontario government reported Saturday that253 people have died of the virus so far in the province, with the number of confirmed cases at more than 6,600.

A total of 2,858 people in Ontariohave recovered, the province said.