The mysterious pneumonia-like virus SARS has claimed its eighth victim in Toronto and a ninth death is under investigation, Canadian health officials say and warn that more infections are possible.
"We're still not out of the woods," Dr. Colin D'Cunha, Ontario's Commissioner of Public Health, told a news conference in Toronto, the country's largest city. "The increase in the number of cases is not a surprise."
The latest victim was not identified but officials said five of the eight deaths were all people in their 70s.
Tom Closson, president and chief executive of the University Health Network, that includes three Toronto hospitals, said the victim had been in direct contact with other SARS patients before being treated in isolation.
Health authorities said there were now 163 probable and suspect cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in the province of Ontario, up from a previous 149.
Canada has the third highest number of SARS cases in the world, the bulk of them in and around Toronto. The pneumonia-like disease is believed to have originated in China's southern Guangdong province.
The virus has been spread by travellers and infected 2,500 people worldwide and killed almost 90 people, with 49 deaths and 1,220 cases in China.
Toronto has a large Chinese immigrant population and local businesspeople in the city's bustling Chinatown have complained that people are avoiding the area because they associate SARS with the Asian community.
Thousands of people have been quarantined in Ontario to prevent the spread of the virus, while hospitals in Toronto have been operating under a Code Orange and offering essential services only to patients needing urgent medical attention.
Health officials say the city remains a healthy and safe travel destination, but a convention of medical specialists scheduled this weekend was cancelled late last week.
Ontario health officials said 31 patients have been treated for SARS and discharged from hospitals.