Ontario Teen Working In Long-Term Care Home Dies After Contracting COVID-19

In a tragic turn of events, a London, Ontario teen working in a long-term care home has passed away after contracting COVID-19.

Yassin Dabeh was only 19 years old when he died on Thursday, January 21. The region's medical officer of health, Dr. Alex Summers, told that Dabeh likely got infected at the nursing home where he worked.

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We're certainly in sorrow here in our region at this time. Dr. Alex Summers

Dabeh was working as a contract cleaner at the Middlesex Terrace long-term care home.

According to the Middlesex-London Health Unit, a COVID-19 outbreak began at the home on December 23 and remains active.

Dabeh's time in Canada was brief — he immigrated here from Syria in 2016 with his family.

Now, his community is coming together in a big way to honour his memory.

Mohamad Fakih, CEO of Paramount Fine Foods, has been in touch with the family. He told The Toronto Star that the community pitched in to pay for his funeral. 

Fakih also provided 500 meals in Toronto's Regent Park in remembrance of Dabeh and those who have died from COVID-19 in Ontario's long-term care homes.

"We want to show them that… Canadians, we’re all one big family and they’re not alone," Fakih told the Star.

Dr. Summers told the outlet that the case remains under review, meaning that the details of Dabeh's cause of death are still emerging at this time.*

*This article has been updated.