Ontario Student Who Died From COVID-19 Was Apparently Worried About Residence Parties

The death of an Ontario student who contracted COVID-19 is being linked to "illegal" parties that apparently took place in his residence at Sir Sandford Fleming College.

According to CTV, 31-year-old Zachary Root had "concerns" about parties happening in his residence — Root's brother said he'd received comments from other students about his double-masking in shared spaces.

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Root's death was announced on March 16, a week after he was diagnosed with a variant of concern, linked to an outbreak of 59 cases at the building.

Speaking to CTV, Root's brother said the residence's partygoers had "no malicious intent" but they did knock on his door and try to get him to hang out and party with them.

"There were students consistently knocking on his door throughout the night trying to get him to come and join in, but he remained inside with the door locked," he said.

Health officials say Root is the youngest person in the Peterborough area to die as a result of contracting COVID-19.