Military reports 36 cases of COVID-19 in members working in nursing homes

The Canadian Forces say 36 members working in long-term care homes in Ontario and Quebec have now become sick with COVID-19.

That's up from 28 cases of the novel coronavirus among those troops less than a week ago.

The military has been deployed to nursing homes in the two provinces to reinforce workers overwhelmed by the illness, unable to keep up with residents' needs because of all the protective measures they need to take, or off work because they're ill themselves.

Much of their work is tasks such as food service and moving and maintaining equipment, with some medical staff also serving in the homes.

Fourteen of the military members with COVID-19 are in Ontario and 22 of them are in Quebec.

When the Forces started reporting the number of positive cases, they said they'd update the figures every two weeks but have revised that plan to give new numbers every day.