A total of 305 people have died of COVID-19 in Toronto while a total of 319 people are in hospital, the city's medical officer of health reported on Tuesday.

Dr. Eileen de Villa said there are 109 people in intensive care units. A total of 2,930 people have recovered.

Toronto has 5,128 cases of COVID-19, 4,647 of which are confirmed and 481 are probable.

"I have updated you on these numbers every day for the past several weeks. However, we must remember when we reflect on these numbers that they represent our friends, our family members and our loved ones," De Villa told reporters.

"There isn't a moment of each day that goes by that I don't think about this."

Mayor John Tory, who also spoke at the news conference, said the city will provide free temporary internet access for residents in low-income neighbourhoods, seniors in long-term care homes and people in some city-run emergency shelters, with the help of donations from telecommunications and technology companies.

The free Wi-Fi will allow vulnerable people to connect to city services, social supports, community agencies, public health information as well as family and friends, while still following public health directives to stay at home during the pandemic, Tory said.

Alicia Tamayo, 95, waves at her daughter, Betty Fernandez, and granddaughter, Romina Varella from her window at the Eatonville Care Centre in Toronto. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)

"During this difficult time, it's imperative that our most vulnerable residents have access to the supports they need and are still able to feel a sense of connection while physically distancing in order to protect themselves," Tory said.

"I want to thank all of our technology and telecommunications partners for helping to make this possible by making donations to help those most in need."

In low-income neighbourhoods, the donations will connect 25 large residential apartment buildings with temporary free internet access for one year, with the first buildings to be connected in early May, he added.

These donations include:

• Hardware and contribution of fees for some internet circuits from Cisco Canada.

• Service management and maintenance from OnX Canada.

• Fibre and hosting of core infrastructure from BAI Canada.

• Fibre and single point of presence for internet from Beanfield Metroconnect.

• Volunteer labour provided by the civic tech community.

Tory said Bell will provide free Wi-Fi access in up to 10 of these buildings for six months and has waived all installation and project management fees to ensure all residents have access.

Bell will provide free Wi-Fi access in up to 10 residential apartment buildings for six months and has waived all installation and project management fees to ensure all residents have access. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

Bell Mobility is working with the city to provide complimentary phones, tablets and airtime.

"Technical solutions and signal strength may vary throughout each building, although the aim is to provide enough coverage and strength to read news, submit online forms, use messenger apps, but not stream media and games," the city said in a news release on Tuesday.

"Buildings will be identified for this service based on the size and location of the building, proportion of low-income residents and residents without internet access and technology feasibility."

In 10 city-run long-term care homes, the city's technology services division is providing free Wi-Fi access throughout the facilities. The homes are: Bendale Acres, Carefree Lodge, Castleview Wychwood Towers, Cummer Lodge, Fudger House, Kipling Acres, Lakeshore Lodge, Seven Oaks, True Davidson Acres and Wesburn Manor.

Free Wi-Fi was only available in common areas previously.

The common rooms enabled with Wi-Fi were closed when visits from family and friends were suspended. New Wi-Fi hot spots, however, will allow residents to stay connected with family members and friends to ease some of the social isolation, Tory said.

Rogers donating free Wi-Fi to 4 city-run shelters

Tory said Rogers, for its part, is donating free Wi-Fi for three months to four permanent city-run shelters. The Wi-Fi is enabled by fixed wireless access devices to ensure the coverage is available throughout the shelters.

Free Rogers Wi-Fi is also now available in five temporary shelter locations.

"People experiencing homelessness often rely on public Wi-Fi to access online supports and services and stay connected with loved ones. With the closure of most public Wi-Fi locations, including libraries, malls and restaurants, many vulnerable people no longer have access to the vital supports they need," the city said in the release.

"The delivery of Wi-Fi at these shelter sites will help to bridge this gap and support people to maintain physical distancing and isolation during the pandemic period."

As for cell phones, the mayor said the Telus Mobility for Good program joined forces with the city, Toronto police, the United Way of Greater Toronto and community agencies to help vulnerable people in the city stay connected to mental health crisis services, and people who were eligible have received a cell phone, data plan or a SIM card free of charge.

"These are exactly the kinds of partnerships that I want to see the city putting together during and after the pandemic," he added.