Ontario has likely recorded its first death related to COVID-19, the province confirmed Tuesday.

The man who died was a 77-year-old in Muskoka. He died on March 11 at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, said Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott in a statement.

"This death is further evidence of the increasingly seriousness of the situation we are in," Elliott said. "It is now more important than ever that we all take steps to reduce opportunities for transmission."