A team of nine health care professionals from this province has landed on the ground in Toronto to begin helping with COVID response in Ontario.

Dr. Allison Furey told reporters on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson that the team is “energized” and “excited” to get working.

The group left St. John’s this morning onboard a Canadian Forces Hercules aircraft.

Earlier Story

A nine-person health care team from this province has boarded a Canadian Forces jet at the Woodward air terminal in St. John’s to travel to a COVID hotspot in dire need of help.

The team of doctors, critical nurses, and a nurse practitioner left St. John’s at around 9:30 this morning for Ontario.

Premier Andrew Furey says they’ll be briefed and put right to work at hospitals in downtown Toronto, with the feds paying all expenses. That could include anything from swabbing to vaccinating to critical care.

Registered Nurse Mel Grandy, who was interviewed at the hangar this morning by VOCM’s Gerri Lynn Mackey, says she did not hesitate for a second when approached about going to Toronto.

She says the team has been through these situations before at home but on a smaller scale.

Dr. Allison Furey, the wife of Premier Andrew Furey, is no stranger to such missions having volunteered with Team Broken Earth in Haiti.

A second team will also be formed and dedicated to surge capacity issues.

Team members will have to self-isolate much the same as rotational workers upon their return to the province.