Local health officials on Monday reported two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the London and Middlesex-area, bringing the local total to 14.
The two cases involve a male in his 50s and a male in his 60s, the Middlesex-London Health Unit said. The source of their transmission — community, travel, or close contact — remains pending as of early Monday afternoon.
It’s not clear if the two new local cases are among the 78 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported by provincial health officials on Monday — the largest single-day increase so far.
Ontario has reported a total of 503 cases of the disease. The tally includes 489 active cases, eight cases that have resolved, and six deaths.
The two new local cases come after one case of COVID-19 was confirmed over the weekend involving a male in his 50s who had travelled to the U.K., and after nine cases were confirmed last week, six of them on Thursday alone.
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Health officials have since released new details about some of those cases, including patient ages and genders. They include a male and female in their 20s, a male in his 40s, a male in his 50s, a female in her 60s, and a male in his 70s.
Transmission details are only known about two of the cases. The male in his 50s had come in close contact with someone who had COVID-19, while the male in his 70s had recently travelled to Portugal.
Elsewhere on Monday, officials with Southwestern Public Health reported their first confirmed case of COVID-19.
The health unit, which covers St. Thomas, as well as Elgin and Oxford counties, said a male in his 30s tested positive for the disease after coming in close contact with someone outside the region who also tested positive.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are asked to self-isolate for 14 days in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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