Provincial and local health officials confirmed two new local cases of COVID-19 in London and Middlesex on Thursday and released new details about three of the five local cases confirmed the day before.
One new case, confirmed by the province Thursday in its mid-morning update, involves a man in his 20s who became infected through undetermined means and has been hospitalized. His condition isn’t currently known.
The other case, confirmed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), involves a woman in her 30s who had recently travelled to the USA where she became infected. She is currently self-isolating.
It puts the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in London and Middlesex to 21. Provincially, 858 cases had been confirmed in Ontario as of late Thursday night, including 835 active cases, 15 deaths, and 8 recoveries. Nationally, more than 4,000 cases have reported across Canada, including 227 recoveries and 39 deaths.
On Wednesday, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MHLU) reported that five new cases had been confirmed locally, but details at the time were only known about two of them: one involving a woman in her 70s who is now self-isolated, and another involving a woman in her 80s who has been hospitalized. Her current condition is not known.
Health officials said the woman in her 70s had recently travelled to the Philippines where she contracted the novel cronavirus, while the woman in her 80s obtained it through close contact.
Details have since been determined for the other three cases.
One patient is a male in his 30s who became infected through close contact, one is a woman in her 60s whose source of transmission is pending, and other is a woman in her 70s who contracted the virus after recently travelling to Portugal, MLHU reported Thursday.
Outside of London and Middlesex, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Elgin County rose to three after health officials there confirmed two additional cases late Wednesday.
Southwestern Public Health (SWPH), which covers Elgin and Oxford counties and St. Thomas, said one case involves a woman in her 30s who tested positive for the disease after close contact with another case, while the other involves a man in his 80s who has been hospitalized after recently travelling to an unspecified location.
Earlier in the day Wednesday, SWPH reported Oxford County’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 involving a man in his 30s who tested positive as a result of close contact.
Elgin County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case, reported on Monday, involves a man in his 30s who obtained COVID-19 through close contact. The man went into self-isolation, but on Tuesday officials at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital said the man had contacted paramedics the night before and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
There are also new details about the five cases confirmed on Wednesday by health officials in Sarnia-Lambton.
Those cases, Lambton County’s first, all involve patients over the age of 60 who have been hospitalized.
On Thursday, it was revealed the five cases are two women in their 60s and 70s, and three men, one in his 70s and two in their 80s.
Health officials say the man in his 70s contracted the novel coronavirus through close contact with someone who also had it. Details about the other four cases are pending.
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
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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