Officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported one additional death involving a novel coronavirus patient on Monday, along with 20 newly confirmed cases.
It brings the total number of confirmed cases in London and Middlesex to 234 and the number of deaths to 11.
The health unit also reported that 53 COVID-19 cases had been marked as resolved, bringing that total to 107.
It comes after a weekend that saw health officials report two deaths, 45 new cases and six resolved cases.
Details about the new cases and the three deceased patients were not immediately available.
On Saturday, the LCBO said it had been made aware of a positive diagnosis involving a worker at its location near Oxford and Gammage streets. The employee last worked on April 4 and is at home.
Earlier in the week, Shoppers Drug Mart reported one of its staff members at its Sherwood Mall location had tested positive. The worker hadn’t been in the store since April 6.
At least 31 of the COVID-19 cases confirmed in London and Middlesex have been reported at local long-term care or retirement homes as of Monday, an increase of 11 since Thursday.
Twelve COVID-19 outbreaks have been declared within London and Middlesex — nine at local long-term care and retirement homes.
The most recent outbreak was declared on Saturday at Victoria Hospital on the sixth floor of Zone C (C6-100) in the geriatric behavioural unit, according to London Health Sciences Centre.
Earlier this month, a COVID-19 outbreak was declared on the fifth floor of University Hospital in inpatient cardiology.
Outbreaks have also been declared on SM5 of Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care, St. Joseph’s Hospice, Sprucedale Care Centre, Meadow Park Care Centre, Earls Court Village, Kensington Village, Chelsey Park, Seasons Strathroy, Grandwood Park and Henley Place.
There have been at least 89 COVID-19 outbreaks reported in long-term care homes across the province, with 741 residents and 430 staff members infected.
At least 120 residents have died in those outbreaks, or 41 per cent of all of the deaths in the province.
Provincially, Ontario reported 421 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and 17 deaths. It brings the province to a total of 7,470 cases, including 291 deaths and 3,357 cases that have been resolved.
The case number increased by six per cent over Sunday’s total, continuing a relatively low growth rate over the past several days.
Across Ontario, the number of patients in hospital — 760 — rose slightly Monday, but rates of patients in intensive care and on ventilators remained relatively stable.
More than 800 health-care workers have tested positive for COVID-19, about 11 per cent of the total number of cases.
Nationally, more than 24,700 cases had been confirmed across Canada as of late Monday morning, including just over 7,000 recovered cases and 734 deaths.
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported on Monday one additional COVID-19 patient death in Elgin and Oxford counties following a long weekend that saw eight cases reported.
Two cases were reported on Friday, with three each on Saturday and Sunday.
It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 35 and the number of deaths to three.
Twenty-seven cases remain active and six people have been marked as resolved, one fewer than Thursday. The reason for the change was not immediately clear.
Details about the cases and the deceased remain limited. It’s not clear how many are in self-isolation or have been hospitalized. It’s also not clear yet where the new cases are located.
According to SWPH, 794 COVID-19 tests have been administered as of Monday, with 232 awaiting lab results.
The area’s first two patient deaths involved women from Elgin County — a woman in her 70s who became infected through travel and a woman in her 80s who became infected through close contact with a confirmed case.
Huron and Perth
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Huron and Perth counties stands at 32 as of Monday morning.
Health officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) reported additional cases over the holiday long weekend along with one new death. Five confirmed cases have since recovered.
One of the cases reported over the weekend is the first confirmed in Listowel, HPPH said. The patient, a woman in her 70s, is hospitalized at Listowel Memorial Hospital.
Three additional staff members at Greenwood Court in Stratford, Ont., have also tested positive for COVID-19 since Thursday, bringing the total number of infected staff to five.
Six residents have tested positive at the facility.
One, a resident in their 80s, died over the weekend after becoming symptomatic on April 3, HPPH said.
The facility is home to 11 of the 17 COVID-19 cases confirmed in Stratford, and one of now two deaths reported in Huron and Perth.
One case was also reported early this month at Hillside Manor in Sebringville, Ont.
Elsewhere, seven cases have been confirmed in Huron County, six in Perth County, and two in St. Marys — the area’s first and second confirmed cases.
According to HPPH, 622 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Huron and Perth as of Sunday, with 136 awaiting lab results.
Sarnia and Lambton
Officials with Lambton Public Health confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, along with five new recoveries.
It brings the total number of cases in Lambton to 118 and the total number of recovered cases to 20.
Details about the new cases were not immediately available.
Over the long weekend, health officials reported 12 additional cases and one death, bringing the number of deaths in the county to 10.
Twenty-three of Lambton’s cases and six of its reported deaths have been linked to the Landmark Village retirement home in Sarnia, Ont., where an outbreak has been declared.
Sixteen residents and seven staff members at the facility have tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Monday morning, 788 COVID-19 tests had been administered in the county, with 144 awaiting lab results
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.