The number of deaths related to COVID-19 in London and Middlesex rose by one on Wednesday, while the number of confirmed cases rose by three.
The news brings the total number of cases confirmed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) to 250 and the number of deaths to 12.
Ten additional cases have also been marked as resolved, according to the health unit, bringing that total to 118.
Details about the new cases were not immediately available, other than that one is associated with a local long-term care home.
The number of COVID-19 outbreaks in London and Middlesex remains at 12 as of Tuesday afternoon, the latest figures available, with all still listed as active.
Nine of the outbreaks have been declared at local long-term care and retirement homes, where at least 46 of the area’s cases have been reported.
Outbreaks have been reported in at least 98 long-term care homes across the province, with at least 834 residents and 453 staff confirmed positive. At least 144 residents have died.
The province is set to unveil an enhanced plan later in the day on Wednesday to fight COVID-19 in those facilities.
Ford has said the province will make it mandatory that staff only work at one facility, which health-care worker unions have long been requesting.
Twenty-eight outbreaks have also been declared at Ontario hospitals, with 82 patients and 56 staff infected.
Ontario reported 494 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, including 51 more deaths, bringing total cases in the province to 8,447, including 385 deaths and 3,902 cases that have been resolved.
The total number of cases grew by just over six per cent, continuing a relatively low growth trend in recent days.
There are now 795 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Ontario, 26 more than on Tuesday, but the number of people in intensive care and on ventilators dropped slightly.
There were just over 6,000 tests completed in the previous day despite a promise from the government to do 8,000 tests a day by Wednesday.
Nationally, more than 27,500 cases have been reported across Canada as of late Wednesday morning, including more than 8,200 recoveries and more than 950 deaths.
Elgin and Oxford
Health officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported four new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their jurisdiction on Wednesday, along with three new recoveries.
SWPH covers Elgin and Oxford counties and the city of St. Thomas.
It brings the total number of cases reported by the health unit to 40 and the number of recovered cases to nine. The number of deaths remains at three.
It was not immediately clear where the four new cases are located or whether any involved hospitalizations.
Of the 28 active cases reported by the health unit, 16 are located in Elgin, with six in St. Thomas, while nine are in Oxford. Information was not immediately available about the other four.
On Tuesday, SWPH reported one additional case involving a health-care worker at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital who tested positive on Monday.
As of Wednesday, 930 COVID-19 tests had been administered in the area, with 243 awaiting results.
Huron and Perth
No new cases, deaths or recoveries are being reported by Huron Perth Public Health.
According to figures issued early Wednesday morning, the number of COVID-19 cases remains at 34, including five recovered cases and three deaths.
It comes a day after the health unit reported one additional death involving a case from Stratford, Ont., and two new cases reported in Stratford and Huron County.
No other information about those cases has been released.
Stratford is home to 18 of Huron and Perth’s confirmed COVID-19 cases and two of its deaths, with 11 of those cases and one death linked to an outbreak at Greenwood Court, a long-term care home in the city.
Over the weekend, the health unit reported that one of the facility’s residents, a woman in her 80s who became symptomatic on April 3, had died, becoming the area’s second death.
Elsewhere, eight cases have been reported in Huron County, six have been reported in Perth County and two have been reported in St. Marys.
The area’s first case, a 64-year-old St. Marys man, later identified as the owner of the town’s Foodland location, became the area’s first confirmed death.
As of Wednesday, 780 COVID-19 tests have been administered in Huron and Perth while 163 are awaiting results.
Sarnia and Lambton
One more person has died in Sarnia-Lambton and 14 additional people have recovered from COVID-19, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported Wednesday.
This brings the total number of COVID-19-related deaths to 11 and the number of recovered cases to 35. The total number of confirmed cases remains unchanged at 119.
The death was first reported Tuesday afternoon by the city of Sarnia, Ont., and, as a result, was not reflected in the day’s tally that was issued earlier in the morning by the county.
On Tuesday, LPH reported one additional case and one recovered case, while three new cases and five recoveries were reported on Monday. Twelve cases and one death were reported over the holiday long weekend.
One outbreak has been declared in the county at Landmark Village retirement home in Sarnia, which is linked to 23 of the county’s confirmed cases — 16 residents and seven staff — and six of its deaths.
Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia reported Wednesday that 22 patients with confirmed COVID-19 remained in its care, with an additional 11 patients suspected to be positive or awaiting test results.
According to LPH, 45 per cent of the county’s cases involve patients over 70, and 78 per cent of all cases have been confirmed in urban areas, including Sarnia, Bright’s Grove and Point Edward.
As of Wednesday, 669 COVID-19 tests have been administered in Lambton County. It’s unclear how many are pending lab results.
-
![]()
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says CERB expanding to encompass more workers -
![]()
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says government looking to boost wages for essential workers earning under $2,500 a month -
![]()
Coronavirus outbreak: New York Mayor de Blasio says ‘we will not let anyone go hungry’ during COVID-19 pandemic
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.
Comments