Health officials in London and Middlesex reported Tuesday that 11 more people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, seven of them at local seniors’ facilities, while officials in Huron and Perth reported a new case at a facility in Stratford.
It brings the total number of confirmed cases in London-Middlesex to 334. The Middlesex-London-Health Unit (MLHU) also reported that 11 more people had recovered, bringing that total to 149.
The number of deaths in the area remained unchanged at 22.
The new cases include two long-term care residents, one retirement home resident and four retirement home staff, according to MLHU figures. Details about the other cases were not immediately available.
Local seniors’ facilities account for about 26 per cent of all confirmed cases and about 36 per cent of all deaths reported in London and Middlesex.
Eight deaths have been reported at long-term care homes, along with 53 cases involving 35 residents and 18 staff. At retirement homes, 34 cases have been reported involving 23 residents and 11 staff.
The facilities account for 10 of the 14 outbreaks declared in the region so far. Two of the area’s 14 outbreaks have been declared resolved.
London Health Sciences Centre reported Tuesday that an outbreak declared at University Hospital on April 11 in inpatient cardiology has been declared over. An active outbreak remains at Victoria Hospital in the geriatric behavioural unit.
LHSC was treating 27 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, 12 of whom were in intensive care.
The other resolved outbreak, at Chelsey Park, was declared over on April 14.
Active outbreaks remain at Sisters of St. Joseph (Home), Horizon Place, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care (St. Mary’s 5th Floor), Sprucedale Care Centre, Meadow Park Care Centre, Earls Court Village, Kensington Village, Seasons Strathroy and Henley Place.
Outbreaks also remain active at Grand Wood Park, where at least 14 residents and two staff have tested positive, and St. Joseph’s Hospice, where five patients and 12 staff have tested positive, the agency confirmed.
At least 127 outbreaks have been declared at long-term care facilities in Ontario as of Monday, with 1,394 residents and 671 staff testing positive. At least 273 residents and one staff member have died.
Provincially, Ontario reported 551 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday along with 38 new deaths.
The new provincial total of 11,735 cases is a 4.9 per cent increase over Monday’s total, which is the lowest growth rate in weeks.
The update comes a day after new provincial modelling suggested community spread in Ontario is in its peak period, though cases in long-term care homes are rising.
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The provincial total includes 622 deaths and 5,806 resolved cases, which is nearly half.
Across the country, more than 37,300 cases had been confirmed as of early Tuesday afternoon, including nearly 13,000 recoveries and more than 1,700 deaths.
Elgin and Oxford
Three more people have tested positive for COVID-19 while two people have recovered, officials with Southwestern Public Health said Tuesday.
The health unit covers Elgin and Oxford counties as well as the city of St. Thomas.
The update brings the total number of confirmed cases in the region to 47 and the number of recovered cases to 15.
The number of deaths remained unchanged at three.
No new cases or deaths were reported on Monday, and one person was reported to have recovered.
Of the 29 active cases reported by the health unit, 17 are located in Elgin, with seven in St. Thomas and 11 in Oxford. Details weren’t available for one case.
The number of outbreaks reported at health-care facilities in Elgin and Oxford remained at one on Tuesday. The outbreak, declared March 27 at Beattie Manor, a retirement home in Wardsville, came after a resident tested positive.
As of Tuesday, 1,366 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Elgin and Oxford counties, 95 more than Monday, with 271 awaiting test results.
Huron and Perth
One more person has tested positive for COVID-19 in Huron and Perth and one person has recovered, Huron Perth Public Health reported on Tuesday.
It brings the total number of cases confirmed in the region to 38 and the number of recovered cases to 11. The number of deaths remained unchanged at four.
HPPH figures show the new case involves a staff member at Greenwood Court, a long-term care home facility in Stratford, where 13 of the city’s 22 cases have been reported.
Six residents and seven staff have tested positive at the facility, which is also where three of Huron and Perth’s four COVID-19-related deaths have been reported, according to the health unit. It’s not clear how many cases remain active.
The facility is home to one of two outbreaks that have been declared in the region since the start of the pandemic. The other, at Hillside Manor in Sebringville, was declared last month after a resident tested positive. It was declared over on April 14.
Elsewhere, eight cases have been reported in Huron County since the start of the pandemic — two in Bluewater, two in South Huron and one each in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Central Huron, Goderich, and Huron East.
Six cases have been confirmed in Perth County, including two each in Perth East and Perth South, and one each in North Perth and West Perth.
Two cases — the region’s first two confirmed cases, one of whom later died — have been reported in St. Marys.
As of Tuesday, 1,057 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Huron and Perth, 78 more than Monday, with 204 awaiting testing.
Sarnia and Lambton
Three more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Lambton County, while four people have recovered, health officials there reported Tuesday.
It brings the total number of cases confirmed in Lambton to 148 and the number of recovered cases to 54.
The number of deaths remained unchanged at 14.
Details about the three new cases were not immediately available.
Lambton Public Health reported 13 new cases on Monday, with 11 linked to a hard-hit retirement facility in Sarnia, home to the county’s first declared outbreak.
Twenty-six residents and eight staff at Landmark Village have tested positive and six people have died.
Lambton’s other outbreak was declared last week at Meadowview Villa, a long-term care home in Petrolia, after a staff member tested positive.
A breakdown of cases by location is not available from LPH, but the health unit says at least 79 per cent of cases have been reported in urban locales, which include Sarnia, Bright’s Grove and Point Edward, while 21 per cent are in rural locales.
Sarnia’s Bluewater Health, which on Tuesday was treating 15 COVID-19 patients, has seen 11 of its staff infected, four through work and seven through the community. None were hospitalized as of Monday.
As of Tuesday, 1,133 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Lambton, 149 more than reported Monday.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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.
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