London-Middlesex’s COVID-19 death toll has risen to 30 after four new deaths were reported Saturday.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) says two of these deaths occurred in retirement homes while another happened at a long-term care home.
There have now been 12 deaths in long-term care homes, and three deaths in retirement homes.
The health unit also reported seven new cases of the novel-coronavirus in the area, bumping up the total to 364.
The number of recoveries increased by five on Saturday and now sits at 178.
Out of these cases, the MLHU says 58 are in long term care homes, where 38 residents and 20 staff have tested positive.
There are 39 cases in retirement homes, where 27 residents and 12 staff have caught the virus.
Local seniors’ facilities have also accounted for at least 10 of the 15 COVID-19 outbreaks that have been declared in London and Middlesex over the course of the pandemic.
According to Dr. Chris Mackie, the health unit’s medical officer of health, the MLHU is expecting to see the number of cases increase in London-Middlesex as well as the province as “… we mount a very aggressive push to test everyone who is residing or working in long term care facilities,” Mackie said during Friday’s virtual media briefing.
“We’ve now completed all testing in the highest risk facilities in London-Middlesex, and we’ll be looking to scale that up in the next two weeks.”
Mackie also explained long-term care homes often experience outbreaks and deaths during influenza season each year.
The most recently declared outbreak was at Victoria Hospital on Tuesday in oncology (C7-400), according to London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). It’s the second such outbreak declared at the hospital after a still-active outbreak was declared on April 11 in the geriatric behavioural unit (C6-100).
According to the LHSC, University Hospital is currently treating 15 patients with five in intensive care; Victoria Hospital is treating 19 patients, with five in intensive care; and 35 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 to date.
Mackie added during Friday’s virtual media briefing the number of COVID-19 cases are declining locally, and there is “fairly stable, relatively low numbers of people in hospitals and intensive care units.”
Five local outbreaks — at Chelsey Park, Mount Hope Centre for Long-Term Care, Seasons Strathroy, Sprucedale Care Centre and University Hospital’s inpatient cardiology unit — have been declared over.
Outbreaks remain active at Earls Court Village, Grand Wood Park, Horizon Place, Kensington Village, Meadow Park Care Centre, Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Joseph’s Hospice.
An outbreak also remains active at Henley Place, one of four Ontario long-term care homes ordered by an Ontario Superior Court justice on Thursday to provide nurses with personal protective equipment (PPE) and to enhance isolation-related controls for residents and staff.
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The order came after the Ontario Nurses’ Association filed a motion in court, arguing that its members had been working without proper PPE at the facilities and that “minimum infection control and safety measures needed to contain the uncontrollable outbreaks that are now taking place” were not being implemented.
Provincially, Ontario reported 476 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 13,995.
The death toll increased by 48, which raises it to 811.
Over 7,500 cases are considered resolved, which makes up over half of all confirmed cases.
More than 10,500 additional tests have been conducted, bringing the total number of tests completed in the province to 217,618. Over 8,000 cases are under investigation.
Nationally, Canada has seen 44,352 cases after 476 were reported Saturday.
The death total stands at 2,350 with 48 new reports, and there have been 422 more recoveries, totalling at 15,976.
Elgin and Oxford
The total number of cases and deaths remain the same as Friday in Elgin and Oxford.
Officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported 54 cases and four deaths.
Another recovery was reported Saturday, which increased the area’s total number of recovered cases to 21.
The number of active outbreaks remained unchanged at one. An outbreak at Caressant Care on Bonnie Place in St. Thomas was declared on Tuesday after a health-care worker tested positive, SWPH said.
The region’s first outbreak, declared at Beattie Manor in western Elgin on March 27, was declared over on Wednesday.
Seventeen active cases remain in Oxford County as of Friday, including four each in Blandford-Blenheim and Woodstock, while 13 remain active in Elgin, including six in St. Thomas and three in Dutton/Dunwich.
Elgin St. Thomas is seeing 12 active cases, with six in St. Thomas, three in Dutton/Dunwich, and one each in Aylmer, Bayham and Malahide.
Huron and Perth
Another person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, while five more people have recovered, officials with Huron Perth Public Health reported Saturday.
It brings the total number of confirmed cases in Huron and Perth to 43 and the number of recoveries to 30.
The number of deaths remained unchanged at four.
Details about the new cases are limited, other than that one was reported in West Perth, while the other was reported in Stratford involving a staff member of Greenwood Court, a long-term care facility.
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More than half of the region’s cases, 23, have been reported in Stratford, and more than half of Stratford’s cases, 14, have been reported at Greenwood Court.
The facility, where an ongoing outbreak has left at least six residents and eight staff members infected, is also where three of Huron and Perth’s four reported deaths have taken place.
It’s not clear how many cases remain active. Another staff member had tested positive at the facility earlier in the week.
Nine cases have been confirmed in Huron County, including three in South Huron, two in Bluewater and one each in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Central Huron, Goderich and Huron East.
In Perth County, eight cases have now been reported, including two each in Perth East, Perth South and West Perth, and two in North Perth, one more from Friday.
As of Saturday, 1,318 COVID-19 tests had been administered in the region, with 303 awaiting results.
Sarnia and Lambton
Officials with Lambton Public Health reported one more case of COVID-19 on Saturday, which brings the total number of confirmed cases in the county to 165.
No new deaths or recoveries were reported, keeping the total at 14.
Seven more people have recovered, raising that total to 73.
At least 39 cases are linked to an ongoing outbreak at Sarnia’s Landmark Village, a retirement home where 30 residents and nine staff have tested positive and six residents have died.
Officials with Sarnia’s Bluewater Health was treating 11 COVID-19 patients as of Saturday, two less from the day before, as well as seven patients who were suspected positive or were awaiting tests.
As of Saturday, 1,311 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Lambton. The number of cases awaiting results was not immediately available.
— With files from Ryan Rocca and Matthew Trevithick
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