Two people have died, one person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and eight cases have been resolved, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported on Tuesday.
It brings the total number of cases confirmed in London and Middlesex to 424, including 42 deaths and 272 recoveries, or about 64 per cent of cases.
It’s the smallest single-day increase in cases in the last month. MLHU figures show April 5 was the last time a single-case increase was reported.
According to the health unit, the two deaths involved a woman in her 50s and a woman in her 80s. No other information has been released, other than that the woman in her 80s was associated with a long-term care home.
As for the new case, health officials said it was reported in London and was not linked to a seniors facility. No further details have been provided.
It comes a day after seven new cases were reported, including five at long-term care homes involving two residents and three staff, and one at a retirement home involving a staff member.
A total of 392 cases have been confirmed in London since the start of the pandemic, while 17 cases have been reported in Strathroy-Caradoc, seven in Middlesex Centre, four in Thames Centre and four in North Middlesex.
Of those, at least 131 cases — about 30 per cent — have been reported at long-term care or retirement homes involving both residents and staff, health unit figures show.
Eighty-five cases have been reported at long-term care homes, involving 52 residents and 33 staff, while 46 cases have been reported at retirement homes, involving 33 residents and 13 staff. Sixteen deaths have also been associated with long-term care homes and six with retirement homes.
It’s unclear how many cases at the facilities remain active.
Seniors homes also account for at least 12 of the 18 outbreaks that have been declared in London and Middlesex since the pandemic began, the most recent of which was declared on Sunday.
The outbreak at peopleCare Oakcrossing, a 160-bed long-term care home on Sarnia Road in west London, was declared after one staff member tested positive, according to a peopleCare spokesperson.
Including Oakcrossing, 11 outbreaks remain active in the region, nine at seniors facilities, including Kensington Village Retirement, Kensington Village Long-Term Care Residence, Elmwood Place, Horizon Place, Meadow Park Care Centre, Earls Court Village, Grand Wood Park, Henley Place and Sisters of St. Joseph.
At least 296 outbreaks have been declared at long-term care homes and retirement homes across the province since mid-January, according to Public Health Ontario.
At long-term care homes, at least 2,707 residents and 1,340 staff have tested positive, and 697 residents and one staff member have died, while at retirement homes, at least 549 residents and 287 staff have tested positive, and 108 residents have died.
An outbreak also remains active as of Tuesday at Victoria Hospital in the geriatric behavioural unit (C6-100), according to London Health Sciences Centre. The outbreak was declared on April 11.
According to LHSC figures, both University and Victoria hospitals were treating a total of 23 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, a decrease of two from the day before. Of those, eight were in intensive care, a figure that remained unchanged.
Thirty-nine LHSC staff have tested positive for the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, the organization says. How many cases are still active is not known.
At least 66 outbreaks have been declared at hospitals in Ontario, according to Public Health Ontario.
Provincially, Ontario reported 387 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 61 more deaths.
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The new cases bring the provincial total to 18,310, including 1,361 deaths and 12,779 resolved cases, or nearly 70 per cent of the total.
The new provincial tally is 2.2 per cent higher than the previous day, about the same growth rate as the previous day’s 2.1 per cent.
The number of people in intensive care units and on ventilators with the virus dropped from the previous day.
There were 10,654 tests completed in the past 24 hours, the lowest total in five days. The province also listed just over 6,000 tests as under investigation.
Premier Doug Ford’s government had set a target of processing 16,000 tests a day, but Tuesday’s figures are well short of that.
Ontario had been testing well below its capacity, and earlier this month, Ford called for that to be ramped up. On Monday, the premier said his province is now conducting the most tests per day in Canada, both in terms of volume and per capita.
Elgin and Oxford
No new cases have been reported, and one person has recovered from COVID-19, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported Tuesday.
It keeps the total number of confirmed cases in Elgin and Oxford at 60, including 38 recoveries, or about 63 per cent of cases. The number of deaths remained at four, a figure that has been unchanged since April 22.
It comes after SWPH reported one new case in the region on Monday and no new cases over the weekend.
The total number of outbreaks declared in Elgin and Oxford remains at two, according to the latest outbreak report from the health unit, released on April 22.
The outbreak at Caressant Care on Bonnie Place in St. Thomas, declared on April 21, has seen two staff members at the facility test positive, according to a health unit spokesperson.
Of the 18 cases that remain active in Elgin and Oxford, at least 11 are in Oxford County, including four in Tillsonburg and three in Woodstock, while seven at in Elgin, including four in St. Thomas.
According to SWPH, as of Tuesday, 2,765 COVID-19 cases had been administered in the region, with 237 tests awaiting results.
Health unit figures show the percentage of positive tests stands at about 2.4 per cent, down from a peak of 6.4 per cent on April 12.
Huron and Perth
Similar to Monday, no new cases, deaths or recoveries were reported by health officials in Huron and Perth on Tuesday.
It keeps the total number of confirmed cases in the region at 49 for another day, including 34 recovered cases, or about 69 per cent of cases, and five deaths.
The number of declared outbreaks remains at five, with four still active, including the region’s first.
Six residents and 10 staff members have tested positive and four people have died at Greenwood Court since an outbreak was declared in late March. It’s unclear how many cases are considered active.
The most recent outbreak was declared on Friday at Braemar Retirement Centre in North Huron. Two staff members have tested positive at the facility, according to the health unit.
Outbreaks also remain at Blue Water Rest Home in Bluewater, Ont., where one resident has tested positive, and at Huronview in Huron East, Ont., where one staff member has tested positive.
Stratford has seen the highest number of cases at 25, of which 20 have recovered and four have died.
Elsewhere, Huron County has seen 12 cases, including nine recoveries, while Perth County has seen 10 cases, including four recoveries.
Two cases have been reported in St. Marys. One person later died, while the other has since recovered.
As of Monday, 1,723 coronavirus tests had been administered in Huron and Perth. Of those, 311 are pending results.
Sarnia and Lambton
One person has died and three others have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported Tuesday.
It brings the total number of cases confirmed in the region to 192, including 15 deaths. One more person has also recovered, bringing that total to 121, or about 63 per cent of cases.
Health unit figures show the death is linked to an ongoing outbreak at Vision Nursing Home, a long-term care facility in Sarnia, where four residents and two staff have tested positive and one resident has now died.
It’s the first COVID-19-related death reported in Lambton County since April 20.
Two other outbreaks remain active in the region, both also in Sarnia, including at Landmark Village, where 30 residents and 10 staff have tested positive and six residents have died.
It’s not clear how many cases at the home remain active.
An outbreak also remains at Sumac Lodge, a long-term care home, where one staff member has tested positive.
On Monday, health unit officials reported one new confirmed case and 10 recoveries.
Long-term care and retirement home residents account for at least 18 per cent of the county’s confirmed cases, while health-care workers account for at least 14 per cent.
That includes at least 15 staff members at Bluewater Health in Sarnia who have tested positive. All were considered active cases on Friday as hospital officials awaited double negative retests.
980 CFPL has reached out to the hospital for an update on the cases.
The hospital was treating nine COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday morning, the same as the day before, along with an additional 14 patients who were suspected positive or awaiting tests.
— 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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