One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in London and Middlesex, six others have recovered, and three seniors’ home outbreaks have been resolved, local health officials reported on Friday.
The update brings the total number of confirmed cases in the region to 549, of which 403 have recovered, or about 73 per cent of cases. Fifty-six people have died, a tally that remained unchanged from the day before.
The new case was reported in London and is not linked to a long-term care or retirement home, or to Ontario Plants Propagation (OPP), where an outbreak among migrant farmworkers has left at least 21 sickened, including one case confirmed by Elgin and Oxford county health officials.
Of the 13 confirmed cases that have been reported in London and Middlesex since Monday, none have been associated with seniors’ homes or to the OPP outbreak.
Overall, at least 512 of the region’s cases have been reported in London — about 93 per cent — while 20 cases have been reported in Strathroy-Caradoc and seven cases have been in Middlesex Centre.
Elsewhere, four cases each have been reported in North Middlesex and Thames Centre, and one each has been reported in Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.
Health officials say the number of active outbreaks in London and Middlesex dropped to three on Friday after three other outbreaks were declared over the day before.
The outbreaks at Country Terrace, Waverly Mansion and Chelsey Park (LTCH) were declared on May 15, 18 and 23, respectively.
Combined, health unit data shows the three outbreaks saw six positive cases involving one resident and five staff members. The resident, reported positive at Waverly Mansion, later died.
At least 19 of the 24 outbreaks that have been declared locally during the pandemic have involved seniors’ facilities.
Three active outbreaks remain in the region, the lowest number of simultaneous COVID-19 outbreaks since late March.
Outbreaks remain at Kensington Village, Sisters of St. Joseph and Chelsey Park Retirement Community. They were declared April 3, April 17 and May 30, respectively.
Combined, the three facilities have reported at least 51 cases involving 27 residents and 24 staff members, according to health unit data. At least nine residents have died, along with two staff members.
In terms of total case count, the most severe of the three outbreaks has been at Sisters of St. Joseph, where at least 25 cases have been reported involving 13 residents and 12 staff members.
Of those, three residents and one staff member have since died.
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Overall, local seniors’ facilities have reported a total of 168 cases and 36 deaths.
At least 101 cases have been reported at long-term care homes, involving 60 residents and 41 staff members. Twenty-four have died.
Retirement homes, meanwhile, have seen 67 cases involving 44 residents and 23 staff. Twelve deaths have been reported.
At least 457 outbreaks have been reported at seniors’ homes across the province since mid-January, according to Public Health Ontario. Of those, at least 247 remained active as of Thursday.
The number of hospitalized patients in the city declined by one to eight as of midnight Friday, according to the most recent update from London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).
The figure is a combination of cases at University and Victoria hospitals. It’s not clear whether any are in intensive care.
Meantime, in its most recent update on Tuesday, St. Joseph’s Health Care reported it was treating no COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The only case in its system is located at the main building of Parkwood Institute.
Hospitalizations account for about 19 per cent of all cases in London and Middlesex. Of those, 5.3 per cent have had to be admitted to intensive care.
A vast majority of hospitalized cases, nearly 90 per cent, involve patients over 50, according to health unit figures.
LHSC announced Friday that it would stop releasing an updated number of positive cases among staff members unless the tally increased by five or greater. The organization said it was to protect staff privacy.
In its update on Wednesday, LHSC said there had been at least 42 staff cases reported during the pandemic.
At least 18 staff members with St. Joseph’s Health Care have tested positive. It’s not clear how many cases remain active.
At least 410 hospital workers across Ontario have tested positive for the virus since mid-January, while 393 residents/patients have also been infected, according to Public Health Ontario.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 344 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, and 15 more deaths.
The update brings the total in the province to 29,747, including 2,372 deaths and 23,583 cases that have been resolved.
Ontario completed 22,730 tests in the previous day, the second day in a row the province achieved its goal of 20,000 per day.
The province says another 12,247 tests are still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Ontario is lifting restrictions on short-term rentals Friday.
Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli says the facilities were able to resume operations as of 12:01 a.m.
Lodges, cabins, cottages, homes, condominiums and bed-and-breakfast rentals are all included in the reopening.
Elgin and Oxford
One person has recovered from the novel coronavirus, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported Friday.
The total number of confirmed cases remains at 75, of which now 66 have recovered. Four people have died. No new deaths have been reported since April 22.
SWPH reported three recoveries on Thursday, one recovery Wednesday and one new case and recovery on Tuesday.
Officials say an outbreak at Secord Trails that has left at least eight staff sickened remains active as of Friday. The long-term care facility in Ingersoll has seen an active outbreak since May 18.
Of the five cases that remain active in the region, three are in Oxford County, including two in Tillsonburg and one in Woodstock, while two remain active in Elgin County, both in St. Thomas.
According to health unit data, no new COVID-19-related hospitalizations have been reported since April 28. No COVID-19 patients have been in the hospital since the start of May.
As of Friday, 5,537 tests had been conducted in Elgin and Oxford counties, of which 521 remained pending results.
Of the tests conducted in the region, 1.5 per cent come back positive, according to SWPH.
Huron and Perth
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries have been reported by Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH).
At least 54 cases have been reported in the region, of which 46 have recovered and five have died. No new deaths have been reported in the region since April 29.
The last new case to be reported by health officials was on Wednesday. Before that, a case was reported on Monday.
Three active cases remain in the region, including two in St. Marys — both reported earlier this week — and one in Stratford.
The number of active outbreaks remains at zero. A total of seven have been declared, linked to 27 cases.
All but seven of those cases were reported at Greenwood Court in Stratford. An outbreak there saw six residents and 10 staff members test positive, and four people die. It was declared over May 11.
Twenty-six cases have been reported in Stratford, while 13 have been reported in Huron County and 11 in Perth County.
Four cases have been in St. Marys, including the region’s first two.
The health unit said 3,829 tests had been administered in Huron and Perth as of Friday. Of those, 124 were awaiting test results.
Sarnia and Lambton
One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus while six people have recovered, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported late Thursday.
It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 267, of which 217 have recovered. Twenty-four people have also died, a tally that remained unchanged.
Health unit figures show Thursday’s case is not connected to an ongoing outbreak at Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia that has sickened 26 residents and 25 staff members. Nine residents have since died.
Still-positive residents from the home have been moved to Bluewater Health hospital to keep the outbreak from spreading.
The hospital says it’s treating 12 COVID-19 patients as of Friday, along with 26 who are suspected positive or are awaiting tests — figures unchanged from the day before.
The outbreak at Vision Nursing Home is the lone active outbreak in the county.
Nearly all of Lambton’s outbreak-related cases are linked to Vision Nursing Home and to a since-resolved outbreak at Landmark Village.
According to the health unit, 40 per cent of all COVID-19 cases in the county have been outbreak-related, followed by 35 per cent that are related to close contact.
Health officials reported one recovery late Wednesday, one death, three new cases and three recoveries late Tuesday, and one death and six recoveries late Monday.
As of late Thursday, LPH said 7,575 test results had been received by health officials. It’s not clear how many cases are still pending.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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