Eight people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in London and Middlesex, while four others have recovered, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported Wednesday.
The update brings the total number of cases in the region to 567, of which 426 people have recovered and 56 have died.
All but one of the new cases was reported in London.
One case was reported in North Middlesex — the first new case to be confirmed outside of London in nearly a month, health unit figures show.
None of the cases are associated with active outbreaks at two seniors’ facilities in the city, or to an outbreak among migrant farmworkers at Ontario Plants Propagation that has left at least 22 people sick, according to the health unit.
Of the 28 cases that have been reported in the region since last Monday, 27 have been community-sourced.
Of the region’s cases, a vast majority, 529, have been in London.
Elsewhere, Strathroy-Caradoc has seen 20 cases, while Middlesex Centre has seen seven. Five cases have been reported in North Middlesex, four in Thames Centre, and one each in Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.
The health unit reported one new case and six recoveries on Tuesday and five new cases on Monday.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Chris Mackie, medical officer of health for London and Middlesex, said the region is averaging about four new cases a day, and has been for close to a month.
“We have seen our numbers bounce around a bit at eight cases on top of two previous very low days,” Mackie said.
“This is probably all just random variation associated with relatively small numbers that can easily be changed by, you know, a dinner party or whoever knows what else.”
Two outbreaks remain active in the city, both at seniors’ facilities.
The outbreaks, at Kensington Village and Chelsey Park Retirement Community, were declared April 3 and May 30, respectively.
At least 19 of the 24 outbreaks that have been declared locally have been at seniors’ facilities.
The homes account for nearly 30 per cent of cases and 64 per cent of deaths in London and Middlesex, according to the health unit.
At least 102 people have tested positive at long-term care homes, while 24 have died. The case tally includes 60 residents and 42 staff members.
At retirement homes, 67 people have tested positive and 12 have died. The case tally includes 44 residents and 23 staff members.
Across Ontario, 461 outbreaks have been reported at long-term care and retirement homes, of which 107 remain active, a significant decline from the 249 reported by Public Health Ontario on June 3.
The number of hospitalizations in the city stood at six as of Monday, according to London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).
No COVID-19 cases were being treated by St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
Hospitalizations account for about 19 per cent of all cases in London and Middlesex, with about a quarter of those needing intensive care.
Patients over the age of 50 account for nearly 90 per cent of hospitalizations, according to MLHU figures.
Health-care workers account for about 24 per cent of the region’s cases.
At least 42 LHSC staff have tested positive during the pandemic as of late last month. An updated figure isn’t available as the organization has stopped providing that information.
At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, at least 18 staff members have tested positive, a tally that has not changed for a number of weeks.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 251 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, and 11 more deaths.
That brings the province to a total of 31,341 cases, including 2,475 deaths and 25,380 resolved cases — 551 more than the previous day.
The uptick in resolved cases means there are 300 fewer active cases over the previous day, and Wednesday marks the first day the percentage of resolved cases in the province is over 80.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says in a tweet that 59 of Wednesday’s new cases are related to an outbreak in southwestern Ontario and the “vast majority” of the others are in the Greater Toronto Area.
Most regions of the province outside of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area as well as some border communities are set to enter Stage 2 of reopening on Friday.
London and Middlesex is among the regions set to move into Stage 2, along with Elgin, Huron, Perth, and Oxford counties.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 continued to steadily decline, from 600 the previous day to 580 Wednesday — the lowest number since early April.
Elgin and Oxford
Two people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while one person has recovered, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported on Wednesday.
The update brings the total number of cases in the region to 77, of which 69 have recovered. Four people have died, a tally that has remained unchanged since late April.
Officials also reported that an outbreak at Secord Trails in Ingersoll, declared on May 18, had resolved. Eight staff members of the long-term care home had tested positive.
No cases, deaths or recoveries were reported on Tuesday.
Four active cases remain in the region. Two are in Oxford County, including one in East Zorra-Tavistock and one in Tillsonburg, while one is in Elgin County in St. Thomas.
The location details of one case were not immediately available.
The number of tests conducted by the health unit stood at 6,180 as of Tuesday, with 415 tests awaiting results.
The test per cent positivity rate for Elgin and Oxford stands at 1.3 per cent.
Huron and Perth
One person has recovered from the novel coronavirus, officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) reported on Wednesday.
The total number of cases remained unchanged at 55, of which now 47 have recovered. Five people have also died, a tally that has remained unchanged since late April, according to health unit figures.
The recovery was reported in Stratford.
No cases, deaths or recoveries were reported on Tuesday.
Three cases remain active in the region, including two in St. Marys and one in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh in Huron County.
Overall, 26 cases have been reported in Stratford, while 13 cases have been reported in Huron County and 11 in Perth County.
St. Mary’s has seen two cases and one death.
Stratford has seen four deaths reported, all linked to Greenwood Court, a long-term care facility that had an outbreak until May 11. Six residents and 10 staff members had tested positive.
The outbreak is among seven that have been declared during the pandemic. All have since resolved.
The health unit said 4,158 tests had been administered in Huron and Perth as of Wednesday. Of those, 88 were awaiting test results.
Sarnia and Lambton
Three people have recovered from the novel coronavirus, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported late Tuesday.
The number of confirmed cases remained unchanged at 270, of which now 233 have recovered. Twenty-five people have also died.
Twelve cases remain active in Lambton.
The health unit reported three recoveries late Monday and two new cases, both linked to Vision Nursing Home, late Sunday, along with three recoveries.
The Sarnia long-term care facility continues to have an active outbreak. It was first declared on April 23.
At least 26 residents and 27 staff members have tested positive and at least 10 residents have since died.
It’s currently the county’s only active outbreak.
Late last month, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus within the home, Bluewater Health announced it would be moving positive resident cases into the hospital.
Bluewater Health reported Wednesday morning that it was treating 11 COVID-19 patients and an additional 21 who were awaiting test results or who were suspected positive.
Ninety-three of the 99 cases linked to long-term care and retirement homes in Lambton have been reported at Vision Nursing Home and at Landmark Village, which had an active outbreak from March 26 to May 6 in which 30 residents and 10 staff members became sick and six residents died.
More than a quarter of all cases in the region have involved people over the age of 80. About 40 per cent of cases are outbreak-related, health unit figures show.
As of late Monday, LPH said 8,474 test results had been received by health officials. It’s not clear how many cases are still pending.
The percentage of tests that come back positive stands at 3.2 per cent.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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