Three people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in London and Middlesex while one person has recovered, local health officials reported Thursday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 652, of which 581 have recovered and 57 have died, a tally that has not changed since June 12 — nearly six weeks. It leaves 14 known active cases.
All three new cases are from London, Ont., and involve two people in their 20s and one in their 30s, health unit data shows.
London has seen at least 603 of the region’s cases, followed by Strathroy-Caradoc with 23 and Middlesex Centre with 12.
The health unit reported two new cases and two recoveries on Wednesday, and one case and two recoveries on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, six cases each have been reported in North Middlesex and Thames Centre, while one case each has been reported in Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.
The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 1.71 per day as of Thursday. Looking back 14 days to July 9, the average is 1.42.
The region’s test positivity rate stood at 0.1 per cent as of the week of July 12, the most recent data available. That figure is the same as it was the 2 weeks prior, according to the health unit.
The incident rate for London and Middlesex is 128.5 cases per 100,000 people, compared to the province’s 256.4 per 100,000 rate.
Elsewhere locally, Public Health Ontario says the incident rate in Lambton County is 223 per 100,000, while in Elgin-Oxford and Huron-Perth, the rates are 45.4 and 45.8, respectively.
The city’s two assessment centres have been averaging nearly 300 visits per day over the last 10 days, health unit figures show.
At least 113 people have had to be hospitalized for COVID-19, including 31 who were admitted to intensive care units.
Some 90 per cent of hospitalized cases have involved people over the age of 50, according to the health unit.
Currently, there are few, if any hospitalized cases. St. Joseph’s Health Care again reported no such patients in its care, while London Health Sciences Centre has not issued a tally since June 10. It says it will do so only if COVID-19 patient cases rise above five.
The largest age group of cases involves people in their 20s, accounting for at least 137 cases, or 21 per cent, according to the health unit.
That’s followed by people 80-years-old and above with 107 cases, or 16.4 per cent, and people in their 50s with 100 cases, or 15.3 per cent.
According to the health unit, outbreaks are linked to more than 80 per cent of cases involving people over 80.
At least 26 outbreaks have been reported in the region during the pandemic, with 21 linked to long-term care and retirement homes.
The homes are associated with 182 cases and 35 deaths.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 103 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and no deaths.
The total number of cases now stands at 38,210, which includes 2,755 deaths and 33,963 resolved cases.
There were 151 resolved cases newly reported today.
The province says it was able to complete more than 26,000 tests the previous day.
It also says 154 people are in hospital because of the virus, including 35 people in intensive care and 21 on ventilators.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 28 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases.
Elgin and Oxford
Two cases and one recovery were reported on Thursday by officials with Southwestern Public Health.
It brings the region’s total case count to 96, of which 82 have recovered and five have died. The death toll has not changed since earlier this month.
The cases are the eighth and ninth reported by SWPH in the last week.
Health officials reported one case and one recovery on Wednesday, two cases on Tuesday, and four new cases over the weekend.
One patient was in hospital as of Monday, according to health unit data.
St. Thomas is seeing the most number of cases in the region, with 22. Woodstock follows behind at 17 cases, and Dutton/Dunwich has nine.
At least 0.7 per cent of tests are coming back positive.
SWPH has received 14,435 tests to date, with 278 pending results.
Sixty per cent of all confirmed cases are female, and 40 per cent are male.
People in their 50s make up 25.3 per cent of all cases.
Huron and Perth
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries were reported Thursday by officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH).
The region’s total case count remains at 61, of which 54 have recovered and five people have died. The death toll has remained unchanged since late April.
Health officials reported no change Wednesday and reported one recovery on Tuesday and two cases Monday.
Two cases remain active in the region — one in Huron County the other in Perth.
Huron has seen 14 cases while Perth has seen 15.
Stratford has reported a total of 26 cases, including four deaths which were linked to an outbreak at Greenwood Court, a long-term care facility.
In St. Marys, four cases, including one death, have been reported.
No hospitalizations have been reported since April, according to the health unit.
At least 11,026 people had been tested as of Thursday.
Sarnia and Lambton
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries were reported late Wednesday by officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH).
The region’s total case count remains unchanged at 292, of which 261 have recovered. Twenty-five people have died, the last being reported in early June.
The six active cases that remain in the region are all located in Sarnia, according to health unit data.
One recovery was reported late Tuesday and two new cases reported late Monday. Two cases were reported over the weekend.
The region will move into Stage 3 of the province’s recovery framework as of Friday, allowing most businesses to reopen and expanding indoor and outdoor gathering limits.
Hospitalizations, and the lack thereof, remain steady, according to Bluewater Health in Sarnia. The hospital hasn’t treated a COVID-19 patient since June 14 and soon after closed its dedicated coronavirus unit.
At least 58 people have had to be hospitalized for the virus, a majority in March and April. The most recent hospitalization to be reported was in early June, according to the health unit.
At least 15,679 test results had been received by the health unit as of late Wednesday, with 1.9 per cent coming back positive.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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