Coronavirus: Young child among 7 new cases in London-Middlesex; outbreak declared at LHSC

Seven people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the region, including a young child, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported on Friday.

This brings the region’s total case count to 659. One recovery was reported, bringing that tally to 582.

Fifty-seven people have died, a figure that has remained unchanged for the last six weeks. That leaves 20 known active cases.

It’s the largest single-day increase in cases since early June.

All seven of Friday’s new cases were reported in London, which has now seen a total of 610 cases, and which include four women and three men in multiple age groups.

Three cases involve people in their 20s, while one is a person in their 30s, one is in their 40s, and one is in their 50s.

Most notably, one case involves a child from an unnamed local daycare, said Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health.

It’s the first case the health unit has seen that has been linked to a daycare.

“We’re not releasing any further information for privacy reasons, but certainly (it’s) a young child,” he said.

“The child is doing well, it’s not a severe case, but definitely reminds us the importance of trying to keep our children as safe as possible.”

It’s not clear how many cases in the region have involved children, as the health unit groups people under 20 into one single age category.

According to Mackie, of the 113 cases that have had to be hospitalized for COVID-19, “one or two” have involved children.

“If you look globally, the data is very clear. Children who acquire the disease are much better off than adults who acquire it. They generally fare very well. So expect the same in this particular case.”

Three of the new cases are listed as health-care workers, with two in their 20s and one in their 30s.

According to Mackie, two are employees of London Health Sciences Centre, while one is a staff member at a local retirement home.

As a result, an outbreak has been declared at Victoria Hospital in B8 Inpatient Mental Health, according to LHSC. No outbreaks have been declared at any local seniors’ homes.

“Anytime you have a health care worker testing positive, that’s a concern, particularly because they may be in contact with so many vulnerable patients,” Mackie said.

“That’s why there’s really a low bar for testing. We absolutely make sure that anyone in the health care system with symptoms gets tested. Actually, if you have symptoms, you’re not allowed to work in health care either. So there are some significant protections.”

In two of the new cases, the patients contracted the virus through contact with a confirmed case, while the other five are listed as having no known link.

“We don’t have any evidence, in any of our cases, … that we’ve had airborne spread from across a room. Everything we’re seeing locally is pointing to droplet-type spread,” Mackie said.

London Mayor Ed Holder said he was alarmed by what the region was seeing just one week after entering Stage 3 of the province’s reopening plans.

“We know from experience across the province and in other jurisdictions, just how fast this virus can spread when we get complacent and if we let our guard down,” he said.

“As much as the past few days are concerning, I hope this serves as somewhat of a wake-up call of sorts, or perhaps at least a reminder. Make no mistake, despite the fact that we are in Stage 3, it’s called Stage 3 for a reason. We’re not back to normal. We remain under a state of emergency. The virus is still here and it’s just as infectious as it’s always been.”

The health unit reported three new cases and one recovery on Thursday, two new cases and two recoveries on Wednesday, and one case and two recoveries on Tuesday.

The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 2.57 per day as of Friday, up from 1.71 on Thursday. Looking back 14 days to July 10, the average is 1.8, up from 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 two weeks prior, according to the health unit.

The city’s two assessment centres have continued to see steady visitation, averaging just under 300 visits per day over the last seven days, health unit figures show.

The incident rate for London and Middlesex is 129.8 cases per 100,000 people as of Friday, up 1.3 from Thursday. London, specifically, is at 150.7, followed by Strathroy-Caradoc’s 101.6 and North Middlesex with 83.7.

The province’s rate is 257.1 per 100,000, according to the health unit.

Elsewhere, Strathroy-Caradoc has seen 23 cases, and Middlesex Centre, 12. North Middlesex and Thames Centre have seen six cases each, while one case has been reported in each of Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.

People in their 20s continue to be the largest age group for cases in the region, accounting for 140 cases, or just over 21 per cent, while people in their 80s and above account for 107 cases, or 16 per cent.

Contact with a confirmed case is the largest exposure source for people in their 20s, nearly 40 per cent, followed by no known link. For people 80 and above, 84 per cent of cases are linked to outbreaks.

There have been at least 27 outbreaks in the region, with 21 at long-term care and retirement homes. The facilities account for at least 183 cases, including 37 deaths.

At least 101 cases in London and Middlesex involve people in their 50s. Nearly half, about 43 per cent, are listed as being health-care workers, according to the health unit.

A similar percentage is seen among people in their 40s, who account for 69 cases in the region. Twenty-eight of those cases, about 40 per cent, are health-care workers.

Health-care workers overall make up nearly a quarter of the region’s total case count.

Hospitalizations continue to be low, or non-existent, in the region.

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 the number of COVID-19 patients rises above five.

Overall, at least 113 people have had to be hospitalized for COVID-19, with the vast majority, about 90 per cent, over the age of 50.

At least 31 patients have had to be admitted to intensive care units, according to the health unit.

Ontario

Provincially, Ontario reported 195 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and three deaths.

The total number of cases now stands at 38,405, which includes 2,758 deaths and 34,100 resolved cases.

There were 137 resolved cases newly reported Friday.

The province says it was able to complete more than 28,800 tests the previous day.

It also says 141 people are in hospital because of the virus, including 31 people in intensive care and 20 on ventilators.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 27 new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa and 57 new cases in Windsor-Essex.

The Windsor-Essex region now has the highest case rate of COVID-19 in the province, according to the region’s health unit.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed says the region passed Toronto and Peel this week with 484 cases per 100,000 people, calling the situation “stressful and concerning.”

Ahmed says the jump in cases can be attributed to outbreaks on local farms and increasing cases in the community likely due to the reopening of the region weeks ago.

Hundreds of migrant workers in the region have tested positive for the virus over the past few months and two have died.

On Thursday, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health said an on-farm testing effort had recently been paused after only 19 of 176 in the region participated.

Dr. David Williams said a new communications package has been created for farms and their workers as the testing restarts.

Ahmed says he will not rule out making testing mandatory for workers on farms when he thinks they may be at risk of an outbreak.

Elgin and Oxford

Four people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported Friday.

The new cases bring the region’s total case count to 100, of which 82 have recovered, unchanged from the day before. Five people have also died, most recently earlier this month.

Friday continues what’s been a steady increase in the number of active cases in the region over the last week. SWPH has recorded at least one new coronavirus case every day for the last seven days.

Health officials reported two cases and one recovery Thursday, one case and one recovery on Wednesday, two cases on Tuesday and four cases over the weekend.

Of the now 13 known active cases, at least six are located in St. Thomas, three are in Bayham, two are in Aylmer and one is in Tillsonburg. The location of one case was not immediately available.

St. Thomas has seen the most cases in the region, with 24. Woodstock follows behind with 17 cases, Dutton/Dunwich has nine, and Tillsonburg has eight.

Fifty-eight per cent of all confirmed cases are female, and 42 per cent are male. People in their 50s make up 25 per cent of all cases, followed by people in their 60s with 16 per cent.

SWPH has received 14,458 tests to date, with 297 pending results. At least 0.7 per cent of tests are coming back positive.

Huron and Perth

Two new cases have been reported and three people have recovered, officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) said Friday.

The region’s total case count now stands at 63, of which 57 people have recovered and five people have died. The death toll has remained unchanged since late April.

Despite the increase in cases, both of which were reported in Perth County, the region’s known active case count currently stands at one, with the active case listed as being in Huron County.

The reason for the discrepancy wasn’t immediately available.

Health officials reported no change on Thursday and Wednesday, and reported one recovery on Tuesday and two cases on Monday.

At least 26 cases have been reported in Stratford during the pandemic, along with four deaths, which health officials say were linked to a since-resolved outbreak at Greenwood Court, a long-term care home. The outbreak was declared over in May.

In Perth County, 18 cases have been reported, while in Huron County, 15 have been reported, with one active.

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 11,109 people had been tested as of Thursday. It’s not clear how many tests are pending.

Sarnia and Lambton

No new cases, deaths or recoveries were reported late Thursday 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.

Health officials reported no change late Wednesday, and reported one recovery late Tuesday, two cases late Monday, and two cases over the weekend.

The region is one of several being allowed to move into Stage 3 on Friday as part of the government’s reopening framework.

That means indoor dining at restaurants and drinking in a pub is allowed, including in Lambton’s many beachfront communities.

Gyms and movie theatres are also allowed to reopen.

In all cases, physical distancing must be maintained among patrons.

No COVID-19 patients are being treated at Sarnia’s Bluewater Health hospital as of Friday.

The hospital hasn’t treated a COVID-19 patient since June 14 and soon after closed its dedicated coronavirus unit.

The health unit says at least 58 people have had to be hospitalized for COVID-19, most recently in early June. A majority of hospitalizations occurred during the peak of the pandemic in March and April.

At least 15,851 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