Three new novel coronavirus cases have been reported in London-Middlesex on Saturday, according to officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU).
No new recoveries or deaths were reported.
This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the region to 662, which includes 582 recoveries and 57 deaths. The last death was reported six weeks ago.
Two of the three new cases are from London, Ont., and one in Strathroy-Caradoc, where there are now 612 cases, and 24 cases, respectively.
Elsewhere, Middlesex Centre has seen 12 cases, North Middlesex and Thames Centre have seen six cases each, while one case has been reported in each of Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.
None of the new cases are associated with a senior home.
Saturday’s new cases come a day after seven new cases were reported on Friday, the highest daily increase since early June.
One case involved a child from an unnamed local daycare, according to 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.
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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.
Three cases from Friday are listed as health-care workers. Two are employees of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), 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.
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 incident rate for London and Middlesex is 129.8 cases per 100,000 people as of Friday.
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.
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.
Health-care workers overall make up nearly a quarter of the region’s total case count.
St. Joseph’s Health Care again reported no COVID-19 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.
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
Ontario recorded 138 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday.
As of Saturday morning, the government said 38,543 people have contracted COVID-19 to date. It was also reported that another person had died since Friday morning, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,759.
In total, 34,240 people have recovered from the virus — an increase of 140 people since Friday.
The Windsor-Essex region 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.
Elgin and Oxford
Four more people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday, according to officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH).
There are now a total of 104 cases in the region, which includes 82 recoveries and five deaths.
SWPH has recorded at least one new coronavirus case every day for the last eight days.
There are at least 16 active cases — with six in St. Thomas, four each in Aylmer and Bayham and two in Tillsonburg.
St. Thomas has seen the most cases in the region, with 24. Woodstock follows behind with 17 cases, and Dutton/Dunwich and Tillsonburg each have nine.
People in their 50s make up 25 per cent of all cases, followed by people in their 60s with 15.4 per cent.
SWPH has received 14,469 tests to date, with 304 pending results. At least 0.7 per cent of tests are coming back positive.
Huron and Perth
Officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) do not issue updates over the weekend.
As of Friday, two new cases were reported and three people have recovered.
The region’s total case count stood at 63, of which 57 people have recovered and five people have died. The death toll has remained unchanged since late April.
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
For at least the third day in a row, no new cases, deaths or recoveries were reported by officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) late Friday.
The region’s total case count remains unchanged at 292. This includes 261 recoveries and 25 deaths, the last death being reported in early June.
The six active cases that remain in the region are all located in Sarnia, according to health unit data.
The region is one of several being allowed to move into Stage 3 on Friday as part of the government’s reopening framework.
This means indoor dining at restaurants and drinking in a pub are allowed, including in Lambton’s many beachfront communities. Gyms and movie theatres are also allowed to reopen.
No COVID-19 patients are being treated at Sarnia’s Bluewater Health hospital as of Saturday. The hospital says 20 patients are currently in hospital with tests pending for COVID-19.
The hospital hasn’t treated a COVID-19 patient since June 14 and soon after closed its dedicated coronavirus unit.
At least 16,030 test results had been received by the health unit as of late Friday, with 1.8 per cent coming back positive, 0.1 per cent less than the day before.
— With files from Global News’ Matthew Trevithick and Ryan Rocca
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