Coronavirus: No new cases in London-Middlesex as Elgin-Oxford records 14-case spike

No new coronavirus cases have been reported and one person has recovered, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported Thursday.

The region’s total case count remains at 669, of which now 586 people have recovered. Fifty-seven people have died in the region during the pandemic, a tally unchanged since June 12.

There are at least 26 known active cases in London and Middlesex.

Health officials reported two new cases on Wednesday, no new cases and three recoveries on Tuesday, three cases on Monday and five over the weekend.

At least 619 cases have been reported in London during the pandemic. Elsewhere, 24 cases have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 12 in Middlesex Centre, six each in North Middlesex and Thames Centre, and one each in Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.

The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 2.57 per day as of Thursday, down from 3.0 per day on Wednesday. Looking back 14 days to July 15, the average is 2.14.

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.

London and Middlesex has seen 131.8 cases per 100,000 people as of Thursday, while Ontario has seen 262.3 cases per 100,000.

One of the cases recently reported in the region involved a worker at the city’s Dr. Oetker plant, the company confirmed Thursday.

The case is the first among the plant’s workforce, according to spokesperson Bill Walker.

“We wish our team member the best as we close the plant today and tomorrow for deep cleaning. The plant will also be closed for the long weekend,” he said in an emailed statement.

News of the case comes days after a worker at the Woodstock Toyota parts plant tested positive for the virus.

The employee, who hadn’t been in the plant since July 25, was tested Monday and got a positive diagnosis on Tuesday, according to an internal memo. Two other workers are awaiting test results.

One outbreak remains active in the region at Victoria Hospital in its child and adolescent mental health unit (B8-200). The outbreak was declared on Friday after a staff member tested positive.

At least 27 outbreaks have been declared during the pandemic. At least 21 have been at long-term care and retirement homes, which account for at least 184 cases and 37 deaths in London-Middlesex.

Seniors’ home outbreaks are to blame for nearly 85 per cent of all cases involving people 80 years old and above, health unit figures show.

The health unit says people in their 20s make up 21 per cent of cases (141), while people 80 and above make up 16 per cent of cases (107) and people in their 50s 15.4 per cent (103).

For those in their 20s, nearly 40 per cent of cases are due to contact with a confirmed case. Thirty-two per cent have no known link.

Women make up nearly 60 per cent of all cases in London and Middlesex, with 33 per cent listed as being health-care workers. In comparison, just under nine per cent of cases involving men are health-care workers.

Health-care workers make up 155 of the region’s total case tally. Of those, health unit figures show 131 are women.

The number of COVID-19 inpatients at London Health Sciences Centre remains stable at five or fewer — the hospital isn’t issuing a tally unless it rises above that number.

No COVID-19 patients were in the care of St. Joseph’s Health Care London as of Thursday. That tally has been unchanged for over a month.

At least 113 people have had to be hospitalized for COVID-19, including 31 who needed to be admitted to intensive care.

Ontario

Provincially, Ontario logged fewer than 100 new cases of COVID-19 for a second day in a row, with 89 new cases reported Thursday.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 28 of the province’s 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 17 reporting no new ones.

She says the number of people in hospital, in intensive care and on a ventilator all went down.

Elliott says the province was able to complete more than 27,600 tests the previous day.

Ontario’s elementary students and many high schoolers will return to school full time in September.

But the province says high school students at two dozen boards — including the TVDSB and LDCSB — will only attend class half the time, with a maximum class size of 15.

Those students will receive “curriculum-linked independent work” on days when they are not in class.

Meanwhile, elementary students will be in school full time, and their classes won’t be broken up into smaller groups.

Parents will also have the option to keep their kids out of class, and boards must provide options for remote learning.

Elgin and Oxford

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

The increase brings the region’s total case count to 136, of which 85 people have recovered, an increase of one from the day before. Five people have also died, most recently in early July.

Thursday now marks the region’s largest single-day increase in cases during the pandemic. The previous high, eight, was reported just Wednesday. Officials also reported two recoveries.

Two cases were reported Tuesday, seven cases Monday, five over the weekend and four on Friday.

SWPH has reported at least one new case for the last 13 days in a row and has reported at least 53 new cases since July 2.

In comparison, the region saw just nine cases in June, according to updated figures.

Half of the region’s active cases are in Aylmer with 23, according to the health unit. That’s followed by Tillsonburg with seven, Bayham with six, St. Thomas and Norwich with four each and Central Elgin with one.

Aylmer is now the region’s hardest-hit area, with a case rate of 333.7 per 100,000. Dutton/Dunwich has a case rate of 232.8 per 1000,000.

The reason for the recent surge in cases isn’t entirely clear, and the health unit has only spoken in broad terms, stating that the cases are coming from a variety of sources.

Health officials have refrained from commenting directly about whether any of the cases are linked to the region’s Old Colony Mennonite community.

Neighbouring jurisdictions, including Chatham-Kent, have reported an increase in cases involving members of the “Low German-speaking community.”

Earlier this month, several media outlets reported that a funeral in Aylmer involving someone who had died of COVID-19 had potentially exposed as many as 70 members of the local Mennonite community to the virus.

News of Thursday’s spike in cases comes as the health unit is issuing a region-wide mask mandate by way of a letter of instruction to businesses in Elgin and Oxford county.

The health unit’s instruction, issued under the Reopening Ontario Act, takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, but requires that businesses have mask policies in place no later than midnight Aug. 6. There will be a one-week grace period.

Commercial establishments, public transit and vehicles for hire are required to have two policies in place by that time, including one requiring people to wear face coverings while in enclosed public spaces.

They also have to implement a separate policy focusing on enclosed employee spaces that are not publicly accessible, the health unit says.

“This second policy focuses on physical distancing, face coverings when physical distancing is not possible, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, and requiring staff who are sick to stay home while advising they be tested for COVID-19,” the health unit said in a statement.

Municipalities in Elgin and Oxford are also being called on by the health unit to put their own bylaws in place.

“When it comes to enforcement, Southwestern Public Health and its municipal partners will take an education-first approach. However, individuals and corporations that do not comply could face fines,” the health unit says.

Exceptions to the mandate include children under two, those unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition, and those involved in an athletic, fitness, physical activity or any activity that would preclude its use.

Children under five are also exempt if they refuse to wear a face covering and “cannot be persuaded to do so by their caregiver,” according to the instruction.

Two people are currently in hospital in the region as of Tuesday, according to SWPH. Both were admitted this week to Woodstock General Hospital. They are the first new hospitalized cases to be reported since late April.

SWPH has received 16,366 tests to date, with 393 pending results. At least 0.9 per cent of tests are coming back positive, up from 0.8 the day before.

Huron and Perth

Three people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and one person has recovered, officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) reported Thursday.

The health unit reported a total of 68 positive cases, three more than the day before. The tally includes 59 recoveries and five deaths, a figure unchanged since late April.

One outbreak has also been declared at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East after one staff member tested positive. The outbreak is the first active outbreak seen in the region in nearly two months.

Health officials reported no change on Wednesday and Tuesday and reported two new cases Monday.

Of the four active cases in the region, three are in Perth County and one is in Huron County.

Perth County has reported a total of 21 cases, while Huron has seen 16. Elsewhere, Stratford has reported 26 cases and four deaths, while St. Marys has reported five cases and one death.

The Stratford death was linked to a since-resolved outbreak at Greenwood Court, a long-term care facility. The outbreak was declared over on May 11. Six residents and 10 staff members tested positive.

At least 11,465 people had been tested as of Thursday, according to the health unit.

Sarnia and Lambton

No new cases have been reported and one person has recovered, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported late Wednesday.

The region’s total case count remains unchanged at 299, of which 264 people have now recovered. Twenty-five have died, most recently in early June.

There are at least 10 known active cases in the region. At least five are in Sarnia, one fewer than the day before. The rest are in more rural areas.

Health officials reported no change late Tuesday, four new cases late Monday and two new cases late Sunday.

Hospitalizations remain unchanged from the day before with zero COVID-19 patients in the care of Bluewater Health in Sarnia. The hospital hasn’t had a COVID-19 patient since June 14.

At least 20 patients were in the hospital awaiting test results as of Thursday morning. At least 58 people have had to be hospitalized during the pandemic.

There are no active outbreaks in the region. A total of nine have been declared, most recently on June 18. The outbreak at Afton Park Place was resolved July 2.

According to the health unit, at least 16,761 test results had been received as of late Wednesday. The region’s test positivity remains at 1.8 per cent.

According to Public Health Ontario, the region’s case rate stands at around 228 per 100,000 people.

— With files from Jacquelyn LeBel and The Canadian Press