One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, while three people have recovered, health officials in London and Middlesex reported Friday.
The update brings the region’s total case count to 682, of which 602 people have recovered. Fifty-seven people have died, most recently eight weeks ago on June 12.
There are at least 23 active cases in London and Middlesex.
Health officials reported one case and seven recoveries Thursday, one new case on Wednesday and five cases over the long weekend.
Friday’s case, reported in London, involves a person in their 30s, health unit data shows. Their source of infection is listed as pending or undetermined.
They are not listed as a health-care worker or linked to a seniors’ home.
At least 630 cases have been reported in London, while 26 have been reported in Strathroy-Caradoc and 12 in Middlesex Centre.
Elsewhere, six cases each have been reported in North Middlesex and Thames Centre, and one in each of Lucan Biddulph and Southwest Middlesex.
The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 1.14 as of Friday. Looking back 14 days to July 24, the average is 2.14
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According to the health unit, the region’s test positivity rate for the week of July 19 stood at 0.3 per cent. The figures are the most recent available.
As of this week, the region’s incident rate stands at 134.2 per 100,000 people, compared to Ontario’s 267.2.
No outbreaks are currently active in the region. The most recent outbreak, at Victoria Hospital’s child and adolescent mental health unit (B8-200), was declared over Wednesday. One staff member had tested positive.
At least 27 outbreaks have been declared since the pandemic began, with 21 at seniors’ homes.
Long-term care and retirement homes account for 185 of the region’s cases and 35 deaths.
A large chunk of cases in April and May were linked to the facilities, but since then they have accounted for fewer cases — only eight of at least 52 confirmed since the start of July.
People in their 20s remain the largest age group of cases, accounting for 143 cases, or about 21 per cent. People 80 and above account for 107 cases, or about 15.7 per cent.
Women make up nearly 60 per cent of all cases in London and Middlesex, despite accounting for just over 51 per cent of the region’s population, according to Statistics Canada.
Of the 155 cases associated with health-care workers, 131 — about 84.5 per cent — involve women.
Hospitalizations remain low in the region. LHSC reports inpatients with COVID-19 number five or fewer, while St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported no such patients in its care.
At least 114 people have had to be hospitalized for the virus during the pandemic, health unit figures show. Of those, 32 have, at some point, had to be admitted to intensive care.
Ontario
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Provincially, Ontario reported 88 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and no new deaths.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says it marks the fifth consecutive day with fewer than 100 new cases of the virus.
The total number of cases now stands at 39,897, with 36,024 cases marked as resolved and 2,783 deaths.
Elliott says there were 118 cases newly marked as resolved Friday, pointing to a persistent decline in active cases.
The number of patients in hospital, in intensive care and on ventilators all dropped.
The province says it was able to complete more than 25,000 tests for the virus over the previous day.
Elgin and Oxford
Six people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while two people have recovered, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported on Friday.
The update brings the region’s total case count to 192, of which 101 people have recovered and five have died. The death toll has not changed since early July.
Friday’s update continues the upward trajectory in new cases seen in the region over the last several weeks. Since the start of July, at least 109 cases have been reported — 40 this month alone. In comparison, 24 cases were reported through all of May and June.
There are currently 86 known active cases in Elgin and Oxford counties.
Health officials reported six cases and three recoveries on Thursday, two cases and two recoveries on Wednesday, and 12 cases on Tuesday. Twenty-three cases and five recoveries were reported over the weekend.
At least three of the new cases were reported in Aylmer, which has seen a total of 55 cases during the pandemic — 50 of which were active as of Friday.
The town implemented its own mask bylaw this week.
An outbreak at Terrace Lodge in the town, declared active July 31, remained active as of Friday. One staff member had tested positive.
The municipality is the hardest hit in SWPH’s jurisdiction, recording an incident rate of 734.1 per 100,000 people Friday, up from 694.1 the day before.
The second hardest-hit area by population, Bayham, has reported a total of 25 cases, of which 19 are active, resulting in an incident rate of 338 per 100,000.
St. Thomas and Woodstock have case rates of 69.4 and 41.6 per 100,000, respectively.
The health unit says the recent increase can’t be pinpointed to one source.
“Some are related to workplaces, some to social gatherings, some to family clusters and others are individual cases of infection related to close contacts from other regions,” spokesperson Megan Cornwell said by email.
Cornwell said the health unit has seen a trend toward the relaxing of physical distancing and is reminding residents to follow provincial guidelines.
One person was in critical care in the region as of Wednesday at Woodstock General Hospital, a decrease of one from the day before.
People in their 50s account for 43 cases, followed by people in their 20s with 29 cases, and people in their 40s and 60s with 27 cases each. Women account for 102 cases, or 53.1 per cent.
SWPH has received 18,447 tests to date, with 504 pending results. At least 1.1 per cent of tests are coming back positive.
Huron and Perth
No new cases, deaths or recoveries were reported Friday by officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH).
The region’s total case count remains unchanged at 74, of which 65 people have recovered. Five people have also died, a tally that has not changed since late April.
Health officials reported no change on Thursday, one recovery Wednesday, two new cases on Tuesday and four cases on Monday.
There remain four known active cases in HPPH jurisdiction, all located in Perth County.
The health unit reported this past weekend that at least five of the cases that have been reported recently in the region were linked to Perth East and the area’s Low German-speaking communities.
At least 27 cases have been reported in Perth County, while 26 cases and four deaths have been reported in Stratford. The deaths were linked to an outbreak at Greenwood Court.
Elsewhere, 16 cases have been reported in Huron County, while five cases, including one death, have been reported in St. Marys.
Health unit figures show people in their 60s account for the largest group of cases by age with 20 cases, followed by people in their 50s with 30 cases and people in their 30s with 12 cases.
Women account for 60 per cent of all cases, according to HPPH.
Roughly 28 per cent of cases are associated with outbreaks.
At least 12,068 people had been tested as of Friday, according to the health unit.
Sarnia and Lambton
Six people have recovered from the novel coronavirus, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported late Thursday.
The region’s total case count remains unchanged at 319, of which now 277 people have recovered. Twenty-five people have died, most recently in early June.
There are currently 17 known active cases in the county. The locations of the active cases are not known as the health unit has refused to release such information, including about past cases.
LPH reported one recovery late Wednesday, no change late Tuesday, and one case and two recoveries late Monday.
Sixteen cases were reported over the weekend. Fifteen were reported Saturday, all linked to “a few of the same families, predominately in a rural community, but with connections to family members in urban communities,” the health unit said.
Bluewater Health reported no COVID-19 patients in its care in Sarnia or Petrolia. The last COVID-19 patient to be treated by the hospital was discharged on June 14.
At least 58 people have had to be hospitalized during the pandemic due to the virus, most recently in late May. The last COVID-19 patient to be discharged from Bluewater Health was on June 14.
People 80 and above make up 74 of the region’s cases, followed by people in their 50s with 50 cases and people in their 20s with 42 cases.
A total of nine outbreaks have been declared in the county during the pandemic, with all since resolved.
Overall, outbreaks are linked to 108 cases, or 36 per cent. Most outbreak-related cases were reported in late May and early June. The most recent outbreak-related case was reported in mid-June.
Close contact with a confirmed case is the exposure source listed for 120 of all cases, or 39 per cent.
At least 18,485 test results had been received as of late Thursday. The region’s test positivity stands at 1.7 per cent.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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