No new cases of the novel coronavirus were reported on Saturday by officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU).
This keeps the total number of COVID-19 cases in the region at 682.
One new recovery was announced Saturday, increasing the total number of recoveries to 603.
Fifty-seven people have died, most recently on June 12.
There are at least 22 active cases in London and Middlesex.
At least 630 cases have been reported in London, Ont., 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 stood at 1.14 as of Friday.
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 37 deaths.
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. Health-care workers account for 155 cases.
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
Provincially, Ontario reported 70 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 39,967.
It’s the lowest single-day increase in cases since March 22 when 48 were reported.
One new death was also announced on Saturday, bringing the provincial death toll to 2,784.
The number of recoveries rose by 107 to 36,131.
Elgin and Oxford
Seven new cases along with 16 more recoveries were reported by officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) Saturday.
The update brings the region’s total case count to 199, of which 117 people have recovered and five have died. The death toll has not changed since early July.
Saturday’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 116 cases have been reported — 47 this month alone. In comparison, 24 cases were reported through all of May and June.
There are currently 77 known active cases in Elgin and Oxford counties.
Aylmer has the most active cases with 43 as of Saturday. Bayham follows with 20 active cases.
Elsewhere, there are nine active cases in Tillsonburg, and two each in St. Thomas and Norwich.
An outbreak at Terrace Lodge in the town, declared active July 31, remained active as of Saturday. One staff member had tested positive.
The health unit says the recent increase in cases cannot 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.
People in their 50s account for 21 per cent of cases, followed by people in their 20s with 17 per cent. Women account for 46.8 per cent.
SWPH has received 18,483 tests to date, with 533 pending results. At least 1.1 per cent of tests are coming back positive.
Huron and Perth
Officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) do not provide updates on the weekends.
As of Friday, the region’s total case count sat at 74, of which 65 people have recovered. Five people have died, a tally that has not changed since late April.
There are 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 13 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
Officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported two new cases of COVID-19 along with three more recoveries late Friday.
This brings the region’s total case count to 321, which includes 280 recoveries.
The death toll has remained unchanged at 25 since early June.
There are currently 16 known active cases in the county, however, the locations of the active cases have not been provided.
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 43 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. The most recent outbreak-related case was reported in mid-June.
At least 18,680 test results had been received as of late Friday. The region’s test positivity stands at 1.7 per cent.
— With files from Global News