Despite a larger increase in cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario, in London and Middlesex, local health officials are reporting just two new cases on Saturday and one new recovery.
Both new cases are people in their 20s.
Saturday marks the three-month mark since the last COVID-19 death in the region. Fifty-seven people have died due to complications from the virus, most recently on June 12.
The total number of cases confirmed in the region is now 745, of which 678 have now recovered.
Health officials reported one additional case and four recoveries Friday, one new case on Thursday, three new cases on Wednesday, one new case and one recovery on Tuesday, two new cases on Monday and one case and two recoveries on Sunday.
There are at least 10 known active cases in the region, according to the health unit. It’s unclear where all of the active cases are located.
At least 687 of the region’s cases have been reported in London, Ont., while 26 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc and 12 in Middlesex Centre. Seven cases have been in Thames Centre, six in North Middlesex, four in Lucan Biddulph and one in Southwest Middlesex.
As of Friday, the region’s cases per 100,000 rate stood at 146.4, while Ontario’s was 295.0.
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People in their 20s remain the largest age cohort of cases with 158, or about 21.3 per cent. People in their 50s make up 113 cases, while people 80 and over make up 108.
On Friday, the health unit reported that it had been notified of a new COVID-19 case involving a patron of El Furniture Warehouse, a restaurant along London’s Richmond Row.
The health unit said the person had spent two hours at the pub between midnight and 2 a.m. early Monday morning.
It’s not clear whether the individual was inside the restaurant or on its patio for the majority of those two hours.
While the risk of exposure to other patrons was assessed as low by officials, anyone at the restaurant within that time frame has been advised by the health unit to monitor themselves and seek testing if symptoms develop.
“We’ve seen post-secondary students return to our community and the temptation to have more social gatherings, or to move those gatherings indoors as temperatures cool, will be great,” said the region’s associate medical officer of health, Dr. Alex Summers, in a statement.
“The importance of following public health guidance right now can’t be underestimated.”
On Friday, Western University announced the opening of a new COVID-19 testing trailer on campus that can be used by students, faculty and staff.
The trailer will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday in the parking lot of Social Science Centre. The trailer will be open this Saturday only.
By transmission source, outbreaks are linked to the most number of cases — 255.
There have been at least 28 outbreaks declared during the pandemic, including 22 at local seniors’ facilities. Outbreaks are tied to 192 of the region’s cases and 37 of its deaths.
The most recent outbreak was declared Sept. 9 on the fourth floor of Chelsey Park Retirement Community, according to the health unit. Few other details are available. It remained active as of Friday.
At least 115 people have had to be hospitalized during the pandemic, including 32 who have needed to be admitted to intensive care, according to the health unit.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 221 new cases of COVID-19 and 1 new death on Saturday.
This marks the highest single-day jump since June 29.
There were also 119 cases newly marked as resolved over the past 24 hours.
The total number of cases in Ontario is now at 44,300, which includes 2,814 deaths and 39,717 cases classified as resolved.
“Like yesterday, 67 per cent of today’s cases are in people under the age of 40. Locally, 27 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 14 reporting no new cases. Hospitalizations, ICU admissions and vented patients all declined today,” Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter.
Elliott says there are 77 new cases in Toronto, 62 in Peel and 27 in Ottawa.
She said more than 35,000 additional tests have been processed, which is a single-day record for the province.
Elgin and Oxford
Officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) are reporting one new case of the novel coronavirus on Saturday.
On Friday, the health unit reported its first new cases since Aug. 26.
It brings the region’s total case count to 256. One recovery was also reported Friday in Aylmer, bringing that total to 248. Five people in the region have died during the pandemic, a tally unchanged since July 3.
There are three active cases in the region, one in Bayham and two in Woodstock. Health unit figures show the cases involve two men, one in their 50s the other in their 60s as well as one woman in her 20s.
According to officials, one of the individuals became infected through workplace exposure. The transmission source of the other two is not known. Two of the cases are in hospital, with one in the ICU.
Health officials reported no change on Thursday and Wednesday and reported three recoveries on Tuesday.
Aylmer has reported the highest number of cases overall during the pandemic with 82.
Elsewhere, Bayham has reported 38 cases, while St. Thomas has reported 37, Tillsonburg 25 and Woodstock 24.
At least 102 of the region’s cases are linked to close contact with another case, while 38 are due to workplace exposure. Twenty-seven cases involve health-care workers, 23 are linked to travel, 13 are tied to social gatherings and one involves a resident of an institution.
Fifty-five are listed as having an “unknown” exposure source.
Huron and Perth
Huron Perth Public Health does not update its coronavirus case count on weekends.
On Friday MPPH reported that one person had tested positive for the novel coronavirus while one person has recovered.
It brings the region’s total case count to 124, of which 117 have recovered. Five have also died.
Health unit figures show the new case was reported in Central Huron.
There are two known active cases in the region.
One recovery was reported Thursday, three new cases were reported Wednesday — all in Perth South — and no change was reported Tuesday.
At least 45 cases have been reported in Perth County, including 16 in North Perth and 15 in Perth East.
Elsewhere, at least 44 cases have been reported in Huron County, including 13 in Central Huron, 12 in Bluewater, and 10 in South Huron.
In Stratford, 29 cases have been reported, along with four deaths, while in St. Marys, six cases and one death have been reported.
People in their 20s remain the largest group of cases by age with 26, followed by people in their 50s and 60s with 22 each.
Fifty-five per cent of cases involve women and girls.
Sarnia and Lambton
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries were reported late Friday by officials with Lambton Public Health.
This marks the second day in a row of no new cases.
It leaves the region’s total confirmed case count unchanged at 342, of which 314 have recovered. Twenty-five have also died, most recently in early June.
There remain three known active cases in the region. It’s not clear where the cases are located, as the health unit has refused to release location information.
Health officials reported one new case late Wednesday and reported no change both late Tuesday and Monday.
The total number of outbreaks remains unchanged at 10 — eight at seniors homes, one at Bluewater Health, and one at an unspecified workplace. There were 16 people that died from these outbreaks.
All outbreaks in the region have since been resolved.
According to health unit figures, 41 per cent of cases are due to close contact of a confirmed case, while 35 per cent are linked to outbreaks and 22 per cent are listed as having an “unknown” source. Two per cent are linked to travel.
At least 57 per cent of cases involve women and girls. Eighteen per cent of all cases are listed as being health-care workers.
People 80 and above make up 22 per cent of cases, followed by people in their 50s with 15 per cent and people in their 20s with 14 per cent.
The health unit says at least 24,303 tests have been received as of late Thursday and at least 1.4 per cent of tests are coming back positive.
— With files from Ryan Rocca, Matthew Trevithick and The Canadian Press
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