The number of new novel coronavirus cases in London and Middlesex has hit double digits once again.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, one day after six new cases were reported.
Four new recoveries were also announced Sunday.
There are now a total of 856 cases and 704 recoveries in the region. The death toll has remained unchanged at 57 since June 12.
At least 95 COVID-19 cases are active in the region.
According to health unit data, 10 of Sunday’s new cases are from the city of London, while one is from Thames Centre.
In terms of age, seven of the 11 cases are 19 or under, three are in their 20s, and one is in their 30s.
Seven cases are male, and four are female. Five are health-care workers, six are not.
The health unit says eight of Sunday’s 11 new cases are Western University students.
Four of the six cases on Saturday were Western students, as well as 10 of Friday’s 14 new cases.
“We’re in the range of 60 cases from Western University,” Dr. Chris Mackie, of the MLHU, said Friday of the overall total number of cases linked to students.
An outbreak involving a large house party on the weekend of Sept. 12 has been tied to at least 23 cases.
Meanwhile, “Western Student Outbreak Alpha,” the first student-associated outbreak to be declared by the health unit, has been linked to at least 17 cases.
The outbreak, declared Sept. 13, has been largely traced back to three households, with a night out at a downtown nightclub and subsequent hangouts at off-campus residences serving as main infection points.
The city’s assessment centres have continued to see significant capacity issues over the last two weeks since the local case tally began to grow.
Both Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena now have a ticketing system in place that allows people to return at a later time to get tested. An appointment booking system is expected to be in place early next month.
Four outbreaks remain active in the region as of Saturday.
Two outbreaks were declared on Thursday. They’re located at Meadow Park Care Centre in its blue and yellow units, and at Peoplecare Oak Crossing in its Red Oak area.
Two active outbreaks also remain at Country Terrace, declared Sept. 23, and at Ashwood Manor Retirement Home, declared Sept. 21. Both outbreaks are facility-wide.
At least 32 institutional outbreaks have been declared in the region, including 26 at seniors’ facilities. They have been tied to 198 cases involving residents and staff, as well as 37 deaths.
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The region’s incident rate stood at 168.7 per 100,000 people on Sunday, while Ontario’s was 331.9.
By age, health unit figures show people in their 20s account for the most number of cases, with 199, or about 23.3 per cent.
People in their 50s make up 117 of the region’s cases, or about 14 per cent, while those in their 30s make up 13 per cent of cases with 112.
Those aged 19 and under make up 88 cases.
A total of 115 people have been hospitalized, including 32 who have needed intensive care.
Ontario
Ontario reported 491 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 49,831.
It’s the biggest single-day increase in cases since May 2 when 511 were reported.
Two new deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 2,839.
Meanwhile, 42,796 cases are considered resolved which is just under 86 per cent of all confirmed cases.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said more than 42,500 additional tests have been completed, which is among all-time highs.
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health (SPH) did not report any new COVID-19 cases or recoveries on Sunday.
This keeps the region’s total number of cases at 264, of which 255 have recovered.
Five people have also died, a tally unchanged since early July.
At least five cases remain active. One is from St. Thomas, and four are from Woodstock. Three of them are in their 20s, one is in their 60s and one is in their 80s. Three are female and two are male.
People in their 50s account for the largest age group of cases with 51, followed by people in their 20s with 49 and people in their 40s with 38.
At least 23 people have been hospitalized since March, including 11 who’ve needed intensive care.
A total of four institutional outbreaks have been declared, with all since resolved. No deaths are linked to them.
The region’s per cent positivity rate was 0.2 per cent for the week of Sept. 13.
Huron and Perth
Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) does not provide COVID-19 updates on the weekends.
The region’s total case count remained at 127 as of Friday, of which 122 have recovered. Five people have also died.
In terms of location, Perth County and Huron County have each reported 45 cases, while Stratford has seen 31, and St. Marys six. Four deaths have also been reported in Stratford, and one in St. Marys.
Within Perth County itself, North Perth has seen 16 cases and Perth East 15, while in Huron County, Central Huron has seen 14 cases, Bluewater 12, and South Huron 10.
At least 27 cases have been linked to people in their 20s, followed by people in their 50s with 23 and people in their 60s with 22. At least 56 per cent of cases involve women and girls.
At least 35,083 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Sept. 13, the most recent figures available. That week saw 1,925 tests completed and a per cent positivity rate of 0.2 per cent.
Sarnia and Lambton
Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported one new case of COVID-19 late Saturday.
This increases the region’s total case count to 346, of which 318 have recovered. Twenty-five people have also died, most recently in early June.
There are at least three known active cases in the county.
The number of outbreaks and hospitalizations in the region remain unchanged at 10, all of which are listed as resolved.
Of the outbreaks, eight have involved seniors’ homes, one has been at Bluewater Health hospital, and one has been at an unspecified workplace.
Close contact is tied to at least 135 cases, followed by outbreaks with 113 and travel with seven. Seventy-five cases have their exposure source listed as unknown.
People 80 and up account for 76 cases, while people in their 50s make up 52. At least 196 cases, or 57 per cent, involve women and girls.
The health unit says at least 27,348 tests have been received as of late Saturday. At least 1.3 per cent of tests are coming back positive.
— With files from Global News’ Matthew Trevithick, Sawyer Bogdan and Ryan Rocca
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