Only one new case of the novel coronavirus was reported by the Middlesex-London Health Unit on Tuesday, involving someone 19 or younger.
Tuesday’s update marks the smallest daily increase in cases since Sept. 10.
One recovery was also added to the tally on Tuesday.
Eight cases were reported Monday and 11 on Sunday. There are now 865 cases, including 714 recoveries and 57 deaths, with the most recent death reported June 12.
At least 94 COVID-19 cases are active in the region, though medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie noted on Monday that lengthy queues at assessment centres suggest the case count is likely higher than what has been confirmed so far.
“We’ve had so many people that have been turned away, or not even seeking testing because of the long line ups,” Mackie said Monday.
“That means that there are certainly many times more cases in the community than we’re able to diagnose right now.”
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 and demand for testing soared.
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, and both reached capacity before noon on Monday and Tuesday. An appointment booking system is expected to be in place early next month.
Also on Tuesday, Mayor Ed Holder announced that three Shoppers Drug Mart locations in London have begun offering testing at pharmacies. The tests are by appointment-only for high-priority asymptomatic individuals — such as those with loved ones in long-term care homes, close contacts of a known case or high-risk workers.
Four outbreaks remain active: at Meadow Park Care Centre in its blue and yellow units, Peoplecare Oak Crossing in its Red Oak area, Country Terrace facility-wide, and at the entire home of Ashwood Manor Retirement Home.
The region’s incident rate stood at 170.4 per 100,000 people on Tuesday, while Ontario’s was 339.9.
By age, health unit figures show people in their 20s account for the most cases, with 202, or about 23.3 per cent.
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People in their 50s make up 118 of the region’s cases, or about 13.66 per cent, while those in their 30s make up 13 per cent of cases with 112.
Those aged 19 and under make up 10.3 per cent of cases, or 89 cases.
A total of 117 people have been hospitalized, including 32 who have needed intensive care.
Ontario
Ontario reported 554 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday — including 251 in Toronto, 106 in Ottawa, and 79 in Peel Region — bringing the provincial total to 51,085.
Tuesday’s case count is a decrease from Monday which saw 700 cases and marked a new record for daily infections.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said nearly 38,400 tests were processed in the last 24 hours. There is currently a backlog of 54,759 tests that need results.
Around 1.4 per cent of Tuesday’s processed tests were positive for coronavirus.
The newly reported numbers for Tuesday’s report are valid as of 2 p.m. Monday for Toronto, Ottawa and Middlesex-London public health units, and 4 p.m. Monday for the rest of the province.
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported one new COVID-19 case in St. Thomas while the recovery count increased by one on Tuesday.
The region’s total case count sits at 266, with 255 recoveries.
Five people have died, a tally unchanged since early July.
Six cases are listed as ongoing, with three each in St. Thomas and Woodstock. Four are in their 20s, one in their 30s, and one in their 60s. Four are listed as women and two are men.
Of all of the cases recorded in the region, 19.2 per cent, or 51 cases, involve people in their 50s, and 18.8 per cent, or 50 cases, involve people in their 20s. The next largest proportion was 38 cases among people in their 40s, or 14.3 per cent of cases in the region.
At least 23 people have been hospitalized since March, including 11 who’ve needed intensive care. SWPH says there are no current hospitalizations.
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, the most recent data available.
Huron and Perth
Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) reported no new cases on Tuesday, keeping the total case count at 129.
The number of recoveries remains at 122 with five total deaths. There are currently two active cases in the region.
Huron County has reported a total of 45 cases while Perth County has recorded 46. Stratford has had a total of 32 cases while St. Marys has had six confirmed cases.
At least 27 cases have been linked to people in their 20s, followed by 24 among people in their 50s and 22 among people in their 60s.
As of Sept. 13, the most recent figures available, at least 35,083 tests had been conducted by the health unit.
Sarnia and Lambton
Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported no new cases of COVID-19 late Monday.
The region’s total case count remains at 346, of which 318 people have recovered. Twenty-five people have 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.
Of the total cases in the region, exposure to the virus is linked to close contact in 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 27,811 tests have been received as of late Sunday, the most recent data available. About 1.2 per cent of tests came back positive as of that time.
—With files from Global News’ Kelly Wang, Gabby Rodrigues and Andrew Graham, and The Canadian Press.
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