Nine people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while 18 people have been listed as recovered, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported Wednesday.
The region’s total case count stands at 874, of which 732 have recovered. The region’s death toll, 57, has not changed since June 12.
As many as 142 cases have been reported during the month of September as the region, and province, continues to grapple with a second wave of the virus.
Of the new cases Wednesday, six are from London, Ont., and three are from Thames Centre. As for the age of the infected individuals, one is under 20, one is in their 20s, three are in their 30s, one is in their 50s, and three are in their 60s.
Five contracted the virus through contact with a confirmed case and three have their exposure source listed as pending, while one case has no known link.
One case that tested positive last week has been confirmed by Loblaw Companies Limited to involve a worker at its Masonville Loblaws location.
The company says one staff member at the store recently tested positive on a presumptive test for the virus. The company’s website says the worker tested positive Sept. 22 and had last worked at the store on Sept. 20.
Employees who worked closely with the person were self-isolating at home, the company said.
Health officials reported one new case and one recovery on Tuesday — the smallest single-day increase in weeks. Eight cases were reported on Monday along with one recovery, while over the weekend, a total of 27 cases were reported, including 12 cases involving Western students.
It’s unclear how many, if any, of Wednesday’s cases involve post-secondary students.
As of Friday, the number of cases associated with Western students was in the range of 60, according to Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health — a tally that is now likely above 70 with the addition of the weekend cases.
At least 40 cases, including some who aren’t students, have been linked to two community outbreaks declared two weeks ago by the health unit.
At least 23 cases are tied to a large house party on the weekend of Sept. 12, while at least 17 cases are related to “Western Student Outbreak Alpha.”
Despite the surge in cases involving Western students, some still chose to take part in fake homecoming parties over the weekend.
The university’s campus police issued two fines and 100 referrals to Western’s Code of Student Contact on Saturday to students in residence.
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Only one case has been tied to an elementary or secondary school in London. A student at H.B. Beal Secondary school was reported positive early last week.
There are at least 85 active cases in the region, a number Mackie says is likely much higher given the long lines at the city’s assessment centres.
“We’ve had so many people that have been turned away, or not even seeking testing because of the long line ups. That means that there are certainly many times more cases in the community than we’re able to diagnose right now,” he said Monday.
Both assessment centres reached capacity by 11 a.m. on Tuesday and by 11:30 a.m. on Monday after issuing all allotted testing spots. A ticketing system at both centres allows people to return at a later time to get tested. An appointment booking system is expected to be in place early next month.
The health unit has asked that only symptomatic people attend the two assessment centres. Those not showing symptoms are being told to visit one of three Shoppers Drug Mart locations in the city that began offering coronavirus testing as of Tuesday.
The pharmacies, located at 295 Southdale Rd. E, 603 Fanshawe Park Rd. W, and 3090 Colonel Talbot Rd., are among several across Ontario who have begun offering the tests. More locations are expected to be announced in the future.
The in-store 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.
As of this week, residents outside of London have a new option when it comes to getting a coronavirus test — an option that doesn’t involve having to drive to the city.
The Middlesex-London Paramedic Service (MLPS) officially launched its roving coronavirus swabbing site on Wednesday. The site had a soft launch in Strathroy last week.
The mobile site, made up of a decommissioned London Transit bus, will journey to different locations across Middlesex based on demand for coronavirus swabs.
If Wednesday is any indication, demand is high.
The site made its official launch at the Dorchester Outdoor Recreation Centre and quickly reached capacity, maxing out 10 minutes before it was set to officially open.
The mobile site will be in Lucan on Thursday and in Thorndale on Friday.
“We’re in constant communication with the City of London, the County of Middlesex and the surrounding municipalities,” said Miranda Bothwell, public education coordinator with MLPS.
“We do have a bunch of pre-booked pop-up clinics that people can find on our social media sites. I have no doubts that with continued communication that we will have more (pop-up clinics) in the very near future.”
Asked if it would most likely be within the county, Bothwell replied, “Wherever we’re needed, we’ll go there.”
The number of active institutional outbreaks remains at four as of Wednesday.
The outbreaks are located 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.
It’s unclear how many cases are linked to the five recent outbreaks.
At least 32 institutional outbreaks have been declared in the region, including 26 at seniors’ facilities. They have been tied to 199 cases involving residents and staff and 35 deaths.
The region’s seven-day average for new cases stood at 7.28 as of Wednesday. Looking back to Sept. 16, the 14-day average is 7.78. The region’s incident rate stood at 172.2 per 100,000 people, while Ontario’s was 343.7.
By age, health unit figures show people in their 20s account for the most number of cases, with 202, or about 23.3 per cent. At least 50 cases have been reported this month.
People in their 50s make up 118 of the region’s cases, or about 13.6 per cent, while those in their 30s and those 80 and above make up 13 per cent of cases with 112 and 111, respectively.
Those aged 19 and under make up 90 cases — at least 52 of those are from this month.
It’s unclear how many, if any, hospitalizations there are in the region. Real-time data is not released by the health unit, and LHSC will only issue a tally if patient cases rise above five.
A total of 117 people have been hospitalized, including 32 who have needed intensive care.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 625 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and four deaths.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 288 of the new cases are in Toronto, 97 are in Peel Region, 64 in Ottawa and 41 in York Region.
Elliott says 62 per cent of the new cases are among people under the age of 40, continuing a recent trend.
The latest figures come as Ontario released a prediction that daily counts of COVID-19 could hit 1,000 new cases by the first half of October.
The projections say the province has seen an upward trajectory in COVID-19 in recent weeks, with cases currently doubling every 10 to 12 days.
Officials said the modelling doesn’t take into account new rules introduced by the government in recent days, such as closing strip clubs and limiting hours of operation for bars and restaurants.
The modelling also warns about the risks of increasing occupancy in hospital intensive care units. Normal hospital operations cannot be maintained if more than 350 patients are in ICUs across the province.
As of Wednesday, 30 people were being treated for COVID-19 in ICUs in different parts of Ontario.
Elgin and Oxford
Two people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while two have recovered, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported Wednesday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 268, of which 257 have recovered. Five people have died, a tally unchanged since early July.
Both new cases were reported in St. Thomas while both recoveries were reported in Woodstock.
On Tuesday, officials with the Thames Valley District School Board confirmed that one case had been confirmed involving an individual at Mitchell Hepburn Public School in St. Thomas.
According to the province, the case involves a student.
School board officials said there was no evidence the case resulted from contact at the school, and said the building would remain open and buses would operate.
The case is the first to involve an elementary or secondary school in SWPH’s jurisdiction.
As of Wednesday, at least six active cases remain in the region, with five cases in St. Thomas and one in Woodstock.
Two individuals are under the age of 10, two are in their 20s, one is in their 30s and one is in their 60s. Five are female and two are male.
No active cases are in hospital. At least 23 people have been hospitalized since March, including 11 who have needed intensive care.
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.
A total of four institutional outbreaks have been declared, with all since resolved. No deaths are linked to them.
Aylmer has reported 82 cases overall, the most in the region
The region’s per cent positivity rate was 0.1 per cent for the week of Sept. 20, the most recent data available. Nearly 3,000 tests were conducted that week.
Huron and Perth
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries were reported Wednesday by officials with Huron Public Health (HPPH).
It leaves the region’s case total unchanged at 129, of which 112 have recovered. Five deaths have been reported during the pandemic.
Two active cases remain in the region.
By location, Perth County has reported 46 cases, Huron County has reported 45, Stratford has seen 32, and St. Marys 6. Four deaths have been reported in Stratford and one in St. Marys.
Within Perth County itself, North Perth has seen 17 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 24 and people in their 60s with 22. At least 55 per cent of cases involve women and girls.
At least 35,0837,438 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Sept. 20, the most recent figures available. That week saw 2,269 tests completed and a per cent positivity rate of 0.1 per cent.
Sarnia and Lambton
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries were reported late Tuesday by officials with Lambton Public Health.
The total case count for the region remains 346, of which 318 have recovered and 25 have died. The death toll has not changed since early June.
At least three known active cases remain in the county, according to the health unit.
The total number of outbreaks and hospitalizations in the region remain unchanged at 10 and 58, respectively.
All outbreaks, eight of which have involved seniors’ homes, have been declared over, most recently in August, while the last hospitalization to be reported was in late May.
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 still have their exposure source listed as unknown.
By age, 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.
According to health officials, a total of 27,811 tests have been received as of Sept. 27. The per cent positivity rate remains at 1.2 per cent.
— With files from Andrew Graham, Jacquelyn LeBel, and The Canadian Press
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