Eleven more people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in London and Middlesex while three people have recovered, local health officials reported Wednesday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 922, of which 801 have recovered. Fifty-seven people have also died due to the virus, a tally unchanged since June 12.
It’s the second double-digit case increase this week. There are now at least 64 known active cases in the region.
Of Wednesday’s cases, eight are from London, Ont., while one is in Middlesex Centre and one is in Thames Centre, health unit figures show.
One case is an individual aged 19 or under, five people are in their 20s, one is in their 30s, two are in their 40s, one is in their 50s, and one is in their 60s.
Seven became infected through close contact with a confirmed case, while one contracted the virus through travel. Two cases have no known link, while the exposure source for one case is pending or undetermined.
At least 190 cases have been reported locally since the start of September, including 42 so far this month. It’s due in large part to a surge of cases involving students from Western University and other people under the age of 40.
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At least 64 cases since Sept. 1 have involved people aged 19 or under, while 63 cases have involved people in their 20s. At least 17 cases have involved people in their 30s.
No less than 70 cases reported since Sept. 1 have involved Western students, a tally last updated on Oct. 1 for what health officials said was the last time.
Health officials reported seven cases and nine recoveries on Monday, seven cases and 12 recoveries Sunday, five cases and 16 recoveries on Saturday and three cases and 11 recoveries on Friday.
The region’s seven-day average for new cases stood at 7.0 as of Wednesday. Looking back to Sept. 23, the 14-day average is 7.14. The region’s incident rate stands at 181.7 per 100,000 people, while Ontario’s is 372.4.
Overall, 851 cases have been reported in London, or about 92.3 per cent of all the region’s cases. Elsewhere, Strathroy-Caradoc’s case count has been 29, while Middlesex Centre has seen 17, Thames Centre 12, North Middlesex seven, Lucan Biddulph five and Southwest Middlesex one.
The total number of cases involving elementary or secondary schools in the city has risen again to three after a case was reported involving a student at Saunders Secondary School.
Health officials say they were notified late Tuesday night about the positive diagnosis, and say the student had attended class while they were infectious. It’s unclear if the student attended class while symptomatic. The health unit is now working to identify close contacts.
The Thames Valley District School Board says staff and all parents and guardians of students were immediately notified of the positive case, and add that only students and staff who are considered at risk will be contacted by the health unit.
Saunders Secondary School remains open, according to the TVDSB. The health unit says it won’t disclose details about the student’s age, grade level, or the number of close contacts at the school.
It’s the second school case reported this week. One case was confirmed on Monday at École élémentaire La Pommeraie, a French-language elementary school in southwest London, involving a staff member.
London has also seen a now-resolved case involving a student at H.B. Beal Secondary School.
Factoring in the two school cases reported recently in St. Thomas, the total number of school-linked cases in the immediate London region is five.
One institutional outbreak in the city has been declared over by the health unit. The outbreak was reported at Peoplecare Oakcrossing on Sept. 24 in the facility’s Red Oak area.
It’s among six outbreaks that have been declared at local seniors’ homes since mid-September.
Of those, four remain active at Country Terrace (facility-wide), Earls Court Village (fourth floor), Meadow Park Care Centre (blue and yellow units) and Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care (MV3).
It’s unclear how many cases are tied to the outbreaks.
At least 34 institutional outbreaks have been declared in the region during the pandemic, including 28 at seniors’ facilities. They’re tied to at least 202 cases — 108 residents and 94 staff — and 35 deaths.
Those looking to get a coronavirus test in London are able, as of this week, to book an appointment by phone to get swabbed at the city’s Oakridge Arena assessment centre.
The city’s other centre, located at Carling Heights Optimist Centre, is continuing to operate with a time card system as it has been since Sept. 15. The centre is expected to move to a phone or online appointment system in the near future, however, an exact date is not known.
Both city assessment centres are prioritizing symptomatic individuals and certain asymptomatic individuals.
Assessment centres across Ontario began moving away from walk-in testing to appointment-only testing as of Tuesday. That move was announced last week by the province.
Certain asymptomatic people are also able to get tested at three Shoppers Drug Mart locations in the city, while students and faculty at Western University can attend a testing clinic located in the on-campus Western Student Recreation Centre.
Middlesex London Paramedic Services is also continuing to operate its mobile testing bus, which officially launched last week.
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The initiative has seen high demand, closing 10 minutes before it was set to open in Strathroy on Monday. The mobile testing bus will be at the Komoka Wellness Centre on Wednesday and at the Ilderton Arena Grounds on Friday.
People in their 20s account for the largest group of cases by age, with 216 overall during the pandemic.
Local residents in their 50s make up 122 of the region’s cases, while those in their 30s and those 80 and above make up 122 and 112 cases, respectively.
Those aged 19 and under make up 102 cases. At least 64 of those have been reported just since Sept. 1.
It’s not clear whether any people are currently hospitalized, as the health unit does not release real-time figures, nor does London Health Sciences Centre, which operates University and Victoria hospitals.
Overall, 117 people have been hospitalized during the pandemic, including 33 who have needed intensive care.
LHSC has not issued an updated tally of COVID-19 patients in its care since mid-June, saying it will only do so if the number rises above five. It has also not reported any staff cases in about as long.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported no COVID-19 patients in its care on its website, which it says will be updated when case numbers change.
It notes two staff members have tested positive for the virus since the start of September. Previously, the organization had reported a total of 19 staff cases, meaning that figure now stands at 21.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 583 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and one new death.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 173 cases are in Toronto, 121 in Ottawa, 75 in York Region, and 70 in Peel Region.
Elliott says 60 per cent of the new cases are in people under the age of 40.
The province says it has a backlog of 55,413 tests, and has conducted 43,277 tests since the last daily report.
It’s also reporting 111 new COVID-19 cases related to schools, including at least 69 among students.
That brings the number of schools with a reported case to 379 out of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly funded schools.
Meanwhile, Ontario is set to make a pandemic measure that allowed restaurants and bars to deliver alcohol permanent.
Associate Minister of Small Business Prabmeet Sarkaria said the government is exploring ways to change laws surrounding the delivery of alcohol before they expire at the end of the year.
The change is part of new legislation that will be introduced later Wednesday to help small businesses that have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government said it will provide grants of up to $1,000 for small businesses to buy personal protective equipment.
The grants will be available to businesses with fewer than 10 employees and can also be used to make pandemic-related safety changes such as installing Plexiglas barriers.
Elgin and Oxford
One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus while three people have recovered, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported on Wednesday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 273, of which 264 have recovered. The death toll has remained unchanged at five since early July.
The new case was reported in Central Elgin while the three recoveries were reported in St. Thomas and in East Zorra-Tavistock.
Four active cases remain in the region, according to the health unit. Of those, three are in St. Thomas while one is in Central Elgin. None are currently in hospital.
No new cases have been reported involving schools in SWPH’s jurisdiction. Two have been confirmed so far.
One, reported last Tuesday, involved a student at Mitchell Hepburn Public School in St. Thomas, while the other, reported a week earlier, was a probable case at the private school St. Thomas Community Christian School.
An outbreak at Caressant Care on Mary Bucke, a seniors’ facility in St. Thomas, remained active as of Tuesday. The outbreak, declared on Monday, came after one staff member of the home tested positive.
A total of five institutional outbreaks have been declared in the region during the pandemic. The outbreak at Mary Bucke was the first to be seen by SWPH in several months.
It’s the fifth institutional outbreak to be declared in the region and the first in several months. The outbreaks have involved a total of 11 staff and one resident. No deaths have been reported.
By age, the health unit says the region’s four active cases involve two people aged 19 or under, while one is in their 30s and one is in their 40s. Two are male and two are female.
Overall, people in their 50s have made up 51 of the region’s cases, while people in their 20s are tied to 50 cases.
The five municipalities with the highest overall case counts are Aylmer with 82, St. Thomas with 45, Bayham with 38, Woodstock with 30, and Tillsonburg with 25.
The region’s per cent positivity rate was 0.2 per cent for the week of Sept. 27, the most recent data available. Nearly 3,000 tests were conducted that week.
Huron and Perth
One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) reported on Wednesday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 135, of which 124 have recovered. Five people have died due to the virus, a tally unchanged since April 29.
Health unit figures show Wednesday’s case involves someone in their 50s. It was reported in Bluewater in Huron County.
There are currently six active cases in the region, according to HPPH.
One case was reported Tuesday in Stratford, while four cases were reported on Monday along with two recoveries. Monday’s cases were reported in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Goderich, and North Perth.
Overall, the health unit says a total of 48 cases have been reported each in Huron and Perth counties, while 33 have been in Stratford and six have been in St. Marys.
Four outbreak-related deaths have been reported in Stratford, while one death has occurred in St. Marys.
At least 30 cases have been linked to people in their 20s, followed by people in their 50s with 25 and people in their 60s with 22.
No hospitalized cases have been reported since late April. Five people have needed to be admitted to hospital during the pandemic.
Some 40,061 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Sept. 27, the most recent figures available. The week of Sept. 20-26 saw 2,726 tests conducted.
Sarnia and Lambton
One person has recovered from the novel coronavirus, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported late Tuesday night, bringing the county’s active case count to zero.
The region’s total number of cases stands at 347, of which 322 have recovered. Twenty-five people have also died, a tally unchanged since early June.
No change was reported late Monday, while two recoveries were reported late Sunday.
By age, people 80 and up account have accounted for at least 76 cases, while people in their 50s make up 52. People in their 20s make up 50 cases.
At least 197 cases, or 57 per cent, have involved women and girls. At least 18 per cent of all cases have been health-care workers.
A total of 58 people have been admitted to the hospital for the virus during the pandemic, most recently in late May.
Ten outbreaks have been reported during the pandemic. The last outbreak to be declared was in mid-August at an unspecified workplace.
According to health officials, 27,811 tests have been received as of Sept. 27, the latest figures available. Only six per cent of the 1,181 cases done the previous week had a turnaround time of within two days.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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