One person has tested positive for the coronavirus while four others have recovered in what is the lowest single-day case increase in the region in a month, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported Wednesday.
London’s overall case count stands at 1,111, of which 994 people have recovered and 60 have died. The most recent death, reported on Saturday, involved a 51-year-old woman who was not linked to a seniors’ facility and was the third death seen in just over a week.
Wednesday’s update leaves 57 known active cases of the virus in London and Middlesex County.
Two cases and eight recoveries were reported on Tuesday, while 14 new cases and 10 recoveries were reported on Monday. The weekend saw one death, 13 cases and 19 recoveries.
Monday’s lone new case came from London and involved someone in their 20s who contracted the virus through travel, according to health unit data.
The health unit’s hospitalized tally remained unchanged from the day before.
London Health Sciences Centre reported Monday that six inpatients were in its care with the virus. An updated tally is expected Thursday. Meantime, no COVID-19 patients were in the care of St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
A total of 128 people have been hospitalized during the pandemic, including 33 in intensive care.
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The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 7.0 as of Wednesday, while looking back to Oct. 14, the 14-day average is 7.14. The region’s incident rate stands at 218.9 per 100,000 people, while Ontario’s is 484.7.
At least 1,021 cases have been reported in London, while 31 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc.
Elsewhere, Middlesex Centre and Thames Centre’s case counts both stand at 21 each, while North Middlesex is at eight, Lucan Biddulph seven and Southwest Middlesex one.
The region has seen at least 231 cases since the start of October and 380 since the start of September, in part due to a surge in cases last month and early this month involving younger people.
Although more cases in recent weeks have involved people in older age groups, people in their 20s still account for the most overall cases by age with 272. People in their 50s and 30s make up 148 and 146 cases, respectively, while people 19 or under make up 142.
The health unit on Thursday issued a reminder to students to avoid unnecessary travel to hotspots during the upcoming fall reading week. A similar message was also issued by the university’s president, Alan Shepard, in a letter to students.
With Halloween days away, the health unit is also asking residents to exercise caution if venturing out to trick-or-treat with loved ones.
The health unit says people who are sick, even with mild symptoms, should refrain from participating, and that people should only go out with members of their own household and keep two metres from everyone else.
“Don’t hand treats directly to trick-or-treaters,” the health unit said in an online advisory. “Use an object to keep two metres distance or put treats out individually (not together in a bowl.)”
In-person Halloween parties with non-household members are considered high risk and unsafe and should be avoided, health officials say.
Two institutional outbreaks in the city have been declared over by the health unit.
The outbreaks were declared Oct. 8 at Extendicare and on Oct. 14 on the fourth floor of Chelsey Park’s long-term care facility.
At least six active outbreaks remain in the region, the health unit says. The most recent was declared active at Chartwell Royalcliffe Retirement Residence on Monday involving the entire facility.
The other five active outbreaks are located at:
- Strathmere Lodge (Bear Creek, Arbor Glen, Parkview Place)
- Oakcrossing Retirement Living (first, third and fourth floors)
- Westmount Gardens (Lily)
- Chartwell London (entire long-term care facility)
- Craigwiel Gardens (long-term care home only, not apartments)
At least 45 institutional outbreaks have been declared since the pandemic began in March, with 39 occurring at seniors’ facilities. They’ve been linked to at least 219 cases involving 110 residents and 109 staff members, and have also been tied to 38 deaths, including the one reported Oct. 15.
The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) says a case involving a student from Lambeth Public School has now resolved and is no longer active, meaning no schools within the TVDSB have active coronavirus cases.
However, four cases remain active involving local Catholic schools.
The cases, reported over the weekend by the London District Catholic School Board, all involve students and include two at St. Kateri Separate School and one each at Mother Teresa and St. Andre Bessette secondary schools.
At least 14 school-linked cases have been reported in London and Middlesex since Sept. 21, when H.B. Beal Secondary School saw a case involving a student.
Since then, cases have also been reported at École élémentaire La Pommeraie on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8, both involving staff members, and at Saunders Secondary School on Oct. 7 involving a student.
Cases were also later reported on Oct. 9 and Oct. 12 at Sir Arthur Currie Public School involving a staff member and student, respectively, on Oct. 12 at Mary Wright Public School in Strathroy-Caradoc and on Oct. 13 at Northdale Central Public School in Dorchester.
The two cases at Sir Arthur Currie prompted an outbreak declaration at the school on Oct. 12, which remained active as of Wednesday.
An outbreak also remained active Wednesday at Western University’s London Hall student residence. The outbreak was declared on Oct. 11 and has seen at least six student cases linked to it.
They’re among at least 76 Western students who have tested positive since the school year began — a tally that is likely now much higher as the health unit has not issued an updated count in several weeks.
Students looking to get tested for the virus can still visit the university’s testing centre in the Student Recreation Centre in certain situations.
The health unit says a revised Section 22 order for personal care settings will now come into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday to give business owners time to prepare.
Health officials say the updated order mandates that staff of such establishments wear a medical-grade procedural mask and a face shield when performing a service that requires the client to take off their mask. The use of an N95 respirator is not required, the order says.
The order says that employees or providers who can’t wear a mask or face covering are not allowed to have direct contact with clients, and that multi-participant steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools or bathhouses must be closed. Facilities using single-person isolation float or salt pools can continue operating.
“Failure to comply with these Orders can result in fines of up to $5,000.00 for each day the offence occurs or continues,” the health unit says.
“Businesses that fail to comply can be fined up to $25,000 for each day on which the offence occurs.”
The health unit revised the order after receiving pushback from personal care businesses.
Two separate orders, one covering food and drink establishments and indoor fitness and sports facilities, came into effect on Saturday.
The order covering fitness and sports facilities was also amended before being implemented after criticism came from the local sporting community.
Testing is available at more pharmacies in the city as of this week.
The news, announced Monday by Mayor Ed Holder, means that at least eight city pharmacies are now offering testing to certain asymptomatic individuals.
Those individuals include those with loved ones in long-term care homes, close contacts of a known case and high-risk workers.
Pharmacies now offering testing in London include:
- London Medical Plex Pharmacy at 1807 Wonderland Rd. N.
- Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy at 279 Wharncliffe Rd. N.
- Medpoint Pharmacy in Citi Plaza
- Shoppers Drug Mart at 3090 Colonel Talbot Rd.
- Shoppers Drug Mart at 115 Commissioners Rd.
- Shoppers Drug Mart at 603 Fanshawe Park Rd. W.
- Shoppers Drug Mart at 395 Southdale Rd. E.
- TMC Pharmacy at 990 Gainsborough Rd.
Testing at the city’s two assessment centres is also still available, while the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service’s mobile testing bus is slated to roll into Parkhill on Thursday.
Ontario
Ontario reported 834 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday and five new deaths.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says 299 cases are in Toronto, 186 are in Peel Region, 121 in York Region and 76 in Ottawa.
The province says 312 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19, including 71 who are in intensive care.
Of those, 51 are on a ventilator.
It says another 773 cases are now considered resolved and 30,010 tests have been completed since the last daily report.
The latest figures bring the total of COVID-19 cases in Ontario to 72,885, which includes 3,108 deaths and 62,303 resolved cases.
Elgin and Oxford
One person has tested positive for the coronavirus while two have recovered, Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported Wednesday.
The region’s case total stands at 312, of which 292 people have now recovered. Five people have died during the pandemic, most recently in early July.
Fifteen known active cases remain in the region. Nine are in Woodstock, four are in Aylmer and Blandford-Blenheim and Ingersoll have one each.
Three of the active cases involve individuals aged 19 or under, while three are in their 20s, four are in their 30s, one is in their 40s and four are in their 50s. One is currently in intensive care in hospital, the health unit says.
The new case is not tied to two active institutional outbreaks in the region that have seen one staff member test positive at each facility. The outbreaks were declared Oct. 17 at Chartwell Aylmer and Oct. 24 at Secord Trails in Ingersoll — the home’s second outbreak this year.
At least seven outbreaks have occurred since March tied to 14 cases. Only one, the region’s first outbreak-related case in late March, has involved a resident. There have been no outbreak-related deaths.
The case is also not linked to any area schools. There are currently no active school cases. Two have been reported so far: one at St. Thomas Community Christian School on Sept. 25 and another at Mitchell Hepburn Public School on Sept. 29.
There are currently two active cases related to child-care centres in the region, according to the province, which has reported one child case and one staff case at Oxford Community Child Care in Woodstock. It’s unclear when the cases were reported.
Overall, Aylmer has reported the most cases of any municipality with 88, followed by St. Thomas with 49, Woodstock with 43, Bayham with 38, Tillsonburg with 30 and Dutton/Dunwich, Ingersoll and Norwich with 10 each.
A large number of Aylmer’s cases came from a surge reported in late July and early to mid-August.
The region’s test positivity rate was 0.4 per cent as of the week of Oct. 18. That week saw at least 3,379 people tested for the virus. The figures are the most recent available.
Huron and Perth
Three people have tested positive for the coronavirus, Huron Perth Public Health reported Wednesday.
The cases bring the region’s total to 146, of which 137 people have recovered. Five people have died, a tally unchanged since late April.
Health officials said all three cases are from Stratford and involve a single retirement home that has since declared an outbreak.
The outbreak at Cedarcroft Place Retirement Home marks the first time since mid-May that cases have been reported involving seniors’ facility residents in the region, and the first time that retirement home residents, in particular, have been infected.
Health officials said the individuals who tested positive are symptomatic and in isolation, adding that contact tracing is taking place and that further testing is pending for staff and other residents.
The new Stratford outbreak is the 10th reported in the region since March. The outbreaks are tied to at least 27 cases and four deaths. All four deaths occurred at Greenwood Court, a long-term care home in Stratford that saw an outbreak from late March to mid-May.
Meanwhile, there are no active confirmed cases at schools in the region.
A probable case was reported on Oct. 16 involving a member of Stratford’s St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School, however no positive cases were later reported on the province’s school case database.
At least 51 cases have been reported in Perth County since March, including 19 in North Perth and 17 in Perth East, while 48 cases have been confirmed in Perth County, including 19 in North Perth and 17 in Perth East.
At least 41 cases hand four deaths have been reported in Stratford, while six cases and one death have been reported in St. Marys.
At least 32 cases in the region have involved people in their 20s, while 26 have been people in their 50s and 24 in their 60s.
Some 42,983 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Oct. 10, the most recent figures available. The week of Oct. 4 to 10 saw 2,614 people tested.
Sarnia and Lambton
No new cases, deaths or recoveries were reported late Tuesday night by Lambton Public Health (LPH).
At least 369 cases have been confirmed during the pandemic in the county, of which 338 people have recovered. Twenty-five people have also died, most recently in early June.
Six known active cases of the virus remain in the county.
The health unit reported one recovery late Monday, one new case late Sunday, one case and four recoveries late Saturday and one new case late Friday.
There has been no change to the number of active outbreaks in the region — two.
Both declared Oct. 15, the outbreaks are located at an unspecified workplace involving three people, and at Twin Lakes Terrace, a Sarnia long-term care home, involving two staff members.
During the pandemic, at least 12 outbreaks have been declared, with nine at seniors’ facilities, two at unnamed workplaces and one at Bluewater Health hospital.
The outbreaks have been linked to 114 cases and 16 deaths. However, health unit figures show a vast majority of those cases, and all 16 deaths, occurred at Landmark Village and Vision Nursing Home when those two facilities had outbreaks earlier this year.
One active case also remains involving a school in the county. It’s among four that have been reported since the start of the school year.
The case was recently reported at Sarnia’s Northern Collegiate Institute and Vocational School. It’s the second student case to be reported at the school.
One since-resolved student case was previously reported at Bright’s Grove Public School in Sarnia, as well as at Colonel Cameron Public School in Corunna.
No people are currently in hospital, according to Bluewater Health. A total of at least 58 people have been admitted for the virus since the pandemic began. The most recent patient was discharged Oct. 20.
Nearly 44,600 people had been tested in the county as of Oct. 17, health unit figures show.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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