Jump to: Hospitalizations – Schools – Outbreaks – Testing – Ontario – Elgin and Oxford – Huron and Perth – Sarnia and Lambton

Three people have tested positive for the coronavirus, while another 19 have recovered, the Middlesex-London Health Unit reported on Tuesday.

The update brings the region’s total case count to 1,370, of which 1,199 people have recovered and 63 have died. The most recent death was reported Nov. 7.

As of Tuesday, there are 108 known active cases in London and Middlesex. The health unit reported five cases and 27 recoveries Monday, and 15 cases and 21 recoveries Sunday.

The region is currently in the yellow-protect tier of the province’s colour-coded framework. On Monday, the health unit issued more information about what the change means for the London region.

Of the three cases reported Monday, health unit data shows two were reported in London while one is from Middlesex Centre.

The cases involve two people in their 30s, and one person in their 60s. All three have their exposure sources listed as no known link.

According to the health unit, the region has recorded at least 224 cases since the start of the month, and has a seven-day case average as of Tuesday of 13.2. The 14-day case average is 15.35.

On Monday, the health officials confirmed that a workplace outbreak had been declared at Delilah’s, a new casual fine dining restaurant along Richmond Row, after three staff members tested positive for coronavirus. People who visited the eatery between Nov. 5 and 12 are asked to monitor for symptoms.

3:41 Large house parties in London, Ont., draw exasperated response from city’s mayor

Health unit figures show that roughly 52 per cent of all COVID-19 cases reported since Nov. 1 have involved people under the age of 30, including 41 people 19 and under and 76 people in their 20s.

On Monday it was revealed that London police had charged three men, one aged 18 and two aged 19, in connection with a house party near Richmond Row Friday that saw roughly 100 attendees, and had broken up a separate large gathering in northeast London.

The news, which came barely a week after police announced charges against two men in their 20s in a separate massive gathering near Western University on Oct. 30, elicited an angry response from the city’s mayor on Monday.

“We could shut down every single law-abiding business in this region and we’d still run the risk of significant spread, all because some people are unable to control themselves when it comes to large indoor parties,” he said.

“Stupid doesn’t even come close to describing them. You know, it’s infuriating. I can’t imagine how maddening it must be to our first responders who put themselves in harm’s way when they’re called to these kinds of events.”

Hospitalizations

The health unit’s non-intensive care hospitalized tally has risen by one for a second day in a row.

It comes a day after London Health Sciences Centre released updated figures, showing that there were at least eight inpatients in its care who had confirmed cases of the virus.

In addition to that, the organization says at least 14 staff members are currently infected with the virus, a rise of at least 10 from the previous update released Nov. 12 that said the number was “five or less.”

As of Tuesday, two outbreaks remain active at LHSC’s University Hospital in the facility’s 4IP general medicine and 9IP orthopedics units.

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, meanwhile, no infected patients are in its care, according to the organization’s website. At least five staff members there have tested positive since Nov. 4.

According to the health unit, at least 138 people have been hospitalized due to the virus since March, with 34 needing intensive care.

Schools

No new cases have been reported involving schools in London and Middlesex, according to the health unit and local school boards.

According to the health unit, there have been at least 38 cases linked to schools in London and Middlesex, with 22 at local elementary schools and 13 at secondary schools.

The most recent local cases were reported over the weekend at Sir Arthur Carty Catholic School and Sir Wilfred Laurier Secondary School.

Elsewhere, active cases remain at St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School (one student), Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School (one student), Oakridge Secondary School (two students), Arthur Ford Public School (one staff member in before/after school program), Catholic Central High School (one student), Eagle Heights Public School (two students) and Westminster Secondary School (one student).

The province says it is considering extending winter break in Ontario schools in the new year as a way to reduce transmission of the virus after the holidays.

Institutional outbreaks

There has also been no change when it comes to institutional outbreaks in the region.

Two remain active as of Tuesday, according to the health unit. Both are located at University Hospital in its 4IP general medicine and 9IP orthopedics units.

The number of people infected in both outbreaks is unclear. LHSC reported Monday that eight patients were in its care with COVID-19, while 14 staff members were currently positive.

On Monday, the health unit reported that an outbreak at Henley Place Long-Term Care Residence had ended. It was first reported Oct. 31 in the Harris and Medway areas.

Since the pandemic began, at least 48 institutional outbreaks have been declared in London and Middlesex, of which 40 have been at seniors’ facilities.

Outbreaks at long-term care homes have been linked to 66 resident cases, 79 staff cases and 26 deaths, while retirement home outbreaks have been tied to 46 resident cases, 32 staff cases and 13 deaths.

Testing

Both Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena are still operating by appointment only, while appointment testing also remains available for certain asymptomatic people at eight local pharmacies.

Both assessment centres have seen a notable increase in visits since the health unit issued a plea to the public earlier this month for symptomatic people to get tested.

Last week, Carling Heights recorded a five-day average of 346 visits per day between Nov. 9 and 13, while Oakridge Arena saw 342 per day, according to health unit figures.

According to the health unit, the region’s test positivity rate was 1.7 per cent as of the week of Nov. 1 — up from 0.7 per cent the week before — with just over 6,000 people tested.

The region’s cumulative incident rate stands at 269.3 per 100,000 people, compared to Ontario’s 632.4 per 100,000.

Ontario

Ontario reported 1,249 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday and 12 new deaths due to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 569 cases are in Toronto, 256 are in Peel Region and 94 are in York Region.

The province also reported 133 new COVID-19 cases related to schools, including at least 73 among students.

Those bring the number of schools with a reported case to 670 out of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly funded schools.

In the province’s long-term care homes, 700 residents currently have COVID-19 and three new deaths have been reported Tuesday.

The province says 108 of its 626 long-term care homes are experiencing an outbreak.

Ontario students could get an extended winter break or start classes remotely in the new year as the province considers ways to reduce COVID-19 transmission after the holidays.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce says he’s talking to health officials and “looking at solutions that may include some period out of class” at the beginning of January, but has not yet made a decision.

Lecce says he will announce a plan in the next week or two to allow parents to prepare.

Last Friday, a spokeswoman for the minister said the province was not considering any change to the school year calendar.

That’s after the Council of Ontario Directors of Education said it had proposed starting the new semester with virtual schooling to allow students and staff to self-isolate after any potential holiday celebrations.

Elgin and Oxford

Seven people have tested positive for the coronavirus, while eight others have recovered, Southwestern Public Health reported Tuesday.

The update brings the region’s overall case count to 455, of which 387 people have recovered and five have died. No deaths have been reported since early July.

At least 63 known active cases remain in the county, with 47 of them in Oxford County and 16 in Elgin County.

The health unit says 21 active cases are in Woodstock, while 15 are in Norwich, 11 in Aylmer, three each in South-West Oxford and Tillsonburg, two in Ingersoll and one each in Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock and Zorra.

No people were hospitalized as of last Thursday, the most recent update available. Another update is expected this Thursday.

SWPH has reported at least 130 cases since the start of November. Twelve were reported Monday and eight Sunday along with three recoveries on each day. The region is currently in the yellow-protect tier of the province’s colour-coded framework.

One new school-linked case has been reported in the region, according to the Thames Valley District School Board.

The case, reported at Assumption Catholic Secondary School in Aylmer, is the second case to be reported at the school after one was reported over the weekend involving a student.

Elsewhere, three cases linked to Northdale Public School in Woodstock remain active, according to the school board, as does one case at Straffordville Public School in Bayham. All four involve students.

A total of eight cases have been reported at schools in Elgin and Oxford, including since-resolved cases at St. Thomas Community Christian School, Mitchell Hepburn Public School and South Ridge Public School.

A new outbreak has been declared in the region, according to the health unit.

The latest outbreak, declared Monday at Arches Transitional Bed Program, came after one staff member tested positive.

One other outbreak, declared on Thursday at Bethany Care Home in Norwich, also remains active. At least three residents have tested positive in relation to that outbreak.

Nine outbreaks in total have been declared since March, linked to 18 cases, of which four have involved residents.

At least 103 cases have been reported in Aylmer since March. The town has recorded a cumulative incident rate of 1,374.8 per 100,000, higher than the overall incident rate reported by Peel Public Health and Toronto Public Health.

Elsewhere, 81 cases have been reported in Woodstock, 77 in Bayham, 54 in St. Thomas, 36 in Tillsonburg, 34 in Norwich, 14 in Ingersoll, 12 in East-Zorra-Tavistock and 10 in Dutton/Dunwich. Seven other municipalities have case tallies under 10.

As of the week of Nov. 1, the most recent figures available, the region’s test positivity rate stood at 0.9 per cent. At least 2,833 people were tested for the virus that week.

Huron and Perth

Five people have recovered, Huron Perth Public Health reported Tuesday.

The region’s total case count stands at 248, of which 171 people have recovered and 13 have died, leaving 64 known active cases.

Twenty-cases and four deaths were reported on Monday.

All four deaths involved residents of Cedarcroft Place, a retirement home in Stratford, who had been hospitalized for the virus.

Cedarcroft Place has been home to one of the worst seniors’ facility outbreaks recorded in southwestern Ontario, with approximately half of its resident population and one-third of its staff infected since the outbreak began on Oct. 27.

Overall, 62 people — 44 residents and 18 staff members — have tested positive at the facility, and eight residents have since died. As of Monday, 34 resident cases and 13 staff cases remained active.

At least 10 infected residents have been transferred temporarily to local hospitals in the region to help staffing capacity at the facility.

It’s still not clear how the virus entered Cedarcroft Place.

Elsewhere, a separate outbreak remains active at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East. The outbreak, declared on Nov. 7, has been tied to one staff case.

At least 12 outbreaks have been declared at 10 facilities in the province since March. They’re linked to 89 cases and at least 12 deaths — eight at Cedarcroft and four at Greenwood Court in the spring.

No new cases have been reported involving schools. Three cases are currently active and all involve students. Two are at Milverton Public School in Perth East and one is at Shakespeare Public School in Stratford.

Prior to that, one presumptive case was reported Oct. 16 at Stratford’s St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School.

By location, Stratford has seen 113 cases reported since March, while Perth County has seen 73 and Huron County 54.

St. Marys has seen eight cases and one death.

Some 51,884 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Nov. 1, the most recent figures available. The test per cent positivity rate that week was 1.3 per cent. Just over 2,100 people were tested.

Sarnia and Lambton

One person has recovered from the coronavirus, Lambton Public Health reported Tuesday.

A total of 387 cases have been confirmed in the county since the pandemic began, of which now 354 people have recovered. Twenty-five deaths have been reported, most recently in early June.

Eight active known cases remain in the region, the locations of which are unclear. One person remains in hospital at Bluewater Health, one of at least 61 people who have been hospitalized, including three since the end of October.

Health officials reported one new case and one recovery Monday, and reported four cases Sunday. The county remains in the province’s least-restrictive tier in its pandemic framework, green.

No new school-linked cases have been reported, but one remains active at Riverview Central School in Port Lambton involving one student.

It’s among at least five school cases that have popped up in the county since the new school year began in September, all of which have involved students.

In Sarnia, Northern Collegiate Institute and Vocational School reported two cases, while Bright’s Grove Public School reported one. In Corunna, one case was reported at Colonel Cameron Public School.

There has been no change when it comes to outbreaks. A total of 13 have been declared since the pandemic began, linked to 115 cases and 16 deaths. No outbreaks are currently active.

At least 51,383 people had been tested in the county as of Nov. 7, the most recent figures available.

— With files from The Canadian Press