Jump to: Hospitalizations – Schools – Outbreaks – Testing – Ontario – Elgin and Oxford – Huron and Perth – Sarnia and Lambton
The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported 38 new coronavirus cases, two new deaths, and 14 new recoveries in the region to start the month of December.
Tuesday’s daily case count sets a new record high, surpassing the previous record of 37 cases reported Nov. 8.
At least 14 of the 38 new cases cases, and both of the deaths, are tied to the University Hospital outbreaks.
London Health Sciences Centre says that the UH outbreaks are associated with a total of six deaths, as of Tuesday.
There are now a total of 1,651 COVID-19 cases and 1,395 recoveries throughout the region. The total number of deaths in the region has risen to 69.
The two new deaths involve a woman in her 80s and man in his 70s, neither of which are associated with a long-term care home or retirement home.
At least 187 cases remain active in the region as of Tuesday.
- Buzz kill? Gen Z less interested in coffee than older Canadians, survey shows
- ‘She gets to be 10’: Ontario child’s heart donated to girl the same age
- Canada updating sperm donor screening criteria for men who have sex with men
- Bird flu risk to humans an ‘enormous concern,’ WHO says. Here’s what to know
Hospitalizations
As of Tuesday, LHSC said 48 patients have tested positive for COVID-19 in connection with outbreaks at University Hospital while 35 staff and health-care providers have tested positive for COVID-19.
It is not clear what the total number of inpatients hospitalized with COVID-19 is, outside of the outbreaks.
According to St. Joseph’s Health Care London, three of its health-care workers and one patient have the virus as of Friday.
The total number of people ever hospitalized in connection with the virus in London and Middlesex is 179 as of Tuesday, up one from Monday. Of those, a total of 39 needed intensive care.
Schools
The MLHU’s dashboard lists five schools with active COVID-19 cases, as of Tuesday:
- Catholic Central High School in London, with two cases
- John Paul II Catholic Secondary School in London, one case
- Lord Dorchester Secondary School in Thames Centre, one case
- Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School in London, one case
- St. Marguerite d’Youville School in London, one case
However, on Tuesday morning, MLHU issued a release stating that a second case had been reported out of St. Marguerite d’Youville, prompting an outbreak declaration.
Additionally, the province is reporting cases at:
- Emily Carr Public School in London, one staff case
- Saunders Secondary School, one student case
Two post-secondary outbreaks remain active as of Tuesday, the health unit says, at Perth Hall and Saugeen-Maitland Hall residences at Western University.
Institutional outbreaks
No new institutional outbreaks have been declared, according to the health unit; however, an outbreak declared Nov. 10 at University Hospital is impacting six units.
At least 83 cases and six deaths are now tied to the ongoing UH outbreaks, according to LHSC.
The outbreak, which originated in 4IP General Medicine, was later expanded to encompass 6IP Acute/Decant Medicine, 9IP Sub-Acute Medicine, 10IP Palliative Care/Sub-Acute Medicine, 4TU Multi-Organ Transplant Unit, and 6IP Cardiovascular Surgery.
University Hospital was also the scene of a separate outbreak, declared Nov. 11 in 9IP Orthopedics, that has since been declared over. That outbreak was linked to six cases.
Since March, the region has seen at least 54 institutional outbreaks in London and Middlesex, including at least 40 at local seniors’ facilities. Seniors’ facility outbreaks alone have been tied to 112 resident cases, 111 staff cases and 39 deaths.
Testing
No new testing figures have been released.
The most recent, from the week of Nov. 15, found that 7,427 people were tested, up 730 from the week before.
The test per cent positivity rate for that week was 1.4 per cent, up from 1.2 the week prior.
Both of the city’s assessment centres, Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena, are continuing to operate by appointment only. Appointment testing for certain asymptomatic people is also continuing at eight local pharmacies.
Ontario
Ontario reported 1,707 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 118,199, as well as seven new deaths, bringing that total to 3,663.
According to Tuesday’s provincial report, 727 cases were recorded in Toronto — the highest single-day increase, 373 in Peel Region, 168 in York Region and 72 in Durham Region.
All other public health units in Ontario reported under 70 new cases.
Ontario has 645 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, with 185 patients in an intensive care unit and 112 patients in ICUs on a ventilator.
More than 34,600 tests were processed in the last 24 hours — the lowest number of tests completed in the last week.
There is currently a backlog of 34,046 tests that need results.
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health reported eight new COVID-19 cases along with 14 recoveries on Tuesday.
The update brings the region’s total case count to 563, of which 493 people have recovered and six have died. The most recent death involved a man in his 70s who had been hospitalized, according to the health unit. It was reported last Wednesday.
Tuesday’s update leaves at least 64 active cases in the region. Of those, 50 are in Oxford County while 14 are in Elgin County.
Twenty-nine cases are in Woodstock alone, while Ingersoll has eight active cases; St. Thomas, five; Aylmer, five; and Tillsonburg, five. Seven other municipalities have active case counts under five each.
Two people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are currently hospitalized, with one person in the ICU.
According to provincial data, at least six schools in the region have active cases as of Tuesday:
- Laurie Hawkins Public School in Ingersoll (one staff case)
- Assumption Catholic Secondary school in Aylmer (two student cases)
- East Elgin Secondary School in Aylmer (one student case)
- Forest Park Public School in St. Thomas (one student case)
- Central Public School in Woodstock (one student case)
- Springbank Public School in Woodstock (one student case)
One institutional outbreak remains active in the region as of Monday. It was reported on Nov. 24 at Woodingford Lodge in Woodstock and involves one staff case.
At least 10 outbreaks have been declared since March at nine facilities, linked to at least 20 cases, of which four have involved residents.
Woodstock has seen the largest number of cases during the pandemic, 126, followed closely behind by Aylmer with 115.
Yet due to their population differences, Aylmer’s incident rate is equivalent to 1,535 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 308.1 per 100,000 in Woodstock.
Elsewhere, Bayham has seen 78 cases; St. Thomas, 63; Tillsonburg, 44; Norwich Township, 41; Ingersoll, 26; East Zorra-Tavistock, 13; Blandford-Blenheim, 12; and Dutton/Dunwich, 11. Six other municipalities have case tallies below 10.
As of the week of Nov. 15, the most recent figures available, the region’s test positivity rate stood at 1.1 per cent, down from 2.0 the week before. At least 3,882 people were tested for the virus that week.
Huron and Perth
Huron Perth Public Health’s reported 10 new cases, bringing the region’s total to 343 as of 4 p.m. Monday afternoon.
HPPH also reported 13 recoveries, bringing the total recoveries to 276. The number of deaths remains at 18.
Four people are currently hospitalized, according to the health unit.
Of the 10 new cases, six are in Perth County, one is in Huron County, and three are in Stratford.
The health unit says there are currently two active outbreaks in long-term care homes, one active outbreak in a retirement home, and one active school outbreak.
One is at Spruce Lodge Long Term Care Home in Stratford and involves one staff member. Another other is at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East and also involves one staff member.
One additional staff member has tested positive at Cedarcroft Place in Stratford, bringing the total staff cases to 23. The total number of cases among residents in 45. The outbreak, declared Oct. 27, was tied to 11 deaths as of Saturday.
Northside Christian School, a small private religious school in Listowel, remains closed following an outbreak declaration.
While only one staff case is reported, HPPH previously said that “due to the nature of the school, one cohort could not be identified and therefore HPPH has closed the school until at least Dec. 1.” It is not clear when the school will reopen, but the outbreak was listed as active as of 4 p.m. Monday.
As of Tuesday, Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board says there are four cases resulting in three class closures at St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School in Listowel and two cases resulting in zero class closures at St. Ambrose Catholic Elementary School in Stratford.
The Avon Maitland District School Board is reporting two schools with COVID-19 cases: Goderich District Collegiate Institute in Goderich and Anne Hathaway Public School in Stratford. Each involves one case and one class closure.
The board also says there has been a case involving a central board employee.
Sarnia and Lambton
Two new cases and four recoveries were reported by Lambton Public Health on Tuesday.
There are a total of 412 cases, of which 373 have been resolved while 25 people have died. The most recent death was reported in early June.
As of Tuesday, 14 cases are known to be active in the county.
Bluewater Health reports one person is in hospital with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Nineteen patients are in hospital with tests pending for COVID-19, but that number includes pre-surgical screening.
At least three school cases remain active at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Sarnia while one case is active at Ursuline College Chatham Catholic Secondary School in Chatham, according to the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.
No outbreaks are active, but a total of 13 have been declared since March, linked to 115 cases and 16 deaths. Two outbreaks earlier in the pandemic, located at Landmark Village and Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia, are linked to a vast majority of those cases, and all 16 deaths.
The health unit says 10 of the region’s 13 outbreaks have involved seniors’ facilities, while two have involved workplaces and one has been at Bluewater Health.
At least 56,140 people had been tested in the county as of Nov. 21, the most recent figures available. About 2,600 people were tested from Nov. 15 to Nov. 21, with a weekly per cent positivity rate of 0.56 per cent.
— With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues and from The Canadian Press
Comments