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Two people have died while 43 others have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) said Thursday.
It marks the fourth day in a row that the region has recorded at least one COVID-19-related death, and is the fourth day in a row the single-day case increase has been 30 or higher. (It’s also the second day in a row the increase has been above 40, after a record 46 cases were reported on Wednesday).
Thursday’s update brings the region’s total case count to 1,737, of which 1,414 have recovered — 10 more than the day before — and 74 have died. Health unit figures show there are at least 249 active cases of the virus in the region.
According to the health unit, the two deaths involved two men in their 80s who are both linked to a large outbreak at University Hospital. Three of the four deaths reported by the health unit on Wednesday and the two deaths reported Tuesday were also linked to the outbreak.
Of the 43 cases reported Thursday by the health unit, at least 40 are from London, Ont. Two have their location pending, while one is from Thames Centre.
As was the case in previous days, the individuals infected span every age group tracked by the health unit.
Seven are aged 19 or under, nine are in their 20s, three are in their 30s, six are in their 40s, five are in their 50s, four are in their 60s, three are in their 70s, and six are 80 or older.
At least 38 people have their exposure source listed as “outbreak,” while two contracted the virus through close contact, and one through travel. Two cases are pending or undetermined.
It’s not clear how many cases may be directly linked to the University Hospital outbreak. (Health officials stress that due to the fluid nature of the outbreak, and lags in case followup and reporting, the health unit is unable to accurately report a complete and thorough daily breakdown of UH outbreak-related cases, in particular, as some cases may not be confirmed as outbreak-related until several days after being reported in the daily case updates.)
At least 155 cases have been added to the health unit’s dashboard since Monday, more than was reported during the months of May, June, July, August, and September each.
The recent surge in cases has raised questions over whether a possible shift to orange or red on the province’s colour-coded restrictions framework should be expected. The region is currently in the yellow-protect tier of the province’s restrictions framework.
“I think there is a good chance with these case counts that we’ll move into orange. That decision is a cabinet-level decision, and that would be announced Friday and implemented Monday, if that’s the direction that cabinet supports based on the local numbers,” said Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, during an interview Wednesday.
“I’m not sure that orange will be definitive here. If we keep with the current case counts over the last three days, then you may actually see the London-Middlesex area move into the red zone the following week.”
The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 29.85 as of Thursday, up from 26.28 on Wednesday. The 14-day average stands at 23.21, up from 21.85 on Wednesday.
According to the health unit, 1,611 cases have been reported in London since the pandemic began, while 38 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 35 in Middlesex Centre and 31 in Thames Centre.
Lucan Biddulph has seen nine, North Middlesex eight, Southwest Middlesex two and Newbury one.
Hospitalizations
At least 46 inpatients with COVID-19 are in the care of London Health Sciences Centre as of Thursday, an increase of one from the day before, according to the organization.
It appears the number of patients in critical care/intensive care has dropped under five, as LHSC removed the tally from their website on Thursday. On Wednesday, five patients had been critical care/intensive care.
At the same time, at least 45 LHSC staff are currently positive with the virus, one higher than Wednesday.
Thursday marks the highest number of COVID-19 inpatients in the care of LHSC at any one given time.
Most of those infected are tied to the University Hospital outbreak.
At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, no COVID-19 patients were in the care of any of its local facilities. The organization said three staff cases had been reported since Nov. 4.
As of Nov. 18, St. Joseph’s Health Care London has not seen more than four COVID-19 patients in their care at any given time.
The health unit says at least 183 people have been hospitalized due to the virus since the pandemic began, including at least 41 who have needed intensive care.
Institutional outbreaks
An outbreak in Perth 2 at Parkwood Institute remains active, linked to at least one case.
Meantime, the large and deadly outbreak at University Hospital continues to grow, according to officials with London Health Sciences Centre and the health unit.
The health unit reported Thursday that the outbreak, which first originated in 4IP General Medicine on Nov. 10, has now been linked to at least 11 deaths and 124 cases at the facility, with 62 involving patients and 62 involving staff. (LHSC, meantime, reported that 108 cases involving 62 patients and 46 staff were tied to the outbreak. Where the discrepancy comes from is unclear.)
The health unit has determined the outbreak has also been tied to “dozens of cases” in the broader community, according to Dr. Mackie.
“But it’s definitely in the realm of dozens of cases that are secondary spread either by staff or by patients who’ve been discharged from the hospital or family members visiting, that sort of thing.”
The outbreak is now by far the largest to be recorded in the region, and is at least three times as large as any other outbreak seen in London and Middlesex, health officials say.
Since March, the region has seen at least 54 institutional outbreaks in London and Middlesex, including at least 40 at local seniors’ facilities.
The University Hospital outbreak currently impacts a total of six units at the facility, most recently 4TU Multi-Organ Transplant Unit and 6IP Cardiovascular Surgery, which were declared Nov. 27. Outbreaks in 6IP Acute/Decant Medicine, 9IP Sub-Acute Medicine and 10IP Palliative Care/Sub-Acute Medicine were all declared on Nov. 24.
The hospital was also the scene of a separate, smaller outbreak in 9IP Orthopedics that was declared Nov. 11. That outbreak, linked to six cases, is no longer active.
Mackie said Thursday that the health unit’s investigation into the large outbreak found breaches among staff when it came to the implementation of personal protective equipment and physical distancing protocols.
“Most staff were certainly respecting the rules, but we did have some situations where staff were not, in terms of masking and physical distancing,” he said.
“There were some things where, as we walked through (UH), we did find places where some space adjustments could help to encourage the sort of distancing that we need — charting rooms or teaching rooms or other spaces that had a lot of chairs in them, which would suggest that it’s safe for that number of people to gather.”
Officials with LHSC implemented additional measures on Friday to combat the outbreak.
The measures include the postponement of non-urgent and non-emergent surgeries, and reducing ambulatory or outpatient activity to only urgent and emergent appointments, procedures and diagnostic services.
All patients admitted to LHSC are also being tested for COVID-19, and all adult inpatients are being masked.
“The LHSC administration has put in place very strong compliance assessment, auditing functions. So we have the right measures in place. We have a good system in terms of making sure that they’re being followed,” Mackie said.
“Yes, we should see this turn the corner. Again, we’re going to keep diagnosing cases because there is ongoing testing of staff, I believe that should wrap up today or tomorrow, and that will generate more cases, we know that. But hopefully, the majority of the transmission is behind us.”
LHSC stresses that the hospital remains open and that those needing urgent care should not delay seeking care.
Speaking with 980 CFPL on Wednesday, Dr. Adam Dukelow, LHSC’s chief medical officer, said officials were still investigating how the outbreak began and has continued to spread.
He said the organization was also still looking into an unsubstantiated rumour, first raised publicly during Monday’s health unit media briefing, that a potluck had been held at a hospital involving staff from different floors of the facility.
“The first that our team, at least as far as I’m aware, our team had heard that that was even a rumour was earlier on Monday, and as soon as we were alerted to that, started a line of investigation,” he said.
“We have no further information to confirm that (there) was a potluck at any point in time that would be related to the outbreak, but (we’re) actively investigating it.”
Schools
The number of school cases in the region has risen by one after the Thames Valley District School Board reported a case late Wednesday at Stoney Creek Public School.
It’s not clear yet if the case involves a staff member or student. The school remains open and buses continue to operate, the school board says.
The Stoney Creek case is one of at least seven active school cases in London and Middlesex, according to the local school boards.
- Two student cases are active at St. Marguerite d’Youville School. A class outbreak has since been declared by the health unit.
- Two student cases are active at Catholic Central High School.
- One student case is active at Lord Dorchester Secondary School.
- One student case is active at John Paul II Catholic Secondary School.
Since the start of the school year, the London and Middlesex region has recorded at least 49 school-linked cases. Of those, at least 37 have involved students, and only eight have been outside of London.
Elsewhere, two student residence outbreaks at Perth Hall and Saugeen-Maitland Hall at Western University remain active as of Thursday.
- Nov. 13 at Académie de la Tamise involving one staff member.
- Nov. 14 at Sir Arthur Carty Catholic School involving one student.
- Nov. 19 at Saunders Secondary School involving one student.
- Nov. 20 at Providence Reformed Collegiate.
- Nov. 20 at Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School involving one student.
Testing
At least 8,055 people were tested for the coronavirus during the week of Nov. 22, according to new testing figures issued by the health unit.
The tally is slightly higher than the 7,624 reported the week prior.
The region’s test per cent positivity rate stood at 1.6 per cent as of the week of Nov. 22, up from 1.3 per cent the week before.
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.
Carling Heights reported a five-day average of 381 visits from Nov. 23 to 27, compared to 318 at Oakridge Arena.
Ontario
Ontario is reporting 1,824 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, and 14 new deaths due to the virus.
The jump is due to a data error for one local public health unit — the Middlesex-London Health Unit. The province reported that 127 cases had been reported by the health unit, however, the figure reflects cases over the last three days.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 592 new cases in Peel Region, 396 cases in Toronto, and 187 cases in York Region.
The province also reported 122 new COVID-19 cases related to schools, including at least 94 among students.
Those bring the number of schools with a reported case to 755 out of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly funded schools.
In the province’s long-term care homes, 707 residents currently have COVID-19 and eleven new deaths have been reported.
The province says 116 of its 626 long-term care homes are experiencing an outbreak.
Elgin and Oxford
Seven people have tested positive for the coronavirus while nine others have recovered, Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported on Thursday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 582, of which 512 have recovered. Seven deaths have been reported, most recently on Wednesday involving a 44-year-old man.
Four of the new cases were reported in St. Thomas, while two were in Ingersoll and one in Blandford-Blenheim.
As of Thursday, there are 63 known active cases of the virus in the region. Of those, 43 are in Oxford County while 20 are in Elgin County. Twenty-one cases alone are in Woodstock, while 13 are in St. Thomas, 10 in Ingersoll, and seven in Aylmer.
No people were hospitalized as of Thursday, the health unit said. At least 29 have been admitted to hospital due to the virus since the pandemic began, including 14 who have needed intensive care.
Health officials reported one death, 13 cases, and 11 recoveries on Wednesday, and reported eight cases and 14 recoveries on Tuesday.
As of this week, the region is in the orange-restrict tier of the province’s colour-coded restrictions framework.
No new school cases have been reported according to the local school boards.
At least six cases involving schools are active as of Thursday, with the most recent reported at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in St. Thomas. It’s unclear if it involves a staff member or student.
Elsewhere, cases remain active at:
- Laurie Hawkins Public School involving one staff member.
- Forest Park Public School involving one student.
- Springbank Public School involving one student.
- East Elgin Secondary School involving one student and one TBD.
The region has seen at least 16 school cases reported since the start of September.
There has also been no change when it comes to institutional outbreaks in the region.
Only one is currently active, located at Woodingford Lodge in Woodstock. The outbreak, declared Nov. 24, is tied to one staff case.
It’s among at least 10 institutional outbreaks that have been declared during the pandemic at nine facilities. In total, the outbreaks are linked to at least 20 cases, with all but four involving staff.
The most severe outbreak to be reported by case count was at Secord Trails in Ingersoll beginning on May 18. Eight staff cases were reported. A second outbreak at the facility, declared Oct. 24, was tied to one staff case.
By location, Woodstock has seen the largest number of cases overall at 126.
Elsewhere, Aylmer has seen 117 (recording an incidence rate of 1,561 cases per 100,000 people), while Bayham has seen 78, St. Thomas 72, Tillsonburg 44, Norwich Township 41, Ingersoll 31, East Zorra-Tavistock 13, Blandford-Blenheim 13, Dutton/Dunwich 11 and South-West Oxford 10.
Five other municipalities have recorded case totals under 10.
As of the week of Nov. 22, the region had a test per cent positivity rate of 1.3 per cent. About 4,183 people were tested that week.
Huron and Perth
Nineteen more people have tested positive for the coronavirus while 16 others have recovered, Huron Perth Public Health reported Friday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 362, an increase of only 18 from the day before. The health unit says one previous case was reassigned to a different health unit.
At least 292 people have recovered during the pandemic, while 18 deaths have been reported, most recently on Nov. 28 involving a resident of Cedarcroft Place.
It appears at least two of the new cases involve residents of the facility.
Of the 19 new cases, nine are in North Perth, five are in Stratford, four are in Perth East, and one is in Bluewater in Huron County.
The region is currently in the orange-restrict tier of the province’s colour-coded restrictions framework.
One new institutional outbreak has been declared in the region.
The outbreak, located at Livingstone Manor in North Perth, is tied to one staff case, according to the health unit.
It’s among at least four seniors’ facility outbreaks that are currently active in the region.
The most severe outbreak, declared Oct. 27 at Cedarcroft Place in Stratford, has been tied to 47 cases among residents — 11 of whom have since died — and 23 cases among staff members.
The number of resident cases rose by two on Thursday compared to the day before.
Elsewhere, an outbreak also remains active at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East (linked to one staff case) and at Spruce Lodge in Stratford (linked to one staff case.)
At least 15 outbreaks have been declared at 11 facilities since March, linked to 97 cases and 15 deaths. Of those, 11 have been at Cedarcroft and four were reported at Greenwood Court in the spring.
The number of school cases in the region has risen by two.
The Avon Maitland District School Board reported a case late Wednesday at Central Huron Secondary School, while the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board reported an additional case at St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School.
They’re among at least 11 active cases in the region that are tied either to schools or the school system. A total of at least 17 have been reported.
Active cases remain at:
- St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School involving at least three students and one staff. The new case, the fifth reported at the school, has not been identified as either a staff member or student yet.
- Northside Christian School involving one staff member. An outbreak was declared Nov. 25 at the small private school. It’s not clear when the school will reopen. The outbreak was active as of Wednesday.
- Goderich District Collegiate Institute involving one student.
- St. Ambrose Catholic Elementary School involving two students.
- Anne Hathaway Public School involving one student.
One non-school case is also active involving an employee of the Avon Maitland District School Board, according to officials.
At least 146 cases have been in Perth County, while 140 cases and at least 15 deaths have been in Stratford.
Elsewhere, 67 cases have been in Huron County, while eight cases and one death have been in St. Marys.
As of the week of Nov. 22, the region’s test per cent positivity rate was 1.7 per cent. At least 3,529 people got tested that week.
A total of 60,839 have been tested during the pandemic.
Sarnia and Lambton
Four people have tested positive for the coronavirus while two have recovered, Lambton Public Health reported on Thursday.
It brings the region’s total case count to 417, of which 376 have recovered. Twenty-five deaths have been reported, most recently in early June.
At least 16 cases are currently active in the county as of Thursday. One person was in hospital at Bluewater Health, the same as the day prior. At least 61 people have been hospitalized since March.
The region has reported 46 cases since Nov. 1. The last time the region reported five or more cases in one day was on Oct. 15 when seven cases were reported.
The region is currently in the yellow-protect tier of the province’s restrictions framework.
The region’s school case tally rose by two late Wednesday after the Lambton Kent District School Board reported two new cases at Northern Collegiate Institute and Vocational School in Sarnia.
It’s unclear if the cases involve staff or students.
The cases are the third and fourth to be seen at the school, after two student cases were reported in October.
The two cases are also the only active school cases in the county.
At least 10 school cases have been reported in Lambton, with at least eight involving students.
Meantime, no outbreaks are active. 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.
Ten of the region’s 13 outbreaks have involved seniors’ facilities, while two have involved workplaces and one has been at Bluewater Health.
As of the week of Nov. 22, the region had a weekly test per cent positivity rate of 0.49 per cent. About 2,623 people were tested that week. At least 58,284 people have been tested in total.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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