Jump to: Hospitalizations – Outbreaks – Schools – Vaccinations and Testing – Ontario – Elgin and Oxford – Huron and Perth – Sarnia and Lambton
The London-Middlesex region has recorded an additional 95 new coronavirus cases and two deaths, local health officials reported Thursday.
The increase brings the region’s case total to 4,038, of which 2,916 have recovered — 57 more than the day before. At least 116 people have died, 14 just since Jan. 1.
Health officials said the two deaths reported Thursday involved men in their 60s and 70s who were both associated with a long-term care home. No other information has been released.
Thursday’s case jump comes after three successive days of triple-digit case increases. A record 161 new cases were reported on Tuesday. (The health unit initially reported 184, but walked back that number after determining some cases had either been counted twice or involved people who lived outside of its jurisdiction.)
Six days into January (the cases reported Thursday are as of the end of Wednesday) the region has already reported at least 669 cases, more than every preceding month of the pandemic except for December, which posted a record 1,724 cases and at least 36 deaths.
On Wednesday, Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, tweeted that the region had recorded twice as many total deaths during the second wave of the pandemic, which is still ongoing, as during the entirety of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.
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Out of the 95 new cases reported Thursday, 70 are from London, according to health unit data. Elsewhere, 11 are from Middlesex Centre, five are from Strathroy-Caradoc, two are from Southwest Middlesex, and one each is from North Middlesex and Thames Centre. Five cases are pending a location.
Those infected span every age group tracked by the health unit, with a relatively even distribution compared to previous reports.
Eight cases involve people 19 or younger; 15 involve people in their 20s; 14 are in their 30s; 13 each are in their 40s and 50s; 15 are in their 60s; five are in their 70s; and 12 are 80 or older.
As has been the case in recent weeks, a vast majority of cases are absent exposure source data, with 78 listed as pending or undetermined. At least 11 are due to outbreak, five are due to close contact with a confirmed case, and one has no known link.
The health unit is expected to provide more information and context during its media briefing Thursday afternoon.
The region’s seven-day case average stands at 106.14 on Thursday compared to 109.2 on Tuesday and 97.0 on Monday. The seven-day average was 80.28 as of Dec. 31.
The 14-day average, meantime, stands at 92.21 compared to 89.64 on Monday and 75.78 as of Dec. 31.
The region’s test per cent positivity rate stood at 5.3 per cent as of last week, up from 3.7 the week before, health unit figures released Wednesday show.
Roughly 9,738 people were tested last week, down from 11,188 the week before.
The region’s cumulative incidence rate is 777.3 per 100,000 people, compared to Ontario’s 1,327. London’s alone is 877.9, while Middlesex Centre’s is 860.
Hospitalizations
The number of COVID-19 inpatients in the care of London Health Sciences Centre has dropped by one to 41.
However, the organization also reported Thursday that such inpatients in critical or intensive care had risen by one to 12, compared to the day before.
In addition, the number of active staff cases within LHSC also rose by one to 31.
No COVID-19 inpatients were reported to be in the care of St. Joseph’s Hospital as of Thursday.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London says at least 10 staff are currently infected with the virus, eight due to an outbreak at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care which has also sickened 22 residents.
According to the health unit, at least 294 people have been hospitalized in London and Middlesex due to COVID-19, including 56 who have needed intensive care.
The strain of the COVID-19 pandemic on local health-care resources has prompted surgery cancellations at LHSC.
Dr. Adam Dukelow, the organization’s chief medical officer, told 980 CFPL Wednesday that its University Hospital facility was at 60 per cent operating capacity — nine of 15 operating rooms — while at Victoria Hospital, the figure was 70 per cent — 14 out of 19 operating rooms.
Emil Schemitch, LHSC’s department of surgery chief, said that some surgeries were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday of this week due to “rising COVID pressure in the region” and “potential human resource constraints.” Those impacted will receive a call directly from LHSC.
As of Wednesday, Dukelow says some operating rooms have been converted to allow for ambulatory surgeries that do not require an overnight stay.
Before the holiday season, LHSC warned that an expected case deluge in the new year would make it difficult to ramp back up to typical surgery volumes.
Institutional outbreaks
Health unit figures show that at least 28 of Thursday’s reported cases involve either seniors’ facility residents or staff.
The total number of seniors’ facility resident cases that have been reported since the pandemic began stood at 247 as of Thursday, 11 more than the day before.
At the same time, total staff cases stood at 228, 17 more than the day before.
Meantime, Victoria Hospital is dealing with a new outbreak, the health unit confirmed Thursday.
The outbreak, located in B41 Antenatal, is currently the third active outbreak at the hospital.
The other two, located in D5-300 and D7-200, were declared Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, respectively.
All three Victoria Hospital outbreaks are tied to fewer than five patient cases and five staff cases each. No deaths have been reported.
The hospital outbreaks are among at least 10 institutional outbreaks that are currently active in the London and Middlesex region.
Elsewhere, outbreaks remain active at the following facilities, declared on:
- Jan. 5 at Oneida Long Term Care Home (facility)
- Jan. 2 at Chelsey Park (long-term care – fifth floor, second floor)
- Dec. 26 at Earls Court Village (third floor)
- Dec. 26 at Extendicare (second and third floors)
- Dec 26 at Oakcrossing Retirement Living (second floor)
- Dec. 23 at Middlesex Terrage (facility)
- Dec. 22 at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care (SM1, MV4. MV5. Outbreaks in SM2 and SM3 were resolved Jan. 6)
Since March, the region has seen at least 80 institutional outbreaks in London and Middlesex, including at least 56 at local seniors’ facilities.
Schools
No new school cases have been reported in the region, according to the health unit.
Only one case is currently active involving a school. The case is tied to Lord Dorchester Secondary School, the health unit says.
At least 173 cases have been reported since the start of September that have been tied to schools or childcare centres, the health unit says.
Two outbreak declarations remain active — one at Covenant Christian School, and one at Lord Dorchester Secondary.
A previous outbreak declared Dec. 22 at A.B. Lucas Secondary School was deemed over as of Wednesday.
Global News has learned that Ontario students will not be returning to the classroom on Monday, sources say.
Premier Doug Ford said the announcement will be made by the province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams who has a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m. at Queen’s Park.
All students in northern Ontario and elementary students in southern Ontario were put on virtual learning for the first week back from winter holidays on Jan. 4 to Jan. 8. Those students were expected to return to in-person learning on Jan. 11.
However, sources say students will not be returning to in-person learning inside schools on Monday.
High school students in southern Ontario are on virtual learning until Jan. 25 as previously outlined by the province.
Vaccinations and Testing
Vaccinations continue at the Western Fair District Agriplex.
It comes as the region recorded a 5.3 per cent test per cent positivity rate as of last week, according to figures released Wednesday by the health unit. The rate is up from 3.7 per cent the week before.
That rise despite the fact the region saw nearly 1,500 fewer tests than the previous week — 9,738 compared to 11,188.
Officials with the London Health Sciences Centre have said roughly 500 people are being administered the vaccine every day, with plans to double that number in the near future.
Long-term staff are the main priority for receiving a shot, which is currently the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
LHSC says vaccinations will be expanded soon to staff and physicians in emergency departments, critical care units, and units that care for COVID-19 patients from all hospitals in Elgin, Middlesex, Huron, Oxford, and Perth.
During Monday’s briefing, local health officials said they expected the Moderna vaccine, which requires less intense cold storage requirements than the Pfizer vaccine, to come soon.
An update is expected during Thursday’s briefing.
The city’s two main assessment centre have continued to see steady turnout, with Carling Heights seeing the largest demand, as has been the case since late November.
The Carling Heights centre has recorded between 454 and 524 visits per day between Dec. 30 and Jan. 6, according to the health unit.
Current average visitation rates at Carling Heights are among the highest the facility has seen during the entire pandemic.
Oakridge Arena, which was closed over the holiday season, reopened on Monday and has seen between 318 and 327 visits per day so far this week.
Both centres are continuing to operate by appointment only, however, appointment slots have been consistently full recently. Appointment testing for certain asymptomatic people is also continuing at eight local pharmacies.
The city’s assessment centres have seen more than 131,000 people since they opened in April, and have swabbed more than 125,000 people.
The region’s test per cent positivity rate stood at 3.3 per cent as of the week of Dec. 20, about the same as the week before and up from 2.4 two weeks earlier. Updated numbers are expected Wednesday.
Ontario
Ontario reported 3,519 new cases of COVID-19 and 89 more deaths Thursday, both daily highs for the province.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 891 new cases in Toronto, 568 in Peel Region and 457 in York Region.
She also says there were 208 new cases in Windsor-Essex County, 175 in Waterloo and 174 in Durham Region.
Ontario also reported that nearly 65,800 COVID-19 tests have been completed since the last daily update.
Nine more Ontarians were hospitalized, for a total of 1,472 people in hospital.
There are also 363 people in intensive care, and 242 people on ventilators.
Elgin and Oxford
Five people have died, 21 others have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 67 people have recovered, Southwestern Public Health reported on Thursday.
The increase brings the total number of cases reported in the region since the start of the pandemic to 1,610, of which 1,226 have recovered and 28 have died.
According to the health unit, the five deaths involved a 94-year-old woman from Elgin County and two men and two women from Oxford County, aged 49, 85, 87, and 96.
Of those, the health unit says three of the deaths are linked to an ongoing outbreak at Maple Manor Nursing Home, while one is tied to an outbreak at People Care Tavistock. One death is not linked to an institutional outbreak.
With Thursday’s update, there are at least 407 active cases in the county. Ninety-eight of them are in Tillsonburg alone.
Elsewhere, at least 63 cases are active in St. Thomas, 47 are in Woodstock, 38 are in Aylmer, and 25 are in East Zorra-Tavistock.
The region posted a record single-day case increase of 75 on Saturday, and last week saw a test per cent positivity rate of 6.2 per cent, according to figures released this week.
The rate rose from 4.1 per cent the week before, and 3.3 the week before that.
One new institutional outbreak has been declared, according to the health unit.
The outbreak, declared at Trillium Retirement Home, is tied to one resident case.
Elsewhere, two severe outbreaks remain active at Maple Manor Nursing Home and People Care Tavistock.
At least 57 residents and 41 staff have tested positive at Maple Manor. At least seven people have since died.
At People Care, 34 residents and 29 residents have tested positive, and at least five people have died.
They’re among at least nine outbreaks that are active in the region.
Outbreaks also remain in place at the following locations, as declared on:
- Jan. 4 at Goodness Retirement Living (one staff case)
- Jan. 4 at Caressant Care Bonnie Place (one resident case)
- Jan. 1 at Woodingford Lodge – Woodstock (one staff case)
- Dec. 17 at Seasons Retirement Home (two staff cases)
- Dec. 19 at Terrace Lodge (four staff cases)
- Dec. 19 at Chartwell Aylmer (three staff cases).
At least 23 outbreaks have been declared in the region at 17 separate facilities.
No new school cases appear to have been reported in the region. No cases are active at schools in the region that are operated by the Thames Valley District School Board or the London District Catholic School Board.
The health unit defers updates about school cases to the boards and to the province, which has paused the updating of its online database amid the remote learning period.
At least 64 school cases have been reported in the region since the school year began, most of them in Elgin County.
By location, Aylmer continues to see the highest number of overall cases with 288. Due to its small population, the case total is equivalent to 3,844 cases per 100,000 people.
In comparison, St. Thomas, which has seen 281 cases, has an incidence rate of 722 per 100,000.
Elsewhere, Woodstock has seen 249 cases, Tillsonburg 222, Bayham 136, Norwich Township 121, East Zorra-Tavistock 71, Ingersoll 60, Blandford-Blenheim 44, Zorra 35, South-West Oxford 27, Central Elgin 26, West Elgin 16, Southwold 14, Dutton/Dunwich 14, and Malahide six.
The region’s test positivity rate stood at 6.2 per cent as of last week, up from 4.2 the week prior. Roughly 5,028 people were tested, compared to 5,291 the week prior.
Huron and Perth
One person has died, 12 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 17 others have recovered, Huron Perth Public Health reported Thursday.
It brings the region’s total case tally to 793, of which 674 have recovered and 23 have died. Details about the deceased were not immediately available.
Of the 12 new cases, four are from North Perth, two are from South Huron, and one each is from Bluewater, Central Huron, Howick, North Huron, Perth East, and Perth South.
The update leaves at least 96 active cases in the region. At least 29 active cases are located in South Huron, while 20 are in Stratford and 17 are in North Perth.
At least five cases reported recently have involved members of the Stratford Fire Department, the city reported on Wednesday, adding an outbreak had been declared.
In a statement, Stratford CAO Joan Thomson said city officials wished them a speedy recovery.
“We also want to assure the community that public safety is our top priority, and it will not be affected by the reduced staffing at the fire department. Service levels will be maintained,” Thomson said.
One new school case has been reported, located at South Huron District High School, according to the Avon Maitland District School Board.
It’s among several cases that remain active at the board’s schools, confirmed on:
- Dec. 29 at North Perth Westfield Elementary School
- Dec. 29 at Stratford District Secondary School (two cases)
- Jan. 4 at Elma Township Public School
- Jan. 4 at F.E. Madill Secondary School
- Jan. 4 at Stratford District Secondary School
- Jan. 4 at St. Marys District Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
No new cases were reported by the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board. None of its schools have active cases.
Meantime, no new institutional outbreaks have been declared. Six remain active, including four at long-term care homes and two at retirement homes, declared on:
- Dec. 18 at Exeter Villa in South Huron (31 resident cases and eight staff cases)
- Dec. 21 at Exeter Villa Retirement Home in South Huron (one resident case)
- Dec. 26 at Braemar Nursing Home in North Huron (two staff cases)
- Jan. 1 at Livingstone Manor in North Perth (two resident and two staff cases)
- Jan. 3 at Seaforth Manor in Huron East (one staff case)
- Jan. 4 at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East (two staff cases).
Of the region’s total case count, 343 cases have been located in Perth County, including 185 in North Perth and 117 in Perth East.
Elsewhere, 223 cases have been in Stratford, while 212 have been in Huron County, and 15 have been in St. Marys.
As of the week of Dec. 27, the region’s test per cent positivity rate was 3.4 per cent, up from 2.5 per cent a week earlier, and 1.6 per cent the week before that.
At least 3,494 people were tested, down from 3,742 the week before.
Sarnia and Lambton
Fourteen people have tested positive for the coronavirus while another 63 have recovered, Lambton Public Health reported on Thursday.
The update brings the region’s total case tally to 1,090 — an increase of just five from a day earlier.
The health unit says the discrepancy came after nine previously confirmed cases were found to be either duplicates or involving residents of other jurisdictions, and were thus removed from the total tally.
At least 831 people have recovered from the virus, while 28 have died, most recently on Dec. 19.
The region has recorded at least 243 cases just since Jan. 1, and recorded a record 93 cases on New Year’s Eve.
The region’s test per cent positivity rate stood at 6.8 per cent as of last week.
No new outbreaks have been declared, either at health-care institutions or at workplaces.
Presently, seven outbreaks remain active at long-term care and retirement homes in the county, linked to at least 17 cases. They were declared on:
- Dec. 19 at Trillium Villa in Sarnia (two staff cases)
- Dec. 27 at Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia (two resident cases)
- Dec. 30 at Village on the ST. Clair in Sarnia (one resident, five staff cases)
- Dec. 31 at North Lambton Lodge in Forest (one resident case)
- Jan. 1 at Afton Park Place in Sarnia (one staff case)
- Jan. 1 at Lambton Meadowview Villa in Petrolia (two staff cases)
- Jan. 4 at Fairwinds Lodge in Sarnia (one resident, two staff cases).
At workplaces, at least six outbreaks are still active, linked to 23 cases. The names and locations of the workplaces have not been made public.
The most recent workplace outbreak was declared on Jan. 3, tied to three cases.
At schools, the Lambton Kent board reported no active cases at its schools as of its last update on Wednesday. It says it will not be reporting case data during the mandated remote learning period.
The St. Clair Catholic board has not updated its COVID-19 page since before the holidays.
One school outbreak declaration remains active, located at Confederation Central School.
At least 75,516 people had been tested in the county as of Jan. 2, the most recent figures available.
The region’s test per cent positivity rate was 6.8 per cent that week, a jump from the 3.30 seen the week before and the 0.86 seen during the week of Dec. 6.
The health unit says 4,221 people were tested between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2.
–With files from Jacquelyn LeBel, Gabby Rodrigues and Travis Dhanraj, as well as The Canadian Press
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