Coronavirus: 19 new cases reported in London-Middlesex; 24 in Lambton County

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

Nineteen new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in London and Middlesex, local health officials reported on Friday.

The update brings the regional pandemic case tally to 6,250, of which 5,941 have resolved, nine more than the day before.

At least 184 people have died during the pandemic. The most recent death was reported Wednesday involving a woman in her 80s not linked to a seniors’ facility.

With the update, at least 125 cases are active in London-Middlesex.

The region remains in the orange-restrict level of the province’s COVID-19 response framework.

Of the 19 new cases Friday, 15 are from London, one is from North Middlesex and one is from Strathroy-Caradoc. Two cases are pending location data.

At least five cases involve people 19 or younger, three are in their 20s, one is in their 30s, four are in their 40s, two are in their 60s, three are in their 70s and one is 80 or older.

At least six cases have close contact listed as an exposure source, while one is linked to an outbreak. Seven cases are pending or undetermined and five have no known link.

The total number of screened variant positive cases in the region remains unchanged at 12, with four confirmed to involve the variant B.1.1.7, first detected in the U.K.

The region’s seven-day case average stood at 15.42 as of Friday, while the 14-day average was 13.35.

At least 5,449 cases have been confirmed in the city of London since the pandemic began, while 248 have been in Middlesex Centre.

Elsewhere, 207 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 96 in Thames Centre, 54 in Lucan Biddulph, 37 in Southwest Middlesex, 33 in North Middlesex, 14 in Adelaide Metcalfe and two in Newbury.

At least 110 cases have pending location information.

Hospitalizations

The number of inpatients hospitalized at LHSC with COVID-19 remained unchanged from the day before at six.

The number of patients in critical or intensive care also remained unchanged at fewer than five, along with the number of active staff cases within the organization.

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, no COVID-19 patients were reported to be in the care of St. Joseph’s Hospital as of early Thursday morning, the most recent update.

The organization had two active staff cases as of the update.

At least 361 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19, the health unit says. Of those, 67 have needed intensive care.

Institutional outbreaks

One new outbreak has been declared and one has resolved.

The new outbreak was declared Thursday at Strathmere Lodge in its Bear Creek and Sydenham areas.

The resolved outbreak was located at Peoplecare Oak Crossing in Norway Spruce (third floor), the health unit says.

It leaves five active seniors’ facility outbreaks in the region.

There have been at least 105 institutional outbreaks since the pandemic began, with at least 78 at local seniors’ facilities. They’ve been linked to at least 779 of the region’s cases and 106 of its deaths.

Elsewhere, a non-institutional outbreak remains active at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre. The outbreak, declared Jan. 18, has been associated with at least 29 staff cases and 27 inmate cases. Three inmate cases were listed as active as of Wednesday.

Non-institutional outbreaks are also active at St. Mark Catholic Elementary School, declared Thursday, and at Western University’s Essex Hall Residence, declared March 2, linked to at least seven cases.

Schools

At least four new school cases have been reported in the region.

Two have been reported at St. Mark Catholic Elementary School, according to the health unit. The cases have prompted an outbreak declaration at the school.

Elsewhere, a case has also been reported at Regina Mundi Catholic College, according to the London District Catholic School Board.

One case has also been reported at Bonaventure Public School. It’s the second case to be seen at the school in as many days.

At least 12 school cases are active in London and Middlesex, the health unit says. A full list can be found on its website.

The Thames Valley District School Board announced Friday that it was rolling out asymptomatic coronavirus testing next week.

Voluntary testing of students and staff in the public board who do not have obvious symptoms of COVID-19 will begin on Wednesday at a number of clinic sites.

Health officials say at least 224 school and child-care cases have been reported in London and Middlesex during the pandemic.

As of Friday, two child-care cases remain active in London. One is located at Little Acorns Early Childhood Learning Centre – London Bridge, while the other is at Stoneybrook Early Childhood Learning Centre – London Bridge.

In the post-secondary world, an outbreak remains active at Western University’s Essex Hall student residence.

The outbreak was declared on March 2 and is linked to at least seven positive cases, according to the university.

It’s the fourth residence outbreak to be declared during the pandemic, following outbreaks at London Hall, Perth Hall and Saugeen-Maitland Hall in October and November.

Vaccinations and testing

Health Canada on Friday announced it had approved the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, saying it has evidence that the vaccine is both safe and effective against the novel coronavirus that causes the disease.

It was also announced that Canada will get an extra 1.5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine delivered this month, with another one million arriving in both April and May.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the fourth COVID-19 shot approved for use in Canada and the only one Canada has purchased that requires just a single dose.

Canada has pre-purchased 10 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, developed by subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Canada has options to buy another 28 million doses.

It’s not expected any will flow to Canada until at least April.

The vaccine can be stored and transported at refrigerated temperatures for at least three months, facilitating distribution across the country.

It remains to be seen how the news impacts the local vaccination campaign.

The province unveiled an updated vaccination timeline Friday, with Phase 2 of the three-phase rollout seeing shots administered based on risk factors including age, neighbourhood, existing health conditions and inability to work from home.

The updated timeline does not factor in the newly approved Johnson & Johnson shot and additional doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Shots will go to seniors 75 and older starting in April with a goal of offering first shots to everyone 60 and older by the end of May.

Doses will also be offered starting in April to people with specific health conditions and some caregivers, including those in congregate settings.

Essential workers who can’t work from home will be offered doses at the end of Phase 2, while adults 59 and younger are expected to receive the shot in July, though the timeline is subject to change.

Locally, health officials say they’ve been able to book more than 12,000 vaccination appointments for members of the community 80 and older since opening bookings up Tuesday morning.

“Thank you to everyone who has gone above and beyond to help their family, friends, neighbours to book those appointments. We know that accessing appointments online can be a challenge, particularly for people over 80,” Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said Thursday.

Mackie added staff with London-Health Sciences Centre and the health unit were able to increase immunization capacity at the region’s two mass vaccination clinics from 1,000 doses per day to closer to 1,500.

The two clinics are operating at the Western Fair District Agriplex in London and at Caradoc Community Centre in Mount Brydges. Two more are set to open, but it’s not clear when.

Health officials have said that given uncertainty about the vaccination supply locally, bookings are being done only as far as two weeks out.

The local appointment booking phone system and website have been inundated with calls and visits this week from residents trying to snag a slot before they’re all taken.

When bookings opened Tuesday, all 5,000 open slots were taken in less than two hours. Roughly 200,000 calls came in over the course of the day.

With demand vastly outpacing supply, frustrations have been mounting. In a tweet Wednesday night, Mackie implored residents to be respectful to staff members manning the phone lines.

“For goodness sake, please do not call the (health unit) phone number and yell, swear, demean, or otherwise criticise the excellent staff answering the phones there.”

During Thursday’s media briefing, Mackie said those wishing to provide feedback can contact the health unit, including at health@mlhu.on.ca.

He noted the health unit received some feedback that parts of the online system were difficult to enter data into. In particular, the system was not allowing people who entered the version code — the letters following the numbers in the health card — to proceed.

“The most important thing for us is that people are able to book and we’re seeing that, I mean, appointments are disappearing as soon as they’re available through the online system,” he said.

“We know that we’re in a situation where we need to move as quickly as possible, and that means that no system is going to be perfect, and so we accept that, because we’re focused on the overall goal of getting vaccine into arms as soon as possible.”

Mackie says pre-registration, as is done in Windsor-Essex, is a possibility that they will consider for the next round of large doses being available for the general public.

The region’s two main assessment centres, located at Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena, remain open and operating by appointment.

The region’s test positivity rate stood at 0.7 per cent as of the week of Feb. 21, slightly down from 0.8 per cent the week before.

At least 10,158 people were tested the week of Feb. 21, more than the 9,730 a week earlier.

Ontario

Ontario is reporting 1,250 new cases of COVID-19 and 22 more deaths linked to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 337 new cases in Toronto, 167 in Peel Region and 129 in York Region.

Friday’s data is based on more than 64,700 completed tests.

The province also reports a single-day high of 35,886 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered since Thursday’s update.

A total of 820,714 doses of vaccine have been administered in Ontario so far.

Ontario says 1,159 more cases were resolved since the last daily update.

There have been 306,007 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario since the pandemic began, 288,583 that have been resolved and 7,046 that have resulted in death.

Elgin and Oxford

Seven new coronavirus cases were reported Friday by Southwestern Public Health.

It brings the total number of cases reported in Elgin-Oxford during the pandemic to 2,561, of which 2,412 have resolved, an increase of eight from the day before.

At least 67 people have died during the pandemic, with the most recent death reported Feb. 20.

The update leaves 82 active cases in the region. Fifty-five are located in Aylmer, with nine in Woodstock and seven in St. Thomas. Seven other municipalities have four or fewer cases.

The high number of cases in Aylmer has been driven by an ongoing outbreak at the Ontario Police College which has grown to 93 cases in total as of Thursday, according to the health unit.

On Thursday, officials confirmed that two COVID-19 variant cases had been identified in the region involving two residents who live in the same home and who are believed to have become infected through international travel. Both cases have resolved.

The region moved into the orange-restrict level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework on Monday.

Information on the local vaccination campaign can be found on the health unit’s website.

No new coronavirus cases have been reported at schools in Elgin-Oxford.

None are currently active, according to the Thames Valley and London District Catholic school boards.

No new outbreaks have been declared or resolved.

One outbreak remains active at Bethany Care Home in Norwich, declared on March 2 and linked to one resident case.

The health unit says a total of 500 cases have been reported in Woodstock during the pandemic, while 433 have been in St. Thomas, 428 in Aylmer and 336 in Tillsonburg.

Elsewhere, 202 cases have been in Norwich, 162 in Bayham, 115 in Ingersoll, 105 in East Zorra-Tavistock, 56 in Zorra, 56 in Blandford-Blenheim, 46 in South-West Oxford, 45 in Central Elgin, 25 in Southwold, 23 in Dutton/Dunwich, 20 in West Elgin and eight in Malahide.

The region’s test positivity rate stood at 1.6 per cent as of the week of Feb. 21, up from 0.5 per cent the week before and 0.8 the week before that.

At least 4,773 people were tested the week of Feb. 21, up slightly from 4,470 a week earlier.

Huron and Perth

One new coronavirus case was reported on Friday in Huron and Perth, local health officials reported.

It brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 1,346, of which 1,274 have resolved, two more than the day before.

At least 50 people have died, with the most recent death reported on Monday.

The health unit says 22 cases are active in the region, 10 of which are in Stratford.

The region moved into the yellow-protect level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework on Monday.

Information on the local vaccination campaign can be found on the health unit’s website.

No new school cases have been reported in Huron or Perth.

Three are active in the region, located at two schools under the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.

Two cases are active at St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School in Stratford, while one case is active at Jeanne Sauvé Catholic Elementary School, also in Stratford.

Meantime, one outbreak is active in the region, located at a retirement home.

The outbreak, declared Jan. 31 at Seaforth Manor Retirement Home in Huron East, has been linked to 12 resident cases and one staff case.

Health unit figures show at least 549 cases have been reported in Perth County during the pandemic, including 345 in North Perth and 138 in Perth East.

Elsewhere, 446 cases have been reported in Huron County, including 99 in South Huron and 98 in Huron East, while at least 319 cases have been reported in Stratford and 32 in St. Marys.

Officials reported this week that the local test positivity rate stood at 0.7 per cent the week of Feb. 21, the same as the week before.

Roughly 3,266 people were tested the week of Feb. 21, up from 2,899 a week earlier.

Sarnia and Lambton

The region’s pandemic case total rose by 24 on Friday compared to a day earlier, local health figures show.

The total stands at 2,187, of which 2,019 have resolved, an increase of eight from the day before.

At least 46 people have died. The most recent death was reported Feb. 17.

As of Friday, at least 122 cases are active in the county. Bluewater Health reported three COVID-19 patients in its care on Friday.

At least 26 of the county’s active cases were located at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation as of Thursday, a number that rose from two just days earlier.

The situation has become “quite alarming,” Chief Jason Henry said in a video posted to the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point Facebook page.

The First Nation has seen a total of 39 confirmed cases during the pandemic.

Lambton County remains in red-control of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework.

Information on the local vaccination campaign can be found on the health unit’s website.

At least 20 school cases are active in Lambton County as of Friday, according to the Avon-Maitland and St. Clair Catholic district school boards.

• Alexander Mackenzie Secondary School
• Colonel Cameron Public School
• Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School (two cases)
• Holy Rosary Catholic School (two cases)
• King George VI Public School – Sarnia
• Lambton Central Collegiate & Vocational Institute
• Lansdowne Public School
• North Lambton Secondary School (three cases)
• Northern Collegiate Institute & Vocational School
• Queen Elizabeth II Public School – Sarnia
• Sacred Heart Catholic School
• St. Joseph Catholic School (two cases)
• St. Peter Canisius Catholic School (three cases)

Meantime, no new outbreaks have been declared or resolved.

Six are active, with three at seniors’ facilities, one at Sarnia’s jail, one at a Sarnia shelter, and one at an unnamed workplace.

The seniors’ facility outbreaks were declared on:

• Feb. 24 at Marshall Gowland Manor in Sarnia (three staff cases)
• Feb. 19 at Twin Lakes Terrace in Sarnia (one staff case)
• Feb. 10 at Country Manor Estates in Lambton Shores (two resident, one staff case)

Elsewhere, the jail outbreak was declared on Feb. 7 and is linked to 47 inmate cases and five staff cases, while the shelter outbreak, declared Feb. 24 at Good Shepherd’s Lodge, is linked to six resident and three staff cases, one more resident case than the day before.

The workplace outbreak, declared Feb. 25, involves eight cases.

The health unit says the county’s test per cent positivity rate was 1.7 per cent the week of Feb. 21, down from 1.9 the week before.

At least 4,367 people were tested the week of Feb. 21, up from 3,797 the week before.

— With files from The Canadian Press