19 new coronavirus cases in London and Middlesex on Sunday, 18 in Sarnia-Lambton

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The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported 19 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, along with 14 recoveries.

The region’s pandemic case tally stands at 6,431, of which 6,080 have resolved. At least 185 virus-related deaths have been reported since the pandemic began, most recently on March 8.

The health unit says at least 166 cases are considered active in London-Middlesex as of Sunday. The locations of the active cases have not been made public.

At least 233 cases and two deaths have been reported so far this month in London-Middlesex, which remains in the orange-restrict level of the province’s COVID-19 response framework.

Of the 19 new cases, 18 are from London. One case is pending location data.

The health unit says three additional cases have been found to be screened variant-positive cases, bringing the total number of variants of concern (VOC) cases in London and Middlesex to 27. The figure is six more than Monday’s and double the number seen on Thursday of last week.

At least four of the cases have been confirmed to involve the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the U.K. The others remain under genomic sequencing, a process that can take up to two weeks from the time a sample screens positive for mutations that are common to variants of concern.

Variants of concern have been appearing more in local case numbers, with the percentage of variant cases increasing week-over-week, officials say.

Case numbers locally have been on the rise overall recently, raising concerns of a looming third wave. The case increases have been driven in part by variants, but also by residents engaging in close contact with too many people, the health unit has said.

During Thursday’s media briefing, Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said the average number of close contacts health officials have been recording has been six per person, enough to generate increased spread through the community.

“The things that are causing this third wave to kick into gear are really the same things that have been causing the COVID pandemic since the beginning … and that is close contacts indoors,” Mackie said.

“It’s so important as we look forward to St. Patrick’s Day next week, to Easter a few weeks after that, that people plan to have safe, small, outdoor gatherings … This third wave is just beginning and it will continue likely until May or June, as we saw the first wave tapering off last year.”

Mackie’s calls for smaller outdoor gatherings came the same day officials declared a community outbreak after at least 22 people who had attended post-secondary gatherings last week at private homes tested positive for the virus.

At least 10 post-secondary student gatherings between March 2 and March 6 have been tied to the outbreak.

The region’s seven-day case average stood at 20.57 as of Friday. The 14-day average sits at 19.0.

At least 5,610 cases have been confirmed in the city of London since the pandemic began, while 251 have been in Middlesex Centre.

Elsewhere, 209 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 96 in Thames Centre, 55 in Lucan Biddulph, 40 in Southwest Middlesex, 33 in North Middlesex, 14 in Adelaide Metcalfe and two in Newbury.

At least 121 cases have pending location information.

Hospitalizations

The number of COVID-19 inpatients in the care of London Health Sciences Centre stood at seven as of Friday.

The number in critical or intensive care remained unchanged at fewer than five.

There remain fewer than five active staff cases within the organization.

No patient or staff cases were reported as being active at any St. Joseph’s Health Care London facility. The organization has not issued an update on patient or staff cases since Monday night and says it will once case numbers change.

At least 368 people have been hospitalized during the pandemic, including 67 who have needed intensive care.

Institutional outbreaks

An outbreak remains active at University Hospital located in U4 – Medicine, also known as 4IP General Medicine.

It was declared Friday and is linked to fewer than five patient cases.

It’s the same unit that saw a significant outbreak from Nov. 10 to Dec. 29, 2020.

University Hospital had at least 13 outbreaks appear during that timeframe, of which at least five were directly connected to the initial outbreak in 4IP General Medicine. The 13 outbreaks were linked to at least 174 cases in total and 23 deaths.

Elsewhere, at least eight institutional outbreaks are active in the region.

At least 110 institutional outbreaks have been declared in the region since the pandemic began last March, with at least 82 at seniors’ facilities.

Long-term care and retirement homes have been tied to 785 of all cases reported in London-Middlesex and 106 of its deaths.

An outbreak at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre remains active, however, no inmate cases were reported at the facility as of Wednesday. No staff cases were active that day either, according to a provincial spokesperson.

The outbreak, declared Jan. 18, has been associated with at least 29 staff and 27 inmate cases.

Outbreaks remain active for two incubation periods after the last positive test result, or 28 days after the last new case, the health unit says.

Elsewhere, a non-institutional outbreak is active at Western University’s Essex Hall resident.

The aforementioned community outbreak is also considered active.

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Schools

Global News does not update school cases over the weekend.

At least two new school cases were reported by the health unit Friday.

One case is located at A.B. Lucas Secondary School in London while the other is at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Middlesex Centre.

The cases are among 10 that are active in the region as of Friday, according to the health unit.

A full list of active cases can be found on the MLHU website.

Outbreaks remain active at three schools: Bonaventure Meadows Public School, Sir Arthur Carty Catholic School, and St. Mark Catholic School.

Bonaventure has one active case, as does Sir Arthur Carty. St. Mark Catholic has no active cases, according to the health unit.

At least 238 school and child-care centre cases have been reported during the pandemic in London-Middlesex, MLHU figures show.

No child-care centre has active cases in the region.

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

Vaccinations and testing

The health unit has been handing out vaccines at the Western Fair District Agriplex in London since late December and at Caradoc Community Centre since last month. Vaccines have been administered to eligible members of the community under Phase 1 of the province’s three-phase vaccination plan.

This week the health unit opened vaccinations to all remaining health-care workers defined as “very high priority” by the province, along with adults 16 and older who are chronic home care recipients.

Among the health-care workers now eligible are those working in correctional settings, dentistry, hospital-based outpatient clinics, contract nursing agencies, hospices and palliative care settings, pharmacies, shelters, and others.

With some health units in southern Ontario beginning to offer jabs to additional age groups, including in Chatham-Kent which is now offering them to people aged 75 and older, Mackie was asked Thursday when a similar move may be made here.

Mackie said it was anticipated that those 75 and older would be eligible for the vaccine soon, “certainly by the end of the month.” However, he stressed there were still many health-care workers that needed to be vaccinated, including those who just became eligible.

“Because we are a health-care community that serves most of southwestern Ontario, we have a large health-care population to get through,” he said.

The health unit hopes to enter Phase 2 of the province’s rollout in early April, Mackie said. He noted, however, that won’t mean everyone eligible under Phase 2 will be able to get a shot immediately.

“That group starts to get so large that we’ll have to break it down to early, mid, late-Phase 2 and even more granular than that in many cases.”

Last week, the province unveiled an updated vaccination timeline showing Phase 2 being rolled out with shots administered based on risk factors including age, neighbourhood, existing health conditions and inability to work from home.

Mackie says the London-Middlesex region is “definitely in the very top” when it comes to total vaccinations administered per capita.

“It’s something I think we all should be proud of, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg, we have so much more work to do.”

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 1.1 per cent as of the week of Feb. 28, up from 0.7 the week before.

At least 8,819 people were tested the week of Feb. 28, down from 10,490 the week prior.

Ontario

Ontario reported 1,747 cases of the coronavirus Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 318,106.

Fifteen additional deaths were also reported, bringing the provincial death toll to 7,153.

A total of 298,570 COVID-19 cases are considered resolved, which is up by 1,167.

More than 47,600 additional tests were completed. Ontario has now completed 11,755,109 tests and 18,494 remain under investigation.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health reported two new COVID-19 cases and three recoveries on Sunday.

The update brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 2,626, of which 2,504 have resolved and 67 have died. The most recent death was reported on Feb. 20.

The health unit says 55 cases are considered active in the region as of Sunday, with at least 23 in Woodstock, 17 in Aylmer and four in Norwich Township.

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

Another screened variant positive case has been confirmed in Elgin and Oxford, identified at St. Michael’s Catholic Elementary School in Woodstock, officials said Friday.

The news comes less than a day after the London District Catholic School Board closed the school temporarily after two new cases were confirmed there, prompting an outbreak declaration. One case had already been active at the school. Four cases are currently active at the school.

Health unit officials say the variant case is unrelated to the outbreak, which has resulted in the school’s closure until at least March 24.

Elgin-Oxford has recorded at least nine cases that have screened variant positive as of Friday, with at least two confirmed to involve the B.1.1.7 variant. Sequencing remains underway for the others.

Elsewhere, two cases are active at St. Patrick’s School in Woodstock and one school case is still active at Emily Stowe Public School in Norwich.

Meantime, no new outbreaks have been declared and none resolved.

Three remain active, located at Arches Transitional Bed Program in Woodstock (one staff case), Maples Retirement Home in Tavistock (one resident case), and Bethany Care Home in Norwich (one resident case).

The local vaccination effort continues to push on.

Health officials opened bookings Tuesday for eligible residents in SWPH’s jurisdiction which were quickly booked up to the week of March 15.

It’s expected 5,000 new slots will soon be available for the week of March 22.

The health unit says eligible residents should visit covidvaccinelm.ca or call 226-289-3560 on March 15 starting at 8 a.m. to book into the next block of appointments.

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

The health unit says a total of 527 cases have been reported in Woodstock during the pandemic, while 451 have been in Aylmer, 433 in St. Thomas and 338 in Tillsonburg.

Elsewhere, 206 cases have been in Norwich, 162 in Bayham, 117 in Ingersoll, 109 in East Zorra-Tavistock, 57 in Zorra, 56 in Blandford-Blenheim, 47 in South-West Oxford, 46 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 0.9 per cent as of the week of Feb. 28, down from 1.6 per cent as of the week before.

At least 3,739 people were tested the week of Feb. 28, down from 4,773 the week before.

Huron and Perth

Huron Perth Public Health does not provide COVID-19 updates on Sundays.

As of Saturday, the region’s case total stood at 1,376, of which 1,307 have resolved.

At least 50 deaths have been reported in the region during the pandemic, most recently on March 1.

At least 29 cases were active in the region, with 12 located in Stratford and three are in Perth County. All other communities have active case numbers of two and under.

The region has recorded at least two presumptive positive variant cases, health officials said Thursday. Both are undergoing genomic sequencing.

As of Saturday, HPPH reports there are 116 high-risk contacts currently under investigation in isolation.

The region is in the yellow-protect level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework.

The health unit says it continues to add more vaccination appointments.

Earlier this week it announced that, like London and Middlesex, second vaccine doses for most people would be delayed up to 16 weeks following updated guidance from the province.

The move is aimed at getting more initial shots into the community.

Long-term care home, retirement home, Elder Care Lodge and Assisted Living facility residents will continue to receive a second dose between 21 to 42 days after their first, the health unit says.

Those looking to book a vaccination appointment are asked to do so via the health unit’s booking website, or by calling 1-833-753-2098.

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

Global News does not update school information on the weekend.

No new school cases had been reported in the region as of Friday, according to the health unit.

Two remain active in the region, both in Stratford. One case is located at St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School while the other is at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School.

No outbreaks are active in the region. An outbreak at an unnamed workplace has since been resolved.

Health unit figures show at least 553 cases have been reported in Perth County during the pandemic, including 348 in North Perth and 138 in Perth East.

Elsewhere, 455 cases have been reported in Huron County, including 101 in South Huron and 101 in Huron East. At least 336 cases have been reported in Stratford and 32 in St. Marys.

According to new figures released Thursday, the region’s test positivity rate was 1.0 per cent as of the week of Feb. 28, up from 0.8 per cent the week before.

Roughly 2,702 people were tested the week of Feb. 28, down from 3,319 a week earlier.

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Sarnia and Lambton

Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported 18 new COVID-19 cases along with 17 recoveries on Sunday.

The region’s pandemic case tally stands at 2,380, of which 2,163 have resolved as of Sunday. At least 46 deaths have been reported, most recently on Feb. 17.

At least 171 cases were considered active, with six people reported in the care of Bluewater Health.

At least nine outbreaks are active in the region.

Information on the local vaccination campaign can be found on the health unit’s website. The health unit says more than 9,400 people have received the vaccine.

The move to grey-lockdown, the most restrictive of the levels outlined in the province’s COVID-19 Response Framework, will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

As a result, Lambton will be the only region in southern Ontario outside of Peel and Toronto to be in lockdown. It comes nearly three weeks after the province moved Lambton from orange to red.

Lambton Public Health has already recorded at least 228 cases just since the start of March.

LPH does not update detailed information on the weekend. The below information was last updated on Friday.

The region recorded at least 20 screened variant positive cases as of Friday, according to a health unit spokesperson — an increase of 11 from Thursday. All remain under genomic sequencing.

At least two of the region’s variant cases are associated with Brooke Central Public School in Alvinston, which also has an active outbreak declaration.

Information on the impacts of grey-lockdown can be found on the province’s website.

The number of active school cases in Lambton County continues to increase, with at least eight cases reported on Friday.

It brings the total number of active school cases in the county to 49 as of Friday, according to figures published by both the Lambton Kent District School Board and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.

Full lists can be found on their respective websites, linked above.

Four cases were reported Friday at St. Peter Canisius Catholic School in Warwick, which brings the number of active cases there to 11.

Elsewhere, one case each was reported at Holy Trinity Catholic School, Lambton Central Collegiate and Vocational Institute, St. Anne Catholic School and St. Patrick’s Catholic High School.

Outbreaks are active at Brooke Central Public School, where six cases have been reported, including two that are screened variant positive cases. The school has been closed temporarily.

Elsewhere, two outbreaks are also active at Queen Elizabeth II Public School and Sacred Heart School, both in Sarnia, and both linked to two cases each.

At least five seniors’ facility outbreaks were active as of Friday, declared on:

• March 11 at Trillium Villa in Sarnia (one staff case)
• March 11 at Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia (one staff case)
• March 9 at Landmark Village in Sarnia (one staff case)
• March 7 at Lambton Meadowview Villa in Petrolia (one staff case)
• Feb. 24 at Marshall Gowland Manor in Sarnia (three staff cases).

Elsewhere, an outbreak remains active at Good Shepherd’s Lodge, a shelter in Sarnia. Declared on Feb. 24, it’s been associated with six resident and three staff cases.

One workplace outbreak is also active in the county, declared on Feb. 25. It’s linked to eight cases.

The health unit says the county’s test positivity rate was 3.1 per cent as of the week of Feb. 28, up from 1.7 per cent the week prior.

At least 3,959 people were tested the week of Feb. 28, down from 4,438 a week earlier.

— With files from Matthew Trevithick, Sawyer Bogdan, Ryan Rocca, and The Canadian Press