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Nineteen new COVID-19 cases have been reported in London and Middlesex, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit said Wednesday.
It brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 6,476, of which 6,134 have resolved, an increase of 21 from the day before. At least 185 deaths have been reported, most recently on March 8.
At least 157 cases are considered active in the region, the health unit says.
London-Middlesex remains in the orange-restrict level of the province’s COVID-19 response framework.
Of the 19 new cases, all but three are from London and most involve people under the age of 40. Two of the cases are from Lucan Biddulph and one is from North Middlesex.
Four infected individuals are aged 19 or younger; five are in their 20s; two are in their 40s; and one each is in their 30s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, and one is 80 or older.
Ten are listed as being due to close contact with a confirmed case, while three are due to outbreaks. Four have no known link and two are pending exposure data.
The number of screened variant positive cases in the region stands at 35, unchanged from the day before, according to provincial data. At least four have been confirmed to involve the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the U.K. The rest are still being investigated.
Local health officials have said more contagious variants are becoming an important driver of new COVID-19 numbers, and are a main concern when it comes to an anticipated third wave.
Such a third wave is already underway at the provincial level, according to the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
The group said Tuesday that more transmissible virus variants of concern account for almost half of new cases, with almost two-thirds of public health units now experiencing “exponential growth” of the virus.
With those concerns in mind, city and health officials have been urging people to stay home and avoid indoor gatherings in the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day on Wednesday, which will see police, city bylaw officers and health unit inspectors out in full force.
The message has been aimed in particular at younger residents, including post-secondary students, following the declaration of a community outbreak last week that has been linked to at least 45 cases.
The outbreak was initially declared after at least 22 people, mostly Western University students, contracted the virus after attending one or more of at least 10 post-secondary gatherings between March 2 and 6.
Since then, more people, largely secondary contacts who didn’t attend the gatherings themselves, have been identified. An update is expected Thursday.
The region’s seven-day case average stood at 18.85 as of Monday, while the 14-day average stood at 18.64.
At least 5,654 cases have been confirmed in the city of London since the pandemic began, while 251 have been in Middlesex Centre.
Elsewhere, 210 cases have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 95 in Thames Centre, 58 in Lucan Biddulph, 40 in Southwest Middlesex, 35 in North Middlesex, 14 in Adelaide Metcalfe and two in Newbury.
At least 117 cases have pending location information.
Hospitalizations
The number of COVID-19 inpatients in the care of London Health Sciences Centre has declined to fewer than five as of Wednesday, down from at least 10 on Tuesday.
At the same time, the organization reported that fewer than five COVID-19 inpatients were in critical or intensive care.
The number of active staff cases at LHSC stands at six as of Tuesday, up from fewer than five on Tuesday.
LHSC is still dealing with an outbreak at University Hospital in U4 – Medicine 1, or 4IP General Medicine.
Meantime, St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported no COVID-19 cases among patients or staff at any of its facilities, unchanged since March 8.
The health unit says 370 people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 during the pandemic, including 67 who have needed intensive care.
Institutional outbreaks
One institutional outbreak has been resolved and none have been declared.
The resolved outbreak had been declared on March 4 at Strathmere Lodge in its Bear Creek and Sydenham areas.
As of Tuesday, six institutional outbreaks are active in the region, with five at seniors’ facilities and one at University Hospital.
- March 12 at Dearness Home (2E/2W)
- March 12 at University Hospital (U4-Medicine 1/4IP General Medicine)
- March 11 at Glendale Crossing (Brighton)
- March 6 at Fox Hollow Retirement Residence (second, third, fourth floors)
- Feb. 28 at Richmond Woods (facility)
- Feb. 24 at Chartwell Royalcliffe Retirement Residence (facility)
At least 110 institutional outbreaks have been declared in the region since the pandemic began last March, with at least 82 at seniors’ facilities.
Meantime, no change was reported by LHSC in regards to the ongoing outbreak at University Hospital.
The outbreak, declared March 12 in U4 – Medicine 1, also known as 4IP General Medicine, has been linked to fewer than five patient and fewer than five staff cases. No deaths have been reported.
Hospital officials said Monday that prevalence screening of patients and staff on the affected unit occurred over the weekend. Medicine patients identified with high-risk exposure have been moved to private rooms.
The hospital is looking to avoid a repeat of late last year when the same unit saw a significant outbreak from Nov. 10 to Dec. 29, 2020.
During that time, the hospital had at least 13 outbreaks declared that resulted in 174 cases and 23 deaths. At least five of the 13 outbreaks were directly linked to the initial 4IP General Medicine outbreak.
The outbreaks prompted increased health and safety protocols to be implemented in late November — measures that still remain.
Elsewhere, a non-institutional outbreak remains active at the city’s jail, with at least one active inmate case reported as of Monday, the most recent figures available.
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The outbreak at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, declared Jan. 18, has been linked to at least 29 staff and 28 inmate cases.
Schools
At least one new school case was reported in the region at Wilberforce Public School in Lucan, the Thames Valley District School Board said late Tuesday.
It’s the third active case at the school, which is currently under an outbreak declaration. Elsewhere, an outbreak is active at Bonaventure Meadows Public School, but all active cases have since resolved.
Nine school cases are listed as active in the region, according to the health unit. A full list can be found on the MLHU website.
At least 217 cases have been reported at elementary and secondary schools in London-Middlesex while 26 cases have been reported at child care and early years centres.
One case was listed as being active at a private child care setting in Lucan Biddulph.
In the post-secondary world, an outbreak is still active at Western University’s Essex Hall student residence. It was declared March 2 and linked to at least seven cases.
Vaccinations and testing
The region’s third vaccination clinic administered its first dose of vaccine Wednesday morning.
The clinic, located at the North London Optimist Community Centre, won’t officially open its doors to the public until Thursday, but members of the media were given a walk-through of the facility Wednesday.
It was there that Shirley Banks, 88, became the facility’s first vaccine recipient.
“Woah, I got my shot!” Banks said with a laugh and applause from the small number of people assembled.
The new clinic will start off administering roughly 400 vaccines per day due to supply limits, but has a maximum capacity of around 2,000 vaccines per day like the Western Fair District Agriplex clinic.
The region’s other clinic, located at Caradoc Community Centre in Mount Brydges, can vaccinate up to 500 people per day.
During Monday’s media briefing, Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said the new North London clinic would be primarily administering the Moderna vaccine, of which the region recently received its first doses.
Moderna vaccines will be given at the facility for at least the first couple weeks, he said. After that will depend on how much Moderna or Pfizer vaccine the region sees in a given week.
A fourth clinic is set to open at Earl Nichols Recreation Centre, also with a maximum capacity of 2,000 doses per day, but officials say its planned opening this month is being pushed back to an unspecified date due to a lack of proper vaccine supply.
More than 54,000 vaccine doses have been administered locally to those eligible as of Sunday, according to recent figures from the health unit. Of those, more than 11,400 were administered from March 8 to 14 — roughly 1,700 more than the previous week.
Vaccine appointment bookings can be made via the local online system covidvaccinelm.ca or by calling 226-289-3560 between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. seven days a week.
The region’s two main assessment centres, located at Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena, remain open and operating by appointment.
The Carling Heights site saw an average of 399 daily visits between March 7 and 12, while Oakridge Arena saw an average of 330.
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 is reporting 1,508 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and 14 more deaths from the virus.
Wednesday’s numbers are based on 49,128 tests.
There are 741 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario.
The province says 300 of those people are in intensive care and 190 are on ventilators.
Ontario says it administered 58,202 COVID-19 vaccine doses since the last daily update. More than 1.3 million vaccine doses have been administered in Ontario so far.
A new report says distributing COVID-19 vaccines to buildings with large populations of seniors would be an equitable approach to protecting the most vulnerable.
The report published Wednesday by scientists advising the Ontario government on the pandemic looks at “naturally occurring retirement communities” in Toronto.
Researchers identify 489 such buildings in Toronto, including 256 in neighbourhoods that have the highest incidence of COVID-19.
They argue targeting buildings in high-risk neighbourhoods where at least 30 per cent of residents are aged 65 and older would be an efficient and equitable approach to vaccinations.
The report says this would offer an age-friendly option for older adults who are homebound or face challenges booking appointments, travelling to large clinics and waiting in lines.
The research group had previously made the case for prioritizing COVID-19 vaccination by age and neighbourhood to get shots to those most at-risk of hospitalization and death.
Elgin and Oxford
Four new cases have been reported in Elgin-Oxford, officials with Southwestern Public Health reported on Wednesday.
The region’s pandemic case tally stands at 2,653, of which 2,513 have resolved, three more than the day before. Sixty-seven deaths have been reported, most recently on Feb. 20.
The region has seen at least 18 screened variant positive cases, unchanged from the day before. Two have been confirmed to involve the B.1.1.7 variant.
As of Wednesday, the region has at least 73 active cases listed. Of those, 33 are in Woodstock and 15 are in Aylmer. One person is in hospital in intensive care.
The region remains in the orange-restrict level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework.
At least four new school cases have been reported in the region.
Two cases were reported at St. Patrick’s Catholic Elementary School in Woodstock, bringing the school’s active case tally to six, according to the London District Catholic School Board.
Meantime, one case was reported at Davenport Public School in Aylmer, while one was reported at South Dorchester Public School in Belmont, said the Thames Valley District School Board.
The cases are among at least 11 that are active in the region.
Elsewhere, four cases are active at St. Michael’s Catholic School in Woodstock, and one case is active at Emily Stowe Public School
An outbreak is also active at St. Michael’s, resulting in its temporary closure. At least one case there has been screened variant positive.
An outbreak is also active at Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ont., where a total of 118 cases have been confirmed, none linked to variants. At least 102 were resolved as of Monday. Newer figures were not immediately available.
No new institutional outbreaks have been reported, and only one is active, located at Arches Transitional Bed Program in Woodstock, declared on March 9 and linked to one staff case.
The health unit says a total of 540 cases have been reported in Woodstock during the pandemic, while 454 have been in Aylmer, 436 in St. Thomas and 339 in Tillsonburg.
Elsewhere, 205 cases have been in Norwich, 162 in Bayham, 117 in Ingersoll, 111 in East Zorra-Tavistock, 57 in Zorra, 56 in Blandford-Blenheim, 52 in Central Elgin, 47 in South-West Oxford, 25 in Southwold, 23 in Dutton/Dunwich, 20 in West Elgin and eight in Malahide.
The region’s test positivity rate stood at 1.1 per cent as of the week of March 7, up from 1.0 the week before, new figures show.
At least 4,550 people were tested the week of March 7, down from 4,779 a week earlier.
Huron and Perth
Two new coronavirus cases have been reported, with one in Bluewater and one in Stratford, officials with Huron Perth Public Health reported on Wednesday.
The update brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 1,389, of which 1,318 have resolved, an increase of two from the day before.
At least 50 deaths have been reported, most recently on March 1.
The region has recorded four screened variant positive cases as of Monday, unchanged from the day before. The cases remain under investigation.
The health unit says 21 cases are active in the region, with 14 in Stratford alone. At least two people are currently in hospital for COVID-19.
The region remains in the yellow-protect level of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework.
Vaccinations continue in the region, with the health unit saying bookings will be made through its own local system for the time being despite the provincial system being launched this week.
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, including eligibility, can be found on the health unit’s website.
No new school cases were reported in the region Wednesday.
Two were considered active in Huron-Perth, with one located at St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School and the other at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School.
Meantime, no new outbreaks have been declared at any local long-term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals or schools, and the health unit says none are active at any of those locations.
One outbreak is still active at an unspecified workplace, the health unit says.
Since the pandemic began, the health unit says at least 554 cases have been reported in Perth County, with 348 in North Perth and 138 in Perth East, while at least 457 have been reported in Huron County, with 101 each in Huron East and South Huron.
Stratford has reported at least 346 cases in total, while St. Marys has seen 32.
According to figures released last week, 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. New numbers are expected Thursday.
Roughly 2,702 people were tested the week of Feb. 28, down from 3,319 a week earlier.
Sarnia and Lambton
Twenty new cases have been reported in Lambton County, officials with Lambton Public Health reported Wednesday.
It brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 2,451, of which 2,225 have resolved, 16 more than the day before. At least 47 deaths have been reported, most recently on Tuesday involving a woman in her 70s. It was the first death to be reported since Feb. 17.
At least 33 cases from Lambton Public Health have screened variant positive, unchanged from the day before but up 13 from Friday. None have undergone complete genomic sequencing. According to a health unit spokesperson, roughly 40 per cent of the county’s variant cases are related to schools.
The health unit says at least 179 cases are active in the region as of Wednesday. Bluewater Health reported six COVID-19 patients in their care, unchanged since Sunday and two higher than a week ago.
The region is in grey-lockdown of the province’s COVID-19 response framework.
At least six new school cases were reported Wednesday, with two each at Confederation Central School and Great Lakes Secondary School, and one each at High Park Public School and St. Patrick’s Catholic High School.
At least 75 school cases are active in Lambton County as of Wednesday according to the latest figures published by the Lambton Kent District School Board and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.
In addition, one new school outbreak was declared, located at Holy Trinity Catholic School, which has at least three active cases.
Outbreaks are also active at Brooke Central Public School, North Lambton Secondary School, Queen Elizabeth II Public School in Sarnia, and Sacred Heart Catholic School in Sarnia.
At least 16 active cases were listed Wednesday by the school board at North Lambton Secondary School, and seven at Brooke Central Public School. Queen Elizabeth and Sacred Heart had one and three active cases, respectively.
It’s unclear how many school cases may involve variants, but a health unit spokesperson told 980 CFPL Tuesday that roughly 40 per cent of the county’s variant cases are related to schools.
Meantime, two new outbreaks have been declared and two have resolved, the health unit says.
The two new outbreaks were reported at Holy Trinity Catholic School and at Sumac Lodge, a long-term care home in Sarnia.
The Holy Trinity school outbreak is linked to at least three cases, while the Sumac Lodge outbreak is tied to one staff case, the health unit says.
The two resolved outbreaks were located at Good Shepherd’s Lodge, linked to six resident cases and three staff cases, and at an unnamed workplace, linked to nine cases.
In total, 10 outbreaks are active as of Tuesday, with five at seniors’ facilities, and five at schools.
The five seniors’ facility outbreaks were declared on:
- March 16 at Sumac Lodge in Sarnia (one staff case)
- March 11 at Trillium Villa in Sarnia (two staff cases)
- 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).
The health unit says the county’s test positivity rate was 3.3 per cent as of the week of March 7, up from 3.1 the week before and 1.7 a week before that.
Finalized testing numbers aren’t available, but at least 4,786 people were tested the week of March 7 compared to a total of 5,150 the week before.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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