COVID-19: 80 cases in London-Middlesex as Elgin-Oxford, Huron-Perth record one death each

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

Local health officials in London-Middlesex reported 80 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday as the province announced it would be extending its stay-at-home order until at least June 2, and as all people 40 and older became vaccine-eligible.

The region’s pandemic case total stands at 11,426, of which 10,410 have resolved, an increase of 90 from the day before. At least 210 deaths have been reported, most recently on Sunday.

At least 806 cases are active in the region as of Thursday, the health unit says.

The region has recorded at least 937 cases so far this month along with at least 10 deaths.

The rolling seven-day case average for London-Middlesex is 74 as of Thursday (May 6-12), compared to 85 the seven days prior.

The region’s test positivity rate stood at 6.3 per cent as of the week of May 2, down from 6.7 the week before.

Of the 80 new cases reported, 70 are from London while nine are from Middlesex County. One case is pending location data.

Health unit data shows that, as has been the case for several weeks, younger people make up the majority of cases, with 56 per cent involving people under 40.

Eighteen are aged 19 or younger; 16 are in their 20s; 11 are in their 30s; 13 are in their 40s; 12 are in their 50s; eight are in their 60s; and one is in their 70s.

Close contact is listed as the exposure source for 37 of the cases, while 24 are pending data, 13 have no known link, and five are due to outbreak.

The number of confirmed/presumed* variant cases recorded in London-Middlesex has risen by 125 to a total of at least 2,323.

Variants have been making up the majority of cases seen in the region over the last month and a half with coronavirus variants now the dominant strain, health unit data shows.

At least 71 per cent of cases involved variants as of the week of May 2, according to the health unit.

The vast majority of variant cases in the region — 2,302 — have been the B.1.1.7 variant, first detected in the U.K.

At least 20 cases have been confirmed to involve the P.1 variant, first detected in Brazil, while one, confirmed earlier this month, was found to involve B.1.617, first detected in India.

At least 296 other cases have been found to have a spike protein mutation consistent with one or more coronavirus variants.

Of those, at least 165 were found to have the E484K mutation, consistent with the P.1 and B.1.351 variants. They remain under genomic testing to determine the specific variant involved.

Another 131 cases were initially found to have just the N501Y mutation, but since they have not been ruled out for E484K, they are not being presumed B.1.1.7 yet.

5:05 Olympic champion Alex Kopacz opens up about his near-death experience with COVID-19

The province announced Thursday that it will extend stay-at-home order until June 2 to bring down high rates of COVID-19.

The move, Premier Doug Ford says, was necessary to bring infection cases down and “save the summer.”

Thousands of businesses and public schools will remain closed until the order is lifted, as a result, including outdoor recreational facilities.

The government’s science advisers have said banning outdoor activities will not control COVID-19 and disproportionately harm children and those who don’t have access to their own green space.

Ford acknowledged the criticism but said that measure would stay in place to limit mobility and other behaviour that could contribute to spread of the virus.

Ontario declared a state of emergency and invoked the stay-at-home order in early April amid skyrocketing cases.

The province’s top doctor has said he would like to see “well below” 1,000 daily cases before Ontario lifts the stay-at-home order.

A total of 10,275 cases have been confirmed in London since the pandemic began, while 354 have been in Middlesex Centre.

Elsewhere, 324 cases have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 146 in Thames Centre, 71 in Lucan Biddulph, 56 in North Middlesex, 54 in Southwest Middlesex, 15 in Adelaide Metcalfe and three in Newbury.

At least 128 cases have pending location information.

Hospitalizations

Sixty-three COVID-19 patients were listed in the care of London Health Sciences Centre as of Wednesday afternoon, a decrease of eight from the day before.

Of those, 33 are in intensive care, a decrease of four from Wednesday.

At least 30 of the 63 people in LHSC’s care are from out of the region, including 23 of the 33 in the ICU.

Fewer than five staff cases are active at LHSC. Two were listed as being active on Wednesday.

Hospitalizations at LHSC have been slowly decreasing over the last week, from a record 100 on Friday to 76 on Monday and 71 on Tuesday.

1:58 Damning WHO report on global response to pandemic concludes disaster could have been avoided

LHSC has seen dozens of patients transferred in from hard-hit Toronto-area hospitals over the last several weeks.

The capacity crunch forced it to open 25 additional critical care beds, and to curb non-urgent surgeries as part of a provincial directive. Surgical capacity remains halved, officials say, an amount that isn’t anticipated to go lower.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London says no COVID-19 patients are in its care at any of its facilities, however four cases are active among the organization’s staff.

At least 611 people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 during the pandemic, including 101 in intensive care.

Institutional outbreaks

No new institutional outbreaks have been declared, and one has resolved.

The outbreak had involved the Glanworth area of Glendale Crossing. Two other outbreaks were declared over on Tuesday in the facility’s Lambeth and Westminster areas.

Elsewhere, outbreaks are active at Dearness Home (5 East, 5 West), Kensington Village (1st floor long-term care) and Kensington Village Retirement (Canterbury).

A non-institutional outbreak remains active at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre. Two inmate cases are listed as being active at the jail as of Tuesday.

At least 62 inmate cases and 43 staff cases have been reported at the jail as a result of the outbreak, declared on Jan. 18, nearly four months ago.

It’s unclear if any other non-institutional outbreaks or workplace outbreaks are active in the region, as MLHU only reports outbreaks in settings such as child care, education, and health care.

Schools and child care

No new school cases have been reported in the region and none are currently active, the health unit says.

Elementary and secondary students are still learning remotely. No information has been released regarding whether students will return to the classroom by the time the school year ends next month.

At least 351 cases have been reported involving local elementary and secondary schools during the pandemic.

In the local child-care sector, the health unit says a new outbreak has been declared involving Simply Kids in London.

The facility has three active cases associated with it, according to the health unit website.

Elsewhere, one active case is associated with London Bridge: Rowntree Park Early Childhood Learning Centre, which has had an active outbreak declaration since April 25.

No further information has been released. At least 88 cases have been reported during the pandemic involving child care and early years settings.

Meanwhile, no outbreaks are active involving local post-secondary institutions.

Vaccinations and Testing

Starting Thursday, all residents 40 and older, and those turning 40 this year, can book an appointment at a local mass vaccination clinic, including one set to open later this month.

Thursday marks the first day of appointment bookings for the Earl Nichols Recreation Centre clinic, which will officially open its doors on May 25.

It joins three others in operation at the Western Fair Agriplex, North London Optimist Community Centre, and Caradoc Community Centre. Health officials are planning for a fifth clinic, but no details have been hammered out.

Eligible residents are asked to visit the local vaccine booking website or call 226-289-3560 to book an appointment at one of the region’s four vaccination clinics. Online appointments are encouraged.

People 30 and older are expected to become eligible on May 20, and people 18 and older on May 27, pending provincial confirmation.

On Tuesday, eligibility was opened up to people aged 16 and older with at-risk health conditions, and people who fall under Group 2 of the province’s list of people who can’t work from home.

Starting Friday, people determined by the province to be high-risk essential health-care providers will be eligible to get their second doses. Appointments must be made by phone.

More than 216,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in London and Middlesex as of Monday, with more than 188,000 of them through mass vaccination clinics.

The rapidly expanding eligibility pool comes as the province is anticipating millions of Pfizer doses this month and next.

Locally, Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, says roughly 23,000 to 25,000 Pfizer doses are expected to arrive next week as the province winds down its 50 per cent reallocation of vaccines to hot spots.

“We will be catching up quickly in terms of doses per capita administered in this region. We’ve already planned for those in our vaccine booking system,” Mackie said on Thursday.

With people 18 and older set to be eligible May 27, the province announced Thursday that it would start administering the Pfizer vaccine to children aged 12 to 17 starting the week of May 31.

“We want to get those vaccines, at least first doses, in by the end of June, if we can, based on supply,” Mackie said, noting that while it planned to partner with school boards, it was not anticipating a school-by-school campaign, noting the time it would take.

“There may be situations where we do set up a clinic in a school, but at this stage in the campaign, the mass clinics are still by far the most efficient and effective way to get the vaccine into arms.”

Asked whether the health unit anticipated vaccines being available to children under 12 by the time school returns in September, Mackie said he certainly hoped so, but noted few details had come down from the province.

6:05 Dr. Isaac Bogoch busts COVID-19 vaccine myths

When it comes to the now-paused AstraZeneca shot, Mackie says he wants people who got the vaccine to know they made the right decision.

“You protected yourself at a time when the virus was circulating intensely in our community, and it still is. And that protection will help you, it will help your family, and will help our community,” Mackie said.

People 40 and older had been eligible to get the AstraZeneca shot as part of the province’s pharmacy program, however Ontario announced earlier this week that it was halting first doses of the vaccine because of increased instances of a rare blood clotting disorder linked to the shot.

“In the 650,000 vaccinations or so, we would have expected about seven cases of blood clots. Instead it’s probably around eight to 11. We’re still confirming some of those. It doesn’t really materially change the risk level,” Mackie said.

“One thing that is different now is we have a much better supply of Pfizer vaccine that is much more widely available. So that means anyone that is still seeking a vaccine is able to get one of those mRNA vaccines either right away or very soon as eligibility opens up.”

It’s not clear yet whether people who initially got the AstraZeneca shot will receive their second shot from the same vaccine or from a different one.

Some local pharmacies are expected to begin offering Moderna doses starting next week. Information will be posted to the province’s website. As of May 13, the closest pharmacies offering Moderna were in Hamilton.

The MLHU is not involved in vaccinations at pharmacies, but has told Global News that the Moderna vaccine will also be offered to select primary care providers as part of a pilot project.

Those looking to get tested for COVID-19 can still visit the region’s two main assessment centres, at Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena, which remain open and operating by appointment.

Ontario

Ontario is reporting 2,759 new COVID-19 cases today.

It’s also reporting 31 more deaths from the virus.

The data is based on 47,638 tests.

There were 1,632 people in Ontario hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Thursday morning.

That number includes 776 people in intensive care and 568 on ventilators.

The province says it administered 137,697 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine yesterday for a total of more than 6.6 million doses given out so far.

Ontarians aged 40 and older can book COVID-19 vaccine appointments across the province today. The province opened eligibility to the age cohort through its vaccine booking portal.

People in their 40s could previously take Oxford-AstraZeneca shots at pharmacies but they can now book at other clinics.

The province stopped giving first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine this week, citing an increased risk of a rare but serious blood clot linked to the shot.

Elgin and Oxford

One death and 16 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Elgin-Oxford, officials with Southwestern Public Health reported on Thursday.

It brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 3,608, of which 3,398 have resolved, an increase of 19 from the day before. At least 78 deaths have been reported.

The most recent death involved a woman in her 90s who was a resident of Caressant Care Nursing Home. The Woodstock facility has had an active outbreak since April 29. Health officials wouldn’t say if the deceased had been vaccinated, citing privacy.

At least 132 cases are currently active in Elgin-Oxford, including 32 in Woodstock, 27 in Tillsonburg and 26 in St. Thomas.

Thirteen people from Elgin-Oxford are currently in the hospital with COVID-19, including five who are in intensive care, the health unit says.

The number of variant cases, and cases which have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant, stands at 619, 20 more than the day before. At least 94 are active.

The health unit says at least 533 of the cases have either been confirmed to be or are presumed to be the B.1.1.7 variant, while two cases have been confirmed to be the P.1 variant.

(If a case is found to have just one specific spike protein mutation, N501Y, during initial screening, the case is presumed to be B.1.1.7 and is not sent for further genomic analysis. The reason being that particular variant has only been linked to that mutation.)

At least 70 cases have screened positive for the E484K spike protein mutation, which has been associated with the P.1 and B.1.351 variants, detected in Brazil and South Africa, respectively. Those cases are undergoing genomic analysis.

1:43 COVID-19: Tackling aerosol transmission through ventilator systems

As of Thursday, all people 40 and older, and people turning 40 this year, are now eligible to get the vaccine, along with people in previously identified groups.

People 30 and older are expected to become eligible next week, and people 18-plus the week after. Highest-risk health care workers are expected to be eligible to book their second doses as of Friday.

“These workers will get more information from their employers shortly. They can not rebook an appointment online. Only through the telephone booking system,” Dr. Joyce Lock, the region’s medical officer of health, said Wednesday.

Eligibility was expanded on Tuesday to include people 16 and older with at-risk health conditions and members of the province’s second group of people who can’t work from home.

Eligible residents are asked to visit the area’s vaccine booking site or call 226-289-3560, and are being encouraged to add their name to a same-day vaccination list.

In the N5H postal code, all adults 18 and older are eligible as the area is still a designated COVID-19 hot spot.

Health officials say they’re planning on rolling out more pop up clinics to the area to increase immunization rates. The N5H area has among the lowest vaccination rate in the province.

More than 80,000 people in SWPH have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

No school-related cases are active in Elgin-Oxford, according to the two main local school boards.

No new outbreaks have been declared and two remain active, both linked to one death each.

One involves Caressant Care Nursing Home in Woodstock, and is linked to four cases among residents and six among staff. The death reported Thursday involved a resident of the facility.

Elsewhere, an outbreak at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital is also ongoing, associated with 14 patient cases, five staff cases and one death — two patient cases more than the day before.

Variants are a factor in the hospital outbreak, according to health unit officials.

During the pandemic, the health unit says Woodstock has reported the most cases with at least 795, followed by St. Thomas with 663, Aylmer with 510, and Tillsonburg with 459.

At least 236 have been in Norwich Township, while 184 have been in Bayham, 176 in Ingersoll, 139 in East Zorra-Tavistock, 87 in Blandford-Blenheim, 87 in Central Elgin, 76 in Zorra, 68 in South-West Oxford, 46 in Dutton/Dunwich, 35 in Southwold, 28 in West Elgin and 18 in Malahide.

The region’s test positivity rate stood at 3.0 per cent the week of May 2, down from 3.2 per cent the previous week.

Huron and Perth

One death and 20 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Huron-Perth, local health officials said Thursday.

It’s the second day in a row that the region has recorded a death. Fifteen new cases were reported on Wednesday.

The health unit says eight of the new cases are from Stratford, four are from Perth East, two each are from North Perth and St. Marys, and one each is from Howick, North Huron, Perth South, and West Perth.

The region’s pandemic case tally now stands at 1,691, of which 1,549 have resolved, an increase of nine from the day before.

Details about the newly reported death were not immediately available. It brings the region’s death toll to 55.

At least 87 active COVID-19 cases are in Huron-Perth, with 30 in South Huron and 22 in Stratford. Three people are currently in hospital, one more than the day before.

Health officials say the recent spike in cases is due to outbreaks, social interactions where public health measures aren’t being followed, and of household spread.

The region’s test positivity rate stood at 3.1 per cent the week of May 2, a notable increase from the 1.0 per cent seen a week earlier. Both weeks saw around 2,500 tests completed.

The number of variant cases, and cases which have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant, stands at 168, ten more than the day before. At least 43 are active.

At least 104 are confirmed or are presumed to be the B.1.1.7 variant, according to Public Health Ontario.

(If a case is found to have just one specific spike protein mutation, N501Y, during initial screening, the case is presumed to be B.1.1.7 and does not undergo genomic analysis as that particular variant has only been linked to that mutation.)

Details on the remaining variant/mutation-positive cases are unclear.

1:53 COVID-19: Mixed messaging around AstraZeneca vaccine highlights public distrust, uncertainty

As of Thursday, people 40 and older, and people turning 40 this year, are now eligible to get the vaccine, along with those in previously identified groups.

Those previously identified groups include people 16 and older with at-risk health conditions, and people who fall under Group 2 of the province’s list of people who can’t work from home. Both groups became eligible earlier this week.

People 30 and older are expected to be eligible next week, with people 18-plus eligible the week after that.

In addition, high-risk health professionals and essential caregivers for long-term care and retirement homes will be able to book their second shots by the end of this week.

Those eligible to book an appointment are asked to do so via the local booking system or by calling 1-833-753-2098.

Up until this week, people 40 and older had been able to get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot at some pharmacies as part of a provincial program.

However, the Ontario government said Tuesday that it was pausing first doses of the vaccine out of an abundance of caution over concerns about a rare blood clotting condition linked to the shot.

“The province has indicated it will provide more guidance around second doses for those who received a first dose of AstraZeneca,” health officials said in an update Wednesday.

“The Huron Perth Mass Vaccination Advisory Committee, which includes HPPH, pharmacy and primary care representatives, will follow provincial direction on second doses.”

More than 53,900 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Huron-Perth so far, the health unit says. At least 45 per cent of Huron-Perth residents have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, while 3.5 per cent, or about 4,200, have had both doses.

Five school-related COVID-19 cases have been reported in the Huron-Perth region.

The Avon-Maitland District School Board says two cases are linked with Hamlet Public School while one is linked to F.E. Madill Secondary School.

The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board reported two cases associated with St. Ambrose Catholic Elementary School in Stratford.

No school exposure was reported in relation to any of the cases as students are still learning remotely.

Elsewhere, two previous cases remains active associated with Anne Hathaway Public School, reported May 7.

No long-term home or retirement home outbreaks are active. One involving Fordwich Village was deemed over on May 11.

Five are active elsewhere in the region. Details on the outbreaks are limited. The health unit will only say that three are linked to workplaces, one to the community, and one at a congregate living setting.

“HPPH will not provide further details on these outbreaks. We only provide information publicly when there is risk to the public or where we can’t complete case and contact management,” the health unit said in an update Wednesday.

A total of 653 cases have been reported in Perth County, with 403 in North Perth and 153 in Perth East, while 573 have been reported in Huron County, with 144 in South Huron and 107 in Huron East.

Stratford has reported at least 422 in total, while St. Marys has seen 43.

Sarnia and Lambton

Nineteen new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Lambton County, local health officials said Thursday, bringing the region’s pandemic case total to 3,369.

Of those, at least 3,223 have resolved, an increase of seven from the day before. At least 56 deaths have been reported, most recently on April 24.

The health unit says 90 cases are active in Lambton. At Bluewater Health hospital, 17 COVID-19 patients were listed as being in their care as of Thursday, unchanged from a day earlier.

At least 483 cases have been confirmed/presumed to be a variant case, or have screened positive for a spike protein mutation consistent with a variant — 22 more than the day before.

Public Health Ontario data shows at least 326 of the cases have either been confirmed to be or are presumed* to be the B.1.1.7 variant. At least four cases have been confirmed to be the P.1 variant.

(*If a case is found to have just one specific spike protein mutation, N501Y, during initial screening, the case is presumed to be B.1.1.7 and is not sent for further genomic analysis. The reason being that particular variant has only been linked to that mutation.)

Details of the remaining cases are limited.

As of Thursday, all people 40 and older, and those turning 40 this year, are eligible to get the vaccine at a local vaccination clinic. People 30 and older are set to be eligible next week, and people 18 and older the week after.

Earlier this week, eligibility opened to include people aged 16 and older with at-risk health conditions and members of the province’s second group of people who can’t work from home.

Those eligible to get the shot are being encouraged to book appointments for the vaccine through the health unit’s website.

Health unit officials say more than 55,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered by Lambton Public Health, Bluewater Health, primary care offices, and pharmacies, meaning roughly 47 per cent of the eligible population has seen at least one dose.

Officials said Tuesday that the province was adding high-risk health-care workers, dialysis patients and all First Nations, Inuit and Metis individuals to the list of those able to receive a second dose earlier than the extended four-month period.

“Booking details are in progress and more information will be provided soon.”

People with questions about the booking process can contact the health unit’s newly established call centre at 226-254-8222.

2:12 COVID-19 vaccinated Americans can avoid using masks in most places, CDC says

No new school-related cases have been identified.

The region’s two main school boards have paused the reporting of new cases during the remote learning period.

No new outbreaks have been declared in Lambton and four remain active.

One is active at Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia, linked to four patient cases and three staff case — one patient and two staff cases more than the day before.

Elsewhere, an outbreak is active at Afton Park Place, a long-term care home in Sarnia, linked to two resident and seven staff cases — two staff cases more than Wednesday.

Two outbreaks are also active at unnamed workplaces, both tied to three cases each.

The health unit says the region’s per cent positivity was 2.0 per cent the week of May 2, about the same as the 1.9 per cent seen a week earlier.

— With files from The Canadian Press