Jump to: Hospitalizations – Outbreaks – Schools – Vaccinations and testing – Ontario – Elgin and Oxford – Huron and Perth – Sarnia and Lambton
One death and 62 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in London-Middlesex, local health officials said on Wednesday.
The update brings the region’s pandemic case tally to 11,729, of which 10,910 have resolved, an increase of 90 from the day before.
At least 215 deaths have been reported during the pandemic, including one each for the last three days in a row.
The most recent death involved a woman in her 40s, the health unit confirmed. No further information has been released. It’s the second death recorded in the region to involve a person in their 40s.
At least 604 cases are active in the region as of Wednesday. So far this month, 1,240 have been reported, about 881 cases fewer than what was recorded at this point in April.
The region’s rolling seven-day case average stands at 54 (May 12 to 18), down from 76.7 the seven days prior. The seven-day average for April 12 to 18 was 115.
Of the 62 new cases reported on Wednesday, 59 are from London, while three are from elsewhere in Middlesex County.
People under 40 make up 61 per cent of the cases.
Twelve are 19 or younger, 12 are in their 20s, 14 are in their 30s, 13 are in their 40s, six are in their 50s, three are in their 60s, one is in their 70s and one is 80 or older.
Thirty-two cases are pending exposure source data, while 16 have been linked to close contact, 12 have no known link and two are due to outbreaks.
The number of confirmed/presumed* variant cases recorded in London-Middlesex has risen by 25 as of Wednesday to 2,625.
Nearly all of the variant cases, 2,597, have been the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the U.K. Twenty-seven have involved the P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil, and one has involved the B.1.617 variant, first identified in India.
During the week of May 2, variants made up 83 per cent of reported cases, the health unit says. They made up 78 per cent of cases for the week of May 9, data for which is still being processed.
So far this week, variants have accounted for at least 60 per cent of cases, a percentage that is expected to rise as more data comes in.
- Positive COVID-19 cases undergo initial screening for spike protein mutations common to variants (including N501Y, E484K and K417N), and if found to have one or more, undergo further genomic analysis to determine the specific variant involved (such as B.1.1.7, B.1.351 or P.1) — a process that can take up to two weeks.
- The province has stopped conducting genomic analysis on cases that screen positive for just N501Y. Those cases are presumed to involve the B.1.1.7 variant, as the variant has only been associated with that mutation.
- Cases that screen positive for either E484K or K417N are still being sent for genomic analysis as they have been associated with the B.1.351 and P.1 variants, first detected in South Africa and Brazil, respectively.
A total of 351 other cases have been found to have a spike protein mutation consistent with one or more coronavirus variants.
Of those, 171 were found to have the E484K mutation, consistent with the P.1 and B.1.351 variants (116 were found to have both E484K and N501Y). They remain under genomic testing to determine the specific variant involved.
Another 179 cases were initially found to have just the N501Y mutation, but they have not been ruled out yet for E484K, so they are being left out of the main count.
One case has screened positive for an “other mutation,” according to the health unit website. Further detail was not available.
A total of 10,565 cases have been confirmed in London since the pandemic began, while 361 have been in Middlesex Centre.
Elsewhere, 327 cases have been in Strathroy-Caradoc, 148 in Thames Centre, 72 in Lucan Biddulph, 57 in North Middlesex, 54 in Southwest Middlesex, 15 in Adelaide Metcalfe and three in Newbury, and127 cases have pending location information.
Hospitalizations
Forty-nine COVID-19 patients were in the care of London Health Sciences Centre as of noon Tuesday, with 23 in critical or intensive care, both unchanged from the day before.
LHSC reports that 27 patients are from out of the LHSC region, including 17 of the 23 people in intensive care.
Fewer than five staff cases are active at the organization, also unchanged.
The tally of 49 is about half of where it was roughly a week and a half ago. A record 100 COVID-19 patients were in LHSC’s care on May 7.
As of Monday, the hospital system reported that it was caring for 40 people who had recovered from COVID-19 but were still in need of hospital care.
Like other hospitals in the region, LHSC has seen a surge of COVID-19 patients in recent weeks, driven in part by out-of-region transfers from hard-hit Toronto-area hospitals.
LHSC added roughly two dozen additional critical care beds to deal with the capacity crunch, reallocated staff, and halted non-urgent surgeries and procedures as a result of a provincial directive from April 20.
On Wednesday, the province announced that hospitals would be able to resume such procedures as a result of a decline in COVID-19 infections across the province.
Ontario has seen case numbers decline as public health measures, including a stay-at-home order, remain in place and vaccination rates rise.
“While these numbers remain high and we continue to see demand for health services related to COVID-19, we are beginning to see available capacity among community and hospital partners in some areas of the province,” Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, said in a memo.
“It is therefore important to make use of this available capacity to limit the long-term impacts on patients awaiting non-urgent care.”
Last week, Ontario’s fiscal watchdog said it will take the province approximately three and a half years to clear the surgical backlog from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outbreaks
No new institutional outbreaks have been declared and none have been resolved.
Four remain active, all at local seniors’ facilities.
One each is active at Dearness Home (5 East, 5 West), Kensington Village (first-floor long-term care) Kensington Village Retirement (Canterbury) and McGarrell Place (Windermere Way).
It’s unclear how many cases are linked to each outbreak. Unlike neighbouring health units, MLHU does not release that information.
Elsewhere, an ongoing outbreak at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, declared four months ago, remains active.
The jail outbreak was declared on Jan. 18 and has been linked to at least 62 cases among inmates and 43 cases among staff.
As of Monday, one inmate case was listed as active at the jail, unchanged from the day before.
Meanwhile, health officials are also continuing to investigate a large outbreak involving a funeral service earlier this month.
Schools
No new school-related cases have been reported and only one is active as of Wednesday, the health unit says.
The case is associated with Bonaventure Meadows Public School in London.
At least 352 school-linked cases have been reported during the pandemic, according to the health unit.
Nine cases are active involving the local child-care sector, three more than the day before.
The three new cases were both reported involving Simply Kids. The facility has had an active outbreak declaration since May 12.
Elsewhere, one case is active associated with Kids & Company, the health unit says.
A total of 96 cases have been reported involving the child-care sector in London-Middlesex.
Meanwhile in the post-secondary world, no outbreaks are currently active.
Vaccinations and testing
More than 225,000 vaccinations have been administered in the London-Middlesex region so far.
As of Tuesday, all adults are now eligible to get the vaccine at a local clinic. Those turning 18 are also eligible.
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.
Residents looking to book an appointment have come up against vaccine supply issues. When eligibility expanded Tuesday, capacity was available over the next four weeks for about 24,000 people.
The 18-plus group, however, includes roughly 135,000 people, equalling about one dose for every five or six people in the cohort.
In a tweet late Monday, Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said appointments will open daily between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and that the health unit was hoping to open another large appointment block early next week.
When it comes to second doses, certain high-risk individuals are able to get their second doses earlier than the revised 16-week interval, including long-term care and retirement home residents, Indigenous people and members of their immediate household, transplant recipients and high-risk health-care workers.
More information on who is eligible to get an earlier second dose can be found on the health unit website.
The province has stated it plans to have all eligible adults fully vaccinated by the end of September, and plans to begin vaccinating people aged 12 to 17 with the Pfizer vaccine starting the week of May 31.
Some Ontario regions, including Lambton County, have already opened vaccine access to that age group. Health units in the Guelph and Chatham-Kent areas are asking youth to pre-register for vaccine appointments to be contacted for appointments as they become available.
The province has said public health units can vaccinate kids aged 12 and up at pop-ups, mobile clinics and for walk-in appointments where the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is offered starting May 18.
The MLHU has said previously that it wants to get first doses to the age group by the end of June if supply allows.
The health unit has been doling out vaccines at three mass vaccination clinics and is set to open its fourth on Tuesday at Earl Nichols Recreation Centre.
Health unit data shows that as of the week of May 9, roughly 183,800 vaccines, or about 81 per cent of the roughly 225,000 that have been given out locally, have been through mass vaccination clinics.
At least 20,367 doses have been through pharmacies, 10,682 have been through congregate care settings, 6,941 have been through primary care settings and 4,054 through other means, such as mobile clinics.
Roughly 7,500 vaccines were given out through pharmacies the week of April 18, down to 806 the week of May 9 due largely to the pausing of first doses of AstraZeneca.
Most provinces have temporarily halted AstraZeneca for any more first doses as further data emerges on the risk of vaccine-induced blood clots in patients who got that vaccine.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said Tuesday she expects Canadians who got an initial AstraZeneca shot will be able to choose which vaccine they get for their second.
With the AstraZeneca shot paused, hundreds of pharmacies across Ontario are now giving out Pfizer and Moderna doses. None, however, are in London-Middlesex.
The closest participating pharmacies are located in Elgin-Oxford, including in Aylmer, Ingersoll, St. Thomas, Tillsonburg and Woodstock.
Those looking for a COVID-19 test can still visit the region’s two main assessment centres.
The assessment centres, located at Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena, remain open and operating by appointment.
Officials with London Health Sciences Centre reported Tuesday that they had processed more than one million COVID-19 tests since March 18, 2020.
Shoppers Drug Mart says it is now offering rapid antigen COVID-19 tests for asymptomatic people at all its pharmacies in Ontario and Alberta, though these have to be purchased at a cost of $40.
Ontario
Ontario is reporting 1,588 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 more deaths linked to the virus.
It is the lowest daily case count since late March and is the second straight day cases are under 2,000. On Tuesday, 1,616 new cases were recorded and 2,170 on Monday.
According to Wednesday’s report, 524 cases were recorded in Toronto, 335 in Peel Region, 105 in Ottawa and 94 in York Region.
All other local public health units reported fewer than 90 new cases in the provincial report.
The death toll in the province has risen to 8,525.
The province says 3,119 cases were resolved since Tuesday’s report.
Active cases in Ontario now stand at 23,416 — down from the previous day when it was at 24,966.
The seven-day average has now reached 2,183, which is down from Tuesday at 2,287. A month ago, the average was around 4,300.
Ontario says more than 145,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Tuesday’s update, for a total of 7.4 million doses.
Elgin and Oxford
Fourteen new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Elgin-Oxford, officials with Southwestern Public Health reported on Wednesday.
The update brings the region’s pandemic case total to 3,689, of which 3,508 have resolved, an increase of 17 from the day before. At least 79 deaths have been reported, most recently on Thursday.
At least 102 cases are active in the region, including 37 in Woodstock, 16 in Tillsonburg and 15 in St. Thomas.
The health unit reports six people from the Elgin-Oxford region are currently in hospital with COVID-19, including four in intensive care.
The number of variant cases, and cases that have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant, stands at 698, 18 more then the day before. At least 80 are active.
A total of 621 of them have either been confirmed or are presumed to be the B.1.1.7 variant. Two cases have been confirmed to be the P.1 variant, while one has been confirmed to be the B.1.351 variant.
Seventy-four cases have screened positive for the E484K spike protein mutation, which has been associated with the P.1 and B.1.351 variants. Those cases are undergoing genomic analysis.
Health officials say more than 80,000 people in SWPH have gotten one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Tuesday, all adults 18 and older are now vaccine-eligible.
With tens of thousands more now able to get the shot, available vaccination times have been going quickly. Officials say new slots will be added daily between 7:30 and 8 a.m.
Eligible residents are asked to visit the area’s vaccine booking site and are being encouraged to add their name to a same-day vaccination list.
Certain individuals are able to book their second dose appointments, including long-term care and retirement home residents, Indigenous people living on reserve, transplant recipients and highest-risk health-care workers and first responders
Details can be found on the health unit website. Second dose bookings must be made by phone at 226-289-3560.
In addition to the vaccination clinics, some pharmacies in Elgin-Oxford are now offering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as part of the province’s pilot program.
Pharmacies had been offering AstraZeneca until first doses were paused by the province last week.
Pharmacies in Aylmer, Ingersoll, St. Thomas, Tillsonburg and Woodstock are offering doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Locations can be found on the province’s website and bookings must be made with the pharmacies themselves.
No new school-related cases have been reported and no new outbreaks have been declared.
Two outbreaks remain active, the health unit says.
An outbreak at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, declared May 5, has been linked to at least 14 patient and five staff cases, and one death — one patient case fewer than the day before. The reason why is unclear.
Meanwhile, an outbreak at Caressant Care Nursing Home in Woodstock, declared April 29, is linked to four resident and six staff cases and one death.
Health officials say 828 cases have been reported in Woodstock during the pandemic, while 673 have been in St. Thomas, 514 in Aylmer, and 469 in Tillsonburg.
At least 238 cases have been in Norwich Township, while 186 have been in Bayham, 178 in Ingersoll, 140 in East Zorra-Tavistock, 92 in Central Elgin, 89 in Blandford-Blenheim, 84 in Zorra, 69 in South-West Oxford, 46 in Dutton/Dunwich, 36 in Southwold, 28 in West Elgin and 18 in Malahide.
The region’s test positivity rate stood at three per cent the week of May 9, unchanged from a week earlier.
Huron and Perth
One death and eight new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Huron-Perth, local health officials reported on Wednesday.
Three of the cases were reported in Goderich, two in South Huron and one each in North Perth, Stratford and West Perth.
The new cases bring the region’s pandemic case total to 1,740, of which 1,609 have resolved, eight more than the day before.
Fifty-six deaths have been reported during the pandemic. Details on the most recent death were not immediately available.
The health unit says 75 cases are active in the region, with at least 20 of them in Stratford and 16 in South Huron.
One person is currently in hospital with COVID-19, down one from the day before.
The number of variant cases, and cases that have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant, stands at 220 as of Wednesday, three more than the day before. At least 44 are active.
A total of 143 are confirmed or are presumed to be the B.1.1.7 variant, according to Public Health Ontario.
Details on the remaining variant/mutation-positive cases are limited, but it is likely the cases screened positive for the E484K mutation, which is consistent with the B.1.351 and P.1 variants, and are under genomic analysis.
Health unit officials say more than 57,476 people have gotten the vaccine in Huron-Perth so far.
As of Tuesday, all adults 18 and older are eligible to get the shot at a local vaccination clinic.
Appointment slots have been getting taken quickly. No open spots were available by late Wednesday morning.
Those looking to book an appointment when appointments are available are asked to do so via the local booking system or by calling 1-833-753-2098.
In an update earlier this week, the health unit said it was working with local school boards on vaccinations for youth aged 12 to 17 and their family members to take place in mid-June. Details were to come soon, they said.
Certain high-risk health-care workers can schedule their second doses. More information can be found on the health unit’s website.
No pharmacies in the Huron-Perth region are currently offering vaccines, including Pfizer and Moderna.
No new school-related cases have been reported. Eleven are currently active in the region, none as a result of school exposure.
Full lists can be found on the websites of the Avon-Maitland District School Board and Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.
The health unit says there are no outbreaks active at long-term care or retirement homes, hospitals, schools or licensed child-care settings.
Six outbreaks are active in the region, one more than the day before. One new workplace outbreak has been declared.
No information has been released.
As of Wednesday, four workplace outbreaks are active, while one is active in the community and one at a congregate living setting.
A total of 663 cases have been reported in Perth County, with 407 in North Perth and 157 in Perth East, while 597 have been reported in Huron County, with 148 in South Huron and 110 in Huron East.
Stratford has reported at least 436 in total, while St. Marys has seen 44.
The week of May 2, 3.1 per cent of tests were coming back positive, up from one per cent the previous week. Updated numbers are expected this week.
Sarnia and Lambton
Sixteen new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Lambton County, local health officials said on Wednesday.
They bring the region’s pandemic case total to 3,427, of which 3,298 have resolved, an increase of 18 from the day before. At least 58 deaths have been reported, most recently on Tuesday.
At least 71 cases are active, the health unit said.
Bluewater Health reported 11 COVID-19 patients in their care as of Wednesday, down one from the day before.
A total of 526 cases have been confirmed or are presumed to be a variant case, or have screened positive for a spike protein mutation consistent with a variant — one more than Tuesday.
Public Health Ontario data shows 380 cases have either been confirmed to be or are presumed* to be the B.1.1.7 variant. Four cases have been confirmed to be the P.1 variant.
Details of the remaining cases are limited, including which spike protein mutations they screened positive for, which may indicate what variant is involved.
With all adults 18 and older now vaccine-eligible, Lambton health officials are turning their attention to vaccinating youth.
Lambton Public Health announced Tuesday that it was expanding eligibility to all people 12 and older at the region’s largest immunization clinic at Point Edward Arena.
Ontario has said it plans to open vaccine booking to all youth aged 12 and older starting the week of May 31.
As of Tuesday, public health units are able to begin vaccinating kids 12 and older at pop-up and mobile clinics, and for walk-in appointments where the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is offered.
“We want to encourage families with children 12 years of age and older to book their vaccination appointments together,” Dr. Sudit Ranade, the region’s medical officer of health, said in a statement.
Those eligible are being encouraged to book appointments through the health unit’s website.
Health officials estimate that by the end of May, nearly 65 per cent of the eligible population in Lambton 18-plus will have gotten at least one dose. Currently, the percentage is 50.
Ranade said Tuesday that the health unit would invite residents to book their second doses soon, saying invitations will be sent directly as clinic availability opens, and that depending on supply, some residents may be able to receive their second dose before the 16-week interval.
People with questions can contact the health unit’s call centre at 226-254-8222, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information can also be found on the health unit’s vaccine page.
No updates are available regarding school-linked cases. 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. Four are currently active.
One involves Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia and is linked to four patient and five staff cases, unchanged from the day before.
Elsewhere, an outbreak at Afton Park Place long-term care home has been tied to two resident cases, 10 staff cases and one death, also unchanged.
Two outbreaks are also active involving unnamed workplaces, tied to six and three cases, respectively.
The health unit says the region’s per cent positivity was 2.2 per cent the week of May 9, up from two per cent the week before.
— With files from Gabby Rodrigues and The Canadian Press
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