COVID-19: 1 death, 94 cases in London-Middlesex as province unveils three-stage reopening plan

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

One death and 94 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in London-Middlesex, local health officials said Thursday as the Ontario government unveiled a new three-stage reopening plan that will see restrictions gradually lifted starting next month.

The update brings the region’s pandemic case total to 11,826, of which 10,990 have resolved, 80 more than the day before. At least 620 cases are active.

Thursday marks the fourth day in a row that the region has recorded at least one COVID-19-related death. Two deaths involved people in their 70s, while one involved a person in their 40s — one of just two during the pandemic to involve someone of that age group.

Thursday’s reported death, which brings the region’s death toll to 216, involved a woman in her 90s who was associated with a long-term care home. The individual was not vaccinated, health officials said.

At least 1,336 cases have been reported this month along with 16 deaths.

The region’s rolling seven-day case average stands at 56 (May 13 to 19), down from 74 the seven days prior. The seven-day average for April 13 to 19 was 115.

Of the 94 new cases reported Thursday, 87 are from London, five are from elsewhere in Middlsesex County, and two are pending location data.

People under 30 make up nearly half of the cases, however, about 20 per cent of cases involve people their 50s.

At least 21 are aged 19 or younger; 19 are in their 20s; 14 are in their 30s; 11 are in their 40s; 18 are in their 50s; 10 are in their 60s; and one is in their 70s.

At least 49 cases are pending exposure source data, while 23 are linked to close contact, 20 have no known link, and two are due to outbreaks.

The number of confirmed/presumed* variant cases recorded in London-Middlesex has risen by 49 as of Thursday to 2,674.

Nearly all of the variant cases, 2,646, have been the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the U.K. All 49 of the variant cases reported Thursday involved the variant.

Variant cases have made up the vast majority of COVID-19 cases seen in the recent over the last several weeks, with upwards of 83 per cent during the week of May 2 involving variants.

At least 80 per cent of cases seen during the week of May 9 were determined to be variants, along with 63 per cent of cases seen so far this week — a tally that is expected to rise as new data comes in.

A total of 376 other cases have been found to have a spike protein mutation consistent with one or more coronavirus variants.

Of those, 174 were found to have the E484K mutation, consistent with the P.1 and B.1.351 variants (117 were found to have both E484K and N501Y). They remain under genomic testing to determine the specific variant involved.

Another 199 cases have screened positive for only the N501Y mutation, but they are not considered presumed B.1.1.7 cases yet as they have not been ruled out for the E484K mutation.

Meanwhile, three cases have screened positive for an “other mutation,” according to the health unit website — two more than the day before. Further detail was not available.

Officials’ long weekend concerns

With the Victoria Day long weekend quickly approaching, local city and health officials are urging residents to continue adhering to pandemic restrictions to avoid undoing the progress that has been made so far.

“This is the weekend where we could blow it all,” Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said Monday, who described the upcoming long weekend as “the biggest risk we see on the immediate horizon right now.”

“We want to have a wonderful summer. We want to put this pandemic wave to bed. If we take risks this weekend, it jeopardizes all of that… Yes, get outside. Enjoy the great outdoors. Please do not gather indoors at all. Please do not travel outside of your region.”

Speaking during the briefing, London Mayor Ed Holder said the region was at a place where there was reason for optimism that returning to the activities and gatherings we may have taken for granted may not be far away.

“The potential for spread still remains and the potential for regression is still very real. That’s when we need to continue making responsible choices — choices that protect you, protect your family, and all vulnerable members of our community,” Holder said.

Their comments came roughly an hour before the province unveiled its new reopening plans and announced that outdoor recreational facilities, such as parks, recreational areas, sports fields, basketball courts, golf courses, and more will be opened starting this Saturday.

The three-phase plan comes as case rates and hospitalizations continue to decline as more people become vaccinated.

Step one of the plan is expected to begin the week of June 14 and will see some non-essential retail reopen with 15 per cent capacity limits, allow outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, and outdoor restaurant dining with four people at a table.

The second stages will allow outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people and the resumption of personal care services were masks can be worn, as well as indoor religious services with capacity limits of 15 per cent.

The third stage will further expand access to indoor settings with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where masks cannot be worn.

Each stage will remain in place for at least 21 days, only moving forward if specific vaccine targets are met and health-system indicators remain positive.

Earlier in the day, the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table painted a cautiously optimistic picture for the months ahead, but warned against loosening restrictions too soon.

Maintaining some public health restrictions until mid-June and continuing progress on vaccinations will ensure Ontario has a “good summer,” they said.

A total of 10,654 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 Wednesday, with 23 in critical or intensive care, both unchanged from the day before.

LHSC reports that 26 patients are from out of the LHSC region, including 14 of the 23 people in intensive care.

Fewer than five staff cases are active at the organization.

The COVID-19 patient tally does not include people who have recovered from the disease but are still receiving hospital treatment.

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, no COVID-19 patients were listed as being in the care of any of the organization’s facilities. Four staff cases are active within SJHCL, but officials did not say where.

On Wednesday, the province announced that hospitals would be able to resume non-urgent and emergent surgeries and procedures as a result of a decline in COVID-19 infections across the province.

The Ford government directed hospitals to stop performing such procedures on April 20 as a result of a disturbing rise in hospitalized COVID-19 patients provincewide.

LHSC, like other hospitals in the region, has taken in several dozen COVID-19 patients from hard-hit Toronto-area hospitals over the last several weeks, resulting in a capacity crunch that forced it to open roughly two dozen additional critical care beds and reallocate staff.

“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 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outbreaks

No new outbreaks have been declared and no previous outbreaks have been resolved.

Four remain active, according to the health unit. All are located 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.

Meanwhile, an outbreak at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre remains active.

The jail outbreak was declared four months ago on Jan. 18 and has been linked to at least 62 cases among inmates and 43 cases among staff.

As of Tuesday, one inmate case was listed as active at the jail, unchanged from the day before.

Health officials are still investigating a large outbreak involving a funeral service earlier this month that has been linked to at least 16 cases.

Schools

One new school-related case has been reported, according to the Thames Valley District School Board.

The case was reported late Wednesday involving Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in London.

It’s one of two school-related cases currently active. The other, reported over the weekend, involves Bonaventure Meadows Public School.

In the local child-care sector, meanwhile, eight cases are active involving two facilities.

Seven cases are associated with Simply Kids, which has had an active outbreak declaration since May 12. One case is active that is associated with Kids & Company – London, the health unit says.

At least 353 of the region’s cases have been linked to schools, and 96 linked to child care settings.

Students are currently learning remotely as a result of the stay-at-home order, something that is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, according to the province.

“At this time, publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools in the province will continue to operate under teacher-led remote learning,” read a release from the province.

“Data will be assessed on an ongoing basis and medical experts, including the Chief Medical Officer of Health, and other health officials will be consulted to determine if it may be safe to resume in-person learning.”

Modelling released by the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table found that reopening schools on June 2 once the stay-at-home order ends could lead to a six to 11 per cent increase in cases that “may be manageable,” the group said.

During Thursday’s announcement of the province’s three-stage reopening plans, Premier Doug Ford said there are differing opinions on the matter. Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams is in favour of reopening schools, however, some doctors on the science table are not, he said.

“I know a lot of parents are anxious, but there’s also the fact that… it could possibly increase cases by 11 per cent. That’s concerning with me… because it compounds so quickly.”

Ontario parents, critics and experts have been calling on resuming in-person learning due to the possibility of detrimental effects on students in regards to their mental health.

Vaccinations and Testing

Local health officials say demand for the vaccine quickly outpaced supply when eligibility opened to all adults 18 and older on Tuesday.

During Thursday’s media briefing, Dr. Chris Mackie, the region’s medical officer of health, said that all 24,000 appointment slots that opened that day were gone within the first 48 hours.

“We had opened another 8,000 appointments up, essentially taking a bet on a longer-term vaccine supply. Most of those got booked within three days of opening to that 18-39 crowd,” Mackie said.

“We were seeing about 4,000 hits a minute at the peak when we first were opening, kind of in the half hour before and after 8:00 (a.m.)”

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.

When it comes to second doses, certain high-risk individuals are able to get their second doses earlier than the revised 16-week interval. More information on who is eligible to get an earlier second dose can be found on the health unit website.

More than 225,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have already been given out in the London-Middlesex region through mass vaccination clinics, pharmacies, primary care clinics, and other means.

Appointments are being added daily between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m, and a fourth vaccination clinic is set to open next Tuesday at Earl Nichols Recreation Centre.

Roughly 25,000 doses of Pfizer are expected to arrive in the region per week, with thousands more expected of the Moderna vaccine over the next several weeks, according to Mackie.

On Thursday, local health officials announced the opening of a two-day community mobile clinic at Dorchester’s FlightExec Centre on May 28 and 29.

Roughly 400 people will be vaccinated over the two-day period with the Moderna vaccine, Mackie says.

“This will be a pilot approach as we shift focus from mass clinics over the next few months to an outreach-based approach,” Mackie said.

“The mass clinics have been the workhorse of the vaccine campaign and will continue to be so for many weeks, but we will have to go to next stages in terms of adding other strategies as well.”

Health officials say more than 50 per cent of the adult population in London-Middlesex has gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, and another 20 per cent of adults are booked to get a shot within the next four weeks or so.

“We hope to get that up over that time frame, in the next four to six weeks, up to 75 per cent or so, and then keep trucking from there,” Mackie said.

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. In Guelph and Chatham-Kent, health units are asking youth to pre-register.

“The premier announced last week that children 12 to 17 would become eligible on May 31, and we’re planning to align with that timeline,” Mackie said Thursday.

“We’re working closely with the school boards and with Southwestern Public Health… to make sure we’ve got a good plan in place to hit the ground running when that happens, including designated spots in our mass clinics for children and families.”

Those plans are expected to be made public next week, he said, adding that if the province decides to open booking to kids sooner, they will do their best to meet that timeline.

First dose AstraZeneca shots remain paused in Ontario over concerns about a potential link between the shot and vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia.

Several provinces are awaiting guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization on whether they can offer Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna as a second dose to people who got the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose.

Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo says advice on whether provinces can mix and match vaccine types should be ready in the first week of June, with data coming from the U.K. largely informing the initial advice.

Canada is launching its own study to look at the safety and effectiveness of mixing two different kinds of COVID-19 vaccines.

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 this week they had processed more than one million COVID-19 tests since March 18, 2020.

Meanwhile, businesses looking to get their hands on free, rapid testing kits can do so starting Thursday. It comes as the result of a partnership between the London Chamber of Commerce and TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario.

The StaySafe London initiative will see free self-administered rapid antigen screening kits available to local small and medium-sized companies with fewer than 150 employees.

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 2,400 new cases of COVID-19 today and 27 more deaths linked to the virus.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says there are 607 new cases in Toronto, 528 in Peel Region, and 224 in Hamilton.

She says there were also 181 new cases in York Region and 110 in Durham Region.

Today’s data is based on more than 45,400 completed tests.

The Ministry of Health says 1,320 people are in hospital _ 721 are in intensive care and 493 are on a ventilator.

Ontario says it administered 144,986 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine since Wednesday’s report, for a total of more than 7.5 million doses.

Elgin and Oxford

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

The update brings the region’s pandemic case total to 3,699, of which 2,518 have resolved, an increase of 10 from the day before. At least 79 deaths have been reported, most recently on Thursday.

the health unit says 102 cases are active in the region, with at least 36 in Woodstock, 18 in Tillsonburg, and 14 in St. Thomas.

At least seven people from the Elgin-Oxford region are in hospital with COVID-19, five of them in intensive care, the health unit says.

The number of variant cases, and cases that have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant, stands at 707, nine more then the day before. At least 81 are active.

At least 629 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, first identified in Brazil, while two have been confirmed to be the B.1.351 variant, first identified in South Africa — one more B.1.351 case than the day before.

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.

More than 90,000 people in SWPH have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Roughly 42 per cent of the region’s population has gotten at least one dose.

The number of people eligible to get a shot grew by more than 40,000 Tuesday when all people 18 and older became able to book an appointment.

While more people are eligible, demand continues to outstrip vaccine supply. The wait to get an open slot may take a number of weeks for some residents, the region’s medical officer of health said Wednesday.

Lock says the region’s three operating mass vaccination clinics are seeing appointments expanded, and by next week, the region will see roughly 10,000 doses dispensed per week. Pop-up clinics are also being planned.

Residents are advised to check the booking portal daily to see if any spots open up due to cancellations.

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.

Some pharmacies in Aylmer, Ingersoll, St. Thomas, Tillsonburg, and Woodstock have also been offering Pfizer and Moderna shots. Locations can be found on the province’s website and bookings must be made with the pharmacies.

No new outbreaks have been declared and one has resolved.

The outbreak at Caressant Care Nursing Home in Woodstock was linked to four residents cases, six staff cases, and one death. It was declared active on April 29.

One outbreak remains active at Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, linked to 14 patient cases, five staff cases, and one death, all unchanged from a day earlier.

Meanwhile, no new school-related cases have been reported and no new outbreaks have been declared.

Woodstock has recorded the most cases during the pandemic with 829, while St. Thomas has seen 674, Aylmer 515, and Tillsonburg 473.

At least 240 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, 85 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 six new cases have been reported in Huron-Perth, local health officials reported Thursday.

At least three were reported in Perth East, two in West Perth, and one in Stratford.

It brings the region’s pandemic case total to 1,746, of which 1,612 have resolved, an increase of three from the day before.

At least 57 deaths have been recorded during the pandemic. Details on the most recent death were not immediately available.

It’s the second day in a row that the region has reported a COVID-19-related death. One death was reported on Wednesday involving someone not linked to any outbreaks.

At least 77 cases are currently active, including 20 in Stratford, 16 in South Huron, and nine in Perth East. No people are currently hospitalized in the region with COVID-19.

The number of variant cases, and cases that have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant, stands at 223 as of Thursday, three more than the day before. At least 44 are active.

A total of 144 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 61,282 people have gotten a vaccine in Huron-Perth so far. The tally includes first and second doses.

At least 50 per cent of Huron-Perth residents have received at least one dose, with 4.4 per cent fully immunized.

Earlier this week, vaccine eligibility opened to all adults 18 and older.

In an update Wednesday, the health unit said it was working with local school boards and private schools when it comes to vaccinating kids 12-17 and their eligible family members.

“This group is receiving communication directly from their school boards/schools with exclusive booking links and will have priority access to clinic appointments for the weeks of June 14 and June 21,” officials said.

“Priority access is part of our youth vaccination plan, based on Ministry direction.”

The health unit says it’s hosting three clinics, two in Stratford and one in Goderich, that will hand out Moderna vaccines only.

The clinics will operate May 27 and June 7 at Stratford Rotary Complex, and June 3 at Maitland Recration Centre.

The clinics will be booking first and second doses, however only those whose first dose was Moderna can get their second dose there.

First dose appointments at the other clinics run by the health unit were full as of Thursday.

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.

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, however health unit officials anticipate a number will begin offering them shortly.

One new outbreak has been declared involving a retirement home.

The outbreak involves Goderich Place in Goderich and is linked to one staff member. It’s currently the only seniors’ facility outbreak active.

Elsewhere, five outbreaks are active involving unnamed workplaces, while one each is active in the community and at a congregate living setting.

No new school-related cases have been reported. Eleven are currently active in the region as of Thursday, 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.

A total of 665 cases have been reported in Perth County, with 407 in North Perth and 160 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 437 in total, while St. Marys has seen 44.

The week of May 9, 3.3 per cent of tests were coming back positive, up from 3.1 per cent the week before, and one per cent the week before that.

Sarnia and Lambton

Three new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Lambton County, local health officials said Thursday.

It brings the region’s pandemic case total to 3,430, of which 3,306 have resolved, an increase of eight from the day before. At least 58 deaths have been reported, most recently on Tuesday.

At least 66 cases are active in the region.

Bluewater Health reports 10 COVID-19 patients in their care as of Thursday, down one from the day before.

A total of 537 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 — 11 more than Wednesday.

Public Health Ontario data shows 381 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, first identified in Brazil.

Details of the remaining cases are limited, including which spike protein mutations they screened positive for, which may indicate what variant is involved.

No updates on the local vaccine rollout were available Thursday. At least 50 per cent of eligible people in Lambton have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.

On Tuesday, vaccine eligibility opened up to all adults 18 and older.

The same day, Lambton health officials unveiled that they would expand eligibility to all people 12 and older at the region’s Point Edward Arena clinic.

Public health units have been 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. The vaccine is currently the only one approved by Health Canada for use in youth.

“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 earlier this week.

Ontario has said it plans to open vaccine booking to all youth aged 12 and older starting the week of May 31.

Eligible residents are being encouraged to book appointments through the health unit’s website. 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.

The health unit will also invite residents to book their second doses soon, Ranade says.

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.

No new outbreaks have been declared and one has resolved.

The outbreak was active at an unnamed workplace, linked to three cases.

One workplace outbreak remains active that is tied to 16 cases.

Outbreaks are also active at Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia, linked to four patient cases and five staff cases, and at Afton Park Place long-term care home, linked to two resident cases, 10 staff cases, and one death — both unchanged from the day before.

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 The Canadian Press, and Jessica Patton and Nick Westoll of Global News.