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COVID-19: MLHU adds 22 cases, says over 75% of eligible residents fully vaccinated

Wait staff wear masks to protect them from the COVID-19 virus while setting up a patio in Kingston, Ontario on Wednesday August 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg. CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg

Jump to: HospitalizationsOutbreaksVaccinations and testingOntarioElgin and OxfordHuron and PerthSarnia and Lambton


Middlesex-London Health Unit reported 22 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, though the local case count increased by 23 to 13,373 with 249 cases listed as active, 12,891 resolved (an increase of 25) and 233 deaths, the most recent reported Aug. 24.

The number of cases involving a variant of concern climbed by 35, all of them Delta, to 3,917.

The breakdown of known variant cases is as follows:

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  • 3,385 cases of the Alpha variant
  • 402 cases of the Delta variant
  • 124 cases of the Gamma variant
  • two cases of the Beta variant
  • one case of the Kappa variant
  • one case of the Zeta variant

There are also two cases listed using the old code numbers, one described as B.1.617 and another listed as B.1.617.3.

Further information can be found on the health unit’s summary of COVID-19 cases in Middlesex-London.

The test positivity rate in the region was 3.5 per cent for the week of Aug. 15, up from 1.8 per cent for the week of Aug. 8.

Hospitalizations

Eleven COVID-19 patients are listed as being in the care of London Health Sciences Centre as of Tuesday with five or fewer in intensive care.

Five or fewer staff are currently positive with COVID-19, the organization reported.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London (SJHCL) is reporting one non-outbreak case involving a health-care worker.

Outbreaks

The health unit says one outbreak is active involving Total Package Hockey Day Camp, declared Aug. 20, though there are not currently any active cases associated with the outbreak.

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Vaccinations and testing

The MLHU released updated vaccination data on Tuesday, showing that as of the end of day on Aug. 28, 75.8 per cent of residents aged 12 and older were fully vaccinated while 82.8 per cent have had at least one dose.

The age group with the lowest vaccine uptake is now those aged 18-24, with just 61.2 per cent fully vaccinated.

A total of 717,351 doses of vaccine have been administered in the region so far.

According to the health unit, all deaths reported in the last six weeks in the region were among people who were unvaccinated.

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Only two hospitalizations, or 8.33 per cent of hospitalizations, involved individuals who were fully vaccinated.

When looking at all cases, 15.31 per cent (or 98 of 640 cases) involved people who were fully vaccinated and 16.88 per cent (or 108 cases) were partially vaccinated.

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On the health unit’s website, residents can find information on pop-up clinics, mass vaccination clinics and pharmacies; guidance for anyone vaccinated outside of the province or country; transportation support for those in need; and more.

Anyone looking to be tested for COVID-19 can find information about locations of testing sites on the health unit’s website.

Ontario

The province reported 525 cases Tuesday, with 326 of those among unvaccinated individuals, 43 partially vaccinated, 91 fully vaccinated and 65 with a vaccination status listed as “unknown.”

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According to Tuesday’s provincial COVID-19 report, 120 cases were recorded in Toronto, 60 each in both Peel Region and Windsor-Essex, 41 in Hamilton, 41 in Niagara Region, and 30 in York Region. All other health units had 30 or fewer.

Five more deaths were recorded but the province says three of them were from over two months ago.

The number of hospitalizations in general hospital wards increased by 110 to 336 on Tuesday.

Among the eligible population (those 12 and older), 76.3 per cent are fully vaccinated and 83 per cent have had at least one dose.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health reported five cases Tuesday and three recoveries for a total of 4,080 cases, with 25 active and 3,970 resolved.

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One death was also reported, bringing that total to 85. SWPH says the death, the first in the region in over a month, involved a woman in her 80s from Oxford County.

Of the 25 active cases, eight are in St. Thomas, six in Ingersoll and four are in Tillsonburg. Per-municipality case counts for the pandemic can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.

No one is currently hospitalized with COVID-19, SWPH reported Tuesday, a decrease from one on Monday.

The number of variant cases is unchanged at 990. Of those, 769 involve the Alpha variant, 166 the Delta and 55 the Beta or Gamma variant.

There are no active institutional outbreaks, the health unit says.

The region’s test positive rate was 1.5 per cent for the week of Aug. 15, down from an updated 1.8 per cent for the week of Aug. 8.

As of Aug. 29, SWPH says 81.8 per cent of its residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 75.1 per cent have had two doses.

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Information on where to get vaccinated, vaccine eligibility and booking and cancelling appointments can be found on the health unit’s website.

Health officials say the mass immunization clinic in St. Thomas will administer its final doses at Memorial Arena on Sept. 10 before reopening on Sept. 13 at a new location at 1230 Talbot St.

People can add their names on a weekly basis to the health unit’s same-day vaccination list, also known as the Cancellation List. Select pharmacies in the region are also continuing to offer COVID-19 vaccine shots.

Huron and Perth

Huron Perth Public Health reported one case and eight recoveries for a total of 2,028 cases with 20 active, 1,951 recovered and 57 deaths.

The number of cases involving a variant of concern climbed by one to 397.

Of the 20 active cases, seven are in Perth East, five are in Morris Turnberry and three each are in North Perth and Stratford. Case counts by municipality can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.

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One individual is listed as hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday.

There are currently three active cases among health-care workers.

An outbreak declared Aug. 20 involving Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East, a long-term care home, remains active and now involves seven residents (an increase of one) and four staff members.

A previously reported community outbreak is no longer listed as active.

The region’s test positivity rate was 2.0 per cent for the week of Aug. 15, up from an updated 1.9 per cent for the week of Aug. 8.

HPPH’s vaccine dashboard showed that as of Aug. 30, 80.1 per cent of residents aged 12 and older have had at least one dose while 73.6 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Information on how and where to get a vaccine can be found on the health unit’s website.

Information on pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the province’s website.

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Sarnia and Lambton

Lambton Public Health reported no new cases but recorded five recoveries on Tuesday, for a total of 3,689 cases with 13 active, 3,607 resolved, and 69 deaths.

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Data from Lambton Public Health regarding variant cases in the region remains unavailable due to changes to the province’s case and contact management system. The health unit says the tally will be reported “as soon as provincial data remediation is complete.”

As of Aug. 18, the number of cases involving a variant of concern was 690.

Bluewater Health says it currently has zero patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Lambton Public Health is not reporting any active outbreaks in the region.

The region’s test positivity rate was 1.41 for the week of Aug. 15, up from 1.29 per cent for the week of Aug. 8.

LPH says 71.6 per cent of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated, while 77.4 per cent have had at least one dose.

Those who are able to get vaccinated on short notice are encouraged to sign up for Lambton Public Health’s daily Vaccine Standby List.

Residents can book and re-book COVID-19 vaccine appointments using the health unit’s registration page. People can also call the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222.

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Information on pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the province’s website.

— with files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues.

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