COVID-19: LHSC caring for 79 inpatients with 6 in ICU; MLHU adds 635 cases

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

London Health Sciences Centre is caring for 79 inpatients with COVID-19, up from 63 the day before. Of those, six are in adult critical care — a decrease from 10 on Wednesday.

There are five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in Children’s Hospital with zero in pediatric critical care, steady from Tuesday.

An LHSC spokesperson told Global News that the figures currently include all those in hospital with COVID-19, regardless of whether that was the reason for admission. LHSC is working to make that data available “in the near future.”

Staff cases at LHSC continue to balloon, climbing to 350 on Thursday from 261 Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported a total of 635 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, just three shy of the record for daily cases when 638 were reported Dec. 31, 2021. There were no deaths reported Thursday.

Daily case counts are no longer considered a reliable reflection of COVID-19 activity in the region. Capacity issues have resulted in a change in strategy that limits testing to those who work in high-risk settings or in hospitals. Reduced testing means true case counts are higher than what is recorded.

The most recent death was reported Dec. 30 and involved a man in his 70s who was not associated with a long-term care or retirement home, the health unit said. Further details were not provided, but MLHU data suggested the individual was fully vaccinated.

In total, there have been 22,723 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 4,360 active cases (an increase of 226), 18,104 resolved cases (an increase of 398) and 259 deaths (unchanged).

Hospitalizations

As mentioned, London Health Sciences Centre is caring for 79 inpatients with COVID-19, with six in adult critical care.

There are five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in Children’s Hospital and zero in pediatric critical care, unchanged from Tuesday.

LHSC is reporting that 350 of its staff members currently have COVID-19, up from 261 the day before.

There are currently two active outbreaks at LHSC. An outbreak at University Hospital in 7IP Clinical Neurosciences involves six confirmed patient cases and six potential staff cases, as of Jan. 5. An outbreak at Victoria Hospital’s B7-200 Adult Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit involves five or fewer patients and nine potential staff cases, as of Jan. 5.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London is reporting 70 cases among health-care workers, none of which are outbreak-related.

Among patients or residents, there are 19 outbreak-related cases at Parkwood Institute Main Building and six outbreak-related cases at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care.

St. Joseph’s is currently reporting outbreaks in SM1 at Mount Hope and in 3AE, 3KE and 4BE at Parkwood Institute Main Building.

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Institutional outbreaks

As of Thursday, outbreaks are active at the following long-term care homes, retirement homes or hospitals:

• Arbor Trace Alzheimer’s Special Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 4
• Babcock Community Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Dec. 31
• Chartwell London, Magnolia and Pinebrook areas, declared Dec. 18
• Chartwell Parkhill, Countryside Unit, declared Jan. 1
• Country Terrace, Nottinghill Unit, declared Dec. 28
• Dearness Home, in 5E, 5W, 4E, Oakdale and 2W, declared Dec. 29
• Earls Court Village, first and third floors, declared Jan. 2
• Elmwood Place, facility-wide, declared Dec. 27
• Extendicare, second and third floors, declared Dec. 24
• Henley Place LTC Residence, in Medway, Victoria and Fanshawe units, declared Dec. 29
• Kensington Village, first floor, declared Jan. 4
• Kensington Village Retirement, Highbury area, declared Jan. 4
• LHSC – University Hospital, 7IP Neurosciences, declared Jan. 1
• LHSC – Victoria Hospital, PICU, declared Dec. 31
• Longworth Retirement Residence, second floor, declared Dec. 25
• McCormick Home, Memory Lane and Evergreen units, declared Dec. 14
• McGarrell Place, facility-wide, declared Jan. 1
• Meadow Park Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 1
• Middlesex Terrace, third floor, declared Dec. 26
• Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care, SM1 and MV5, declared Dec. 25
• Oakcrossing Retirement Living, facility-wide, declared Jan. 4
• Parkwood Institute Main Building, 2 Perth, declared Jan. 5
• Parkwood Institute Main Building, 3 Kent/Essex, declared Dec. 31
• Parkwood Institute Main Building, 3A-East, declared Dec. 23
• Parkwood Institute Main Building, 4 Bruce Elgin, declared Jan. 3
• Peoplecare Oak Crossing, White Pine, declared Dec. 31
• Sisters of St. Joseph, facility-wide, declared Dec. 24
• Village of Glendale Crossing, facility-wide, Lambeth, declared Dec. 25
• Westmount Gardens, Daisy Unit, declared Jan. 3

There are no active outbreaks at elementary or secondary schools, child-care or early years centres or post-secondary institutions in the MLHU’s jurisdiction as of Thursday.

Schools and child care

No new COVID-19 cases have been reported involving schools and none were active as of Thursday.

Students have been out of class for the winter break and were initially supposed to return to in-person classes Wednesday but the province announced on Monday that “all publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting Jan. 5 until at least Jan. 17.”

A total of 600 cases have been reported at local elementary and secondary schools since the start of the school year in September. In comparison, 351 were reported during the 12-month span between September 2020 and August 2021.

Vaccinations and testing

The mass vaccination clinic at Earl Nichols Recreation Centre has now reopened and is expected to vaccinate 500 people on Thursday before ramping up to 800 people a day.

As of the week of Dec. 12, the most recent data available, the test positivity rate in Middlesex-London was 6.7 per cent.

At the end of December, in response to “the rapidly spreading and highly transmissible Omicron variant,” the province announced new eligibility requirements for publicly-funded PCR testing.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit says individuals with COVID-19 symptoms should consider themselves to be positive for COVID-19 and self-isolate.

The health unit has provided information on what to do if you develop symptoms, test positive on a rapid test or PCR test or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive.

Health unit data shows 45.45 per cent of hospitalized cases since Nov. 25 have involved people who were unvaccinated and 49.09 per cent involved fully vaccinated individuals in that same time frame. The rest involve those who were partially vaccinated or not yet protected by vaccination. Note that unvaccinated residents make up only 12 per cent of the region’s five-and-older population as of Jan. 1.

As of Jan. 1, 88.0 per cent of those aged five and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.3 per cent are fully vaccinated. Those figures are up from 87.6 per cent and 82.1 per cent, respectively, as of Dec. 25.

As for boosters, 25.4 per cent of people aged five and older have had a third dose as of Jan. 1. Note that those under 18 are not currently eligible for a third dose.

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

Ontario

Ontario reported 2,279 people in hospital wards with COVID-19 Thursday (up by 198 from the previous day) with 319 patients in intensive care units (up by 31).

Last Thursday, there were 965 hospitalizations with 200 in ICUs.

In terms of vaccination status, for those in general hospital wards with COVID-19, 436 were unvaccinated, 96 were partially vaccinated and 1,156 were fully vaccinated. For patients in ICUs, 123 were unvaccinated while 28 were partially vaccinated and 87 were fully vaccinated.

Considering that the majority of Ontarians are vaccinated, those who are unvaccinated are still far more likely to be hospitalized or end up in the ICU than those who are vaccinated, health officials say.

Ontario reported 13,339 COVID cases on Thursday, however, due to recent testing eligibility changes the province warns the counts are an underestimate of the true spread of the virus in the community.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health reported 12 patients in hospital with COVID-19, down from 18 the day before. Of those, four are in ICU, down from five on Wednesday.

SWPH reported one death Thursday, involving a woman in her 80s from Elgin County. It’s the fourth death reported this week, as the health unit reported the death of a man in his 80s from Oxford County and woman in her 50s from St. Thomas on Wednesday and the death of a man in his 70s from Elgin County on Tuesday.

As for cases, SWPH is reporting:

• 7,965 cases (an increase of 137)
• 1,435 active cases (an increase of 56)
• 6,413 resolved cases (an increase of 102, note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)
• 117 deaths (an increase of one)

There are active outbreaks at the following long-term homes, retirement homes and hospitals:

• Valleyview Nursing Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 23 and involving 10 resident cases and 17 staff cases
• Woodingford Lodge, Woodstock, declared Dec. 28 and involving seven resident cases and seven staff cases
• Chartwell Oxford Gardens, Woodstock, declared Dec. 30 and involving eight resident cases and two staff cases
• Caressant Care Bonnie Place Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 30 and involving four resident cases and one staff case
• Caressant Care Bonnie Place Nursing Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 30 and involving three staff cases
• Elgin Manor, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 31 and involving four resident cases and one staff case
• Beattie Manor Retirement Residence, Wardsville, declared Dec. 31 and involving one resident case
• Extendicare, Port Stanley, declared Jan. 2 and involving two resident cases and four staff cases
• Secord Trails, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 2 and involving nine resident cases and one staff case
• Chartwell Aylmer, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving four staff cases
• Alexandra Hospital, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 3 and involving four resident cases
• Caressant Care Nursing Home – Woodstock, declared Jan. 3 and involving one resident case and five staff cases

There are currently no active outbreaks at local schools. More information on school cases can be found on the websites of the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board.

Roughly 6.8 per cent of tests in the region were coming back positive as of the week of Dec. 12.

As of Jan. 4, 76.3 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 81.3 per cent have had at least one dose.

Walk-in vaccination clinics will be held on Jan. 6 in Port Burwell from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bayham Township Fire Station, 55451 Nova Scotia Line and on Jan. 13 in Straffordville from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Straffordville Community Centre at 56169 Heritage Line.

Further information on where and how to get vaccinated can be found on the health unit’s website.

The health unit encouraged people to join its Same-Day Vaccination List, which offers any leftover doses due to cancellations or no-shows.

Huron and Perth

Huron Perth Public Health reported Thursday that six people were in hospital with COVID-19, down from seven as of Wednesday.

Of those, four were still considered to be active cases, unchanged from the day before.

The number of health-care workers with active COVID-19 infections climbed to 21, up from 15 on Wednesday.

In total, HPPH reported on Thursday that there were:

• 4,057 total cases (an increase of 106)
• 1,027 active cases (an increase of 83)
• 2,954 recoveries (an increase of 22)
• 76 deaths to date (an increase of one)

Details about the new death were not available.

There are 13 active outbreaks reported by HPPH, including eight at long-term care or retirement homes:

• Hillside Manor, Perth East, declared Dec. 31 and involving two staff cases
• Kingsway Lodge, St. Marys, declared Jan. 3 and involving two resident cases and two staff cases
• Queensway Nursing home, Bluewater, declared Dec. 31 and involving one resident case and one staff case
• Ritz Lutheran Villa, West Perth, declared Jan. 5 and involving two staff cases
• Wildwood Care Centre, St. Marys, declared Dec. 27 and involving three staff cases
• Exeter Villa, South Huron, declared Jan. 2 and involving four resident cases and one staff case
• Maplewood Manor Retirement Home, Huron East, declared Dec. 30 and involving one resident case and one staff case
• Seaforth Manor Retirement Home, Huron East, declared Jan. 2 and involving two staff cases

HPPH is reporting six outbreaks at congregate living settings but no further details were provided.

Data on school cases can be found on the websites of the Avon-Maitland District School Board and the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.

As of Jan. 4, 82.9 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 78.0 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 31.0 per cent.

The region’s test positivity rate was 3.8 per cent for the week of Dec. 12. An updated figure is expected this week.

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

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Sarnia and Lambton

Bluewater Health reported 24 patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, down from 26 the day before.

On Thursday, Lambton Public Health reported:

• 6,541 total cases (an increase of 144)
• 1,326 active cases (an increase of 77)
• 5,131 resolved cases (an increase of 67)
• 84 deaths to date (unchanged)

LPH reported eight active outbreaks as of Thursday, all at long-term care or retirement homes:

• Watford Quality Care in Watford, declared Jan. 5 and involving fewer than five resident cases and fewer than five staff cases
• Trillium Villa in Sarnia, declared Jan. 3 and involving seven residents and fewer than five staff/caregivers
• Marshall Gowland Manor in Sarnia, declared Jan. 1 and involving fewer than five residents and eight staff/caregivers
• Afton Park Place in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving fewer than five residents and five staff/caregivers
• Sumac Lodge in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving 10 resident cases and fewer than five cases among staff/caregivers
• Fiddick’s Nursing Home in Petrolia, declared Dec. 30 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff/caregivers
• Vision Nursing Home in Sarnia, declared Dec. 29 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff/caregivers
• Rosewood Retirement Village in Sarnia, declared Dec. 26 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff/caregivers

All active cases at schools within the Lambton Kent District School Board can be found online, as can cases at schools within the St. Clair Catholic District School Board.

The test positivity rate was 6.8 per cent for the week of Dec. 12, the most recent data available, up from 3.6 per cent for the week of Dec. 5.

Eighty-one per cent of area residents age five and older have had at least one dose while 76 per cent have had two doses. Twenty-four per cent have had a third dose, health unit data shows.

Residents can book and re-book COVID-19 vaccine appointments or find information on vaccine availability at pharmacies using the health unit’s registration page. People can also contact the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222.

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

— with files from Gabby Rodrigues