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London Health Sciences Centre is caring for 78 inpatients with COVID-19, down one from the day before. Of those, 12 are in adult critical care, doubling from six on Thursday.
There are five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in the Children’s Hospital with zero in pediatric critical care, steady from Tuesday.
An LHSC spokesperson told Global News the figures 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 438 on Friday from 350 on Thursday.
Testing data has been updated for the first time in weeks, with the province reporting that the test positivity rate for the week of Dec. 26, 2021 reached 28.3 per cent in Middlesex-London, up from 15.5 per cent the week of Dec. 19 and 6.9 per cent the week of Dec. 12.
Meanwhile, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported a total of 412 COVID-19 cases on Friday and no deaths.
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 23,150 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 4,441 active cases (an increase of 81), 18,450 resolved cases (an increase of 346) and 259 deaths (unchanged).
Hospitalizations
As mentioned, London Health Sciences Centre is caring for 78 inpatients with COVID-19, with 12 in adult critical care.
There are five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in the Children’s Hospital and zero in pediatric critical care, unchanged from Tuesday.
LHSC is reporting that 438 of its staff members currently have COVID-19.
There are currently active outbreaks at University Hospital in 7IP clinical neurosciences and at Victoria Hospital’s B7-200 adult psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU).
The outbreak at UH involves nine patient cases and eight potential staff cases, as of Friday. The outbreak at Victoria Hospital involves five or fewer patient cases and 13 potential staff cases.
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.
Institutional outbreaks
As of Friday, 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
- Dorchester Terrace, facility-wide, declared Jan. 6
- 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, care centre, declared Dec. 24
- Strathmere Lodge, Parkview Place and Bear Creek, declared Jan. 6
- 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 Friday.
Schools and child care
No new COVID-19 cases have been reported involving schools and none were active as of Friday.
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
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As mentioned previously, testing data has been updated for the first time in weeks.
The test positivity rate for the week of Dec. 26 reached 28.3 per cent in Middlesex-London, up from 15.5 per cent the week of Dec. 19 and 6.9 per cent the week of Dec. 12.
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 39.34 per cent of hospitalized cases since Nov. 25 have involved people who were unvaccinated and 58.23 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 is reporting the most patients in hospital with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic as the province continues to deal with the Omicron wave.
On Friday, the province said there were a record 2,472 people in hospital wards with COVID-19 (up by 193 from the previous day) with 338 patients in intensive care units (up by 19).
This is the highest number of patients in hospital ever recorded, edging out the previous high of 2,360 reported on April 20, 2021 amid the third wave. ICU patients peaked 10 days later at 900.
The province also reported 11,899 new COVID cases on Friday.
Further information, including the vaccination status of hospitalized individuals, can be found in this Global News story.
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health reported 17 patients in hospital with COVID-19, up from 12 the day before. Of those, three are in ICU, down from four on Thursday.
Test positivity data has been updated, with 24.8 per cent of tests in SWPH coming back positive during the week of Dec. 26, up from 11.3 per cent the week of Dec. 19 and 6.8 per cent the week of Dec. 12.
No deaths were reported Friday but four were reported this week. SWPH reported the deaths of a woman in her 80s from Elgin County on Thursday, a man in his 80s from Oxford County and a woman in her 50s from St. Thomas on Wednesday, and a man in his 70s from Elgin County on Tuesday.
As for cases, SWPH is reporting:
- 8,159 cases (an increase of 194)
- 1,543 active cases (an increase of 108)
- 6,499 resolved cases (an increase of 86; note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)
- 117 deaths (unchanged)
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 eight 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 nine resident cases and two staff cases
- Caressant Care Bonnie Place Nursing Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 30 and involving one resident case and six staff cases
- Elgin Manor, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 31 and involving four resident cases and two staff cases
- 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 six staff cases
- Secord Trails, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 2 and involving 12 resident cases and two staff cases
- Chartwell Aylmer, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving one resident case and five staff cases
- Alexandra Hospital, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 3 and involving nine resident cases
- Caressant Care Nursing Home – Woodstock, declared Jan. 3 and involving one resident case and six 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.
As of Jan. 6, 76.5 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 81.5 per cent have had at least one dose.
A walk-in vaccination clinic will be held 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
On Friday, Huron Perth Public Health reported six people were in hospital with COVID-19, unchanged from Thursday.
Of those, five were still considered to be active cases, an increase of one from the day before.
Updated test positivity rate data was provided on Friday. According to the data, for the week of Dec. 26, the test positivity rate was 21.2 per cent, up from 9.6 per cent the week of Dec. 19 and 3.8 per cent the week of Dec. 12.
The number of health-care workers with active COVID-19 infections climbed to 27, up from 21 on Thursday.
In total, HPPH reported on Friday that there were:
- 4,122 total cases (an increase of 65)
- 1,081 active cases (an increase of 54)
- 2,965 recoveries (an increase of 11)
- 76 deaths to date (unchanged)
The most recent death was reported Thursday, Jan. 6. No details were provided.
There are 14 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 four 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 three staff cases
- 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 residents and one staff case
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 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 31 per cent of those five and older, though those under the age of 18 are not eligible for a third dose.
Information on how and where to get a vaccine can be found on the health unit’s website.
Sarnia and Lambton
Bluewater Health reported 29 patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, up from 24 on Thursday. Lambton Public Health is reporting the average ICU occupancy was at 80 per cent for the week of Dec. 26, the most recent data available.
The test positivity rate was 31.2 per cent for the week of Dec. 26, up from 6.8 per cent for the week of Dec. 12. LPH did not provide data for the week of Dec. 19.
On Friday, Lambton Public Health reported:
- 6,699 total cases (an increase of 158)
- 1,368 active cases (an increase of 42)
- 5,245 resolved cases (an increase of 114)
- 86 deaths to date (an increase of two)
LPH reported nine active outbreaks as of Friday, all at long-term care, retirement or community living homes:
- Community Living Sarnia-Lambton, declared Jan. 6 and involving fewer than five resident cases and fewer than five staff/caregiver cases
- 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 14 residents and 10 staff/caregivers
- Marshall Gowland Manor in Sarnia, declared Jan. 1 and involving fewer than five residents and nine staff/caregivers
- Afton Park Place in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving fewer than five residents and nine staff/caregivers
- Sumac Lodge in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving 12 resident cases and eight cases among staff/caregivers
- Fiddick’s Nursing Home in Petrolia, declared Dec. 30 and involving fewer than five residents and seven 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.
Eighty-one per cent of area residents age five and older have had at least one dose of vaccine while 76 per cent have had two doses. Twenty-six per cent have had a third dose, health unit data shows. Note that those under 18 are not currently eligible for a third dose.
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
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