COVID-19: 149 inpatients at LHSC, MLHU says 89.6% of those 5+ have at least 1 vaccine dose

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

The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported one death and 159 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

The death involved a man in his 70s who was associated with a long-term care home.

The London Health Sciences Centre reported 149 COVID-19 inpatients on Monday, down from a record 166 reported a week ago (that record was then tied on Jan. 20).

Hospitalizations

As noted, LHSC is caring for 149 inpatients with COVID-19, down from 166 a week ago. Of those, 21 are in adult critical care, compared with 24 a week ago.

Five or fewer of the 149 are in Children’s Hospital, with zero in pediatric critical care. Last Tuesday, six were in Children’s Hospital, with five or fewer in pediatric critical care.

Of the 149 patients, 93 are being treated for COVID-19 while 56 others in hospital have incidental COVID-19 infections (meaning they were admitted for another reason). Last Tuesday, those figures were 94 and 72, respectively.

Among staff, there are 199 cases, down from 374 a week ago.

There are several outbreaks at LHSC at St. Joseph’s Health Care London. Further information can be found in the Outbreaks section, below.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported 21 cases among patients or residents in its care as of Tuesday and 77 health-care workers with COVID-19, compared with 50 patient/resident cases and 117 staff cases a week ago.

Among the 12 patient/resident cases, 10 are at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care, four are at Parkwood Institute Main Building and seven are at Parkwood Institute Mental Health Care Building.

2:24 Canadians support more restrictions on the unvaccinated: poll

Cases and testing

The death reported by the MLHU on Tuesday involved a man in his 70s associated with a long-term care home.

As for cases, the MLHU reported 159 cases Tuesday, compared to 191 last Tuesday. Note that due to changes in eligibility for PCR testing, daily case counts are not considered a fully reliable reflection of COVID-19 activity in the region.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit says individuals who are experiencing 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.

In total, there have been 28,016 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 2,216 active cases (a decrease of 161), 25,512 resolved cases (an increase of 316) and 288 deaths (an increase of one).

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 9 was 22.4 per cent, down from 24 per cent the week of Jan. 2 and 28.3 per cent the week of Dec. 26, 2021.

Outbreaks

LHSC is reporting the following outbreaks:

• University Hospital
  • U4 North East and East Corridors, General Medicine, declared Jan. 25, no word on number of cases yet
  • U10 Subacute Medicine and Palliative Care, declared Jan. 16, involving five or fewer patient cases
  • U6 200/300 Cardiac Surgery Inpatients, declared Jan. 16, involving five or fewer patients and six staff cases
  • U5 100/300 Cardiology Inpatients, declared Jan. 16, involving five or fewer patient cases and six staff cases
  • A8 Surgery Inpatient, declared Jan. 14, involving 14 patient cases and six staff cases
    
  • A9 Inpatients 100 and 200 Corridors, declared Jan. 11, involving 23 patient cases and nine staff cases
• Victoria Hospital
  • D6-200 – Nephrology Inpatients, declared Jan. 25, no word on number of cases yet
  • D6-100 – Acute Medicine, declared Jan. 25, no word on number of cases yet
  • B72 – Adult Mental Health Inpatients, declared Jan. 17, involving seven patients and five or fewer staff cases
    

St. Joseph’s Health Care London is reporting the following outbreaks:

• Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care: SM2
• Parkwood Institute Main Building: 3KE and 4BE
• Parkwood Institute Mental Health Care Building: G3

Additionally, the MLHU is reporting the following institutional outbreaks:

• Arbor Trace Alzheimer’s Special Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 4
• Chartwell Parkhill, Countryside Unit, declared Jan. 1
• Chartwell Riverside Retirement Residence, facility-wide, declared Jan. 21
• Chelsey Park, third floor-A Wing, declared Jan. 18
• Dearness Home
  • 4E, declared Jan. 21
  • Oakdale, declared Dec. 29
• Earls Court Village, second floor, declared Jan. 2
• Elmwood Place, F-W (all units resolved except for Victoria unit), declared Dec. 27
• Extendicare, first floor, declared Dec. 24
• Henley Place LTC Residence, facility-wide, declared Dec. 29
• Highview Residence – Chapin House, facility-wide, declared Jan. 7
• Manor Village at London, 4 West, declared Jan. 10
• McCormick Home, Evergreen unit, declared Dec. 14
• Meadow Park Care Centre, Blue Unit, declared Jan. 1
• Strathmere Lodge, Bear Creek, declared Jan. 6
• Village of Glendale Crossing, facility-wide, declared Dec. 25

Previously reported outbreaks at Babcock Community Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Dec. 31, and at Country Terrace, Nottinghill Unit, declared Dec. 28 were both listed as over as of Jan. 24.

Vaccinations

The MLHU released updated vaccination data on Tuesday, covering up to the end of day Jan. 22.

As of the end of day Jan. 22, 89.6 per cent of residents five and older in the region have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, up from 89.1 per cent as of Jan. 15.

Two-dose coverage for that cohort sits at 83.7 per cent, up from 83.2 per cent the week prior.

The percentage of people age five and older who’ve received third doses climbed to 43.2 per cent, up from 38.5 per cent a week prior. Note that those under 18 are not currently eligible for a third dose.

First-dose coverage for those aged five to 11 stands at 56.3 per cent, up from 54.1 per cent.

View image in full screen

Health unit data shows that since Dec. 14, 32.44 per cent of hospitalized cases have involved people who were unvaccinated. Note that unvaccinated residents make up only 10.4 per cent of the region’s five-and-older population as of Jan. 22.

According to the MLHU, there have been 31 deaths within the last six weeks. Of those, 24 involved fully vaccinated individuals and seven involved unvaccinated individuals.

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 4,008 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday with 626 in ICUs, an increase of 147 and 11 from Monday, respectively.

Of the 4,008 people in hospital with COVID-19, 55 per cent of them were admitted because of the virus, while 45 per cent were admitted for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.

Of the 626 people in ICUs, around 85 per cent of those in intensive care with COVID-19 were admitted because of the virus.

Meanwhile, Ontario also reported 3,424 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, though that is an underestimate of the true widespread transmission of the virus due to recent testing restrictions. Sixty-four virus-related deaths were also added to the tally, though the deaths occurred over the last 20 days.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health reported four deaths on Tuesday:

• male, 90s, Elgin County, related to a long-term care or retirement home outbreak
• female, 80s, Elgin County, related to a long-term care or retirement home outbreak
• male, 80s, Oxford County, not tied to an outbreak
• female, 90s, Oxford County, not tied to an outbreak

Southwestern Public Health reported 29 hospitalizations on Tuesday, up from 27 a week ago. Eight are in the ICU, up from four a week ago.

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 9 was 16.5 per cent, down from 19.5 per cent the week of Jan. 2.

As for cases, SWPH is reporting:

• 9,843 cases (an increase of 65 with one case removed due to data cleanup)
• 743 active cases (a decrease of 60)
• 8,964 resolved cases (an increase of 421; note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)
• 136 total deaths (an increase of four)

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

• Valleyview Nursing Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 23 and involving 17 resident cases, 33 staff cases and one death
• Woodingford Lodge, Woodstock, declared Dec. 28 and involving 14 resident cases, 21 staff cases and two deaths
• Tillsonburg Retirement Residence – Tillsonburg, declared Dec. 29 and involving three resident cases and one staff case
• Chartwell Oxford Gardens, Woodstock, declared Dec. 30 and involving 12 resident cases and four staff cases
• Caressant Care Bonnie Place Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 30 and involving 19 resident cases, 13 staff cases and one death
• Caressant Care Bonnie Place Nursing Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 30 and involving 29 resident cases and 21 staff cases
• Beattie Manor Retirement Residence, Wardsville, declared Jan. 17 and involving five resident cases
• Extendicare, Port Stanley, declared Jan. 2 and involving nine resident cases and 12 staff cases
• Maple Manor Nursing Home, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving six resident cases and 13 staff cases
• Terrace Lodge, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving 18 resident cases, five staff cases and one death
• Secord Trails, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 2 and involving 41 resident cases, 25 staff cases and two deaths
• Chartwell Aylmer, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving six resident cases and seven staff cases
• Caressant Care Nursing Home – Woodstock, declared Jan. 3 and involving two resident cases, 19 staff cases and one case under investigation
• Maples Nursing Home – Tavistock, declared Jan. 7, involving three resident cases and 16 staff cases
• Arches Transitional Bed Program, Woodstock, declared Jan. 10 and involving 17 resident cases and 15 staff cases
• Woodingford Lodge, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 12 and involving three staff cases
• Cedarview Living Retirement, Woodstock, declared Jan. 13 and involving 63 resident cases and seven staff cases
• Metcalfe Gardens Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 13 and involving 24 resident cases and seven staff cases
• Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving three resident cases

As of Jan. 24, 77.6 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 82.6 per cent have had at least one dose.

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.

1:39 Ontario releases school absenteeism data as kids return to in-person learning

Huron and Perth

On Tuesday, Huron Perth Public Health reported seven people were in hospital with COVID-19, compared with six a week ago.

Of those, six are considered to be active cases, compared with four last Tuesday.

For the week of Jan. 9, the test positivity rate was 10 per cent, down from 11 per cent the week of Jan. 2.

In total, HPPH reported 4,855 total cases (an increase of 32) and 80 deaths to date (an increase of one).

No details were provided about the death reported Tuesday.

HPPH reported 503 total cases among health-care workers since March 2020, up from 495 the day before, for an increase of eight.

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

• Braemar Nursing Home, North Huron, declared Jan. 12 and involving 40 residents and 16 staff cases
• Huronview, Huron East, declared Jan. 21 and involving four staff cases
• Kingsway Lodge, St. Marys, declared Jan. 3 and involving 12 resident cases and 14 staff cases
• Knollcrest Lodge, Perth East, declared Jan. 12 and one resident case and involving nine staff cases
• Caressant Care Retirement Home, North Perth, declared Jan. 2 and involving five resident cases
• Maplewood Manor Retirement Home, Huron East, declared Dec. 30 and involving two resident cases and two staff cases

A previous outbreak at Hillside Manor, Perth East, declared Dec. 31 and involving six staff cases, is no longer listed as active.

HPPH is reporting two outbreaks at congregate living settings, down from four on Monday, but no further details were provided.

As of Jan. 24, 84 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 79.4 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 48.2 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.

5:19 Ontario’s Omicron wave may have peaked, according to experts

Sarnia and Lambton

Bluewater Health reported 44 patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, compared with 59 a week ago. Of those 44, seven are in the ICU, compared to 10 a week ago.

Lambton Public Health is reporting the average ICU occupancy was at 83 per cent for the week of Jan. 16, up from 78 per cent for the week of Jan. 9.

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 9 was 31.8 per cent, up from 28.5 per cent the week prior.

On Tuesday, Lambton Public Health reported:

• 8,478 total cases (an increase of 26)
• 428 active cases (a decrease of 135)
• 7,947 resolved cases (an increase of 160)
• 103 deaths to date (an increase of one)

No information was provided about the death reported Tuesday.

LPH reported 17 active outbreaks as of Tuesday, including at the following congregate living facilities:

• Lambton County Developmental Services in Corunna, declared Jan. 23 and involving fewer than five resident cases and six staff cases
• Lambton County Developmental Services in Oil Spring, declared Jan. 19 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff cases
• Community Living Sarnia-Lambton in Sarnia, declared Jan. 7 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff/caregivers

A previous outbreak at Huron House Boys Home in Brights Grove, declared Jan. 8 and involving fewer than five residents and five staff/caregivers was declared over on Jan. 24.

There are outbreaks at the following long-term care and retirement homes:

• Afton Park Place in Sarnia, declared Jan. 23 and involving fewer than five resident cases and fewer than five staff cases
• Country Manor Estates in Lambton Shores, declared Jan. 17 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff members
• Fairwinds Lodge in Sarnia, declared Jan. 10 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff members
• Watford Quality Care in Watford, declared Jan. 5 and involving 11 resident cases and 11 staff cases
• Trillium Villa in Sarnia, declared Jan. 3 and involving 56 residents and 35 staff/caregivers
• Marshall Gowland Manor in Sarnia, declared Jan. 1 and involving fewer than five residents and 15 staff/caregivers
• Afton Park Place in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving fewer than five residents and 15 staff/caregivers
• Sumac Lodge in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving 36 resident cases and 30 cases among staff/caregivers
• Fiddick’s Nursing Home in Petrolia, declared Dec. 30 and involving 14 residents and 26 staff/caregivers

There are outbreaks at a hospital and jail. The outbreak at Sarnia Jail in Sarnia was declared Jan. 8 and involves 35 inmates and six staff members.

An outbreak at Bluewater Health in Sarnia declared Jan. 7 involves 16 patients and 10 staff members. A second outbreak at Bluewater Health was declared Jan. 14 and involved seven patients and 12 staff members but was declared over on Jan. 24.

There are three outbreaks in unidentified workplaces, one declared Jan. 18 and involving six cases, one declared Jan. 17 and involving four cases and one declared Jan. 11 involving six cases.

Among area residents aged five and older, 82 per cent have had at least one dose of vaccine, 77 per cent have had two doses and 42 per cent have had a third dose. 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