COVID-19: MLHU reports 5 deaths, LHSC has 28 COVID patients in ICU

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

The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported five deaths and 90 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, compared to one death and 159 cases a week ago.

The deaths involved two women in their 60s and a woman in her 90s as well as two men in their 70s and 90s. The man in his 90s was associated with a retirement home while one of the women in her 60s was associated with a long-term care home.

Meanwhile, the London Health Sciences Centre reported 149 COVID-19 inpatients on Tuesday, which is the same number of patients reported last Tuesday.

However, the number of adults in critical care has climbed to 28 on Tuesday, up from 21 a week ago.

Hospitalizations

As noted, LHSC is caring for 149 COVID-19 inpatients, with 28 inpatients in adult critical care.

Of those, there are five or fewer in Children’s Hospital with zero in pediatric critical care, the same as last Tuesday.

Of the 149 patients, 89 are being treated for COVID-19 while 60 others in hospital have incidental COVID-19 infections (meaning they were admitted for another reason).

Among staff, there are 205 cases, up from 199 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 12 cases among patients or residents in its care as of Tuesday and 64 health-care workers with COVID-19, compared with 21 patient/resident cases and 77 staff cases a week ago.

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

Cases and testing

As mentioned, the MLHU reported five deaths on Tuesday:

• woman, 60s, no association to long-term care or retirement homes
• woman, 60s, associated with a long-term care home
• man, 70s, no association to long-term care or retirement homes
• woman, 90s, no association to long-term care or retirement homes
• man, 90s, associated with a retirement home

Based on the vaccination status of deaths reported in the past six weeks, two were unvaccinated and three were fully vaccinated.

This comes after three deaths were reported between Saturday and Monday, involving two men in their 80s and one in his 60s. All three were double-vaccinated.

The MLHU also reported 90 cases 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 29,274 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 1,792 active cases (a decrease of 102), 27,177 resolved cases (an increase of 223) and 305 deaths (an increase of five).

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 16 was 21.3 per cent, down from 22.4 per cent the week of Jan. 9.

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 Outbreaks

LHSC is reporting the following outbreaks:

• University Hospital
  • U4 North East and East Corridors, General Medicine, declared Jan. 25, 12 patient cases and five or fewer staff cases
    
  • U10 Subacute Medicine and Palliative Care, declared Jan. 16, involving nine patient cases and five or fewer staff cases
  • A8 Surgery Inpatient, declared Jan. 14, involving 15 patient cases and seven staff cases
  • A9 Inpatients 100 and 200 Corridors, declared Jan. 11, involving 33 patient cases and 11 staff cases
• Victoria Hospital
  • D6-200 – Nephrology Inpatients, declared Jan. 25, seven patient cases
  • D6-100 – Acute Medicine, declared Jan. 25, five or fewer patient cases and five or fewer staff cases
    
  • B72 – Adult Mental Health Inpatients, declared Jan. 17, involving seven patients and five or fewer staff cases
    

St. Joseph’s Health Care London is only reporting one outbreak, at Parkwood Institute Mental Health Care Building’s G3 unit. A previous outbreak at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care’s SM5 is no longer listed as active.

Additionally, the MLHU is reporting the following institutional outbreaks:

• Arbor Trace Alzheimer’s Special Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 4
• Babcock Community Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 31
• Chartwell Riverside Retirement Residence, facility-wide, declared Jan. 21
• Chelsey Park, third floor-A Wing, declared Jan. 18 and second and fourth floor, declared Jan. 28
  
• Dearness Home, Oakdale, declared Dec. 29
• Elmwood Place, Victoria Unit, declared Dec. 27
• Extendicare, first floor and third floor, declared Dec. 24
• Henley Place LTC Residence, FW, Harris declared Jan. 28, initially declared Dec. 29
• Highview Residence – Chapin House, facility-wide (Taylor Cottage resolved Jan. 31), declared Jan. 7
• Manor Village at London, 4E, declared Jan. 31
• Meadow Park Care Centre, Blue Unit, declared Jan. 1
• Oneida Long Term Care Home, West Wing, declared Jan. 28 and East Wing, declared Jan. 31
  
• Queens Village, lower level and second floor, declared Jan. 25, facility-wide declared Jan. 28
• Village of Glendale Crossing, facility-wide, declared Dec. 25

Note that school closures and school absence rates can be found on the province’s website.

Vaccinations

On Tuesday, the health unit provided updated vaccination data for the region.

As of the end of day Jan. 29, 89.9 per cent of those aged five and older have had at least one dose, up from 89.6 per cent as of Jan. 22. Two-dose coverage for that cohort sits at 84.9 per cent, up from 83.7 per cent a week prior.

The percentage of people aged five and older who’ve received third doses climbed to 46.1 per cent, up from 43.2 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 57.3 per cent, up from 56.3 per cent.

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The MLHU is now accepting walk-ins at all of its vaccination clinics. For those who prefer a scheduled time, appointments can still be booked.

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.

Health unit data shows that since Dec. 21, 31.29 per cent of hospitalized cases have involved people who were unvaccinated. Note that unvaccinated residents make up only 10.1 per cent of the region’s five-and-older population as of Jan. 29.

According to the MLHU, there have been 47 deaths within the last six weeks. Of those, 34 involved fully vaccinated individuals and 13 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 3,091 people in hospital with COVID on Tuesday with 568 in intensive care units.

This is up by 108 hospitalizations but a decrease of 15 in ICUs since the previous day.

Last Tuesday, there were 4,008 hospitalizations with 626 in ICU.

Fifty-six per cent of those in hospital with COVID-19 were admitted because of the virus while 84 per cent of those in ICUs were admitted due to the virus.

Meanwhile, Ontario also reported 2,622 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, though that is an underestimate of the true widespread transmission of the virus due to recent testing restrictions.

The number of total deaths increased by 60 to 11,504.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health’s COVID-19 cases dashboard is not updated on Tuesdays.

On Monday, SWPH reported one death, involving a man in his 60s from Oxford County, not linked to an institutional outbreak.

SWPH also reported 28 hospitalizations, down from 51 a week ago. Of the 28, eight are in the ICU. Last Monday, there were 10 COVID-19 patients in the ICU.

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 16 was 17.7 per cent, up from a revised 16.8 per cent the week prior.

As for cases, SWPH is reporting:

• 10,240 cases (an increase of 188 from Friday with one case removed due to data cleanup)
• 676 active cases (a decrease of 45)
• 9,425 resolved cases (an increase of 231; note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)
• 139 total 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, 2021, and involving 17 resident cases, 34 staff cases and one death
• 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 Nursing Home, St. Thomas, declared Dec. 30 and involving 30 resident cases and 25 staff cases
• Secord Trails, Ingersoll, declared Jan. 2 and involving 41 resident cases, 26 staff cases and two deaths
• Chartwell Aylmer, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving seven resident cases and 14 staff cases
• Caressant Care Nursing Home – Woodstock, declared Jan. 3 and involving three resident cases and 25 staff cases
• Arches Transitional Bed Program, Woodstock, declared Jan. 10 and involving 17 resident cases, 16 staff cases and one death
• Cedarview Living Retirement, Woodstock, declared Jan. 13 and involving 73 resident cases and nine staff cases
• Metcalfe Gardens Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 13 and involving 26 resident cases, eight staff cases and one death
• Beattie Manor Retirement Residency, Wardsville, declared Jan. 17 and involving 14 resident cases and one staff case
• Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving 10 patient cases, two staff cases, one death and one case under investigation
• Maple Manor Nursing Home, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving 23 resident cases and 15 staff cases
• Elgin Manor, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 20 and involving 14 resident cases and 14 staff cases

Previously reported outbreaks at Woodingford Lodge in Woodstock, Caressant Care Bonnie Place Retirement Home in St. Thomas, Terrace Lodge in Aylmer and Maples Nursing Home in Tavistock are no longer listed as active.

As of Jan. 26, 77.9 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 82.7 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.

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Huron and Perth

Global News is awaiting Tuesday’s data from Huron Perth Public Health.

On Monday, Huron Perth Public Health reported 10 people were in hospital with COVID-19.

Of those, five were considered to be active cases.

For the week of Jan. 16, the test positivity rate was 11.7 per cent, up from 10 per cent the week prior.

In total, HPPH reported 5,056 total cases (an increase of 60 from Friday) and 85 deaths to date (an increase of five from Friday).

HPPH reported 542 total cases among health-care workers since March 2020, an increase of 21 from Friday.

There are six active outbreaks reported by HPPH, including at the following long-term care or retirement homes:

• Braemar Nursing Home, North Huron, declared Jan. 12 and involving 41 residents and 16 staff cases
• Huronview, Huron East, declared Jan. 21 and involving five resident cases and five staff cases
• Kingsway Lodge, St. Marys, declared Jan. 3 and involving 18 resident cases and 14 staff cases
• Queensway Nursing Home, Bluewater, declared Jan. 27 and involving 13 resident cases and six staff

HPPH is also reporting an outbreak at South Huron Hospital in South Huron, declared Jan. 27, involving nine patients. There is also one congregate living outbreak reported but no further details were provided.

As of Jan. 31, 84.1 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 79.8 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 49.6 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.

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Sarnia and Lambton

Bluewater Health reported 37 patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, compared with 44 a week ago. Of those 37, four are in the ICU, compared with seven a week ago.

Lambton Public Health is reporting the average ICU occupancy was at 67 per cent the week of Jan. 23, down from 83 per cent for the week of Jan. 16.

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 16 was 30.8 per cent, down from 31.8 per cent the week of Jan. 9.

On Tuesday, Lambton Public Health reported:

• 8,831 total cases (an increase of 38)
• 269 active cases (a decrease of 37)
• 8,454 resolved cases (an increase of 75)
• 108 deaths to date (unchanged)

The most recent death was reported Jan. 31.

LPH reported eight active outbreaks, 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 Springs, declared Jan. 19 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff cases

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
• Watford Quality Care in Watford, declared Jan. 5 and involving 15 resident cases and 15 staff cases
• Trillium Villa in Sarnia, declared Jan. 3 and involving 59 residents and 40 staff/caregivers

An outbreak at Sarnia Jail in Sarnia was declared Jan. 8 and involves 39 inmates and nine staff members.

There are two ongoing outbreaks in unidentified workplaces. One declared Jan. 17 involving four cases and one declared Jan. 26 involving eight cases.

Two previous outbreaks at workplaces declared Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 and involving six and eight cases, respectively, were listed as over as of Jan. 31.

The following outbreaks were also declared over as of Jan. 31:

• Fairwinds Lodge in Sarnia, declared Jan. 10 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff members
• Bluewater Health in Sarnia declared Jan. 7 and involving 18 patients and 12 staff members
• Sumac Lodge in Sarnia, declared Dec. 31 and involving 36 resident cases and 32 cases among staff/caregivers

Among area residents aged five and older, 82 per cent have had at least one dose of vaccine, 78 per cent have had two doses and 46 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