Jump to: Hospitalizations – Cases and testing – Outbreaks – Vaccinations – Ontario – Elgin and Oxford – Huron and Perth – Sarnia and Lambton
The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported four deaths and 190 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases from Saturday through to Tuesday, though case counts are considered an under-estimate due to testing restrictions and widespread transmission.
London Health Sciences Centre, meanwhile, is caring for 64 inpatients with COVID-19, nine of whom are in adult critical care.
Hospitalizations
As noted, LHSC is caring for 64 COVID-19 inpatients, with nine inpatients in adult critical care. Last Tuesday, LHSC was caring for 79 COVID inpatients with 17 adults in the ICU.
Of the 64, there were seven patients in Children’s Hospital, with five or fewer in pediatric critical care. A week ago, LHSC reported nine in Children’s Hospital, with five or fewer in pediatric critical care.
Of all of LHSC’s COVID patients, 28 are being treated for COVID-19 while 36 others in hospital have incidental COVID-19 infections (meaning they were admitted for another reason).
Among staff, there are 151 cases, up from 135 cases a week ago and 141 two weeks ago.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported three cases among patients or residents in its care and 43 health-care workers with COVID-19. A week ago it reported zero patient or resident cases and 49 cases among health-care workers.
Two patient/resident cases reported Tuesday are at Parkwood Institute Main Building while one is at Parkwood Institute Mental Health Care Building.
Cases and testing
As mentioned, the MLHU reported four deaths over the long weekend, all of which were reported on Saturday.
Acting medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers said three of the deaths were among those over age 80 who had been vaccinated, including a booster. The other death involved someone in their 50s who was not vaccinated.
“We are consistently seeing that deaths are happening among older individuals, some of whom have been vaccinated and some of whom have been boosted. In those incidents, often there are significant other complications leading and impacting those deaths,” Summers said Tuesday.
“For individuals under the ages of 80 or under the ages of 70, we are not seeing COVID deaths unless you are unvaccinated. The protection provided by that vaccine across the age brackets remains significant, particularly for those in that 40- to 70-year-old age bracket.”
The total number of COVID-related deaths reported by the MLHU in February stands at 41.
The health unit also reported 29 cases Tuesday, 44 cases Monday, 69 cases Sunday and 48 cases on Saturday.
Last Tuesday, the MLHU reported four deaths and 53 cases. 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 31,379 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 903 currently active cases (a decrease of 265 from Friday), 30,135 resolved cases (an increase of 461) and 341 deaths (an increase of four).
The test positivity rate for the week of Feb. 6 was 16.6 per cent, down from 17.8 per cent the week of Jan. 30.
Outbreaks
LHSC is updating its outbreak information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, except in the cases where an outbreak is resolved or declared.
LHSC is reporting the following outbreaks:
- University Hospital
- U9 300 – Medicine, declared Feb. 17, five or fewer patient cases
- U4 North East and East Corridors, General Medicine, declared Jan. 25, 16 patient cases and 13 staff cases
- A9 Inpatients 100 and 200 Corridors, declared Jan. 11, involving 41 patient cases and 13 staff cases
- Victoria Hospital
- C6 100 Geriatric Behavioural Unit, declared Feb. 21, information on cases not yet available
- University Hospital
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The MLHU has also declared a hospital outbreak at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital in 1S, as of Feb. 2.
Additionally, the MLHU is reporting the following institutional outbreaks:
- Dorchester Terrace, second floor, declared Feb. 19
- Extendicare, first and second floors, declared Dec. 24
- Kensington Village Retirement, eighth avenue, declared Feb. 18
- Maple View Terrace, third and sixth floors, declared Feb. 12
- Oneida Long Term Care Home, facility-wide, declared Jan. 28
- Waverley Mansion, first and third floors (mansion area), declared Feb. 3
- Westmount Gardens, Lily Unit, declared Feb. 15
Previously reported outbreaks at Babcock Community Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 31, and Henley Place LTC Residence, Harris, declared Dec. 29, were listed as over as of Feb. 21 and Feb. 19, respectively.
Vaccinations
The MLHU reported updated vaccination data on Tuesday, covering up to the end of day Feb. 19.
As of that time, 90.6 per cent of residents aged five and older had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, up from 90.4 per cent the week prior. Two-dose coverage for that cohort sits at 86.9 per cent, up from 86.5 per cent.
The percentage of people aged five and older who have received third doses is 49.2 per cent, up from 48.5 per cent the week before. Note that those aged 12 to 17 only became eligible for a third dose as of Feb. 18 and those under 12 are still not eligible.
First-dose coverage for those aged five to 11 is 59.5 per cent, up from 59.0 per cent. Last week, the MLHU announced it would be rolling out several additional child- and youth-focused COVID-19 vaccination clinics in a bid to get more doses of the vaccine into the arms of local children.
Data showing the distribution of cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions since Dec. 28, 2021, by age, based on vaccine status from no doses to three doses can be found on the “vaccination status” tab of the health unit’s Summary of COVID-19 Cases in Middlesex-London page.
Further information on vaccination in the MLHU’s region, as well as other COVID-19-related information, can be found on the health unit’s website.
Ontario
The province reported 1,038 people in hospital on Tuesday, with 319 in ICUs, down from 1,550 hospitalizations and 384 in ICUs a week ago.
Meanwhile, Ontario also reported 1,282 new lab-confirmed COVID cases, though that is an underestimate due to the combination of testing restrictions and widespread transmission.
Nine more virus-related deaths were added Tuesday, bringing the pandemic total in Ontario to 12,288.
Elgin and Oxford
Southwestern Public Health’s COVID-19 cases dashboard is updated only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, barring holidays.
On Friday, SWPH reported 15 hospitalizations with six inpatients in the ICU, compared with 24 hospitalizations and six inpatients in the ICU a week ago.
The test positivity rate for the week of Feb. 6 was 13.5 per cent, down from 14.9 per cent the week prior.
As for cases, SWPH reported:
- 10,967 cases (an increase of 55 from Wednesday with one removed due to data cleanup)
- 331 active cases (a decrease of 12 from Wednesday)
- 10,491 resolved cases (an increase of 66 from Wednesday; note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)
- 145 total deaths to date (unchanged from Wednesday)
There were active institutional outbreaks at the following locations:
- Chartwell Aylmer, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving seven resident cases and 20 staff cases
- Metcalfe Gardens Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 13 and involving 28 resident cases, nine staff cases and one death
- Maple Manor Nursing Home, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving 50 resident cases and 18 staff cases
- Bethany Care Home, Norwich, declared Feb. 9 and involving four resident cases and one staff case
As of Feb. 21, 80.5 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 83.5 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.
Huron and Perth
On Tuesday, Huron Perth Public Health reported two patients in hospital with COVID-19, both considered active. Last Monday, HPPH reported two people in hospital but neither case was considered active.
For the week of Feb. 6, the test positivity rate was 11.0 per cent, down from 11.3 per cent the week prior.
In total, HPPH reported 5,571 total cases (an increase of 63 from Friday) and 92 deaths to date (unchanged).
HPPH reported 653 total cases among health-care workers since March 2020, an increase of seven from Friday. Two cases were listed as active as of Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, there were two active outbreaks reported by HPPH:
- Queensway Nursing Home, Bluewater, declared Jan. 27 and involving 35 resident cases and 19 staff cases
- An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility
A previously reported outbreak at South Huron Hospital in South Huron, declared Jan. 27, involving 16 patients and 13 staff members, is no longer listed as active.
As of Feb. 21, 84.2 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 80.7 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 51.1 per cent of those five and older, though those under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for a third dose and those age 12 to 17 only become eligible for a booster dose as of Feb. 18.
Information on how and where to get a vaccine can be found on the health unit’s website.
Sarnia and Lambton
Bluewater Health reported seven patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, compared with nine a week ago. Of those seven, none are in the ICU, compared with one a week ago.
Lambton Public Health is reporting the average ICU occupancy was 55 per cent for the week of Feb. 13, down from 67 per cent for the week of Feb. 6 and 81 the week of Jan. 30.
The test positivity rate for the week of Feb. 6 was 22.9 per cent, down from 25.7 per cent the week of Jan. 30.
On Tuesday, Lambton Public Health reported:
- 9,664 total cases (an increase of 82 from Friday)
- 123 active cases (a decrease of 30)
- 9,415 resolved cases (an increase of 108)
- 126 deaths to date (an increase of four)
LPH is reporting three active outbreaks:
- North Lambton Lodge long-term care home in Forest, declared Feb. 7 and involving fewer than five resident cases and fewer than five staff cases
- Huron House Boys Home Congregate Living in Brights Grove, declared Feb. 5 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff members
- Fiddick’s Nursing Home long-term care home in Petrolia, declared Feb. 3 and involving 23 residents and five staff members
A previously reported outbreak at an unidentified workplace, declared Jan. 26 and involving 15 cases (making it the largest workplace outbreak reported by LPH throughout the pandemic), was listed as over as of Feb. 19.
Among area residents aged five and older, 83 per cent have had at least one dose of vaccine, 79 per cent have had two doses and 48 per cent have had a third dose. Note that those under 12 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 Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues
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