Five people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus while five people have recovered, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported on Wednesday.
That brings the region’s total case tally to 1009, of which 860 people have recovered and 57 have died, leaving 92 known active cases. The death toll has remained unchanged since June 12.
Health officials reported six new cases and 10 recoveries on Tuesday, 25 cases and seven recoveries on Monday, 20 cases and seven recoveries on Sunday, and three cases and 12 recoveries on Saturday.
Of the five cases reported on Wednesday, all are from London, health unit data shows. Two individuals are in their 20s, while one each are in their 40s, 60s and 80s.
Two contracted the virus through an outbreak, while one became infected through close contact. One case is listed as having no known link, while one is pending or undetermined.
At least 275 cases have been reported in London and Middlesex since Sept. 1, of which 127 have occurred this month.
The increase in cases overall is largely due to an increase in cases involving younger residents. Since the start of September, about three-quarters of those infected have been under the age of 40, health unit data shows.
People aged 19 and younger have accounted for at least 88 cases, while people in their 20s have made up at least 92. Those in their 30s account for at least 22 cases.
By age, people in their 20s continue to make up the largest group of cases in the region with 245, or about 24 per cent.
People in their 50s account for 132 cases, while people in their 30s account for 128 cases and people 19 and under 127. People 80 and older make up 112 cases.
The region’s seven-day average for new cases stood at 11.85 on Wednesday. Looking back to Sept. 30, the 14-day average is 9.71. The region’s incident rate stands at 198.8 per 100,000 people, while Ontario’s is 408.3.
Overall, 924 cases have been reported in London, while 31 have been in Strathroy-Caradoc. Elsewhere, Thames Centre’s case count stands at 18, while Middlesex Centre’s is 17, North Middlesex is at eight, Lucan Biddulph seven and Southwest Middlesex one.
The region’s hospitalized tally remained unchanged from the day before. A total of 119 people have been hospitalized during the pandemic, including 33 in intensive care.
It’s unclear whether there are any COVID-19 patients in the care of London Health Sciences Centre, as the organization won’t issue a tally unless the patient count, or its staff count, rises above five. LHSC hasn’t issued a specific tally since mid-June.
No COVID-19 patients are in the case of St. Joseph’s Health Care London, according to the organization’s website. A total of 21 of its staff members have tested positive during the pandemic.
No new cases have been reported involving schools in London or the immediate area.
At least 10 school-linked cases have been reported in London and Middlesex since Sept. 21. At least seven of those have been since Monday, Oct. 5.
One case was reported on Tuesday at Northdale Central Public School in Dorchester involving a student.
That case came on the heels of a long weekend that saw one student case reported at Mary Wright Public School in Strathroy, and a student case reported at Sir Arthur Currie Public School. Both were reported on Saturday.
The case at Sir Arthur Currie was the second at the school in as many days and prompted an outbreak declaration by the health unit. The first case was reported on Friday involving a staff member.
Cases have also been reported at École élémentaire La Pommeraie on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8, both involving staff members, and at Saunders Secondary School on Oct. 7 involving a student.
Two cases, both since resolved, were also reported in St. Thomas on Sept. 25 and 29, while a since-resolved case involving a student was reported at H.B. Beal Secondary School on Sept. 21.
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An active outbreak remains at London Hall, a student residence building at Western University, after four students tested positive for the virus over the weekend.
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The outbreak was declared on Sunday. University officials say those who tested positive were isolating out of residence, while some close contacts had been moved to a quarantine location as a precaution.
At least 74 Western students have tested positive for the virus since the start of September, including the four who tested positive over the weekend.
That figure is likely higher as the health unit last issued an updated tally of student cases on Oct. 1, saying the number was 70.
Speaking to the media on Monday, the region’s medical officer of health, Dr. Chris Mackie, noted that many students left the city for Thanksgiving, and says it will be another week or so before it is determined if those out-of-town visits have had any impact on the region’s case numbers.
Mackie noted that with the main activities driving post-secondary cases being after-hours parties, stopping in-person learning wouldn’t necessarily improve case rates at the university.
“The precautions that are being taken at Western for in-person learning are very strong and likely to contribute to reduced spread, if any, in those classroom environments. So we don’t see, at least in the short term, the need to direct the closure of in-person learning opportunities.”
Several outbreaks also remain active at seniors’ facilities in the region, according to the health unit, however one has since been deemed over.
The outbreak at Meadow Park Care Centre was declared on Sept. 24 in the facility’s Blue and Yellow units. It was declared over as of Tuesday.
Seven outbreaks remain active at Craigwiel Gardens (facility-wide), McGarrell Place (Ivey Lane, Harris House, Windermere Way), Henley Place LTC (Harris), Extendicare (facility-wide), Peoplecare Oak Crossing (Juniper and Norway Spruce), Mount Hope Centre for Long-Term Care (MV3) and Earls Court Village (fourth floor).
On Monday, Mackie said the cases were staff positives that were being identified through the routine screening of health-care workers, and that they have not seen cases spread to residents of the homes.
“Long-term care is under significant public health restrictions and measures, one of the main measures being distancing and masking in those facilities, as well as lots of restrictions on visiting in and out of long-term care and retirement homes,” he said.
“So far, that firewall we’re putting around those at greatest risk is holding.”
Eleven institutional outbreaks have been reported in the region since mid-September. At least 39 have been declared since the pandemic began, including 33 at seniors’ facilities.
They’ve been tied to 209 cases involving 108 residents and 101 staff members. They are also linked to 35 of the region’s deaths.
Ontario
Provincially, Ontario reported 721 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and no new deaths.
The province says another 783 cases are now considered resolved.
The latest figures bring the provincial total to 61,413 cases, which includes 3,017 deaths and 52,512 resolved cases.
The bulk of the new cases are among those under the age of 60.
Health Minister Christine Elliott says Wednesday’s new cases include 270 in Toronto, 170 in Peel Region and 79 in York Region.
She says the province has conducted more than 32,200 tests since its last daily report.
Elgin and Oxford
Two people have tested positive and one has recovered, officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) reported Wednesday.
The update brings the region’s total case count to 279, of which 268 people have recovered and five have died — a tally unchanged since early July.
There are six known active cases in the region. Two are in Ingersoll, two are in St. Thomas, and one each is in East Zorra-Tavistock and Tillsonburg.
They involve one person in their 20s, one person in their 30s and four people in their 50s. None of them are currently in hospital, according to the health unit.
No change was reported Tuesday and three cases were reported on Thanksgiving Monday. One case was also reported on Sunday.
None of the new cases are linked to an ongoing outbreak at Caressant Care on Mary Bucke, a seniors’ facility in St. Thomas. The outbreak, declared Oct. 5, came after one staff member tested positive.
A total of five institutional outbreaks have been reported during the pandemic, linked to at least 11 staff cases and one resident case. No deaths are linked to the outbreaks.
The confirmed case involving a student at Mitchell Hepburn Public School is not considered active anymore, according to the Thames Valley District School Board.
The case, reported Sept. 29, was the second school case to be reported in St. Thomas following a case days earlier at a local private school. That case has also since resolved.
The five municipalities with the highest overall case counts are Aylmer with 82, St. Thomas with 47, Bayham with 38, Woodstock with 30 and Tillsonburg with 26.
Health unit figures show people in their 50s make up the largest group of infections by age, accounting for 55 cases, followed by people in their 50s with 51 cases.
A total of 23 people have had to be admitted to hospital due to the virus, including 11 in intensive care.
The region’s per cent positivity rate was 0.2 per cent for the week of Sept. 27, the most recent data available. Nearly 3,000 tests were conducted that week.
Huron and Perth
No new cases, deaths, or recoveries were reported on Wednesday by health officials with Huron Perth Public Health.
The regional tally of cases remains at 140, of which 130 have recovered and five have died — a tally unchanged since April 29.
Four new cases and four recoveries were reported on Tuesday, the first update since Friday.
There are five known active cases in the region.
No new institutional outbreaks have been declared since July 29. A total of eight have been reported, linked to 24 cases and four deaths.
Greenwood Court, which had an outbreak from March 30 to May 11, reported the largest number of cases, 16, along with four deaths.
One death not linked to an outbreak, the region’s first death, was reported in St. Mays early on in the pandemic.
At least 32 cases have involved people in their 20s, while 25 have been people in their 50s and 22 in their 60s. Eighteen cases have involved people in their 30s, while 16 have involved people aged 19 or younger.
No hospitalized cases have been reported since late April. Five people have needed to be admitted to hospital during the pandemic, health unit figures show.
Some 40,061 tests had been conducted by the health unit as of Oct. 3, the most recent figures available. The week of Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 saw 2,726 tests conducted.
Sarnia and Lambton
One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Lambton County, local health officials reported late Tuesday.
The new case brings the region’s total count to 350, of which 323 people have recovered and 25 have died. The death tally has not changed since early June.
Two known active cases remain in the region. One case was reported late Monday night.
It’s unclear where the cases are located as the health unit only details such information with a “rural/urban” pie graph that shows that 69 per cent of cases have taken place in urban areas.
People aged 80 and older have accounted for 76 cases in the county during the pandemic, followed by people in their 50s with 52 cases, and then people in their 20s with 50 cases.
At least 199 cases, or 57 per cent, have involved women and girls. At least 18 per cent of all cases have involved health-care workers.
There have been no changes to the region’s hospitalization tally of 58, or to the region’s outbreak tally of 10.
The last COVID-19 patient to be discharged from local hospital was in mid-June, while the last outbreak to be declared was on Aug. 10 at an unspecified workplace.
The 10 outbreaks have been linked to 109 cases and 16 deaths, with nearly all cases and all 16 deaths coming from just two Sarnia seniors’ facilities.
At least 39,985 tests had been received as of Oct. 3, the latest figures available, according to the county health unit.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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