COVID-19: MLHU reports 352 cases from Saturday to Monday | Globalnews.ca

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

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported 118 COVID-19 cases on Monday, 85 cases Sunday and 149 cases on Saturday. No new deaths were reported over the weekend or on Monday.

The most recent death was reported Dec. 16 and involved a man in his 90s, not associated with a long-term care or retirement home. Based on the vaccinations status of deaths reported in the last six weeks, he was unvaccinated.

In total, there have been 16,102 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 857 active cases (an increase of 219 since Friday), 14,988 recoveries (an increase of 127 from Friday) and 257 deaths (unchanged).

The rate of active cases is highest among those in the 0-11 age group, with 188 cases of 291.9 per 100,000 population as of Monday, up from 158 cases or 245.3 per 100,000 population on Friday.

There are 81 active cases among those aged 12-17, or 245.2 per 100,000 population. The cohort with the third-highest rate of cases is the 25-39 age group, with 212 cases of 189.2 cases per 100,000 population.

Information on local variants of concern can be found by visiting the health unit’s summary of COVID-19 cases on the Middlesex-London page and clicking on the “Case Status” tab.

Hospitalizations

As of Monday, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) was caring for 16 inpatients with COVID-19, with eight patients in adult critical care or the intensive care unit.

There were five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in LHSC’s Children’s Hospital, with zero in pediatric critical care.

Twenty-eight staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, up from 13 on Friday.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported three cases involving health-care workers, up from two on Friday.

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Outbreaks

The MLHU has reported an outbreak at Chartwell London’s Magnolia area, declared Dec. 18. There is also an ongoing outbreak at McCormick Home’s Memory Lane, declared Dec. 14.

There are also outbreaks at the following schools:

• Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, declared Dec. 18
• Byron Northview Public School, declared Dec. 9
• Caradoc Public School, declared Dec. 19
• Clara Brenton Public School, declared Dec. 17
• École élémentaire catholique Frère-André, declared Dec. 15
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf, declared Dec. 10
• École élémentaire catholique St-Jeanne-d’Arc, declared Dec. 12
• École élémentaire La Pommeraie, declared Dec. 16
• London Christian Academy, declared Dec. 16
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, declared Dec. 6
• Princess Elizabeth Public School, declared Dec. 9
• Riverside Public School, declared Dec. 6
• Sir Arthur Carty Catholic School, declared Dec. 10
• Sir Arthur Currie Public School, declared Dec. 14
• St. Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School, declared Dec. 17
• St. André Bessette Secondary School, declared Dec. 9
• Strathroy Community Christian School, declared Dec. 13

The following school outbreaks are now over:

• St. Jude Catholic School, declared Dec. 7, listed as resolved Dec. 17
• St. Marguerite d’Youville School, declared Dec. 3, listed as resolved Dec. 17
• St. Nicholas Catholic School, declared Dec. 8, listed as resolved Dec. 17
  

There is one active outbreak in a child-care setting, at YMCA: St. Patrick Catholic School Before and After School, declared Dec. 19.

A previous outbreak at Tiny Hoppers Early Learning Centre – Summerside, declared Dec. 12, was listed as resolved as of Dec. 19. An outbreak at Wortley YMCA Child Care Centre, declared Dec. 10, was listed as over as of Dec. 18.

The following post-secondary institutions have outbreaks:

• Fanshawe College – Merlin House Residence, declared Nov. 28
• Western University – Delaware Hall Residence, declared Dec. 10
• Western University – Saugeen-Maitland Hall Residence, declared Nov. 27

Acting medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers said Dec. 16 that the outbreaks at Western and Fanshawe were “fairly stable.”

Schools

The following schools have active cases associated with them, according to the MLHU:

• A. B. Lucas Secondary School (two cases)
• Ashley Oaks Public School (one case)
• Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (one case)
• Byron Somerset Public School (one case)
• C. C. Carrothers Public School (one case)
• Caradoc Public School (one case)
• Clara Brenton Public School (one case)
• Clarke Road Secondary School (one case)
• Eagle Heights Public School (one case)
• École élémentaire catholique Frère André (four cases)
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf (14 cases)
• École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jeanne-d’Arc (eight cases)
• École élémentaire La Pommeraie (two cases)
• Emily Carr Public School (one case)
• H. B. Beal Secondary School (two cases)
• Hillcrest Public School (one case)
• J. S. Buchanan French Immersion Public School (one case)
• John Dearness Public School (one case)
• London Christian Academy (one case)
• Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School (one case)
• North Meadows Elementary School (one case)
• Notre Dame Catholic School (three cases)
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (one case)
• Princess Elizabeth Public School (one case)
• Saunders Secondary School (one case)
• Sir Arthur Carty Catholic School (three cases)
• Sir Arthur Currie Public School (four cases)
• Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School (four cases)
• St. Andre Bessette Secondary School (13 cases)
• St. Francis Catholic School (one case)
• St. Kateri Catholic School (two cases)
• St. Patrick Catholic School (three cases)
• St. Paul Catholic School (two cases)
• St. Theresa Catholic School (two cases)
• St. Thomas More Catholic School (two cases)
• Stoney Creek Public School (two cases)
• Strathroy Community Christian School (three cases)
• Tweedsmuir Public School (one case)
• West Oaks French Immersion Public School (two cases)
• Westmount Public School (one case)
• Wilberforce Public School (two cases)

Child-care and early-years centres:

• Acorn Christian Day Care (one case)
• L’Escale St. Jean de Brébeuf (two cases)
• London Children’s Connection: Eagle Heights Before and After School (one case)
• London Children’s Connection: John Dearness Before and After School (one case)
• London Children’s Connection: Westmount Before and After School (one case)
• Tiny Hoppers Early Learning Centre – Summerside (one case)
• YMCA: St. Patrick Catholic School – Before and After School (two cases)
• YMCA: St. Theresa Catholic School – Before and After School (one case)

The health unit says at least 530 cases have been reported since the start of the school year involving elementary and secondary schools, as well as child-care and early-years centres.

Vaccinations and testing

Those 18 and older can now book their third COVID-19 vaccine dose at the MLHU’s mass vaccination clinics. However, acting medical officer of health Dr. Alex Summers previously noted that appointments may be hard to come by.

Some pharmacies and family doctors are also offering vaccine shots.

The GO-Vaxx mobile vaccine clinic was initially supposed to be in the Pond Mills neighbourhood on Thursday, but shortly after 2 p.m. Monday the health unit confirmed that the bus would not be visiting on Thursday. No explanation was immediately available.

The MLHU and LHSC have announced holiday hours for the Carling COVID-19 Assessment Centre. The centre will operate from 9:20 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 24 and from 10:20 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 25 before resuming regular hours on Sunday, Dec. 26 (9:20 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.).

Telephone booking will be unavailable from Dec. 24 to 27 as well as on Jan. 3 but appointments can still be booked online any time.

Updated vaccination data will be released Tuesday. Most recently, the MLHU reported that 86.3 per cent of residents aged five and older have had one vaccine dose, while 81.5 per cent are fully vaccinated as of Dec. 11.

Among the five-to-11 age group, 34.5 per cent have had one dose of vaccine as of Dec. 11.

As for the vaccination status of cases, the MLHU says unvaccinated individuals have accounted for 31.34 per cent of all cases (467 of 1,490) and 42.31 per cent of hospitalizations (11 of 26) since Nov. 8. Note that those who are unvaccinated account for only 13.7 per cent of the population aged five and older.

Of the 11 COVID-19-related deaths reported in the last six weeks, six individuals were unvaccinated, four were fully vaccinated and one was partially vaccinated.

On the health unit’s website, residents can find information on pop-up clinics, mass vaccination clinics and pharmacies; guidance for anyone vaccinated outside of the province or country; transportation support for those in need; and more.

Anyone looking to be tested for COVID-19 can find information about the locations of testing sites on the health unit’s website.

The latest COVID-19 test positivity rate in the region was 3.7 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, up from 3.1 per cent for the week of Nov. 28.

Ontario

Ontario reported 3,784 new COVID cases on Monday, as daily positive infections continue to rise due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. For comparison, last Monday saw 1,536 new cases and the previous Monday saw 887.

Of the 3,784 new cases recorded, the data showed 746 were unvaccinated people, 119 were partially vaccinated people, 2,781 were fully vaccinated people and for 138 people the vaccination status was unknown.

According to Monday’s report, 1,056 cases were recorded in Toronto, 381 in Peel Region, 310 for York Region, 273 in Ottawa, 240 in Halton and 181 in Hamilton. All other local public health units reported fewer than 150 new cases.

No new deaths were reported.

Over the weekend, 4,177 cases were reported on Sunday and 3,301 were reported Saturday.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health says as of Dec. 16, all cases “will be automatically closed after 10 days of a positive result,” regardless of their outcome.

On Monday, Southwestern Public Health reported:

• 5,963 total cases (an increase of 128 cases from Friday with one previous case removed due to data cleanup)
• 313 active cases (an increase of 79 from Friday)
• 5,542 resolved cases (an increase of 48 from Friday)
• 108 deaths to date (unchanged)

The most recent deaths were reported Dec. 15 and involved a man in his 30s from Oxford County and a man in his 90s from St. Thomas.

Further details can be found on SWPH’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Of the 313 active cases in the region, 141 were in Elgin County (including 74 in St. Thomas, 17 in Central Elgin and 16 in Aylmer) and 172 were in Oxford County (including 74 in Woodstock, 25 in Ingersoll and 21 in Tillsonburg).

Ten people were hospitalized with COVID-19, with six in the ICU as of Monday.

An outbreak at Caressant Care Bonnie Place in St. Thomas declared Nov. 28 is ongoing. It involves 11 resident cases and nine staff cases. One death is associated with the outbreak.

SWPH is reporting outbreaks at the following schools:

• Immanuel Christian School in Aylmer, declared Dec. 2
• St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School in West Lorne, declared Dec. 10
• Hickson Central Public School in Hickson, declared Dec. 15
• Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute in Ingersoll, declared Dec. 15
• King’s Academy Private School in St. Thomas, declared Dec. 16
• St. Joseph High School in St. Thomas, declared Dec. 17
• St. Michael’s Catholic Elementary School, declared Dec. 19
• Westfield Public School in Tillsonburg, declared Dec. 19

Information on school cases can be found on the websites of the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board.

The region’s test positivity rate was 4.7 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, down from 5.3 per cent for the week of Nov. 28.

As of Dec. 19, 75.9 per cent of those aged five and older in the region were fully vaccinated while 80.6 per cent have had at least one dose.

Information on where and how to get vaccinated can be found on the health unit’s website.

Huron and Perth

On Monday, Huron Perth Public Health reported:

• 2,821 total cases (an increase of 44 from Friday)
• 112 active cases (an increase of 12 from Friday)
• 2,639 recoveries (an increase of 32 from Friday)
• 70 deaths to date (unchanged)

The most recent death was reported Nov. 29 and involved a community member connected to a workplace outbreak, according to a spokesperson for the health unit.

Among the 112 active cases, 23 were in North Perth, 19 were in Stratford and 12 in Howick. Full case counts by the municipality can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.

There were three people hospitalized with COVID-19 and two active cases involving health-care workers as of Monday, unchanged from Friday.

HPPH has nine active outbreaks involving eight schools and one workplace:

• Clinton Public School in Central Huron, declared Dec. 13 and involving one staff and two students
• Elma Township Public School in North Perth, declared Nov. 23 and involving 26 students
• Howick Central Public School in Howick, declared Dec. 15 and involving three student cases
• Listowel District Secondary School in North Perth, declared Dec. 16 and involving two staff and three student cases
• Little Falls Public School in St. Marys, declared Dec. 14 and involving four students
• Milverton Public School in Perth East, declared Dec. 9 and involving four students
• North Perth Westfield ES in North Perth, declared Nov. 30 and involving one staff and 11 students
• St. Josephs Catholic Elementary Public School in Stratford, declared Dec. 13 and involving two students

No further information was provided about the workplace outbreak.

A previous outbreak at Perth Care for Kids in Perth East, declared Dec. 6 and involving two students, has since been declared over.

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 Dec. 19, 82.1 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 77.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

The region’s test positivity rate was 4.5 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, up from 2.9 per cent for the week of Nov. 28.

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

On Monday, Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported:

• 4,683 total cases (an increase of 80 from Friday)
• 160 active cases (an increase of 31 from Friday)
• 4,445 resolved cases (an increase of 49 from Friday)
• 78 deaths to date (unchanged)

The most recent death was reported Friday, Dec. 3.

As of Monday, there were 15 COVID-19 patients in the care of Bluewater Health.

LPH is reporting nine active outbreaks, seven of which are at unidentified workplaces.

• Bright’s Grove Public School, declared Dec. 10 and involving 10 cases
• John Knox Christian School, declared Dec. 10 and involving five cases
• an unidentified workplace declared Dec. 15, involving four cases
• four unidentified workplaces, all declared Dec. 16 and involving two cases each
• an unidentified workplace, declared Dec. 17 and involving two cases
• an unidentified workplace, declared Dec. 17 and involving three cases

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.

The test positivity rate was 3.6 per cent for the week of Dec. 5, up from 3.9 per cent the week prior.

Among area residents aged five and older, 80 per cent have had at least one dose while 76 per cent have had two doses. Twelve per cent have had 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