COVID-19: MLHU adds 544 cases, LHSC caring for 59 inpatients with 10 in ICU
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The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) reported a total of 544 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and no deaths.
The highest daily case count was on Dec. 31, 2021, when the MLHU reported 638 cases.
However, the active case tally is likely much higher due to capacity issues that have resulted in a change in strategy that focuses testing for those who work in high-risk settings or in hospitals. Anyone who develops any kind of respiratory symptoms is being asked by the health unit to treat it like COVID-19 and self-isolate as a result of contact tracing systems being overwhelmed.
London Health Sciences Centre, meanwhile, is currently caring for 59 inpatients with COVID-19 with 10 in critical care. There are five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in Children’s Hospital with zero in pediatric critical care.
Hospitalization figures are up from 25 patients with eight in critical care on Dec. 30. At that time, there were five or fewer inpatients in Children’s Hospital with COVID-19, with five or fewer in critical care.
The most recent death was reported Dec. 30 and involved a man in his 70s who was not associated with a long-term care or retirement home, the health unit said. Further details were not provided, but MLHU data suggested the individual was fully vaccinated.
In total, there have been 21,784 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 4,221 active cases (an increase of 139), 17,304 resolved cases (an increase of 404) and 259 deaths (unchanged).
As of Monday, the seven-day case average for London-Middlesex stood at 472.9, down from 524.7 last week.
As mentioned, London Health Sciences Centre is caring for 59 inpatients with COVID-19, with 10 in critical care.
There are five or fewer inpatients with COVID-19 in Children’s Hospital and zero in pediatric critical care.
LHSC is reporting that 210 of its staff members currently have COVID-19, up from 135 last Thursday.
There are currently two active outbreaks at LHSC. An outbreak at University Hospital in 7IP Clinical Neurosciences involves five or fewer patients and five or fewer staff members. An outbreak at Victoria Hospital’s B7-200 Adult Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit involves five or fewer patients but 15 staff members.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London is reporting 95 cases among staff, up from 32 last Thursday.
Of the 95 cases, 70 are non-outbreak while 19 are related to outbreaks at Parkwood Institute and six are tied to an outbreak at Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care.
As of Tuesday, outbreaks are active at the following long-term care homes, retirement homes or hospitals:
There are no active outbreaks at elementary or secondary schools, child-care or early years centres or post-secondary institutions in the MLHU’s jurisdiction as of Tuesday.
No new COVID-19 cases have been reported involving schools and none were active as of Tuesday.
Students have been out of class for the winter break and were initially supposed to return to in-person classes Wednesday but the province announced on Monday that “all publicly funded and private schools will move to remote learning starting Jan. 5 until at least Jan. 17.”
A total of 600 cases have been reported at local elementary and secondary schools since the start of the school year in September. In comparison, 351 were reported during the 12 months from September 2020 to August 2021.
The province revised its PCR testing eligibility in a bid to ease the burden on Ontario’s testing system amid the Omicron wave.
Publicly funded PCR testing is recommended for symptomatic people in high-risk groups. On its website, the Middlesex-London Health Unit has provided further 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.
As of Jan. 1, 88.0 per cent of those five and older have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.3 per cent are fully vaccinated. Those figures are up from 87.6 per cent and 82.1 per cent, respectively, as of Dec. 25.
As for boosters, 25.4 per cent of those five and older have had a third dose as of Jan. 1.
Health unit data shows 43.64 per cent of hospitalized cases have involved people who were unvaccinated and 49.09 per cent involved fully vaccinated individuals. The rest involve those who were partially vaccinated or not yet protected by vaccination. Note that unvaccinated residents make up 12 per cent of the region’s five-and-older population.
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 is reporting 11,352 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, as hospitalizations and those in ICUs continue to rise.
Ontario reported 1,290 people in general hospital wards with COVID-19 (up by 58 from the previous day) with 266 patients in intensive care units (up by 18).
Of the 11,352 new cases recorded, the data showed 1,647 were unvaccinated people, 445 were partially vaccinated people, 9,040 were fully vaccinated people and for 219 people the vaccination status was unknown.
For the regional breakdown, 2,480 cases were recorded in Toronto, 1,486 in Peel Region, 1,059 in York Region, 635 in Durham Region and 612 in Waterloo. All other local public health units reported fewer than 600 new cases in the provincial report.
Southwestern Public Health is reporting 15 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday, with five cases in the ICU.
SWPH also reported a death on Tuesday, involving a man in his 70s from Elgin County.
SWPH is reporting:
There are active outbreaks at the following long-term care and retirement homes:
There are currently no active outbreaks at local schools. More information on school cases can be found on the websites of the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board.
Roughly 6.8 per cent of tests in the region were coming back positive as of the week of Dec. 12.
As of Jan. 2, 76.3 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 81.2 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.
The health unit encouraged people to join its Same Day Vaccination List, which offers any leftover doses due to cancellations or no-shows.
Huron Perth Public Health is reporting eight patients with COVID-19 currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 and complications of COVID-19 infection (including some whose COVID-19 infection may have resolved), six of which involve individuals with an active COVID-19 infection.
There were 13 health-care workers with active COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday.
In total, HPPH reported:
Due to changes in who can access publicly funded PCR tests, HPPH is no longer reporting case counts by municipality.
There are 12 active outbreaks reported by HPPH, including seven at long-term care or retirement homes:
HPPH is reporting five outbreaks at congregate living settings but no further details were provided.
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 Jan. 4, 82.9 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 78.0 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 31.0 per cent.
The region’s test positivity rate was 3.8 per cent for the week of Dec. 12. An updated figure is expected this week.
Information on how and where to get a vaccine can be found on the health unit’s website.
Bluewater Health reported 27 patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, up from 16 on Monday.
On Tuesday, Lambton Public Health reported:
The region’s seven-day incidence rate was 788.1 on Jan. 3, up from just 83 on Dec. 30.
LPH reported eight active outbreaks as of Wednesday, up from three on Dec. 30, the most recent update.
Seven of the outbreaks involve long-term care or retirement homes:
The other outbreak involves an unidentified workplace with two cases, declared Dec. 20.
A previously reported outbreak at Errol Road Public School, declared Dec. 23 and involving fewer than five cases, was listed as over as of Dec. 31.
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 6.8 per cent for the week of Dec. 12, the most recent data available, up from 3.6 per cent for the week of Dec. 5.
Roughly 80 per cent of area residents have had at least one dose while 76 per cent have had two doses. Twenty-one per cent have had a third dose, health unit data shows.
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 Kelly Wang and Gabby Rodrigues
by 980 CFPL
