COVID-19: Middlesex-London Health Unit reports 5 cases, 7 recoveries Monday

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

The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported five COVID-19 cases and seven recoveries on Monday.

The total case count sits at 12,538, of which 12,277 people have recovered. At least 35 cases are active.

A total of 226 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported, most recently on Saturday.

A total of 3,467 variant of concern cases have been identified in the region, an increase of four from Sunday.

The health unit says the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), which was first identified in the U.K., has accounted for nearly all of them — 3,348 cases.

Ninety-three cases have been confirmed to involve the Gamma variant (P.1), which was first identified in Brazil. One case has also been confirmed to involve the Zeta, or P.2, variant — another lineage first identified in Brazil in October 2020.

Nineteen cases have been confirmed to involve the B.1.617 variant, the one first identified in India. Sixteen are listed as being the Delta sub-lineage (B.1.617.2) and one the Kappa sub-lineage (B.1.617.1). Health officials believe the Delta variant will be the dominant variant in the region this summer.

Two cases have been confirmed to involve the Beta variant (B.1.351), first identified in South Africa.

A total of 11,344 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in London since the pandemic began, while 360 have been in Middlesex Centre.

Further information can be found on the health unit’s Summary of COVID-19 Cases in Middlesex-London page.

Hospitalizations

At least 10 COVID-19 patients are in the care of London Health Sciences Centre as of Monday with fewer than five people in the intensive care unit.

No patients in acute care and fewer than five in the ICU are from outside of the region, the organization says. LHSC only provides specific numbers when there are more than five to protect the privacy of patients.

Fewer than five staff at LHSC were positive for COVID-19 as of Monday.

The organization continues to deal with an outbreak at University Hospital, declared June 13, in 8TU Transplant Unit that has been linked to an unspecified variant.

The outbreak is linked to fewer than five patients and fewer than five staff cases.

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, the organization reported no COVID-19 cases among its patients or staff as of Thursday, the most recent data available.

Institutional outbreaks

No new outbreaks have been reported.

One is active in the region — the 8TU Transplant Unit outbreak at University Hospital, mentioned above.

Declared June 13, it’s been linked to fewer than five patients and fewer than five staff cases.

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Vaccinations and testing

As of Monday, eligibility for shortened second dose intervals is now available to everyone 12 and older, provided that appointments are booked at least 28 days after the first dose was administered.

Information on second-dose re-booking eligibility and how to cancel appointments can be found on the health unit’s website.

Information on local pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines can be found on the province’s website.

One-day pop-up community clinics continue this week at select schools in the city and county. Locations, dates and times can be found on the Global News website.

The MLHU says 73.1 per cent of residents aged 12 and up have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, as of June 19, the most recent data available.

Meanwhile, those looking to get a COVID-19 test have several options.

The region’s main assessment centres, located at Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena, remain open and operating by appointment.

People can also be tested at MyHealth Testing Centre, at certain pharmacies and — if a student or staff member — at Fanshawe College and Western University.

The test positivity rate in the region stands at 1.2 per cent for the week of June 13, the most recent data available.

Ontario

Ontario is reporting 210 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the smallest increase in daily cases since Sept. 13, 2020. The provincial case total now stands at 544,414.

According to Monday’s report, 37 new cases were recorded in Toronto, 26 in Waterloo Region, 25 in Grey Bruce and 15 in Peel Region.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 15 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 9,129 as three more deaths were recorded.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health’s case tally stands at 3,882 as of Monday, an increase of 11 from Friday.

Of those, 3,775 have resolved, up 12 from Friday.

The total number of deaths remains unchanged at 83.

At least 24 cases are active, with eight each in St. Thomas and Woodstock. Per-municipality case counts can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.

Two people remain hospitalized, with one case in the ICU.

The number of variant cases in the region stands at 807, up 13 from Friday. The vast majority, at least 747, involve the Alpha variant.

There are no active outbreaks reported in the region.

All individuals age 12 and older are eligible to re-book their second appointment through the online booking portal or by phone at 1-800-922-0096 ext. 9, provided that second dose appointments are booked at least 28 days after the first dose was administered. The health unit is also still encouraging people to add their names to a same-day vaccination list.

Several pharmacies in the region are also continuing to offer Pfizer and Moderna shots.

The region’s test positivity rate increased to 1.5 per cent for the week of June 13, up from 0.9 per cent for the week of June 6.

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Huron and Perth

Huron Perth Public Health does not update cases on the weekend and Monday’s data was not yet available as of publication time. This section will be updated once that information is available.

The following information was last updated Friday.

As of Friday, the region’s total case count stood at 1,886, of which 1,819 have recovered. The death toll stood at 57.

Ten cases were active, including two active variant of concern cases.

Case counts by municipality can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.

One person was in hospital with COVID-19 as of Friday, according to HPPH.

The total number of variant cases and cases that have screened positive for a mutation consistent with a variant was 306.

Health unit data shows more than 92,448 Huron-Perth residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or 72.3 per cent. HPPH says 29,968 residents are fully vaccinated, or 23.4 per cent.

Currently, anyone who received a first dose of vaccine on or before May 30 can re-book their second appointment, as can other certain individuals.

There were no active outbreaks reported in the region, as of Friday.

The region’s test positivity rate fell to 1.0 per cent for the week of June 13, down from 1.2 per cent the week of June 6.

Sarnia and Lambton

Lambton Public Health reported two new COVID-19 cases and no new recoveries on Monday.

The region’s total case count stands at 3,599, of which 3,497 have resolved.

A total of 62 deaths have been reported, most recently on June 15.

The number of active cases is 40.

According to Bluewater Health, three patients in their care are confirmed to have COVID-19 as of Monday.

The region’s variant case tally stood at 641, an increase of eight from Friday.

A new outbreak was declared June 25 at Afton Park Place, a long-term care home, involving fewer than five cases among residents and fewer than five cases among staff or caregivers.

Second-dose re-bookings are now available in the region for any adults 18 or older who received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days ago.

Residents can re-book using the health unit’s registration page. People can also call the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222, however, call volume is expected to be very high.

Some pharmacies are also continuing to offer Pfizer or Moderna shots.

Roughly 72 per cent of all adults in the region have had at least one dose, with 34.5 per cent fully vaccinated.

The region’s COVID-19 test positivity rate was 1.4 per cent the week of May 30, the most recent data available.

—With files from Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues, Kelly Wang and Matthew Trevithick.