COVID-19: MLHU reports 16 cases, 19 recoveries Saturday through Monday

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

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The total number of COVID-19 cases reported by the Middlesex-London Health Unit climbed to 12,597 on Monday, an increase of 15 from Friday, though 16 new cases were recorded.

The health unit recorded six cases on Monday and five each on Sunday and Saturday. No new deaths have been recorded.

Medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie added on Monday afternoon that of the roughly 200 cases recorded in the previous two weeks, none of them involved anyone who was fully vaccinated.

“Ninety-two per cent of those positive COVID cases were among people who had no vaccine at all. Eight per cent were among people who had just one dose of COVID vaccine,” he said.

“It just stresses the importance of getting vaccinated, getting fully vaccinated.”

Since Friday, 19 recoveries have been reported, bringing that total to 12,312.

Fifty-nine cases are currently active.

One additional variant case has been confirmed since Friday, for a total of 3,482.

The breakdown of variant cases is as follows:

• 3,359 cases of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7), first identified in the U.K.
• 96 cases of the Gamma (P.1) variant, first identified in Brazil
• 20 cases of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, first identified in India
• two cases of the Beta (B.1.351) variant, first identified in South Africa
• one case of the Kappa (B.1.617.1) variant, first identified in India
• one case of the Zeta (P.2) variant, first identified in Brazil

There are also two cases listed only as B.1.617 and one case listed as B.1.617.3.

A total of 11,398 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in London since the pandemic began, while 360 have been in Middlesex Centre and 335 in Strathroy-Caradoc.

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

Hospitalizations

At least nine COVID-19 patients are in the care of London Health Sciences Centre, an increase of two from Friday, 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.

Zero staff members at LHSC were positive for COVID-19 as of Friday.

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, the organization reported no COVID-19 cases among its patients or staff.

Institutional outbreaks

Six COVID-19 cases are associated with an outbreak tied to indoor gatherings at Christ Embassy Church at 1472 Dundas St. in London, unchanged from when the outbreak was declared Friday.

On Monday, Mackie said the health unit is “awaiting a number of tests of people who were contacts in that situation.”

“Our focus right now is controlling the spread of illness there. We are not focused on punishment.”

The health unit said Friday that the outbreak involved indoor gatherings where masks were not worn and physical distancing was not maintained.

Anyone who attended any indoor gatherings at the church between June 20 and 30 is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and to get tested if symptoms develop.

Meanwhile, LHSC has confirmed that an outbreak at University Hospital in 8TU Transplant Unit which was declared on June 13 and resolved as of June 29 is confirmed to have involved the Gamma variant.

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

Vaccinations and testing

The MLHU announced Monday that over 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the region so far, with 100,000 of those in the last two weeks alone.

The vast majority were delivered through mass vaccination clinics and through health unit partners but medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie also extended appreciation to the work of local pharmacies.

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 wrap up Tuesday at select schools in the city and county. Locations, dates and times can be found on the Global News website.

During Monday afternoon’s scheduled media briefing, officials also noted that a one-day walk-in clinic is set for Thursday downtown at Citi Plaza.

As of June 26, the most recent data available, the MLHU reports 75.3 per cent of residents age 12 and older have received one dose, while 23.4 per cent are fully vaccinated. Updated data is expected Tuesday.

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

The region’s main Carling Heights and Oakridge Arena assessment sites remain open and operating by appointment, though the Oakridge location will soon be closing.

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 fell to 0.7 per cent for the week of June 20, down from 1.2 per cent for the week of June 13.

Ontario

Ontario is reporting 170 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, marking the smallest daily increase since Sept. 10, 2020, when the same number of cases were logged.

The province recorded 213 new cases on Sunday and 209 on Saturday.

The provincial case total now stands at 545,973.

According to Monday’s report, 34 cases were recorded in Waterloo Region, 27 in Toronto, 18 in Grey Bruce and 13 in Haliburton, Kawartha Pine Ridge District.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 10 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 9,215 as one more death was recorded.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health’s case count stands at 3,888 as of Monday, an increase of four from Friday.

The number of recoveries increased by one from Friday to 3,789. The number of deaths remains at 83. At least 16 cases are currently active.

Per-municipality case counts can be found on the health unit’s dashboard.

Three people are currently in hospital with COVID-19, all in the ICU. That’s compared to two people, including one hospitalized, on Friday.

There are a total of 812 confirmed variant cases in the region, up one from Friday, with 749 of them involving the Alpha variant.

There are no active institutional outbreaks reported in the region.

The region’s test positivity rate fell to 1.2 per cent for the week of June 20, down from 1.5 per cent for the week of June 13 but still above the 0.9 per cent recorded the week of June 6.

As of Monday, SWPH says 63.2 per cent of residents age 12 and older have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

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 of an mRNA vaccine 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 COVID-19 vaccine.

Huron and Perth

HPPH reported a total of 1,904 cases on Monday, an increase of seven from Friday.

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

Three more recoveries were reported, for a total of 1,833 while 14 cases are active.

The number of deaths is unchanged at 57, as is the number of cases involving a variant of concern, which stands at 318.

One person is currently hospitalized with COVID-19, a decrease of one from Friday. There are no active institutional outbreaks reported in the region.

The region’s test positivity rate fell to 0.6 per cent for the week of June 20, down from 1.0 per cent for the week of June 13.

According to HPPH, 73.5 per cent of residents had received at least one dose of vaccine, while 37.8 per cent are fully vaccinated as of Monday.

Information on vaccine eligibility and booking an appointment can be found on HPPH’s website. Specific information on booking a second dose of vaccine can also be found on the health unit’s website.

Sarnia and Lambton

Lambton Public Health reported four new COVID-19 cases and eight recoveries on Monday in addition to four cases and 10 recoveries reported over the weekend.

The region’s total case count stands at 3,612 with 17 active cases, 3,533 recoveries and 62 deaths.

According to Bluewater Health, two patients in their care are confirmed to have COVID-19.

The region’s variant case tally is 647 as of Monday, an increase of two from Friday.

An outbreak declared June 25 at Afton Park Place, a long-term care home, continues. It involves fewer than five cases among residents and fewer than five cases among staff and caregivers.

The region’s test positivity rate climbed to 2.0 per cent for the week of June 20, up from 1.8 per cent for the week of June 13.

For the COVID-19 vaccine, residents can book and 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.

Lambton Public Health says 73.2 per cent of adults have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 42.4 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.

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