COVID-19: MLHU reports 1 death, 174 cases since Friday; 21 COVID inpatients at LHSC – London

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

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Hospitalizations

London Health Sciences Centre reported Monday that it was caring for 21 inpatients with COVID-19, a decrease of two from Friday.

Of those, five or fewer are in adult critical care or intensive care, a figure unchanged.

LHSC says five or fewer of its COVID-19 inpatients are in Children’s Hospital, while zero are in pediatric critical care, also unchanged.

Of the 21 inpatients with COVID-19, 12 are being treated for COVID-19 while nine are being treated for something other than COVID-19 but were found to have an incidental infection.

The organization says at least 159 staff were positive for COVID-19 as of Monday, down eight from Friday.

At St. Joseph’s Health Care London, figures remained unchanged Monday from March 17.

As of that date, at least 64 health-care workers were positive for COVID-19, while two patients/residents at Parkwood Institute’s main building were positive.

Cases and testing

On Monday, the MLHU reported one new death and 174 new lab-confirmed cases since Friday.

The death was reported on Saturday along with 57 additional lab-confirmed cases. The health unit said the death involved a woman in her 80s who wasn’t linked with a long-term care facility and who was unvaccinated.

The health unit says there have been nine deaths reported so far this month in the region.

At least 63 lab-confirmed cases were reported on Sunday, while 54 cases were reported on Monday.

Due to changes in eligibility for PCR testing, daily case counts are not considered a fully reliable reflection of COVID-19 activity in the region.

The health unit says there have been 32,991 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. At least 692 are active (a decrease of four from Friday) while 31,944 have resolved (an increase of 183 from Friday).

A total of 355 deaths have been reported (an increase of one).

According to the health unit, the region’s test positivity rate for the week of March 6 was 17.5 per cent, up sharply from the revised 11.5 per cent a week prior. This also marks the highest the rate has been since the end of January.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit says individuals who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should consider themselves to be positive for COVID-19 and self-isolate.

The health unit has provided 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.

Outbreaks

LHSC says one outbreak remains active at University Hospital, covering the entire floor of its U8 General Surgery. The outbreak, declared Feb. 28, involves at least 13 patients and 15 staff cases.

LHSC updates its outbreak data on Wednesdays unless an outbreak is declared or resolved.

The health unit says one new outbreak was declared over the weekend at a local long-term care or retirement home.

The outbreak, declared at the city-owned Dearness Home, involves the facility’s 5E area.

Elsewhere, institutional outbreaks remain active at the following locations:

• Chelsey Park, fourth floor – A, B and C wings, declared March 4
• Chelsey Park Retirement Community, facility-wide, declared March 4
• Longworth Retirement Residence, first and second floors, declared March 17
• Middlesex Health Alliance (Four Counties – acute care nursing unit), declared March. 12

Vaccinations

As of end of day March 12, the health unit says 90.8 per cent of residents aged five and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (unchanged from a week prior), while 87.7 per cent have had two (up from 87.5 the week prior).

For third doses, 50.5 per cent of people five and older have received a booster, up from 50.2 per cent a week earlier.

Note that those aged 12 to 17 only became eligible for a third dose as of Feb. 18 and those under 12 are still not eligible.

For children aged five to 11, first-dose coverage stands at 60.3 per cent, up from 60.1 per cent a week earlier, while 44.4 per cent have received two doses.

Updated figures are expected later this week.

Further information on vaccination in the MLHU’s region, as well as other COVID-19-related information, can be found on the health unit’s website.

Ontario

Ontario reported 551 people in hospital with COVID-19 and 181 people in intensive care.

That’s the same number of hospitalizations as on Sunday, though the province says more than 10 per cent of hospitals didn’t provide updated data.

The number of people in ICUs dropped by one compared with Sunday.

Three more COVID-19 deaths were reported Monday, and another that the province says took place more than a month ago was added to the total tally.

Ontario is reporting 1,217 new cases of COVID-19, but the province’s top doctor has said the actual number is likely 10 times higher than the daily log, since access to PCR testing is restricted.

As of Monday, people in Ontario no longer have to wear face masks in most indoor public settings.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health issues updates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, barring holidays.

The health unit reported 60 additional lab-confirmed cases on Monday and no new deaths. The most recent death was reported Wednesday involving a man in his 90s from Oxford County.

There were six COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday, an increase of four from Friday. Two of the hospitalized individuals are in intensive care.

The test positivity rate for the week of March 6 was 15.2 per cent, up from 10.4 per cent the week prior. Updated figures are expected this week.

SWPH reported on Monday.

• 11,669 (an increase of 59 from Friday. SWPH notes one previously confirmed case was removed from the total following data cleaning)
• 203 active cases (a decrease of 22)
• 11,313 resolved cases (an increase of 81; note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)
• 153 total deaths to date (unchanged)

Health unit officials say there is one active institutional outbreak in the region, located at Chartwell Oxford Gardens in Woodstock. The outbreak, declared March 2, is linked to at least 10 resident cases and three staff cases.

As of March 16, 81.1 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 83.7 per cent have had at least one dose.

Further 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 and Perth

On Monday, Huron Perth Public Health reported zero patients in hospital due to COVID-19, and 42 new lab-confirmed cases since Friday.

In total, HPPH has reported 5,987 cases and 95 deaths (unchanged).

For the week of March 6, the test positivity rate was 11.8 per cent, up from 7.9 per cent a week prior.

HPPH says there have been 769 total cases among health-care workers since March 2020, an increase of 16 from Friday.

There are currently five active outbreaks:

• Listowel Memorial Hospital, declared March 12 and involving nine patients and one staff member
• Spruce Lodge long-term care home in Stratford, declared March 12, involving six residents and four staff
• Goderich Place retirement home in Goderich, declared March 14, involving 10 residents and five staff members
• Harbour Hill Retirement Suites in Goderich, declared March 17, involving two resident cases and one staff case
• an unidentified outbreak at a congregate living facility

As of March 14, 84.2 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 81.1 per cent have received two.

Third-dose coverage stands at 52.5 per cent of those five and older. It should be noted, however, that those under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for a third dose, and those aged 12 to 17 only became eligible for a booster dose as of Feb. 18.

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

Sarnia and Lambton

Bluewater Health reported Monday that there were fewer than five patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, unchanged from Friday. Fewer than five are in the ICU.

According to Lambton Public Health, the region’s ICU occupancy stood at 38 per cent for the week of March 13 to 19, the same as the week before

The health unit releases new case information on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Officials reported one new death and 37 additional lab-confirmed cases since Friday, for a total of 132 deaths and 10,152 cases.

Only one congregate setting outbreak remains active, at Vision Nursing Home long-term care home in Sarnia. It was declared March 7 and involves 11 resident cases and five staff or visitor cases.

The test positivity rate for the week of March 6 was 13.6 per cent, up from 11.6 per cent for the week of Feb. 27.

Among area residents aged five and older, 83 per cent have had at least one dose of vaccine, 80 per cent have had two doses and 49 per cent have had a third dose. Note that those under 12 are not currently eligible for 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 Jacquelyn LeBel and The Canadian Press