The London region recorded its lowest single-day increase of new COVID-19 cases in more than a week on Tuesday.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said there were 16 new infections and zero additional deaths across the region over the past 24 hours. The daily count hasn't been this low since November 26 when there was also 16 new cases. A near-record 45 cases were reported on Monday.
The new cases bring the region's total caseload since the start of the pandemic to 1,881.
One more patient and a staff member at University Hospital have tested positive for the virus, for a total of 72 infected patients and 61 infected staff since an outbreak began there early last month. Thirteen deaths have been associated with the outbreak.
The London Health Sciences Centre has 57 COVID-19 positive patients who are currently under its care, with seven of those in the intensive care unit.
Public health officials have said while cases linked to the hospital outbreak continue to increase, it is no longer the driver of large case jumps in the broader community.
The Thames Valley District school board announced positive cases at two schools in St. Thomas on Tuesday. Parents and staff at Elgin Court Public School and Parkside Collegiate Institute have been notified and both schools remain open.
Sixteen recoveries were reported since Monday, increasing the region's number of resolved cases to 1,498. No new deaths were recorded over the last 24 hours, leaving the death toll at 76.
Currently, there are 307 active cases in London and Middlesex County.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, there were eight new cases of COVID-19 reported. That is down from nine the previous day and brings the total number of infections to 648. The death toll is unchanged at eight. The number of recoveries outpaced new cases with 20 more cases resolved for a total of 550. There are currently 90 active cases in the region.
Ontario recorded fewer than 1,700 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, the first time daily cases have dipped that low in a week and a half.
Public health officials said there were 1,676 new infections across the province. That is down from a record high of 1,925 cases on Monday.
Of the new cases Tuesday, 1,078 were in the hotspots of Toronto (588), Peel (349), and York Region (141).
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 130,910 COVID-19 cases in Ontario.
Ten more deaths linked to the virus across the province were reported. That brings the death toll up to 3,808.
The number of resolved cases rose to 110,951 with 1,549 additional recoveries reported.
There are currently 794 COVID-19 infected patients in hospitals across the province, including 219 in the intensive care unit and 132 on ventilators.
Over the past 24 hours, Ontario processed nearly 39,200 COVID-19 tests since the virus began circulating. That is a drop from the 45,200 done the previous day and leaves the province's positivity rate at 3.7 per cent.
