COVID-19 cases soared to new daily record setting highs in both Middlesex-London and Elgin-Oxford on Thursday.
The Middlesex London Health Unit reported 119 new cases over the last 24 hours, breaking the previous single-day case record of 100 set on Tuesday. The new infections bring the region's total case count to 3,314.
There were no additional deaths in Middlesex-London on Thursday, leaving the death toll unchanged at 102. December has been the deadliest month of the second wave of the pandemic with 35 deaths linked to the virus. That matches April for the most COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began in March.
The London Health Sciences Centre declared a new outbreak on the D5-300 Medicine unit. To-date the outbreak has infected less than five patients and less than five staff members. There are no deaths associated with the outbreak. University Hospital has been outbreak free since Tuesday.
Eleven local long-term care and retirement homes continue to deal with outbreaks. Those include Country Terrace, Dearness Home, Earls Court Village, Extendicare, Glendale Crossing, McGarrell Place, Middlesex Terrace, Mount Hope Centre for Long-Term Care, Oakcrossing Retirement Living, People Care Oak Crossing, and Westmount Gardens.
Despite the winter break nearing the end of week two for school children, the Thames Valley District school board continue to identify new COVID-19 cases. New infections were identified late Wednesday at AB Lucas Secondary in London, Glendale high in Tillsonburg, and Davenport Public in Aylmer. The board has issued a reminder to parents that elementary students will be learning remotely from January 5 to 8 and high schoolers will be learning online only from January 4 to 22.
Fifty-four more recoveries were reported over the last 24 hours to bring the region's total number of resolved cases to 2,518. That leaves 694 active cases.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for Oxford and Elgin counties, confirmed a record 71 new COVID-19 cases Thursday. That exceeds the previous single-day record of 47 set December 23 and increases its total number of cases to 1,286.
The surge in cases comes as new modelling by the health unit shows infections could reach 100 a day by early January.
"Once we start to see daily increases approaching 100 per day, it becomes very difficult to conduct contact tracing within 24 hours to contain the virus,” Dr. Joyce Lock, medical officer of health at Southwestern Public Health, said in a statement. “Our team is working at maximum capacity, our local health care system is strained, and we are urgently asking for your support to modify behaviours to stop the spread.”
Lock added that as contact tracers continue to be overwhelmed, those positive for the virus should notify everyone they have been in contact with so they can self-isolate and get tested.
"It is also advisable to download the COVID Alert App and keep a list of the places you have been and any close interactions you have had over the past two weeks,” Lock said.
There was one additional COVID-19 death in Elgin-Oxford Thursday, bringing the local death toll to 13. Resolved cases stand at 978, leaving the number of active cases in the area at 295.
Ontario also reached a grim milestone Thursday, surpassing 3,000 new COVID-19 cases to set a new single-day record high.
The province logged 3,328 new infections, breaking the previous record of 2,923 set Wednesday.
This is the third day in a row the province has set a daily case count record and the first time since the pandemic began cases have soared above the 3,000 mark.
Toronto recorded the most new cases with 888. Peel followed with 431. York Region had 418, Windsor-Essex reported 257, and Ottawa had 194.
Ontario’s total number of cases now stands at 182,159.
There was also a surge of COVID-19 deaths in the province. Fifty-six people, including 39 long-term care home residences, died from the virus over the last 24 hours. There has not been this many COVID deaths in one day since May 12.
Currently, there are 1,235 infected Ontarians in hospital. Of those, 337 are in the intensive care unit and 210 are on ventilators to assist with breathing.
In the last 24 hour period, nearly 63,900 COVID-19 tests were processed. Ontario’s positivity rate stands at 5.7 per cent.
