There was another triple-digit increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases in London and Middlesex County on Friday.
The Middlesex London Health Unit reported 111 new infections and no additional deaths over the past 24 hours. It is the third consecutive day in which daily case numbers have been at or above 100. The region started the week with single-day case loads ranging from 69 to 85 before they shot to 128 on Wednesday and 100 on Thursday.
Since the pandemic began, there has been a total of 9,721 COVID-19 cases in the area. The death toll is unchanged at 195.
There were 112 more recoveries reported Friday for a total of 8,492 resolved cases. That leaves 1,034 active cases in the city and county.
Another 113 cases have been identified as variants of concern for a total of 1,469. All but two of the variants of concern confirmed in the area are the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the U.K. There are 227 cases that have tested positive for a mutation.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has seen a slight decrease in the number of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital. As of Friday, there are 84 COVID-19 patients in the hospital's care, with 37 of them listed in the intensive care unit. A number of the individuals in the ICU were transferred in from COVID-19 hotspots like Toronto. In anticipation of an expected increase in patients, LHSC announced it has opened seven more critical care beds. This is in addition to 18 previously announced beds.
The health unit has once again expanded vaccine eligibility. As of Friday, people 16 and older with high-risk health conditions and those who are pregnant can begin booking appointments to get the shot. To book an appointment, go to www.covidvaccinelm.ca or call 226-289-3560 from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, there was a dip in the number of new cases. Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for the region, said there were 12 new COVID-19 infections recorded Friday, down from 26 on Thursday. The region’s total number of cases is now 3,275, with 3,040 resolved. A man in his 60s was the latest to succumb to the virus in the area. His death brings the local death toll up to 76. Currently, there are 159 active cases in the two counties and one ongoing outbreak at Caressant Care Bonnie Place in St. Thomas. As of last Saturday, 20 per cent of local residents have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 2 per cent have been given both doses.
Following a one day drop, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario surged back above 4,500 on Friday.
Public health officials confirmed 4,505 new infections across the province over the past 24 hours. That’s up from 3,682 on Thursday.
Toronto had the province’s highest daily number of cases on Friday with 1,257, followed by Peel with 1,232, York Region with 412, Ottawa with 247, and Durham with 224.
Ontario total case count since the start of the pandemic now stands at 437,310.
There have been another 2,700 new cases of the variant originating from the U.K. in Ontario. That brings the province’s total number of B.1.1.7. cases to 46,905. Cases of the B.1.351 and P.1 variants are up by 21 and six for a total of 134 and 224.
There were 34 additional deaths reported over the past 24 hours. The provincial death toll is now 7,863.
Hospitalizations in Ontario are down a bit with 2,287 COVID-19 positive patients admitted. Of those, a record 818 are in intensive care and 593 are on ventilators.
The number of resolved cases rose to 387,712. There are currently 41,735 active cases of the virus in Ontario.
In the last 24 hour period, 56,206 COVID-19 tests were processed, up from 54,246 the previous day. The province positivity rate is currently 8.8 per cent, up from 7.8 per cent on Thursday.
To date, the province has administered 4,400,674 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 355,208 people having received both shots required to be fully inoculated.
