For the second straight day, the London region reported seven new cases of COVID-19.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said Monday that one of the new cases involved a long-term care home employee. Currently, there are outbreaks of the virus at four local long-term care and retirement homes. The outbreaks are ongoing at Ashwood Manor Retirement Home, Country Terrace, Meadow Park Care Centre, and Peoplecare Oak Crossing.
Monday's seven new cases come after 12 infections were confirmed in the area over the weekend - five on Saturday and seven on Sunday.
London and Middlesex County have now seen a total of 902 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. Public health officials said nine additional people have recovered from the virus, increasing the number of resolved cases to 791.
There has not been a death linked to the virus since June 12, leaving the death toll unchanged at 57.
The number of active cases in the London-area stands at 54.
Demand for COVID-19 tests remains high. The Middlesex London Paramedic Service's mobile COVID-19 swabbing unit, which set up in Strathroy on Monday, reached capacity by 10:50 a.m. That was ten minutes before it was slated to open for the day. It will be out again on Wednesday at the Komoka Wellness Centre.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, only one new COVID-19 case was reported on Monday. Southwestern Public Health, the region’s health unit, said the new case bring its total case count up to 272. There was one more recovery in the region, to bring the resolved cases up to 260. It has been three months since any virus related deaths were reported in the two counties. Only seven cases remain active.
Provincially, the number of new COVID-19 cases climbed above the 600 mark.
Public health officials reported 615 new cases on Monday. That is up from 566 on Sunday.
The bulk of the new cases are located in Toronto, Peel, and the nation’s capital. Toronto logged 289 new cases, Peel recorded 88, and Ottawa reported 81. Nine of the province's 34 health units recorded zero new cases.
Of the new cases, 58 per cent are in people under the age of 40.
Ontario’s total case count is now 54,814.
There were five additional death reported since Sunday, bringing the province's death toll up to 2,980.
Recoveries are up by 541 and now stand at 46,360.
Currently, 176 infected Ontarians are in hospital receiving treatment, with 43 in the intensive care unit.
Over the last 24 hour period, the province has conducted roughly 38,200 additional COVID-19 tests.
As of Monday, the province's COVID-19 assessment centres discontinued walk-in testing and have moved to an appointment only system.
