Efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 appear to be working in London and Middlesex County, with no new daily cases or deaths related to the virus reported on Friday.
It is the second time this month the Middlesex London Health Unit's daily COVID-19 numbers for both deaths and newly confirmed cases were at zero. Flat numbers were also reported on May 9.
"As always, this only happens because Londoners are being responsible and taking appropriate precautions. Let's keep it up," Mayor Ed Holder tweeted about the Friday numbers.
The total number of confirmed cases in the area since the outbreak began has actually decreased to 491. According to the health unit, two tests that were previously listed at positive for the virus were re-analyzed and have now been determined to be negative.
The death toll in the London area stands at 48, while the number of resolved cases has increased to 357 over the last 24 hours.
Seventeen patients diagnosed with COVID-19 remain under the care of the London Health Sciences Centre, one is listed in intensive care.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, an outbreak of the virus at an Ingersoll long-term care home has led to half a dozen new cases in that area. Southwestern Public Health said Friday six health-care workers at Secord Trails Care Community tested positive for COVID-19 since Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the area to 71. There have been four deaths related to the virus, with no new deaths recorded on Friday.
One more person infected with the virus has recovered, bringing the total number of resolved cases to 57.
The province is reporting its highest daily number of new cases in the past two weeks, with 441 new cases confirmed on Friday.
This is the third time this week the number of new cases reported over a 24 hour period has climbed above the 400 mark. The total number of cases now stands at 24,628.
The death toll in Ontario has also now surpassed 2,000, as 28 additional deaths were reported on Friday. There have been 2,021 deaths related to COVID-19 across the province.
There is a silver lining though, as the number of people to recover from the virus has also increased. Public health officials confirmed 18,767 of the confirmed cases have been resolved, which accounts for 76.2 per cent of all cases.
A total of 961 people with the virus are being cared for in Ontario hospitals, 153 of whom are in the intensive care unit.
There have been 287 outbreaks reported in long-term care homes. A total of 1,486 residents and six staff of the homes have died.
More than half (63.9 per cent) of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province have been in the Greater Toronto Area.