The London-area reported a new record one-day spike in COVID-19 cases Wednesday, the third time it has done so in the last two weeks.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said there were 47 new infections confirmed over the last 24 hours. That breaks the previous record of 46 cases set earlier this month. The return to record-high daily case counts came after just 16 new cases were reported on Tuesday. No new deaths were reported by the health unit, despite the London Health Sciences Centre reporting another death related to the outbreak at University Hospital, where one more patient and five additional staff members have tested positive since Tuesday, for a total of 73 patients and 66 employees infected. There have now been 14 deaths linked to the outbreak. London Health Sciences Centre said it currently has 57 patients, including six in the intensive care unit, under its care.
The jump in new infections came on the same day the health unit declared COVID-19 outbreaks at four London schools. The affected schools are Sir Arthur Currie Public, Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary, Westminster Secondary, and Ashley Oaks Public. According to public health officials, there was evidence of transmission of the virus within the schools. All four remain open, with only select classes required to stay at home.
Outbreaks have also been declared at McCormick Home and Country Terrace, long-term care facilities in London and Komoka. Two more residents of local long-term care homes have tested positive for the virus for a total of 66 since March.
London and Middlesex County's total case count since the start of the pandemic stands at 1,927.
There were nearly 50 more recoveries reported over the past 24 hours, increasing the total number of resolved cases to 1,546. The number of active cases in the city and county currently sits at 305.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for Elgin and Oxford, recorded a dozen new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The latest infections bring the area’s total caseload to 660. Fourteen more recoveries were reported over the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of resolved cases to 564. Active cases in the region now sit at 88.
Provincially, daily cases shot back up to nearly 1,900.
Public health officials said there were 1,890 new infections confirmed on Wednesday. That is up from 1,676 cases the previous day.
Of the new cases, 517 were in Toronto, 471 were in Peel and 187 were in York Region.
The total number of cases in the province has risen to 132,800.
There were an additional 28 deaths linked to the virus across the province, 11 of which were among long-term care home residents. Ontario's death toll is now 3,836.
The number of resolved cases rose to 112,875 with 1,924 additional recoveries since Tuesday.
According to the province's daily report, the number of COVID-19 infected patients in Ontario hospitals has risen to 811. Of those in hospital, 221 are in the intensive care unit and 129 are on ventilators to assist with breathing.
In the last 24 hour period, 48,546 COVID-19 tests were processed. Ontario's positivity rate is at 4.4 per cent.