While daily COVID-19 cases in London and Middlesex County climbed back into the double-digits Thursday, the region marked its fifth consecutive day without a virus related death.
The Middlesex London Health Unit said there were 13 new infections and 0 deaths over the past 24 hours. It is the first time since Sunday daily cases have been above ten. There has not been a COVID-19 related death reported in the city or county since Saturday.
The region's total number of cases is now 6,055 with 5,742 resolved and 181 deaths. That leaves just 132 known active cases.
There are outbreaks of the virus at six local long-term care and retirement homes, two elementary schools, and one daycare centre. A single case has also been linked to the East Carling YMCA Child Care and School Age program.
The London Health Sciences Centre has 16 inpatients with COVID-19, down from 19 on Wednesday. There are six COVID-19 positive patients listed in intensive care.
On a positive note, the health unit opened its second COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Thursday. Anne Doherty, an essential caregiver to her elderly parents who reside at McCormick Home in London, was the first person to receive the shot at the Caradoc Community Centre in Mt. Brydges. The clinic is located in the middle of Middlesex County to better serve the rural community.
Southwestern Public Health recorded nine new infections and one COVID-19 death on Thursday. That puts Elgin and Oxford counties’ caseload up to 2,452 and the death toll to 65. Resolved cases rose to 2,326, leaving 61 active cases between the two counties. The massive outbreak that infected 85 residents and staff members and claimed ten lives at People Care Tavistock has been declared over. That leaves just three other facilities dealing with outbreaks - Caressant Care Retirement Home in Woodstock, Valleyview Nursing Home in St. Thomas, and Aylmer Retirement Residence in Aylmer.
Daily case numbers in Ontario have once again risen above 1,000.
According public health officials, 1,038 new infections were confirmed on Thursday. That is up from 847 on Wednesday, 904 on Tuesday, 963 on Monday, and 981 on Sunday.
Regions with the highest case counts were Toronto with 376, followed by Peel and York Region with 142 and 122 cases.
The daily epidemiologic summary indicates Ontario has had a total of 348 cases of the U.K. variant, known as B.1.1.7. There have been ten confirmed cases of the South African variant, known as B.1.351 and one case of the Brazil variant, P.1.
The province’s total case count since the start of the pandemic now sits at 289,621.
Forty-four deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, up from ten on Wednesday. The province’s death toll is now 6,773.
Ontario’s hospitals are currently dealing with 758 patients with COVID-19. Of those, 277 are in intensive care and 192 are on ventilators.
Resolved cases across the province are up to 272,146. That leaves 10,702 known active cases of the virus in Ontario.
In the last 24 hour period, more than 56,000 COVID-19 tests were processed, up from 33,900 the previous day. Ontario’s current positivity rate is 2.2 per cent.
The province has administered 501,867 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of 8 p.m. Wednesday. A total of 205,802 people in Ontario have received their second dose of the vaccine and are considered fully inoculated.