The London region’s daily COVID-19 case count has jumped back into double-digits, one day after hitting a low not seen since early August.
The Middlesex London Health Unit reported 18 new infections on Tuesday. That is up from two cases logged on Monday and ten cases recorded on Sunday. The region has only seen four days this month of single-digit case increases, including Monday when case numbers fell below five for the first time since August 3.
The area’s total case count since the pandemic began stands at 14,310.
The area death toll is unchanged at 243, with no additional COVID-19 related deaths reported since October 10.
Resolved cases are up by 21 to 13,967. There are currently 100 active cases locally, down from 104 on Monday.
There is a COVID-19 outbreak at another local private school. Public health officials declared the outbreak at Our Lady of the Pillar Academy in Strathroy after two cases were linked to the school on Monday. There are now two private schools dealing with an COVID-19 outbreaks - the other is Providence Reformed Collegiate in Komoka.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) currently has ten inpatients with COVID-19 in its care, up one since Monday. Five or fewer of those patients are listed in intensive care and five or fewer are in the care of Children’s Hospital. There are currently five or fewer hospital employees who have tested positive for the virus.
No additional cases have been identified as variants of concern, leaving the local total at 4,280. There have been 766 cases involving the B.1.617 (Delta) strain since the health unit began tracking variants. There have also been a total of 3,384 of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) strain, 124 of the P.1. (Gamma) variant, and two cases of the B.1.351 (Beta) strain.
As of Saturday, there have been 782,442 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in the region, which works out to 88.3 per cent of all area residents aged 12 and older having received at least one dose. The percentage of the local population to receive both doses is currently 84.1.
Of the 688 people who have contracted the virus locally since September 6, approximately 64.2 per cent were not vaccinated, 6 per cent were partially vaccinated, and 26.3 per cent were fully vaccinated. Another 3.5 per cent had the shot but it had not yet begun offering protection. Of those who were hospitalized with the virus over the past six weeks, 66.7 per cent were either unvaccinated or had received one dose. Just over 33 per cent had received both doses.
In Elgin and Oxford counties, eight new COVID-19 cases were recorded and one removed on Tuesday. That brings Southwestern Public Health’s total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 4,520. There was one additional death related to the virus reported. That brings the local death toll up to 90. Resolved cases rose to 4,354 with 76 known active cases remaining in the two counties. As of Sunday, 86.5 per cent of area residents aged 12 and older have had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 82.5 per cent have received both doses.
Ontario logged fewer than 350 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours.
Public health officials recorded 328 new infections on Tuesday. That is down from 373 Monday, 443 Sunday, and 486 Saturday.
The unvaccinated continue to account for the bulk of new cases across the province Tuesday, with 177 of the infections reported among those who have not had a single shot. The partially vaccinated makeup 16 of the new cases, and there were 105 cases involving the fully vaccinated. Another 30 of the cases involved individuals whose vaccination status is unknown.
Peel Region had the province’s highest daily number of cases over the past 24 hours with 60, followed by Toronto with 52 and Ottawa with 20.
Ontario’s total case count since the start of the pandemic now stands at 595,563.
The Delta variant, B.1.617, continues to be the fastest spreading strain in the province. According to the daily epidemiology report, there were 96 more cases identified as being the Delta variant for a total of 19,976. There are a total of 146,495 cases of the Alpha variant B.1.1.7., 1,503 of the Beta variant B.1.351 and 5,230 of the Gamma variant P.1.
There were four additional deaths reported Tuesday, bringing the provincial death toll from the virus to 9,819.
There are currently 260 people with COVID-19 being treated at Ontario hospitals, up 115 from Monday. COVID-19 related admissions to intensive care units is down by nine to 159 and there are 130 people breathing with the assistance of a ventilator, a decrease of eight. Of those on general hospital wards with the virus, 112 are not fully vaccinated. Thirty-five are fully vaccinated.
The number of resolved cases rose by 498 to 582,072. There are currently 3,672 active cases of the virus in Ontario.
In the last 24 hour period, more than 20,400 COVID-19 tests were processed, roughly the same number as the previous day. The province’s positivity rate is now 1.5 per cent.
To date, the province has administered 22,264,919 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with more than 10.8 million people having received both shots required to be fully inoculated.
More than 3.1 million Ontarians have downloaded their proof of COVID-19 vaccination QR code since last Friday. That includes about 880,000 people Monday alone. The enhanced vaccine certificate will be needed as of this Friday to access certain businesses and services including indoor restaurant and bar dining, gyms, theatres, and sporting venues.