File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / IvonneWierinkFile photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / IvonneWierink
London

54 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 1 death in London, Middlesex

The Middlesex London Health Unit has recorded another death linked to COVID-19.

A woman in her 80s is the latest person in the region to succumb to the virus. The health unit confirmed on Wednesday the woman was associated with a long-term care home. Her death is the seventh to be reported in the London-area this month and raises the local death toll to 368.

Another 127 COVID-19 cases were logged on Wednesday, up from 33 the previous day. Resolved cases increased to 34,663, leaving the number of known active cases locally at 981. However, public health officials have said current case numbers are likely an underestimation of the true number of people with the virus due to eligibility changes for lab-based PCR testing.

The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) reported that it has two fewer patients with COVID-19 in its care than on Tuesday, for a total of 54 inpatients with the virus. Despite the drop, the number of hospitalizations is still higher than it was a week ago when 46 COVID positive people were admitted to the LHSC. The number of people with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit was unchanged at six and Children’s Hospital had five or fewer patients with the virus, the same as on Tuesday.

The LHSC specified that, of the 54 COVID-19 patients at its hospitals, 24 are being treated for COVID-19, while 30 were admitted for other reasons but also have the virus.

The hospital network reported on Wednesday that it currently has 282 employees who have tested positive for the virus. That is up 21 from Tuesday.

Southwestern Public Health reported 315 more COVID-19 cases since last Wednesday, increasing the local case count since the pandemic began to 12,908. Two deaths were recorded over the past week, increasing the death toll to 158. Resolved cases rose to 12,322 and there are now 428 known active cases in the two counties.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen above 1,600 for the first time since mid-February.

A total of 1,662 people infected with the virus are currently in hospitals across the province. That is an increase of 176 from Tuesday. At this time last week, there were 1,332 COVID-19 positive people in the hospital. Just over 45 per cent of the people in hospital on Wednesday were admitted because of the virus, while 54.6 per cent were there for other reasons but tested positive for COVID-19.

Of those in hospital, 203 are in the ICU, down three from the previous day.

According to public health officials, there were 28 additional deaths related to the virus on Wednesday. All 28 occurred within the last month. The official death toll now stands at 12,661.

The province recorded 1,073 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, which is considered an underestimate of community spread. Daily case numbers are no longer thought to be a true reflection of spread of the virus in the province as the government has limited who is eligible for a free PCR test.

Ontario’s total case count since the start of the pandemic now sits at 1,224,534.

Resolved cases across the province are up by 3,918 to 1,180,793.

In the last 24 hour period, 21,988 COVID-19 tests were processed. Ontario’s positivity rate is currently 16.8, down from 17.5 per cent a week ago.

The province has administered 32,461,020 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday night. Figures show 91 per cent of Ontarians 12 and older have received both doses of the vaccine. There are more than 7.2 million people in the province who have received their third shot.

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