The Middlesex London Health Unit has recorded two additional COVID-19 related deaths in the area.
A man and woman, both in their 80s, are the latest to succumb to the virus, the health unit said on Monday. Neither of the two were linked to a long-term care or retirement home. Their deaths are the 12th and 13th so far this month and increased the local death toll to 404.
The health unit reported 107 new cases since it last updated its COVID-19 dashboard last Thursday. However, public health officials caution that single-day case numbers are an underestimate of community spread due to eligibility changes that limit who can receive a test. The area’s total case count stands at 38,699 since the pandemic began.
Resolved cases are up to 38,074. The number of active cases locally went up by 62 since last Thursday to 221 on Monday.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) confirmed on Monday the number of inpatients infected with COVID-19 went up since Friday. There are now 26 COVID positive patients admitted, an increase of three. At this time last week, there were just 12 inpatients with COVID-19 at the LHSC. According to hospital officials, 14 of the current inpatients are being treated for the virus, while the remaining 12 are being treated for other ailments but have tested positive for COVID.
The intensive care unit and Children’s Hospital have zero infected inpatients.
The number of hospital workers who have tested positive for the virus was unchanged on Monday. There are 77 infected staffers at the LHSC. At this time last week, 52 hospital employees had contracted the virus.
There are currently four level two COVID-19 outbreaks at London hospitals - three at University Hospital and one at Victoria Hospital. The most recent outbreak was declared on the U4 Medicine High 200s and 300s unit at University Hospital on Saturday.
While the LHSC continues to update its COVID data five days a week, the health unit only puts out updated numbers on Mondays and Thursdays. That marks a switch from Monday-to-Friday dashboard updates that had been in place since early in the pandemic.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit that covers Elgin and Oxford counties, only updates its COVID-19 cases dashboard on Wednesdays, while the province issues its weekly updated numbers on Thursdays.