COVID-19: MLHU reports 3 deaths, LHSC has 87 COVID inpatients

Jump to: Hospitalizations – Cases and testing – Outbreaks – Vaccinations – Ontario – Elgin and Oxford – Huron and Perth – Sarnia and Lambton

The Middlesex-London Health Unit reported three deaths and 117 COVID-19 cases on Friday, compared with three deaths and 122 cases last Friday.

The deaths involved three women in their 70s, 80s and 90s. The woman in her 90s was associated with a long-term care home.

LHSC, meanwhile, is caring for 87 inpatients with COVID-19, 20 of whom are in adult critical care.

Hospitalizations

As noted, LHSC is caring for 87 COVID-19 inpatients, with 20 inpatients in adult critical care. Last Friday, LHSC was caring for 138 COVID-19 inpatients, with 22 in adult critical care.

Of the 87, there were five or fewer in Children’s Hospital with five or fewer in pediatric critical care. The same figures were reported last Friday.

Of the 87 patients, 48 are being treated for COVID-19 while 39 others in hospital have incidental COVID-19 infections (meaning they were admitted for another reason).

Among staff, there are 140 cases, down from 169 a week ago.

St. Joseph’s Health Care London reported five cases among patients or residents in its care and 69 health-care workers with COVID-19, virtually unchanged from a week ago when those figures were six and 69, respectively.

All five patient cases are at Parkwood Institute Main Building.

Cases and testing

As mentioned, the MLHU reported three new deaths. So far in February, 27 deaths have been reported.

The deaths reported involved three women, in their 70s, 80s and 90s. The woman in her 90s was associated with a long-term care home. The MLHU did not provide information about the vaccination status of the women.

The health unit also reported 117 cases on Friday. A week ago, it reported three deaths and 122 cases. Note that due to changes in eligibility for PCR testing, daily case counts are not considered a fully reliable reflection of COVID-19 activity in the region.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit says individuals who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should consider themselves to be positive for COVID-19 and self-isolate.

The health unit has provided information on what to do if you develop symptoms, test positive on a rapid test or PCR test or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive.

In total, there have been 30,604 confirmed cases since the onset of the pandemic, including 1,408 active cases (a decrease of nine), 28,868 resolved cases (an increase of 125) and 327 deaths (an increase of seven).

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 30 was 17.8 per cent, down from 18.9 per cent the week of Jan. 23.

Outbreaks

LHSC is updating its outbreak information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, except in the cases where an outbreak is resolved or declared.

LHSC is reporting the following outbreaks:

University HospitalU4 North East and East Corridors, General Medicine, declared Jan. 25, 16 patient cases and 11 staff casesU10 Subacute Medicine and Palliative Care, declared Jan. 15, involving 10 patient cases and five or fewer staff casesA9 Inpatients 100 and 200 Corridors, declared Jan. 11, involving 39 patient cases and 11 staff cases

The MLHU has declared an outbreak at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital in 1S as of Feb. 2.

Additionally, the MLHU is reporting the following institutional outbreaks:

Babcock Community Care Centre, facility-wide, declared Jan. 31Chartwell Riverside Retirement Residence, facility-wide, declared Jan. 21Chelsey Park, second and fourth floor, declared Jan. 18Dearness Home, 3E, declared Feb. 3Extendicare, first, second and third floor, declared Dec. 24Henley Place LTC Residence, Gibbons, Springbank and Harris, declared Dec. 29Meadow Park Care Centre, Blue Unit, declared Jan. 1Oneida Long Term Care Home, facility-wide, declared Jan. 28Queens Village, lower level and second floor, declared Jan. 25; facility-wide declared Jan. 28Village of Glendale Crossing, facility-wide, declared Dec. 25Waverley Mansion, facility-wide, declared Feb. 3

Vaccinations

The health unit is now offering the choice of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at all of its clinics as part of efforts to increase vaccination availability and uptake.

The MLHU provided updated vaccination data on Tuesday, covering up to the end of day Feb. 5.

As of that time, 90.2 per cent of residents aged five and older had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, up from 89.9 per cent the week prior. Two-dose coverage for that cohort sits at 85.9 per cent, up a full percentage point from 84.9 per cent.

The percentage of people aged five and older who have received third doses is 47.7 per cent, up from 46.1 per cent the week before. Note that those under 18 are not currently eligible for a third dose.

First-dose coverage for those aged five to 11 is 58.3 per cent, up from 57.3 per cent.

Data showing the distribution of cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions since Dec. 17, 2021, by age, based on vaccine status from no doses to three doses can be found on the “vaccination status” tab of the health unit’s Summary of COVID-19 Cases in Middlesex-London page.

Further information on vaccination in the MLHU’s region, as well as other COVID-19-related information, can be found on the health unit’s website.

Ontario

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The province reported 1,829 people in hospital with COVID-19 on Friday, with 435 in ICUs. Last Friday, there were 2,634 hospitalizations and 517 in ICU.

Of the hospitalizations reported Friday, 54 per cent were admitted because of COVID-19 while the rest were admitted for other reasons. Among those in the ICU, 80 per cent were admitted due to the virus.

Ontario also reported 2,907 new lab-confirmed cases, though that figure is an underestimate due to testing restrictions.

Fifty-two more deaths were reported for a total of 12,040 deaths throughout the pandemic.

Elgin and Oxford

Southwestern Public Health’s COVID-19 cases dashboard is only updated Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, barring holidays.

On Friday, SWPH reported three deaths, involving a man in his 30s from St. Thomas as well as a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s, both tied to the Elgin Manor outbreak.

SWPH reported 24 hospitalizations with six inpatients in the ICU, compared with 27 hospitalizations with seven in the ICU a week ago.

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 30 was 14.9 per cent, down from 15.9 per cent the week before.

As for cases, SWPH reported:

10,758 cases (an increase of 87 from Wednesday with one removed due to data cleanup)483 active cases (a decrease of six from Wednesday)10,039 resolved cases (an increase of 89 from Wednesday; note that SWPH clears all cases after 10 days regardless of outcome)147 total deaths to date (an increase of three from Wednesday)

There are active outbreaks at the following long-term care homes, retirement homes and hospitals:

Chartwell Aylmer, Aylmer, declared Jan. 2 and involving seven resident cases and 17 staff cases.Arches Transitional Bed Program, Woodstock, declared Jan. 10 and involving 18 resident cases, 16 staff cases and one death.Cedarview Living Retirement, Woodstock, declared Jan. 13 and involving 74 resident cases and nine staff cases.Metcalfe Gardens Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 13 and involving 27 resident cases, 10 staff cases and one death.Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving 12 patient cases, two staff cases and one death.Maple Manor Nursing Home, Tillsonburg, declared Jan. 18 and involving 48 resident cases and 18 staff cases.Elgin Manor, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 20 and involving 28 resident cases, 20 staff cases and two deathsWoodingford Lodge, Woodstock, declared Jan. 27, involving four resident cases and four staff cases.

A previously reported outbreak at Seasons Retirement Home, St. Thomas, declared Jan. 25 and involving two resident cases and two staff cases, is no longer listed as active.

As of Feb. 9, 79.9 per cent of those aged five and older in the region had received two doses of the vaccine, while 83.3 per cent have had at least one dose.

Further information on where and how to get vaccinated can be found on the health unit’s website.

The health unit encouraged people to join its Same-Day Vaccination List, which offers any leftover doses due to cancellations or no-shows.

As of Monday, all COVID-19 vaccination clinics in St. Thomas, Woodstock and Tillsonburg accept walk-ins.

There are also upcoming pop-up clinics:

Vienna: Edson Vienna Museum at 6209 Plank Rd. on Feb. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Princeton: Princeton Centennial Hall at 39 Main St. on Feb. 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.Plattsville: Plattsville Lions Hall at 68 Mill St. on Feb. 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Huron and Perth

On Friday, Huron Perth Public Health reported four people were in hospital with COVID-19. Of those, two were considered active cases.

Last Thursday, HPPH reported seven people in hospital with COVID-19, including four with active cases.

For the week of Jan. 30, the test positivity rate was 11.3 per cent, down from 11.5 per cent the week of Jan. 23.

In total, HPPH reported 5,393 total cases (an increase of 38) and 91 deaths to date (an increase of one).

HPPH reported 612 total cases among health-care workers since March 2020, an increase of 19 from Wednesday.

There are four active outbreaks reported by HPPH:

Braemar Nursing Home, North Huron, declared Jan. 12 and involving 42 residents and 17 staff cases.Queensway Nursing Home, Bluewater, declared Jan. 27 and involving 34 resident cases and 17 staff cases.Clinton Public Hospital in Central Huron, declared Feb. 3, involving two patients and two staffSouth Huron Hospital in South Huron, declared Jan. 27, involving 16 patients and 11 staff members.

Previously reported long-term care home outbreaks at Huronview in Huron East and Kingsway Lodge in St. Marys are no longer listed as active.

As of Feb. 7, 84.1 per cent of residents aged five and older have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 80 per cent are fully vaccinated. Third-dose coverage stands at 50.3 per cent of those five and older, though those under the age of 18 are not eligible for a third dose.

Information on how and where to get a vaccine can be found on the health unit’s website.

Sarnia and Lambton

Bluewater Health reported 13 patients in hospital with confirmed COVID-19, compared with 26 a week ago. Of those 13, one was in the ICU, compared with three a week ago.

Lambton Public Health is reporting the average ICU occupancy was 67 per cent the week of Jan. 30, unchanged from the week of Jan. 23.

The test positivity rate for the week of Jan. 30 was 25.7 per cent, up from 21.9 per cent the week before.

On Friday, Lambton Public Health reported:

9,394 total cases (an increase of 47)243 active cases (an increase of 13)9,031 resolved cases (an increase of 58)120 deaths to date (an increase of two)

No further details were provided on the two deaths reported Friday.

LPH is reporting six active outbreaks:

North Lambton Lodge long-term care home in Forest, declared Feb. 7 and involving fewer than five resident cases and fewer than five staff cases.Huron House Boys Home Congregate Living in Brights Grove, declared Feb. 5 and involving fewer than five residents and fewer than five staff members.Fiddick’s Nursing Home long-term care home in Petrolia, declared Feb. 3 and involving 19 residents and five staff members.Watford Quality Care long-term care home in Watford, declared Jan. 5 and involving 20 resident cases and 16 staff cases.Trillium Villa long-term care home in Sarnia, declared Jan. 3 and involving 60 residents and 42 staff/caregivers.Unidentified workplace, declared Jan. 26 and involving 15 cases (making it the largest workplace outbreak reported by LPH throughout the pandemic).

Among area residents aged five and older, 82 per cent have had at least one dose of vaccine, 79 per cent have had two doses and 47 per cent have had a third dose. Note that those under 18 are not currently eligible for a third dose.

Residents can book and re-book COVID-19 vaccine appointments or find information on vaccine availability at pharmacies using the health unit’s registration page. People can also contact the vaccine call centre at 226-254-8222.

Those who are able to get vaccinated on short notice are encouraged to sign up for Lambton Public Health’s daily Vaccine Standby List.

— with files from Gabby Rodrigues